
To reproduce these melodies, it takes two players, sometimes three!
Musicians will do all sorts of things when it comes to covering their favorite songs, but since everyone (and their neighbor) are uploading homemade music videos to YouTube, you definitely need a way to stand out from the masses.
Song selection is certainly one way to do so, but how about an enormous xylophone that practically spans the length of a room?
▼ More xylophone means more awesome
when it comes to the Final Fantasy III theme.
HATSU 012 has taken their percussion skills, full xylophone, and a couple of their friends to play some familiar themes from our favorite video games.
Plus we know that they are serious. Just take a look at how many mallets they have in the background of some of their videos!
▼ The opening from Pokémon Red/Green
▼ Relive your Pokémon trainer battles in frenetic fashion.
Donning series-relevant hats, these players expertly match the tunes from Final Fantasy and Pokémon.
However their real passion lies in the world of Dragon Quest, as they have uploaded numerous themes and medleys from Dragon Quest I, II, and III and beyond.
▼ Various pieces from Dragon Quest I
▼ No need to go far in this quest for music from Dragon Quest III.
▼ Gypsy Dance from Dragon Quest IV
Even if you don’t know the Dragon Quest series very well, you can still enjoy the dulcet tones of this wooden xylophone. The energetic plunking sounds remind of us a bygone era where game music composers had to make due with extremely limited hardware capabilities, yet managed to create timeless masterpieces.
▼ Final Fantasy‘s main theme arranged on two xylophones!
We are big fans of HATSU 012, and if you are too, be sure to take a look at their YouTube page for more videos featuring silly hats and some amazing xylophone playing.
And if you want to see some other musical covers of classic video game music, check out Australia’s legendary violinist performing Final Fantasy X’s At Zanarkand, or if you’re looking for something a little more hardcore, the guitar covers of Final Fantasy VII’s One-Winged Angel.
Source, images: YouTube/HATSU 012

Olympics opening ceremony plays music from Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Sonic and more【Videos】
Twitter users claim Dragon Quest theme is eerily similar to university song, North Korea’s anthem
Japan picks the 100 greatest games of all time in Video Game General Election
Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest announced for Nintendo 3DS
Musical calculators! Japanese Twitter user recreates songs beautifully by crunching numbers【Vids】
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
Tourists brave Typhoon Jangmi to queue at two famous sites in Tokyo
Japan’s sticker wars are reaching a breaking point, even for enthusiasts
Video of man spraying liquid on conveyor belt sushi leads to arrest in Japan
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners
Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Powerman5000 angry at Final Fantasy 14 for “stealing” its music 【Video】
Man arrested for sending 37 death threats to Square Enix because he couldn’t win at a game
Election to determine the best Final Fantasy, game, character, boss, and music underway
Final Fantasy VII battle music sounds even better when played on a shamisen【Video】
Toyota’s Prius c Journeys through Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter
Tokyo’s Shibuya Station now sending trains on their way by playing the Dragon Quest theme 【Video】
16-bit Final Fantasy XIII story recap will make you weep big fat nerd tears
Toyota Chocobos?! Iconic Final Fantasy music used in new car ad 【Videos】
The 20 most fun PlayStation titles, as picked by Japanese gamers
Have a Double Dose of Nostalgia Listening to the Dragon Quest Theme Played On a Moog Synth Courtesy of Google’s Latest Doodle
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
Dragon Quest celebrates anniversary with enormous rice paddy art in Gyoda, Japan【Video】
Cool Japanese Music Video Brings Back 8-Bit Google Maps…Kinda
New 8-bit Nintendo classic system announced for Japan with 20 games not in last version