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Japanese composer renowned for creating the iconic soundtracks of Sega's Yakuza game series.Hidenori Shoji joined Sega in 1997, initially working on arcade titles before becoming the primary composer for the Yakuza franchise starting with Ryu ga Gotoku (2005). His music fuses rock, electronic, jazz, and traditional Japanese elements to reflect the series' criminal underworld narratives. Shoji has scored nearly every mainline Yakuza game, defining the series' audio identity across two decades.

• Shoji secretly composes under the alias 'HIDENORI SHOJI & FREESOUNDS' for collaborative works, notably the Yakuza 0 soundtrack featuring 1980s-inspired synthwave.
• Despite the Yakuza series' global success, Shoji maintains extreme privacy – no confirmed photos or birth details exist publicly, with interviews being exceptionally rare.
• His battle themes incorporate unconventional sounds like breaking glass and motorcycle engines, creating visceral combat audio experiences.
• Shoji's 2008 near-fatal car accident delayed Yakuza 3's development, yet he returned to compose its entire soundtrack during recovery.