Koichi Sugiyama, the composer of the Dragon Quest franchise, has passed away in Japan, he was 90 years old. Square Enix confirmed that the cause of death was septic shock. And now, the whole video games industry mourns his death thanks to the influence he had on many more music composers.
In America, we first heard the famous Dragon Quest theme song on its NES adaptation that was named Dragon Warrior. The main theme has been present in all of the Dragon Quest games since then, and to be frank, we will never get tired of it. In Japan during the eighties and early nineties, it was said that the musical theme was taught in music classes for kids to learn. And that theme is now known pretty much by most of the population in Japan.
Sugiyama-san was still working on video games, specifically on the upcoming Dragon Quest XII that is said to be focused on more adult themes than previous games in the franchise.
Dragon Quest was a result of the combination of the talents of three highly influential personalities in the industry: Yoji Horii created the series, Akira Toriyama made the art, and Koichi Sugiyama would provide the music. Here’s what Horii and Toriyama have said of Sugiyama’s passing:
Yuji Horii:
I’m really sorry to hear Mr. Sugiyama’s sudden obituary. Thirty-five years after making Dragon Quest, Professor Sugiyama has brought the life of music to the world. The teacher wrote a lot of really wonderful songs. Dragon Quest will continue to be with the teacher’s music. The teacher should stay alive in the hearts of our users. Sugiyama-sensei, Thank you very much for a long time.
Akira Toriyama:
I was surprised to hear the obituary of Dr. Sugiyama. From the impression I had when I met just a few years ago In a good way, I thought of it as a witch with eternal life. The image of Dragon Quest is Mr. Sugiyama, who has loved games since that time It was determined by a number of wonderful and impressive masterpieces. It is no exaggeration to say that. It was a great honor to work with you for a long time! We pray for the souls from the bottom of my heart.
R.I.P. Koichi Sugiyama.
