Kinuyo Yamashita — Investigation

Status: Documented. She composed Mega Man X3 but received no credit — attributed to “Minakuchi Engineering Staff.”

Overview

Kinuyo Yamashita — composer of Castlevania (1986), Power Blade, Pocky & Rocky, Mega Man X3 (1995). Left Konami late 1980s; freelance since.

Supporting Evidence

Mega Man X3 — Uncredited

• Yamashita composed the soundtrack.
• In-game credit: “Minakuchi Engineering Staff” (the development contractor).
• She was hired as a freelancer by Minakuchi Engineering for Capcom; the contractor received credit, not the composer.

Mega Man: The Wily Wars — Same Pattern

• Yamashita also uncredited; again via Minakuchi Engineering contract.

Pattern

• Contractor (Minakuchi) credited; subcontractor composer (Yamashita) erased.
• Parallel to Rare crediting “Rare” while Nintendo R&D or individual contributors may have been obscured.

Cross-Reference

• User theory: Mega Man X3 may contain “leftovers” from X1/X2. X1: Setsuo Yamamoto (primary), Makoto Tomozawa (Spark Mandriller, Storm Eagle). X2: different team. X3: Yamashita (uncredited). No evidence of literal track reuse; composer change each game.

Sources

• Capcom Fandom: Kinuyo Yamashita
• VGMO: Kinuyo Yamashita Profile
• Square Enix Music: Kinuyo Yamashita Interview

Keywords: #Kinuyo #Yamashita