
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】
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Village Vanguard’s Blue Lucky Bag may have the most impressive piece of junk ever created
We try an unusual buffet of dishes made from wild game at a roadside stop in Chiba
We followed Tokyo’s mystery walking map and ended up creating our own bar-hopping adventure
New KitKat pizzas are coming to Pizza Hut Japan
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
Super Crazy Kun wins seat in Toda City Council election
Godzilla-shaped ice cream on sale in Tokyo near the sight his most adorable rampage
Giant Clodsire Pokémon plushie comes with up to 32 Woopers in super size, super cute set【Pics】
Hokkaido has an Ice Festival that’s less famous than the Snow one, but beautiful in its own way
10 times to avoid traveling in Japan in 2026
Our 52-year-old pole dancing reporter shares his tips for achieving your New Year’s exercise goal
Starbucks Japan releases new Frappuccino and latte for Valentine’s Day
Ramen restaurant’s English menu prices are nearly double its Japanese ones, denies discriminating
Princess Mononoke magnets return just in time to treat yourself to awesome anime decorations
Umamusume anime girl plushie recalled for having parts she absolutely should not have【Pics】
Giant hotel rooms in Osaka reflect the new non-niche face of travel in Japan.
Japanese women showing rebounding interest in giving Valentine’s Day chocolate【Survey】
We ate sushi made from Japan’s most expensive tuna ever【Taste test】
Starbucks Japan ready to get Year of the Horse started with adorable drinkware and plushies【Pics】
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
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】
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
Updated cherry blossom forecast shows extra-long sakura season for Japan this year
Human washing machine pods coming to Japanese hotels【Photos】
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
Leave a Reply