Yuka Tsujiyoko

Who is Yuka Tsujiyoko?

Yuka Tsujiyoko is a Japanese video game music composer for Nintendo. She is the music composer for the Fire Emblem video game franchise, which was not released outside Japan until 2003, and several other Intelligent Systems developed games. She also scored the Super Scope games Battle Clash and its sequel Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge. Other games she scored are Paper Mario and its sequel The Thousand-Year Door, and part of Tetris Attack.

She was born Yuka Bamba in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Tsujiyoko studied piano when she was in a preschool. She composed her first original composition when she was in high school as an assignment for her music class. Tsujiyoko attended Osaka Electric Communications Junior College, and she majored in electronic engineering. Before she entered Intelligent Systems, Tsujiyoko worked as a computer programmer for a productivity software company. The largest game soundtrack she composed was for the Super Famicom game Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, composed of 114 tracks. She works at Intelligent Systems part time, and formerly worked there full time. She was first known in the United States for scoring Paper Mario, with Taishi Senda. She left Intelligent Systems as a full time employee after scoring Paper Mario. Tsujiyoko was inspired by her favorite artist Pat Metheny. Her mentor is Hirokazu 'Hip' Tanaka. Tsujiyoko did not score Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, but she supervised the score. Under her supervision, the game was scored by Saki Haruyama, Yoshihiko Kitamura, and Yoshito Hirano. However, Tsujiyoko was actively involved in scoring Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. She contributed to Super Smash Bros. Brawl with many other composers. Tsujiyoko is one of the most prominent female video game musicians, alongside Yoko Shimomura, Michiru Yamane, Yoko Kanno and Minako Hamano.