Yoshinori Ono

Yoshinori Ono (小野義徳) is a producer, former sound manager and former brand manager at Capcom. He is also a musician, known to play both keyboards and electric guitar. Regarded as the driving force behind the Street Fighter series since its "revival" with Street Fighter IV in 2008, Ono is a minor celebrity for the fighting game community. He also composed the music for the obscure Mega Man: Battle & Chase, including "Kaze yo Tsutaete...," Roll's official vocal theme. In August 2020, Ono announced that he would leave Capcom.^[1]^[2]

History[]

According to Ono, in junior school he would visit a large bookstore to read about programming. In high school, however, he decided to get into music and learned the keyboard. In university, he studied Architectural Mechanics in order to have access to a faculty with a supercomputer. He learned the guitar and began to specialize in 3D fluid rendering, to the point where his mentor said he could postgraduate work.^[3]

Instead, he responded to a job advertisement as a composer with Capcom, as he was familiar with the company from playing Final Fight in arcades, sending in a demo tape of himself on the guitar. He was called in for interview and hired the next day. His job consisted of manually programming music in binary by converting to FM format, with his first project being the Mega Drive port of 1993's Muscle Bomber, known overseas as Saturday Night Slam Masters.^[4] He then worked on ports of Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams.^[3]^[4] His first original compositions were made for the Japanese version of Quiz & Dragons.

His transition to a management role came about the time he was working on the Street Fighter III series, where he did human resources management in addition to his regular duties. However after 3rd Strike, the series was seen as "dead" and it wasn't until Ono's promotion to producer and his grassroots campaign to get public demand up that a small budget for R&D was allocated for a prototype for Street Fighter IV.^[3]

Since the success of Street Fighter IV and its updates, Ono was more or less viewed as the "godfather" of the series and he continued to promote it and drive demand.

In 9th August 2020, Ono announced that he would leave Capcom after serving almost 30 years at the company.^[1] In April 2021, he announced that he would join Delightworks as its new president and chief operating officer (COO) in May 1st.^[5] In December 2021 he revealed that he would move to the new company that is under Aniplex (which acquired Delight Works' game development division).^[6]

Production History[]

Quiz & Dragons (Japanese Version) (1994) -- Songwriting

Super Street Fighter II (X68000 Version) (1994) [NOTE: Uncredited; Music porting (CPS2 to binary)]^[7]

Saturday Night Slam Masters (Genesis Version) (1994) [NOTE: Uncredited; Music porting (CPS1 to FM)]

Street Fighter: The Movie (PSX and Saturn Versions) (1995) -- Music Compose

Street Fighter Alpha (CPS Changer Version) (1995) [NOTE: Uncredited; Music porting (CPS2 to FM]

Mega Man: Battle & Chase (1997) -- Music Composer

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (Arcade and PSX Versions) (1998/1999) -- Special Thanks to

Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998) [NOTE: Uncredited; Sound Manager]^[7]

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (Dreamcast Version) (1999) -- Special Thanks to (Arcade Staff)

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (Arcade Version) (1999) -- Sound Management Director [NOTE: Sound Producer]

The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (1999) -- Special Thanks to

Breath of Fire IV (2000/2003) -- Animation Production Director [NOTE: Opening FMV Sound Manager]^[7]

Spawn: In the Demon's Hand (2000) -- Sound Promotion (Music Design) [NOTE: Sound Producer]^[7]

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (Dreamcast Version) (2000) -- Sound Management Director (Arcade Original Staff), Special Thanks (Consumer Staff)

Onimusha: Warlords (2001) [NOTE: Uncredited; Sound Manager]^[7]

Heavy Metal: Geomatrix (2001) -- Promotion Unit [NOTE: Sound Producer]^[7]

One Piece Mansion (2001) -- Sound Producer

Devil May Cry (2001) -- Sound Design Coordination

Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon (2001) -- Sound Management Director

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (2002) -- All Scores Associate Produced by (Sound Crew)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Ougon no Kaze (2002) -- Sound Management Director

Chaos Legion (PS2 Version) (2003) -- Producer

Chaos Legion (PC Version) (2003) -- Special Thanks - Original Game Designers (Chaos Legion for PC)

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (PS2 Version) (2004) -- Sound Management Director (Arcade Original Staff), Special Thanks (Consumer Original Staff)

Capcom Fighting Evolution (Arcade and PS2 Versions) (2004) -- Producer

Shadow of Rome (2005) -- Co-Producer

Capcom Fighting Evolution (Xbox Version) (2005) -- Producer (Arcade Staff), Producer (Consumer Staff)

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (2006/2007/2008) -- Special Thanks

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (2008) -- General Manager

Street Fighter IV (2009) -- Producer

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (2009) -- Producer

Super Street Fighter IV (2010) -- Producer

Super Street Fighter IV (OVA) (2010) -- Producer (Staff)

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (2010/2011) -- Producer

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (2011) -- Producer

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike Online Edition (2011) -- Sound Management Director (Staff) (Street Fighter: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future)

Street Fighter X Tekken (2012) -- Producer

Street Fighter X Tekken Vita (2012) -- Producer

Ultra Street Fighter IV (2014) -- Executive Producer

Street Fighter V (2016) -- Executive Producer

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (2017) -- Producer

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (2017) -- Executive Producer

Song Credits[]

Super Street Fighter II (X68000 Version)

~Internal Module~

Opening Demo -- Arrangement
Player Select -- Arrangement
Tournament -- Arrangement
VS. -- Arrangement
Ken Stage -- Arrangement
Ken Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Ken Ending -- Arrangement
Ken Ending 2 -- Arrangement
Ryu Stage -- Arrangement
Ryu Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Ryu Ending -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Stage -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Ending -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Ending 2 -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Ending 3 -- Arrangement
Bonus Stage -- Arrangement
Dee Jay Stage -- Arrangement
Dee Jay Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Dee Jay Ending -- Arrangement
T. Hawk Stage -- Arrangement
T. Hawk Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
T. Hawk Ending -- Arrangement
Fei Long Stage -- Arrangement
Fei Long Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Fei Long Ending -- Arrangement
Cammy Stage -- Arrangement
Cammy Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Cammy Ending -- Arrangement
E. Honda Stage -- Arrangement
E. Honda Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
E. Honda Ending -- Arrangement
Guile Stage -- Arrangement
Guile Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Guile Ending -- Arrangement
Dhalsim Stage -- Arrangement
Dhalsim Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Dhalsim Ending -- Arrangement
Blanka Stage -- Arrangement
Blanka Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Blanka Ending -- Arrangement
Zangief Stage -- Arrangement
Zangief Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Zangief Ending -- Arrangement
Stage-End -- Arrangement
Continue -- Arrangement
Here Comes the New Challenger -- Arrangement
M. Bison Stage -- Arrangement
M. Bison Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
M. Bison Ending -- Arrangement
Balrog Stage -- Arrangement
Balrog Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Balrog Ending -- Arrangement
Sagat Stage -- Arrangement
Sagat Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Sagat Ending -- Arrangement
Vega Stage -- Arrangement
Vega Stage (Critical) -- Arrangement
Vega Ending -- Arrangement
Congratulations! -- Arrangement
Staff Roll -- Arrangement
Game Over -- Arrangement
Ranking Display -- Arrangement

Saturday Night Slam Masters (Genesis Version)

Capcom Logo -- Arrangement
Title -- Arrangement
Game Start -- Arrangement
Player Select -- Arrangement
Player Selected -- Arrangement
VS. -- Arrangement
Tokyo (Stage 1) -- Arrangement
Moscow (Stage 2) -- Arrangement
Hanover (Stage 3) -- Arrangement
London (Stage 4) -- Arrangement
New York (Stage 5) -- Arrangement
Stage Clear -- Arrangement
Victory or Defeat -- Arrangement
New Challenger -- Arrangement
New Challenger Player Select -- Arrangement
Calgary (Stage 6) -- Arrangement
Los Angeles (Stage 7) -- Arrangement
Mexico (Stage 8) -- Arrangement
Sydney (Stage 9) -- Arrangement
Theme of Zalazof -- Arrangement
Theme of Colt -- Arrangement
Theme of Stinger -- Arrangement
Theme of Titan -- Arrangement
Theme of Budo -- Arrangement
Theme of Haggar -- Arrangement
Theme of Gomes -- Arrangement
Theme of Sheep -- Arrangement
Theme of Kimala -- Arrangement
Theme of Astro -- Arrangement
Ending (1st Time) -- Arrangement
Ending (2nd Time) -- Arrangement
Staff Roll -- Arrangement
Continue -- Arrangement
Game Over -- Arrangement
Ranking -- Arrangement
Pause -- Arrangement
Unused Track (Game Select) -- Arrangement

Street Fighter Alpha (CPS Changer Version)

Opening Demo -- Arrangement
Player Select -- Arrangement
VS. -- Arrangement
Ryu Stage -- Arrangement
Ryu Ending -- Arrangement
Nash Stage -- Arrangement
Nash Ending -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Stage -- Arrangement
Chun-Li Ending -- Arrangement
Adon Stage -- Arrangement
Adon Ending -- Arrangement
Guy Stage -- Arrangement
Guy Ending -- Arrangement
Gouki Stage -- Arrangement
Gouki Ending -- Arrangement
Stage-End -- Arrangement
Continue -- Arrangement
Here Comes the New Challenger -- Arrangement
Ken Stage -- Arrangement
Ken Ending -- Arrangement
Sodom Stage -- Arrangement
Sodom Ending -- Arrangement
Rose Stage -- Arrangement
Rose Ending -- Arrangement
Birdie Stage -- Arrangement
Birdie Ending -- Arrangement
Sagat Stage -- Arrangement
Sagat Ending -- Arrangement
Vega Stage -- Arrangement
Vega Ending -- Arrangement
Dan Stage -- Arrangement
Dan Ending -- Arrangement
Staff Roll -- Arrangement
Game Over -- Arrangement
Ranking Display -- Arrangement

Mega Man: Battle & Chase

Rockman Battle & Chase (Over the Top) ~Opening Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Ready for Break ~Introducing Racer Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Over the Top ~Theme of Rockman~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Sunshine Girl ~Theme of Roll~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Kick About ~Theme of Blues~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Go for it! ~Theme of Forte~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Otoko no Hanamichi ~Theme of Guts Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Through the Air ~Theme of Quick Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
"snow - rainbow ~Theme of Ice Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Dark the Moon ~Theme of Shadow Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Storming Bomber ~Theme of Napalm Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Speed•Star ~Theme of Spring Man~ -- Composition & Arrangement
I am world king!! ~Theme of Dr. Wily~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Courageous Heart ~Theme of Duo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Over the Top (Ballad version) ~Rockman Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Sunshine Girl (Ending version) ~Roll Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Kick About (Jazz version) ~Blues Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Go for it! (Ballad version) ~Forte Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Ah~ Otoko Ichidai (Guitar instrumental) ~Guts Man Ending~ -- Composition
Through the Air (Orchestra version) ~Quick Man Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Love Love Roll! ~Ice Man Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
moon light ~Shadow Man Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Burning Bomber ~Napalm Man Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Speed•Star (Cheerful version) ~Spring Man Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Kaze yo Tsutaete...(Game version) ~Roll Special Ending~ -- Lyrics, Composition & Arrangement
Ah~ Otoko Ichidai (Game version) ~Guts Man Special Ending~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Rockman Battle & Chase (Over the Top) ~Title Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
the straight out (PS original sound) ~Character Select~ -- Composition & Arrangement
soon... (PS original sound) ~Introducing Course Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Here goes! (PS original sound) ~Setting Machine Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Hold Out (PS original sound) ~Getting Parts Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Shadow (PS original sound) ~Option Demo~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Chasers ~Future City Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
dancing the eyes ~Mountain Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Escape ~Cavern Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Are you gloomy? ~Toy's Factory Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
dUEL ~Wily's Base Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
secret party ~Space Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
dimension shift ~Sky Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
standing over there ~Ordnance Factory Course~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Duo Here ~Secret Production~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Here Comes the New Challenger ~!?~ -- Arrangement
Black Star ~Secret Production~ -- Arrangement
Over the Top (Piano Solo version) ~Staff Roll Demo 1~ -- Composition
Over the Top (dance Mix version) ~Staff Roll Demo 2~ -- Composition & Arrangement
Kaze yo Tsutaete... (original Mix) -- Lyrics, Composition & Arrangement
Ah~ Otoko Ichidai (original Mix) -- Composition & Arrangement
Kaze yo Tsutaete... (instrumental Mix) -- Composition & Arrangement
Ah~ Otoko Ichidai (instrumental Mix) -- Composition & Arrangement
Kaze yo Tsutaete... (Piano Solo version) -- Composition [NOTE: A secret track on the game's soundtrack]

Trivia[]

Yoshinori Ono is frequently photographed with a tiny Blanka figure in his hand. According to an interview with Nintendo Channel, Ono obtained this toy along with a few extra, from a McDonalds Happy Meal set in the Phillipines. Currently one of them is broken and Ono keeps the other close to him.^{[citation needed]}
- Blanka is also said to be Ono's favorite Street Fighter character.

Ono is regarded by much of the fanbase as a "troll"^[8]^[9], although whether this is perceived as endearing or not is a matter of some debate. Ono, for his part, has said that "as long as nobody stabs [him], [he] is happy to receive criticism".^[3]

References[]

External links[]

[Ono_leaves_Capcom-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://twitter.com/Yoshi_OnoChin/status/1292430444672163842

[2] ttps://twitter.com/Yoshi_OnoChin/status/1303880527347249154

[Eurogamer_Interview-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-11-the-rise-and-collapse-of-yoshinori-ono

[WIRED_Interview-4] 4.0 ^4.1 https://www.wired.com/2015/12/yoshinori-ono-street-fighter/

[5] ttps://www.gematsu.com/2021/04/yoshinori-ono-appointed-president-and-coo-of-delightworks

[6] ttps://www.gematsu.com/2021/12/yoshinori-ono-confirms-move-from-delightworks-to-new-company-under-aniplex

[LinkedIn-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 ^7.5 https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoshinori-ono-8638678b/?originalSubdomain=jp

[8] ttp://www.eventhubs.com/news/2012/jan/27/ono-practices-how-troll-using-street-fighter-movie/

[9] ttp://www.dualshockers.com/2011/05/17/yoshinori-the-troll-ono-teases-street-fighter-3rd-strike-online-edition/

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