‘Dragon Ball,’ ‘Doraemon’ composer Shunsuke Kikuchi passes away at 89
Shunsuke Kikuchi, the renowned Japanese musical composer behind popular anime series like Dragon Ball Z, Daimos, and Doraemon, has passed away at the age of 89.
According to a report by Oricon, Kikuchi died on April 24 at a medical facility in Tokyo after suffering from aspiration pneumonia. Kikuchi was reportedly undergoing treatment before he passed away.
Born on November 1, 1931, Kikuchi made his professional debut as a composer in the 1961 film Hachininme no Teki. He later worked on numerous anime films and live-action series like Kamen Rider, Tiger Mask, Yoshimune Reputation Record Rampage Shogun, G-Men 75 Theme, and Wai Wai World.
According to Dragon Ball Fandom, Kikuchi composed a total of 23 packages of music for the original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z series from 1986 to 1995, which resulted in over 400 pieces. Aside from that, Kikuchi also composed the iconic “Doraemon no Uta” theme for the anime series Doraemon.
Over the course of his career, Kikuchi received several recognitions including the award for Outstanding Music in the 6th Japan Academy Award in 1983 and also became the recipient of the lifetime achievement award at the 57th Japan Record Awards in 2015.
