Prolific composer who rose to prominence in the 2000s, primarily through his work in anime, video games, before breaking into films ca. 2004. His style has a distinctly Western flair while retaining classic Japanese sensibilities. Sato excels at composing brash, bold action music, but he is notable for his softer, entirely string driven themes as well. His early film works had a marked “video game” feel, but his style has matured in the 10+ years he’s been active in the industry. He found early success collaborating with director Takashi Yamazaki on the hit film Always (2005), earning a Japanese Academy Award for his efforts. He would be nominated for another for Yamazaki’s The Eternal Zero (2013).

Sato educated himself in various genres of music while studying at Tokyo College of Music. While his film work tends to be firmly rooted in the orchestra, he’s not above injecting rock, hip hop, or ethnic styles into his compositions. He is well known for composing the music for the anime X (the “Destiny” cue in particular is a favorite of the AMV crowd). He’s also worked on We Are Pretty Cure, Eureka Seven, Assassination Classroom and Heroic Age. He worked with vocalist Lisa Gerrard (of Gladiator fame) on the main theme for the wildly popular Ryomaden television series. He also scored a number of documentaries broadcast on NHK.

Aside from Yamazaki, who he has worked with since Always, Sato has also collaborated with Shinji Higuchi (Lorelei, Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess), Eiichiro Hasumi (Umizaru, Assassination Classroom), and Keishi Otomo (Ryomaden, Rurouni Kenshin).