Ranking Every Final Fantasy Composer

Works: XI, CC, CC: Ring Of Fates, CC: Echoes Of Time, CC: My Life As A Darklord & My Life As A King,

The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles subseries may not be fondly recalled, but the commitment of Kumi Tanioka to ensuring that it punched above its weight musically cannot be understated.

After joining Square-Enix in 1998, Tanioka worked on a pair of Chocobo games before making a number of strong contributions to the soundtrack of Final Fantasy XI, including final boss themes ‘Shadow Lord’ and ‘Awakening’. She ceased to work on the MMO ahead of its first expansion, though she did remain associated with the game through her involvement in the Star Onions, serving as the group’s pianist.

Her creations for the Crystal Chronicles series were occasionally hindered by system limitations and Echoes Of Time was guilty of simply re-using a lot of Ring Of Fates’ tracks under a different name, but across almost 200 pieces Tanioka has a few standouts, including ‘Serenity’. Her work has always had a limited audience, however, and has never been considered for inclusion in spin-off games (like Dissidia) or the Distant World concert series.

It’s anyone’s guess as to why Tanioka wasn’t engaged on more high-profile projects given her twelve-year tenure with the company, but she hasn’t been brought back for anything since becoming a freelancer, working predominantly instead on Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros.