Music of Final Fantasy X

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The music of the video game Final Fantasy X was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu, along with Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano. It was the first title in the main Final Fantasy series in which Uematsu was not the sole composer. The Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack was released on four Compact Discs in 2001 by DigiCube, and was re-released in 2004 by Square Enix. Prior to the album's North American release, a reduced version entitled Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack was released on a single disk by Tokyopop in 2002. An EP entitled feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus containing additional singles not present in the game was released by DigiCube in 2001. Piano Collections Final Fantasy X, a collection of piano arrangements of the original soundtracks by Masashi Hamauzu and performed by Aki Kuroda, was released by DigiCube in 2002 and re-released by Square EA in 2004. A collection of vocal arrangements of pieces from the game arranged by Katsumi Suyama along with radio drama tracks was released as Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection in 2002 by DigiCube.

Contents

The theme song for the game is titled "Suteki da ne", which was performed by Japanese folk singer Ritsuki Nakano, known as "RIKKI". The song was released as a single by DigiCube in 2001 and was re-released by Square Enix in 2004. The game's music was well received overall; reviewers praised the additions to the soundtrack by the two new composers for the series. They especially praised Hamauzu, both for his work in the original soundtrack and in arranging the themes for Piano Collections Final Fantasy X. Several tracks, especially "Suteki da ne" and "To Zanarkand", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series, as well as being published in arranged and compilation albums by Square as well as outside groups.

Creation and influence

Final Fantasy X marks the first time Nobuo Uematsu has had any assistance in composing the score for a Final Fantasy game. His fellow composers for X were Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano. Uematsu contributed 51 tracks, Hamauzu contributed 20 and Nakano contributed 18 tracks to the game. [1] The two new composers were chosen for the soundtrack based on their ability to create music that was different than Uematsu's while still working together. [2] Uematsu states that his music has been inspired by the music of popstar idols such as Elton John and Paul McCartney, and that his favorite part about the soundtrack is the good reviews from listeners. [2] [3] Nakano set out to create music with a "vibrant and dynamic feel" that tied together his years of experience with game music, while Hamauzu tried to use the soundtrack to bring video game music to "greater heights". [3]

"To Zanarkand" was originally written by Uematsu before the development of Final Fantasy X, for the recital of a flutist friend named Seo. Uematsu eventually decided the track was too gloomy and kept it for a later use. When development of X started, he decided to use the track for the game. [4]

Albums

Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack

Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack
Ffxcover.jpg
Studio album by
Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano
Released
August 1, 2001
May 10, 2004 (re-release)
LengthDisc 1: 66:47
Disc 2: 64:05
Disc 3: 60:39
Disc 4: 74:50
Label DigiCube (Japan)
Tokyopop (North America)
Square Enix (re-release)
Producer Nobuo Uematsu

Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack (ファイナルファンタジーＸ　オリジナルサウンドトラック, Fainaru Fantajī Ten Orijinaru Saundotorakku) is a soundtrack album of music from Final Fantasy X composed, arranged and produced by Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano. Vocals are performed by RIKKI for "Suteki da ne", Bill Muir for "Otherworld", and choruses for "Hymn of the Fayth". It spans four discs and 91 tracks, covering a duration of 4:32:26. It was first released in Japan on August 1, 2001 by DigiCube with catalog number SSCX-10054, and was re-released on May 10, 2004 by Square Enix with catalog number SQEX-10013. [5]

In 2002, Tokyopop released a version of Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack in North America entitled Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack, which contained 17 tracks from the original album on a single disk. This release had the catalog number TPCD-0211-2. Additionally, in 2001, prior to the game's release, Square released a promotional disk titled Final Fantasy X Promo CD, which contained edited versions of "Other World", "To Zanarkand", and "Battle 1". The disk covers a length of 7:08, and was only released in Japan. [6]

Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack reached #4 on the Oricon charts, and sold 140,000 copies as of January 2010. [7] [8] The album was moderately well received; while some reviewers felt it to be an "absolutely amazing" soundtrack, others only found it to be a "satisfying" work. [5] [9] Some reviewers felt that of the three composers, Uematsu's pieces were the weakest, citing them as having a tendency to be "buried" under the compositions of the others. The same reviewers, however, noted that some of the best pieces on the soundtrack, such as "To Zanarkand", were the work of Uematsu. Hamauzu's contributions were seen as some of his best work, and reviewers felt that both he and Nakano brought a "myriad of new flavors" to the soundtrack which were very well received. [5] [9] Final Fantasy X Official Soundtrack, although not re-released after the Original Soundtrack was brought to North America, was seen as a good sampler of the music from the full soundtrack. [6]

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleMusicLength
1."'Listen to My Story'" (「全部話しておきたいんだ」Zenbu Hanashite Okitai nda) Masakazu Morita (voice actor for Tidus)0:08
2."To Zanarkand" (ザナルカンドにてZanarukando nite)Nobuo Uematsu3:05
3."Prelude" (プレリュードPureryūdo)Uematsu3:44
4."Tidus's Theme" (ティーダのテーマTīda no Tēma)Uematsu3:34
5."Otherworld" (Otherworld)Uematsu3:15
6."Run!!" (急げ!!Isoge!!)Junya Nakano2:40
7."This Is Your Story" (これはお前の物語だKore wa Omae no Monogatari da)Nakano2:21
8."Creep" (不気味Bukimi)Nakano2:48
9."Battle Theme" (ノーマルバトルNōmaru Batoru, lit. "Normal Battle")Uematsu3:22
10."Victory Fanfare" (勝利のファンファーレShōri no Fanfāre)Uematsu1:35
11."Game Over" (ゲームオーバーGēmu Ōbā)Uematsu0:34
12."Out of the Frying Pan" (夢も希望もありませんYume mo Kibō mo Arimasen, lit. "No Hopes, No Dreams")Uematsu3:07
13."Leap in the Dark" (暗躍An'yaku)Nakano1:27
14."Underwater Ruins" (海底遺跡Kaitei Iseki)Nakano4:16
15."Oui Are Al Bhed" (チイはアルベド族Chii wa Arubedo-zoku)Uematsu3:24
16."Enemy Attack" (敵襲Tekishū)Nakano2:42
17."The Blitzers" (ブリッツに賭けた男達Burittsu ni Kaketa Otoko-tachi)Uematsu3:53
18."Besaid" (ビサイド島Bisaido-jima)Masashi Hamauzu4:44
19."Spira Unplugged" (スピラの情景Supira no Jōkei, lit. "Spiran Scenery")Uematsu, Hamauzu2:49
20."Hymn of the Fayth" (祈りの歌Inori no Uta, lit. "Song of the Prayer")Uematsu, Hamauzu0:44
21."Phantoms" (幻想Gensō)Nakano3:46
22."The Trials" (試練の間Shiren no Ma)Uematsu3:34
23."Hymn of the Fayth - Valefor" (祈りの歌～ヴァルファーレInori no Uta ~ Varufāre)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:42
24."The Summoning" (召喚Shōkan)Nakano0:39
25."Braska's Daughter" (大召喚士の娘Daishōkanshi no Musume)Uematsu3:46
26."Good Night" (おやすみOyasumi)Uematsu0:08
Disc two
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Yuna's Theme" (ユウナのテーマYūna no Tēma)Uematsu3:30
2."Movement in Green" (萌動Hōdō, lit. "Sprouting")Uematsu, Nakano3:16
3."The Sending" (異界送りIkai Okuri)Uematsu, Hamauzu1:33
4."Calm Before the Storm" (嵐の前の静けさArashi no Mae no Shizukesa)Uematsu3:10
5."Hymn of the Fayth - Ifrit" (祈りの歌～イフリートInori no Uta ~ Ifurīto)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:41
6."Luca" (ルカRuka)Nakano3:41
7."Grand Maester Mika" (マイカ総老師歓迎Maika Sōrōshi Kangei, lit. "Welcoming Grand Maester Mika")Nakano1:16
8."Decision on the Dock" (不撓の決意Futō no Ketsui, lit. "Unwavering Determination")Nakano1:12
9."The Splendid Performance" (The Splendid Performance)Hamauzu3:32
10."Face-Off" (対峙Taiji)Hamauzu2:07
11."Blitz Off" (Blitz Off)Hamauzu3:32
12."Auron's Theme" (アーロンのテーマĀron no Tēma)Uematsu2:44
13."Mi'ihen Highroad" (ミヘン街道Mihen Kaidō)Uematsu3:23
14."Chocobo Jam" (ブラスdeチョコボBurasu de Chokobo, lit. "Brass de Chocobo")Uematsu2:52
15."The Travel Agency" (旅行公司Ryokō Kōshi)Hamauzu3:05
16."They May Pass" (通行を許可しますTsūkō o Kyokashimasu)Uematsu1:10
17."Seymour's Theme" (シーモアのテーマShīmoa no Tēma)Uematsu3:06
18."Twilight" (宵闇Yoiyami)Nakano4:40
19."Djose Temple" (ジョゼ寺院Joze Jiin)Uematsu3:18
20."Hymn of the Fayth - Ixion" (祈りの歌～イクシオンInori no Uta ~ Ikushion)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:40
21."Ridess The Shoopuf?" (シパーフ乗るぅ？Shipāfu Norū?)Uematsu4:12
22."Rikku's Theme" (リュックのテーマRyukku no Tēma)Uematsu4:02
23."Guadosalam" (グアドサラムGuadosaramu)Nakano3:23
Disc three
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Thunder Plains" (雷平原Kaminari Heigen)Hamauzu3:44
2."Jecht's Theme" (ジェクトのテーマJekuto no Tēma)Uematsu2:33
3."Macalania Woods" (マカラーニャの森Makarānya no Mori)Hamauzu3:20
4."The Void" (霧海Kirikai, lit. "Sea of Mist")Nakano2:19
5."The Temple Players" (寺院楽隊Jiin Gakutai, lit. "Temple Orchestra")Nakano2:22
6."Seymour's Ambition" (シーモアの野望Shīmoa no Yabō)Uematsu2:14
7."Hymn of the Fayth - Shiva" (祈りの歌～シヴァInori no Uta ~ Shiva)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:41
8."Pursuit" (迫りくる者たちSemari Kuru Mono-tachi)Nakano2:10
9."The Burning Sands" (灼熱の砂漠Shakunetsu no Sabaku)Hamauzu3:46
10."Peril" (危機Kiki)Hamauzu4:03
11."The Truth Revealed" (明かされた真実Akasareta Shinjitsu)Uematsu4:06
12."Launch" (発進Hasshin)Hamauzu3:29
13."The Wedding" (結婚式Kekkonshiki)Hamauzu1:12
14."Assault" (襲撃Shūgeki)Hamauzu4:06
15."Tragedy" (悲劇Higeki)Hamauzu4:03
16."Believe" (私は飛べるWatashi wa Toberu, lit. "I Can Fly")Hamauzu1:27
17."Via Purifico" (浄罪の路Jōzai no Michi, lit. "Path of Cleansing")Uematsu2:29
18."Hymn of the Fayth - Bahamut" (祈りの歌～バハムートInori no Uta ~ Bahamūto)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:41
19."Moment of Truth" (審判の時Shinpan no Toki, lit. "Time of the Trial")Hamauzu3:38
20."Patricide" (父を殺めた男Chichi o Ayameta Otoko)Uematsu2:42
21."Suteki Da Ne (Isn't It Wonderful?)" (素敵だねSuteki da ne) Rikki, Uematsu5:34
Disc four
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Yuna's Decision" (ユウナの決意Yūna no Ketsui)Uematsu, Nakano3:42
2."Lulu's Theme" (ルールーのテーマRūrū no Tēma)Uematsu3:52
3."Bravely Forward" (勇ましく進めIsamashiku Susume)Uematsu3:25
4."Hymn of the Fayth - Yojimbo" (祈りの歌~ようじんぼうInori no Uta ~ Yōjinbō)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:42
5."Servants of the Mountain" (極北の民Kyokuhoku no Tami, lit. "Northern Tribe")Hamauzu4:42
6."Hymn of the Fayth - The Ronso" (祈りの歌～ロンゾ族Inori no Uta ~ Ronzo-zoku)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:42
7."Wandering" (彷徨の炎Hōkō no Honō, lit. "Wandering Flame")Hamauzu4:41
8."A Fleeting Dream" (いつか終わる夢Itsuka Owaru Yume, lit. "A Dream Ends Someday")Uematsu, Hamauzu4:24
9."Hymn of the Fayth - Yunalesca" (祈りの歌～ユウナレスカInori no Uta ~ Yūnaresuka)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:42
10."Challenge" (挑戦Chōsen)Hamauzu4:18
11."Beyond The Darkness" (深淵の果てにShin'en no Hate ni, lit. "Beyond the Abyss")Hamauzu4:38
12."Gloom" (暗澹Antan)Nakano4:28
13."Hymn of the Fayth - Spira" (祈りの歌～スピラInori no Uta ~ Supira)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:43
14."The Unsent Laugh" (死人が笑うShibito ga Warau)Uematsu3:33
15."Fight With Seymour" (シーモアバトルShīmoa Batoru, lit. "Seymour Battle")Uematsu5:46
16."Hymn of the Fayth - Anima" (祈りの歌～アニマInori no Uta ~ Anima)Uematsu, Hamauzu0:42
17."A Contest of Aeons" (召喚獣バトルShōkanjū Batoru, lit. "Summoned Monster Battle")Nakano5:56
18."Final Battle" (決戦Kessen, lit. "Decisive Battle")Hamauzu5:50
19."Ending Theme" (Ending Theme)Uematsu5:30
20."'Never Forget Them'" (「思い出してください」"Omoidashite Kudasai", lit. "'Please Remember'") Mayuko Aoki (voice actress for Yuna)0:15
21."Suteki Da Ne (Isn't It Wonderful?) Orchestra Version" (素敵だね オーケストラ・ヴァージョンSuteki da ne Ōkesutora Vājon)Rikki, Uematsu6:19

feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus

feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus is an EP containing tracks composed by Nobuo Uematsu and inspired by pieces from the game. "feel" was based on the "Hymn of the Fayth", while "Go dream" was based on "Tidus' Theme". Music arrangements were done by Masashi Hamauzu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Junya Nakano, and Masayoshi Kikuchi. Vocals are performed by Mayuko Aoki for the track "feel" and Masakazu Morita for the track "Go dream". A remix of "feel" was included as a bonus track in the Vocal Collection of Final Fantasy X. It was released in Japan by DigiCube on October 11, 2001, bearing the catalog number SSCX-10058. [10] The EP reached #13 on the Oricon charts. [11]

Track listing [10]
No.TitleLength
1."feel" (Yuna)4:36
2."Go dream" (Tidus)4:40
3."Endless Love Endless Road" (Yuna & Tidus)5:40
4."feel (Instrumental)"4:36
5."Go dream (Instrumental)"4:41
6."Endless Love Endless Road (Instrumental)"5:36

Piano Collections Final Fantasy X

Piano Collections Final Fantasy X is a collection of music from the original soundtrack arranged for the piano by Masashi Hamauzu, and performed by Aki Kuroda. Hamauzu intended the process of arranging the pieces to "consider the groundwork of individual compositions in order to transform these pieces into piano arrangements" rather than simply playing the themes on a piano as they originally sounded. [12] It spans 15 tracks and covers a duration of 56:43. It was first released in Japan on February 20, 2002 by DigiCube with catalog number SSCX-10064, and was re-released on July 22, 2004 by Square Enix with catalog number SQEX-10028. [13]

Piano Collections Final Fantasy X reached #89 on the Oricon charts and sold 2,900 copies. [14] [15] It was very well received, with reviewers finding it to be a "great" album, and stating that it was superior to most video game soundtracks, both piano or otherwise. [13] [16] They especially praised Hamauzu, terming him a "very skilled arranger and performer". [16]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Zanarkand" (ザナルカンドにてZanarukando nite)3:18
2."Tidus' Theme" (ティーダのテーマTīda no Tēma)4:07
3."Besaid" (ビサイド島Bisaido-jima)3:01
4."Hymn of the Fayth" (祈りの歌Inori no Uta)6:18
5."The Travel Agency" (旅行公司Ryokō Kōshi)3:00
6."Rikku's Theme" (リュックのテーマRyukku no tēma)2:49
7."Guadosalam" (グアドサラムGuadosaramu)3:08
8."Thunder Plains" (雷平原Kaminari Heigen)3:21
9."Assault" (襲撃Shūgeki)3:28
10."Via Purifico" (浄罪の路Jōzai no Michi)3:13
11."Suteki Da Ne (Isn't It Wonderful?)" (素敵だねSuteki da ne)4:17
12."Yuna's Decision" (ユウナの決意Yūna no Ketsui)3:02
13."Servants of the Mountain" (極北の民Kyokuhoku no Tami)4:03
14."Final Battle" (決戦Kessen)3:54
15."Ending Theme" (Ending Theme)5:34

Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection

Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection (ファイナルファンタジーＸ　ボーカル・コレクション, Fainaru Fantajī Ten Bōkaru Korekushon) is a collection of vocal arrangements of pieces from the game arranged by Katsumi Suyama along with radio drama tracks, performed by the game's characters' voice actors in Japanese. It spans 14 tracks and covers a duration of 42:21. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2002 by DigiCube with catalog number SSCX-10073. [17] The album was poorly received by critics. They found the album, while it had "pretty good" vocals, to have overall poor sound quality and a clichéd musical style. While "not a horrible album", they found that the collection was overpriced and under-produced. [17] It reached #69 on the Oricon charts, and sold over 11,700 copies. [14] [18]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Monologue (Yuna)" (monologue~ユウナ~, "Monologue by Yuna")1:59
2."Namida no Ato ni" (涙のあとに, "After Tears")4:30
3."Monologue (Tidus)" (monologue~ティーダ~, "Monologue by Tidus")1:44
4."A Ray of Hope"4:22
5."Dialogue (Tidus, Wakka)" (dialogue~ティーダ、ワッカ~, "Dialogue Between Tidus and Wakka")1:43
6."And On We Go"3:59
7."Monologue (Rikku)" (monologue~リュック~, "Monologue by Rikku")1:53
8."Get Happy!"3:44
9."Dialogue (Yuna, Rikku, Lulu)" (dialogue~ユウナ、リュック、ルールー~, "Dialogue Between Yuna, Rikku, and Lulu")1:33
10."All the Way"4:05
11."Monologue (Auron)" (monologue~アーロン~, "Monologue by Auron")1:27
12."Neji" (螺旋, "Spiral")4:58
13."Epilogue (Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri)" (epilogue~ティーダ、ユウナ、リュック、ルールー、ワッカ、キマリ~, "Epilogue by Tidus, Yuna, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri")1:57
14."Feel" (remix) (bonus track)4:27

Songs

Suteki da ne

"Suteki da ne" is one of the main theme songs of Final Fantasy X and the vocal version of Yuna's character theme. It was written by Nobuo Uematsu and Kazushige Nojima and was sung by Japanese folk singer Ritsuki Nakano, known as "Rikki", whom the music team contacted while searching for a singer whose music reflected an Okinawan atmosphere. [19] "Suteki da ne" is sung in its original Japanese form in both the Japanese and English versions of Final Fantasy X. The song's title translates to "Isn't It Wonderful?" in English, and its lyrics were written by scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, [19] while Uematsu composed the instrumentals and Shirō Hamaguchi arranged the instrumentals. Like the ballad from Final Fantasy VIII, "Suteki da ne" has an in-game version used in cutscenes together with an orchestrated version used as part of the ending theme.

The song was released as a single by DigiCube on July 18, 2001, and re-released by Square Enix on July 22, 2004. The disk also contains an instrumental version, an unrelated song entitled "Gotsuki-sama ~UTIKISAMA~" ("The Moon"), and a vocal version of Aerith's theme song from Final Fantasy VII titled "Pure Heart". The single covers a duration of 20:35. The original release has a catalog number of SSCX-10053, and the re-release has a catalog number of SQEX-10029. [20] The original release of "Suteki da ne" reached #10 on the Oricon charts, and sold 130,000 copies. [14] [21]

There is also an "autumn version" of the song, also performed by Ritsuki Nakano, released by Universal on October 3, 2001 on the "KANARIA" minialbum together with six unrelated tracks. [22] The release has a catalog number of UMCK-1056. This version of the song, as well as all versions on the single, is also found on the Final Fantasy Single Collection bootleg CD, released by EverAnime with catalog number GM-496, by Archer Records with catalog number SA-007 [23] and by Miya Records with catalog number MICA-0068. [24] An official English translation of the song was created for the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy concert series and was first performed in Chicago by vocalist Susan Calloway on December 12, 2009.

Otherworld

"Otherworld", the opening theme of Final Fantasy X, was composed by Nobuo Uematsu with lyrics by Alexander O. Smith. It was sung by Bill Muir, the frontman of xtillidiex (pronounced "Till I die"), a death metal band active in Tokyo at the time. The song was already fully formed when Smith was tasked with writing lyrics for it based on a guide track. Smith's lyrics were loosely based on "The Song of Wandering Aengus", a poem by W. B. Yeats. Smith mistook a guitar solo section of the song as another part that he had to fill with lyrics, and so he wrote in a spoken words part in "one of those Limp Bizkit-style breakdowns". Uematsu liked the result and included it in the final song. [25]

Legacy

The Black Mages, a band led by Nobuo Uematsu that arranges music from Final Fantasy video games into a rock music style, have arranged three pieces from Final Fantasy X. These are "Fight With Seymour" from their self-titled album, published in 2003, [26] and "Otherworld" and "The Skies Above", both of which can be found on the album The Skies Above , published in 2004. [27] Uematsu continues to perform certain pieces in his Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. [28] The music of FFX has also appeared in various official concerts and live albums, such as 20020220 Music from Final Fantasy , a live recording of an orchestra performing music from the series including several pieces from the game. [29] Additionally, "Swing de Chocobo" was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for the Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy concert tour, [30] while "Zanarkand" was performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in the Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. [31] An arrangement of "A Fleeting Dream" was performed on July 9, 2011 at the Symphonic Odysseys concert, which commemorated the music of Uematsu. [32] Independent but officially licensed releases of Final Fantasy X music have been composed by such groups as Project Majestic Mix, which focuses on arranging video game music. [33] Selections also appear on Japanese remix albums, called dojin music, and on English remixing websites. [34]

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Junya Nakano is a Japanese video game composer. After working for Konami in the early 1990s, he was employed by Squaresoft and then Square Enix from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for scoring Threads of Fate and co-composing Final Fantasy X for Squaresoft, arranging for Dawn of Mana and the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV for Square Enix, and scoring arcade video games such as X-Men and Mystic Warriors for Konami. Nakano has collaborated with Masashi Hamauzu on a number of games.

Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing video game by Square as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. Released in 1997, the game sparked the release of a collection of media centered on the game entitled the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The music of the Final Fantasy VII series includes not only the soundtrack to the original game and its associated albums, but also the soundtracks and music albums released for the other titles in the collection. The first album produced was Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all the music in the game. It was released as a soundtrack album on four CDs by DigiCube in 1997. A selection of tracks from the album was released in the single-disc Reunion Tracks by DigiCube the same year. Piano Collections Final Fantasy VII, an album featuring piano arrangements of pieces from the soundtrack, was released in 2003 by DigiCube, and Square Enix began reprinting all three albums in 2004. To date, these are the only released albums based on the original game's soundtrack, and were solely composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu; his role for the majority of subsequent albums has been filled by Masashi Hamauzu and Takeharu Ishimoto.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy VI was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version, a compilation of all the music in the game, was released in Japan by NTT Publishing in 1994 and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. The album was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing in North America in 1994 under the name Kefka's Domain. Selected tracks from the official soundtrack were later released as part of the Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games album that was included with the release of Final Fantasy Anthology, and two EPs were produced containing character theme tracks entitled Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. A special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game, arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito, and performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, was released under the title Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements, arranged by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura, was released under the title Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI by Square/NTT Publishing in 1994 and by NTT Publishing in 2001. Additionally, a single containing unused and remixed tracks from the game was released as Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks by NTT Publishing in 1994.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy V was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing after the game was brought to North America as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology. An arranged album entitled Final Fantasy V Dear Friends, containing a selection of musical tracks from the game arranged in multiple styles, including live and vocal versions, was released by Square/NTT Publishing and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of piano arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Shirou Satou and played by Toshiyuki Mori titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy V was released by Square/NTT Publishing, and re-released by NTT Publishing.

The music of the video games Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu, who would go on to be the exclusive composer for the next seven Final Fantasy games. Although they were composed separately, music from the two games has only been released together. All Sounds of Final Fantasy I•II, a compilation of almost all of the music in the games, was released by DataM/Polystar in 1989, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994. Symphonic Suite Final Fantasy, an arranged album of music from the two games by Katsuhisa Hattori and his son Takayuki Hattori was released by DataM in 1989, and re-released by NTT Publishing/Polystar in 1994. Final Fantasy & Final Fantasy II Original Soundtrack, another arranged album, this time by Nobuo Uematsu and Tsuyoshi Sekito, was released in 2002 by DigiCube and again in 2004 by Square Enix.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy X-2 was composed by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi. Regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu did not contribute any of the music, despite having composed around half of the soundtrack for the first game, Final Fantasy X. The Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack was released on two Compact Discs in 2003 by Avex. After the release of Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission, an album entitled Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack composed of the songs added to the soundtrack for that game was released in 2003 by Avex. Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection, a collection of piano arrangements of the original soundtracks by Noriko Matsueda, Takahito Eguchi, Hiroko Kokubu, Masahiro Sayama, and Febian Reza Pane, was released by Avex in 2004.

The music of the Final Fantasy Tactics series, composed of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Advance, Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, and The War of the Lions, was primarily composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. He was assisted by Masaharu Iwata in composing the music for Final Fantasy Tactics. The Final Fantasy Tactics Original Soundtrack, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by DigiCube in 1997, and re-released by Square Enix in 2006. No separate soundtrack has been released for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. The soundtrack was well received by critics, who found it to be astounding and one of the best video game music soundtracks in existence at the time of its release.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy VIII was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all music in the game, was released on four Compact Discs by DigiCube in Japan, and by Square EA in North America. A special orchestral arrangement of selected tracks from the game—arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi—was released under the title Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec Final Fantasy VIII, and a collection of piano arrangements—performed by Shinko Ogata—was released under the title Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy IV was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy IV Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing. It was released in North America by Tokyopop as Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack: Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles, with one additional track. It has since been re-released multiple times with slight changes as part of the Final Fantasy Finest Box and as Final Fantasy IV DS OST. An arranged album entitled Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon, containing a selection of musical tracks from the game performed in the style of Celtic music by Máire Breatnach, was released by Square and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of piano arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu and played by Toshiyuki Mori titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy IV was released by NTT Publishing.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy IX was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. It was his last exclusive Final Fantasy score. The Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack, a compilation of all music in the game, was originally released on four Compact Discs by DigiCube in 2000, and was re-released by Square Enix in 2004. A Best Of and arranged soundtrack album of musical tracks from the game entitled Final Fantasy IX: Uematsu's Best Selection was released in 2000 by Tokyopop Soundtrax. Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS, an album of music from the game's full motion videos and extra tracks, was released by DigiCube in 2000 and re-released in 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements of pieces from the original soundtrack arranged by Shirō Hamaguchi and performed by Louis Leerink was released as Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX in 2001.

The music of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI was composed by Naoshi Mizuta along with regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu and Kumi Tanioka. The Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by DigiCube in 2002, and subsequently re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Rise of the Zilart Original Soundtrack was released by DigiCube in 2003 after the release of the Rise of the Zilart expansion for Final Fantasy XI, and re-released by Square Enix in 2004. Final Fantasy XI Chains of Promathia Original Soundtrack was produced by Square Enix in 2004 after the release of the Chains of Promathia expansion, and in 2005 Square Enix published Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel, a collection of arranged tracks from the game performed by The Star Onions, a group composed of Square Enix composers including Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka and Hidenori Iwasaki. Final Fantasy XI Treasures of Aht Urhgan Original Soundtrack was released by Square Enix in 2006 for the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion.

The Chocobo video game series is a spin-off series composed of over a dozen games developed by Square Co. and later by Square Enix featuring a super deformed version of the Chocobo, a Final Fantasy series mascot and fictional bird, as the protagonist. Several of the titles have received separate album releases of music from the game. The music of the Chocobo series includes soundtrack albums for the Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon sub-series—comprising Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, Chocobo's Dungeon 2, and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon—and soundtrack albums of music from Chocobo Racing, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, and Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, The Maiden, and the Five Heroes, as well as an album of arranged music from Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and a single entitled Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon Toki Wasure No Meikyuu: Door Crawl for the theme song of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

SaGa is a series of science fiction role-playing video games produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System to the PlayStation 2, and like the Final Fantasy series, the story in each SaGa game is independent of its counterparts. The music of the SaGa series consists of musical scores and arranged albums from various composers. Some of these composers have created soundtracks and pieces for other Square Enix franchises including the Final Fantasy series and Mana series. The SaGa series is divided up between the original series, released as the Final Fantasy Legend series in North America, the Romancing SaGa series, the SaGa Frontier series, and Unlimited SaGa.

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The original Final Fantasy video game, published in 1987, is a role-playing video game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central focus of the franchise. The primary composer of music for the main series was Nobuo Uematsu, who single-handedly composed the soundtracks for the first nine games, as well as directing the production of many of the soundtrack albums. Music for the spin-off series and main series games beginning with Final Fantasy X was created by a variety of composers including Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Hitoshi Sakimoto, and Kumi Tanioka, as well as many others.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy XIII was composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Former regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu did not contribute any pieces to the soundtrack. Music from the game has been released in several albums. The main soundtrack album, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four Compact Discs in 2010 by Square Enix, the developers and producers of the game. Selections from the soundtrack have been released on two gramophone record albums, W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII and W/F: Music from Final Fantasy XIII Gentle Reveries, both in 2010 by Square Enix. An album of arranged pieces from the soundtrack, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS-, was also released by Square Enix in 2010, as was an album of piano arrangements, Piano Collection Final Fantasy XIII. The theme song for the Japanese version of the game, "Kimi ga Iru Kara", was released as a single by For Life Music in 2009.

Front Mission is a series of tactical role-playing games produced by Square Enix. The music of the series includes the soundtracks to the main series, composed of Front Mission through Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, as well as the spin-off games, which include Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, Front Mission Alternative, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 2089 and its remake Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, Front Mission 2089-II, and Front Mission Evolved. The soundtracks of the series' installments have been released in album form in Japan, with the exceptions of 2089, 2089-II, and Border of Madness, which reuse music from the other installments, and Evolved, which was published in 2010. The soundtrack to Front Mission was released in 1995 by NTT Publishing, which also published the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard in 1996. DigiCube published soundtrack albums for Front Mission 2 and Alternative in 1997 and 3 in 1999. Square Enix published the albums for Front Mission 4 in 2004, and 5 and Online in 2006.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix in 2011 as the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII. The music of the game was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, and Mitsuto Suzuki. It was intended to sound different from the music of previous Final Fantasy titles, featuring more musical styles and vocal pieces. Since the release of the game, Square Enix has published the 2011 four-disc soundtrack album, Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack, as well as an album of arrangements and alternate versions of tracks from the game, Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack PLUS, in 2012. The theme song for the game, "Yakusoku no Basho", was released by singer Mai Fukui as a single in 2011, and the English version of the song, sung by Charice Pempengco and included in the non-Japanese versions of the game, was included on her 2012 album Infinity.

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