He’s still working while the rest of us are counting the days until retirement.
At 84 years and 292 days, what do you expect to be doing? We imagine we’ll have a walker, eat tasteless food and spend our afternoons yelling at those pesky kids in between numerous naps. No where in this fictional future scenario do any of us see “RocketNews24 writer” as our job title nor do we expect to become Guinness World Record holders for oldest Japanese “news” reporter. But if you happen to be the music composer for the Dragon Quest series, you might look at the official world record certificate you just received and call us super lazy.
Koichi Sugiyama was recently recognized as the oldest video game music composer as he is currently hard at work creating the iconic tunes of the soon to be released Dragon Quest XI. Sugiyama is quite familiar with the series as he has worked on all the Dragon Quest games dating back to the very first one in 1986.
【祝】DQシリーズの楽曲を手がける作曲家すぎやまこういちさんが、84歳292日で「最高齢でゲーム音楽を作曲した作曲家」としてギネス世界記録に認定!DQ11でも新曲を作曲中!めざせ記録更新! #すぎやまこういち #DQ30th pic.twitter.com/KYiyW4ezh9
— ドラゴンクエスト宣伝担当 (@DQ_PR) September 5, 2016
He’s also been responsible for many other hit songs, anime themes and music in commercials working on projects such as Magic Knights Rayearth and Cyborg 009.
そうか、すぎやまこういち先生は「世界最高齢でゲームミュージックを作曲した作曲家」としてギネス認定されたのね! 84歳292日。素晴らしい! pic.twitter.com/zitVVHnSDa
— 佐久間真理子🌗 (@sakumariko) September 4, 2016
His passion appears to be Dragon Quest as he has tirelessly composed and arranged the music for each game in the series. If you ever find yourself humming a tune from one of the games, you now know who to thank for it. Although if you are a true fan, Sugiyama is already a name you know very well. At 85 years young, he still has plenty of time left to continue pursuing his video game music passion, and with such high life expectancy rates in Japan, how awesome would it be to play a game with music created by a centenarian. We hope that we have the pleasure of listening to hours and hours more of his iconic work!
Source: My Game News Flash
Featured image: Twitter/@DQ_PR

Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama passes away
The unforgettable Dragon Quest theme music took an amazingly short time to write, composer says
Japanese Dragon Quest fan finds her one-button fix for composer’s questionable politics
Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest announced for Nintendo 3DS
Dragon Quest at Olympics opening ceremony? Game theme, Eva-connected song heard coming from stadium
Stamina-destroying “Paralysis Noodles” are Tokyo’s newest over-the-top ramen innovation
Uniqlo Ukiyo-e Blue T-shirts: A cool-hued reinterpretation of some of Japan’s greatest paintings
Viral 3D ice creams land in Japan… but are they worth the hype?
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
What’s inside the McDonald’s Japan fukubukuro lucky bag for 2026?
Should you drive through a red traffic light like this in Japan? Confusing road rule explained
Special warm face masks for winter go on sale in Japan, and we test them out
Totoro, Calcifer, other Ghibli stars returning as humidifiers ahead of Japan’s dry winter days【Pics】
KFC Japan introduces a new burger 8 years in the making
Osaka teen arrested for hacking into Internet cafe’s app to steal data, was helped by Chat-GPT
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning seems to be affecting Osaka’s Namba and Dotonbori neighborhoods
Japanese town suing resident for being a jerk
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
You can now buy a Japanese train station clock in Japan
Japanese police attempting to clamp down on “zombie cigarettes”
Tokyo’s Ueno Station has an unmanned noodle restaurant on its platform, and its no-joke good
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Japanese government considering tripling departure taxes to combat overtourism
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Japanese commercial for upcoming Dragon Quest XI evokes nostalgia and excitement all at once
Percussionists recreate classic 8-bit video game music with enormous xylophones 【Videos】
Have a Double Dose of Nostalgia Listening to the Dragon Quest Theme Played On a Moog Synth Courtesy of Google’s Latest Doodle
Twitter users claim Dragon Quest theme is eerily similar to university song, North Korea’s anthem
Fit’s gum collaborating with Slime for Dragon Quest’s 30th anniversary
Fortune smiles upon thee, Sir Sato. Thou hast found the 30th Anniversary Dragon Quest sake
Tokyo’s Shibuya Station now sending trains on their way by playing the Dragon Quest theme 【Video】
Japanese kid turns dad’s retro game collection into awesome Dragon Quest clock【Photos】
I had no idea you could win crane game prizes in Japan the way my friend won this Dragon Quest Slime
Leave a Reply