Hirokazu Ando

Hirokazu Ando in 2018.

Hirokazu Ando (安藤浩和 Ando Hirokazu, born December 19, 1969) is a senior sound composer at HAL Laboratory, one of the main composers of the Kirby series, and the composer of Super Smash Bros.. He is best known for his collaboration with Jun Ishikawa and his recent preference for acoustic themes and orchestrated pieces in games such as Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Hirokazu Ando's artistic influences include classical pianist Claude Debussy, Ryuchi Sakamoto of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra, Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama, and Jun Ishikawa. On his songs, he plays live bass, ukelele, and melodica.

List of works

Hirokazu Ando is credited as a composer unless otherwise noted:

Kirby series

• Kirby's Adventure (Lead, with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby's Dream Course
• Kirby's Dream Land 2 (with Tadashi Ikegami)
• Kirby's Avalanche (music arranged by Einosuke Nagao)
• Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)
• Kirby's Star Stacker (SNES) (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (with Shogo Sakai, Jun Ishikawa, and Tadashi Ikegami)
• Kirby Air Ride (Lead, with Shogo Sakai, Tadashi Ikegami, and Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby: Canvas Curse - Special Thanks
• Kirby: Squeak Squad (with Jun Ishikawa, Tadashi Ikegami, and Shogo Sakai)
• Kirby Super Star Ultra (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby's Epic Yarn (with Tomoya Tomita, Tadashi Ikegami, and Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby's Return to Dream Land (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition (with Jun Ishikawa and Shogo Sakai)
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby Fighters Deluxe
• Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe
• Kirby: Planet Robobot (Lead, with Jun Ishikawa)
• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe (Lead, with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby's Blowout Blast (Lead, with Jun Ishikawa)
• Kirby Star Allies (Lead, with Jun Ishikawa and Yuuta Ogasawara)
• Super Kirby Clash (with Jun Ishikawa and Kiyoshi Hazemoto)
• Kirby Fighters 2 (with Jun Ishikawa, Kiyoshi Hazemoto, and Yuki Shimooka)
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Lead Music; with Yuuta Ogasawara, Jun Ishikawa, and Yuki Shimooka)

Kirby albums

• The Sound of Kirby Café (with Jun Ishikawa, Shogo Sakai, and Megumi Ohara)
• Kirby Memorial Arrangements (with Jun Ishikawa, Shogo Sakai, and Megumi Ohara)
• The Sound of Kirby Café 2 (with Jun Ishikawa, Shogo Sakai, Megumi Ohara, Yuuta Ogasawara, and Yuki Shimooka)

Super Smash Bros. series

• Super Smash Bros.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee (with Tadashi Ikegami, Shogo Sakai, and Takuto Kitsuta)

BoxBoy! series

• BoxBoy! (with Jun Ishikawa)
• BoxBoxBoy! (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Bye-Bye BoxBoy! (with Jun Ishikawa)
• BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! (with Jun Ishikawa and Yuuta Ogasawara)

Other selected works

• HyperZone (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Arcana (with Jun Ishikawa)
• Picross 3D (with Jun Ishikawa and Yasumasa Yamada)
• Picross 3D: Round 2 (with Shogo Sakai and Megumi Ohara)

Trivia

• Although Hirokazu Ando joined the compositions of the Kirby series later than Jun Ishikawa, Ando has been the lead sound composer of the Kirby series in recent works.
• Since Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Hirokazu Ando's compositions are indicated with blue musical notes in the Jukebox.
• Hirokazu Ando has voiced the following characters:
  • Magolor
  • Taranza (starting with his mask in Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe and carrying over to future games)
  • Void Termina (Phase 4, with Shinya Kumazaki, Yuuta Ogasawara, and Yumi Todo)
• Hirokazu Ando has a pet chicken named Asuka whose voice was sampled for Star Dream's weathercock. In joking reference to this, he is referred to as "Weathercock Ando" in interviews on Kirby: Planet Robobot's Japanese website. He wore shirts with chickens on them for his interviews in Iwata Asks: Kirby's Epic Yarn, the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert, and Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack's booklet, and signed a piece of commemorative artwork with a drawing of a chicken.
• Ando's favorite piece that he has composed is the ending credits theme of Kirby: Planet Robobot, "Memories (I'll Never Forget You)". His favorite theme by Jun Ishikawa is "Beautiful Prison" from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.