YOKO KANNO

Yoko Kanno is not just a composer—she’s a sonic storyteller, a genre-bending magician, and one of the most influential figures in anime music history. Best known as the mind behind the iconic sounds of Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell, she’s spent decades creating unforgettable scores that range from jazz and classical to electronica, blues, ambient, and experimental rock. You never know where a Yoko Kanno soundtrack will take you—but it’s always somewhere extraordinary.

Her anime legacy is legendary. She first caught attention with the lush, cinematic score of Macross Plus, followed by the dreamy, emotional soundscape of The Vision of Escaflowne. Then came Cowboy Bebop—a genre-defying explosion of jazz, funk, and cool that forever changed how music was used in anime. That was just the beginning.

She went on to compose for Wolf’s Rain, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Turn A Gundam, Kids on the Slope, Terror in Resonance, Darker than Black, Macross Frontier, Aquarion… Kanno’s work is instantly recognizable yet endlessly versatile. One moment you’re in a smoky jazz club in space, the next you’re surrounded by strings and choirs that feel pulled from a lost opera. She doesn’t just write music—she builds worlds with it.

Outside anime, she’s composed for commercials, video games, live-action films, and even music for the World Expo 2025 de Osaka. And of course, she leads the enigmatic band SEATBELTS, responsible for bringing Cowboy Bebop’s unforgettable soundtrack to life.

Yoko Kanno remains a singular force in music—not just in Japan, but worldwide. Her soundtracks have shaped generations of anime fans and musicians alike, proving that music can elevate animation into something transcendent.