Draft:Yuka Kitamura
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Note from GracenC (talk · contribs): This article is probably WP:TOOSOON. I'm compiling a list of sources and expanding the article as more information accumulates. Sources of interest[edit]
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Yuka Kitamura (Japanese: 北村 友香, Hepburn: Kitamura Yuka; born April 27, 1990)[1] is a Japanese composer. She is best known for her compositions for various games by the Japanese development studio FromSoftware, most notably serving as the lead composer for Dark Souls III. She left FromSoftware in 2023 to pursue freelance work.
Biography
[edit]Kitamura was born in Hokkaido.[2] She has been interested in video games and music composition since her childhood, citing Majora's Mask as one of her favorite games and an influence for her professional ventures.[3] After graduating from Sapporo Visual Arts College with a degree in music production, she began working at FromSoftware in 2011.[2] There, she composed music for several of the studio’s successful games, including Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. She also took the place of Motoi Sakuraba as lead composer for Dark Souls III.[4] Additionally, she was a member of FreQuency, a band comprised of members of FromSoftware's sound team and led by Tsukasa Saitoh.[5] In August 2023, she announced that she was leaving FromSoftware and would be working as a freelancer from then on.[6] Since then, she has composed music with fan artist Alex Roe,[7] and has announced that she is working on music for The Touhou Empires,[8] a video game which is as of November 2024 unreleased.
Works
[edit]Film and television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Shibuya shadou | Short film |
| 2025 | The Betrayal. | Short film |
| Witch Hat Atelier | 1 episode |
Videogames
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn | |
| 2013 | Armored Core: Verdict Day | |
| 2014 | Dark Souls II | |
| Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King | ||
| Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King | ||
| Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King | ||
| 2015 | Bloodborne | Also sound design |
| 2016 | Dark Souls III | |
| Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel | ||
| 2017 | Dark Souls III: The Ringed City | |
| 2018 | Déraciné | |
| 2019 | Arknights | |
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | ||
| 2022 | Elden Ring | |
| 2024 | Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree | |
| 2025 | Elden Ring Nightreign |
FreQuency
[edit]| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Sunrise |
| 2014 | Day After Day |
Musical style
[edit]Kitamura is noted for not only composing her music, but occasionally performing individual parts. In addition to performing as a vocalist, she plays both violin and cello, and has performed with all three in some of her compositions.[9] She frequently combines sampled sounds and live performances in her music, mixing between the two to create her works.[10]
Her compositions are characterized by their oppressive and suspenseful nature, which underscores the often unsettling and violent scenes in FromSoftware’s games. The radio station NTS Radio noted that her music has accompanied the virtual deaths of millions of players.[11] The gaming website Gamekult stated that she excels in the realm of dark fantasy characteristic of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s games.[12]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Yuka Kitamura's work has been nominated multiple times for "Best Music" at video game industry awards, alongside other composers who have contributed to FromSoftware games:
- Golden Joystick Awards 2015: Best Music for Bloodborne
- The Game Awards 2022: Best Music for Elden Ring[13]
- British Academy Games Awards 2022: Best Music for Elden Ring
- Game Developers Choice Awards 2023: Best Music for Elden Ring
References
[edit]- ^ "Yuka Kitamura". VGMdb. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ a b "Yuka Kitamura | Composer". Archived from the original on 2026-02-17. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Myers, Maddy (2024-08-11). "Elden Ring composer Yuka Kitamura used Zelda songs to motivate her piano practice". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Helton, Billie (2019-01-29). "SOUND TEST: Dark Souls Trilogy + Bloodborne". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ "FreQuency". VGMdb. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Yang, George (2023-08-01). "Elden Ring, Bloodbourne Composer Yuka Kitamura Exits FromSoftware After 12 Years". IGN. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ @_Yuka_Kitamura_ (April 28, 2021). "It's completely my private activity, but Alex Roe @RoeTaKa and I made a collaboration album..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Serin, Kaan (2024-02-04). "Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls' seminal composer is now making music for the last game anyone expected". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Motha, Sibonisile (2020-03-29). "Dark Souls & Bloodborne's Composer Is Returning For Elden Ring". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Madnani, Mikhail (2024-02-19). "Yuka Kitamura Interview: We Speak to the Legendary Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring Composer About Going Freelance, Music Composition, 2024 Plans, and a Lot More". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ "Women of Video Game Music: Yuka Kitamura 8th March 2023". NTS Radio. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ "Prodige de FromSoftware, la compositrice Yuka Kitamura annonce son départ". Gamekult (in French). 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ^ Harte, Charles (2022-11-14). "The Full List of the 2022 Game Awards Nominees". Game Informer. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
External links
[edit]- Yuka Kitamura discography at Discogs
- Yuka Kitamura at IMDb
- Yuka Kitamura discography at MusicBrainz
Category:Women Category:1990 births Category:Japanese people Category:Sound designers Category:Video game composers Category:Japanese composers