Sadly, Dragon Ball's legendary music director, Shunsuke Kikuchi, has left us today, at the age of 89. Reportedly, the Japanese composer died due to pneumonia.
Born on November 1, 1931, Kikuchi worked on several popular television series and movies. His music composition for popular anime such as Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Doraemon, and Kamen Rider was nothing short of spectacular.
Kikuchi's most notable work was Doraemon anime's theme song, "Doraemon no Uta." What's fascinating is that the theme song stayed with the series for 26 long years.
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Shunsuke Kikuchi graduated from Nihon University College of Art and made his debut as a music composer in the 1961 film The Eighth Enemy. After that, the legend went on to show his talents in several popular shows.
Kikuchi also composed the "Urami Bushi" song for the film "Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion." Interestingly, the song was later used in the Hollywood movie "Kill Bill: Vol. 2."
Moreover, Kikuchi's composition for The Gate of Youth and To Trap a Kidnapper got him nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Music in 1983.
According to Dragon Ball Fandom Page, Shunsuke Kikuchi composed 23 music packages for Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. What's incredible is that the package had over 400 pieces of music.
Here are some of the iconic Dragon Ball tracks composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi:
Kikuchi's work crossed borders, as he had millions of fans, not only from Japan but also worldwide. That's why it's no surprise that the internet is mourning the loss of the legend. However, there's no denying that Kikuchi's work in Dragon Ball and other series will live on for centuries ahead.