The Man Who Made Anime's Most POWERFUL Sound Effects

Believe it or not, one man is responsible for creating the most powerful sound effects in all of anime. But don't take my word for it. Listen for yourself. So who is this mystery man? Well, his name is Yasumasa Koyama. And if you're familiar with my channel, you've probably seen the series of videos I did on Fire Force. And you know that I love his work. He has designed sound effects for tons of different anime, but he really gained popularity after working on shows like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

, Fire Force, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime, and a few installments of the Fate series like Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Fate/Apocrypha, and Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. But what is Koyama is approach to sound design? We know that he likes massive sounds with lots of bass, reverb, and even distortion sometimes. But is that it? Well, it may be a little tricky to answer this because the man is pretty elusive. It took me a while, but I was able to find

an interview that he gave back in 2021 in which he was being asked about his work on That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime. Some of his answers about sound design were enlightening and also a little surprising. He said his approach to sound design was to make the loud parts loud and to make the sound pleasant overall. This makes sense. But then he adds that he tries not to limit his imagination too much. If he's working on a fantasy show, he might add mechanical sound effects, even though ther

e might not be any machinery in the visuals. It seems that Koyama feels inspired to add sound effects that don't exactly match the visuals, but instead match the overall meaning of what's being shown. Take the disintegration attack from TenSura for example, and you can hear an example of this. There is deep bassy clicking and thumping, and at the end you can hear what sounds like tinkling glass or crystal as the spell circle fragments apart and fades away. This is a great sound for the visual, e

ven though the magic circle is not made of glass and this illustrates how he approaches designing sound effects. He says that if he added sound for everything that's happening onscreen, there would be way too much noise and the volume would overload the audience’s T.V. speakers. Koyama says that the most important thing about sound effects is to guide the viewer's line of sight. So what does that mean? Well, if there is a mob of characters on screen and you added sound effects for all of them, y

ou will end up confusing the audience. Instead, what Koyama would do is to add sound effects for the main characters that you want to focus on. This would be how you would guide the audience's line of sight. For each cut, Koyama says that he and the director select what they want to show there, and guide the viewer's eye by determining what sounds to add and which ones not to add. The key to sound effects, he says, is knowing what to make stand out. And while this gives us an important foundatio

nal knowledge of how Koyama approaches sound design, we are definitely here for the sound effects that he makes stand out. Before we get too far into the video, however, I have a couple of things I would like to address. First, I recorded the sounds in this video using the AAC encoder, which is the industry standard in terms of audio fidelity. It's not a lossless format, but recording lossless audio doesn't get you much since the sound files have already been compressed and sent out to broadcast

and streaming services. The AAC is the encoder that iTunes, YouTube Music, PlayStation 4, and even some of Spotify uses. Second is that I've paid very close attention to the audio levels for this video. No audio has peaked or clipped on my end, which can cause distortion, so unless you have damaged or broken speakers, any distortion or overdriven audio that you might hear will have been a stylistic choice on Koyama's part. Third, I'm sorry for the obnoxious titles that will take up large portio

ns of the screen, but it was the easiest way to get this video past YouTube's content ID system. Since I'm playing some of these clips in their entirety, they would absolutely get flagged for copyright infringement. Besides, we're here for the sound effects this time, not the beautiful animation. Fourth, I should note that the sound effects that I have chosen are only a small sampling of Koyama's work. Each show that I've highlighted contains plenty more of examples of fantastic sound design, bu

t I can't show everything in one video. If there is an epic sound effect that I left out, or a show that Koyama worked on that I absolutely must hear, please let me know down in the comments. And finally, your experience with this video will drastically change depending on what device you listen to it on. If you can, try listening on different devices with both high and low quality speakers. listen out loud on your phone, and then try a nice pair of headphones. Or try earbuds and then, if you've

got one, a home theater. Maybe use the aux cord in your car or a portable Bluetooth speaker. Various devices will handle the sound spectrum differently and will sound different from each other on playback. Please let me know what device you think sounds the best down in the comments, because I'm genuinely curious. Without further ado, let's put your audio devices to the test. Let's talk about one of the coolest aspects of Koyama's sound design. I call this category: Massive Attacks. These sound

effects are the standout moments from certain shows where the characters just let their most ultimate moves rip. It's always a treat to hear what Koyama has been cooking up, And let me tell you, this man has been cooking for quite some time. Let's start off with a fan favorite. This move hits like a truck. It is a massive wall of sound. This attack is none other than Akatsuki, or Crimson Moon, and comes from the anime Fire Force. Next up would be one of my favorite noble phantasms from Fate/Ap

ocrypha. It's got some serious distortion to it, but I think it fits with the visuals of the attack really well. It's called Blasted Tree. Then we have an interesting sound effect that comes from Darwin's game. I hadn't heard much about this show, but I watched it and thought it was actually pretty good. Check out this sound effect for the main character’s Flash Bang. After that, let's compare two different beam attacks from two different shows. The first attack is Alice's burst element move fro

m Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld. Compare that massive beam attack to this one from the second season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime: Drago Nova. From there, we should do another comparison to two attacks that are similar as well. I would categorize these two attacks as a salvo, a massive attack over a widespread area. There are some interesting similarities and differences. Listen to how Koyama guides your line of sight. The first salvo is from 86 and is a mortar

strike. Now try and compare that to this salvo attack that also comes from Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld. I find these similarities and differences in Koyama’s sound design quite fascinating, and hopefully you do too. But I'd like to move on to the next category. They are equally as powerful, but they have one specific change that makes them unique. They incorporate voice actors. Bringing in the voice actor for certain moves can really bolster the impact that these sound effe

cts have. Now, it's no longer just the massive wall of sound, but Koyama allows the actors to bring their character’s personality to the forefront, and the sound design takes on a new and unique profile. Listen to Ogun cry out in Fire Force, as he unleashes a devastating attack. Talk about an epic scream. In my opinion, this next voice actor’s performance is one of the reasons why this move from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure became such a legendary moment. Even if you haven't seen Jojo's, the odds ar

e you've probably heard of this move. Let me introduce you to Dio’s Stand’s Ultimate Technique, Za Warudo, or, The World. This move was definitely epic, but I think it's only so impactful because Dio screams it out with such gusto. That and the fact that the sound and visuals perfectly descry exactly what the move does. The slowing down of the ticking clock, the massive wave of bass shooting out and returning back, that plus Dio's voice makes it a simplified piece of sound design that is incredi

bly effective. One thing you can do is to also incorporate the voice actors for comedic effect, and Koyama does this quite regularly. Listen to Giovanni scream as he gets kicked through a series of walls at like mach 12 in Fire Force. That sound never gets old. But now I wanted to show you one of my favorite examples of this. I found this sound effect when I was doing research for this video, and I simply had to watch the entire anime, and it did not disappoint. It's from a show called Re:CREATO

RS, and I definitely recommend you check it out if you haven't seen it. This attack is called Magical Splash Flare and the delivery is insane. Now that is epic. It's definitely one of my favorite sound effects that Koyama has ever designed. It's hard to describe the importance that this scene carries without a proper context. So please watch that anime if you haven't seen it yet. Right now it's included on Amazon Prime Video, if you have that. Those two characters clashing, the passionate vocal

performance by both voice actresses, paired with Koyama’s overwhelming sound effects, it's hard to describe, but it gives the scene the emotional weight that it deserves. That sound effect is an absolute 10/10 for me, and I hope you love it as much as I do. But now we should check out some epic sound effects that don't involve combat. You might think that because there is no fighting, these non-combat sound effects might be a little more tame. But Koyama doesn't really believe in that. Let's tak

e a look at how he designs the sound effects for a plane taking off in the anime 86. This is the first flight of the Nachzehrer. That is an intense take off. Then we've got the epic Adolla link sound effect from Fire Force. This is essentially a giant alarm type of sound, and it definitely gets my attention. How about you? Now take a listen to how Koyama does an actual alarm in Darwin's game. This sound effect is a type of alert that brainwashes all of the NPCs into leaving the combat area so th

at the game may commence immediately. It's a different approach than Fire Force, but still interesting in its own right. Next, we have two different approaches to massive characters and their gazes. Let's start with Gigas Machia, a massive robot from Re:CREATORS. This giant mech makes some insane sound effects when he powers up. Now we should compare that to this insane monster from Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. Listen to how she paralyzes everyone in fear, with nothing m

ore than a stare. Insane. That just goes to show you that even when there is no combat happening, Koyama can still find ways to add some seriously epic sound effects. But what about when things aren't happening on an epic scale? What does Koyama do for normal combat sound effects? You know, I'm really glad you asked that question. Even when there aren't massive attacks happening, Koyama’s normal combat sound effects still pack a punch. I believe this is because of his personal philosophy on soun

d design. Remember when he said the good sound design is simply knowing what to make stand out? Well, I think his combat sound effects definitely stand out. The fascinating thing for me with these sound effects is how different the approach is between shows. You can tell that these sounds were all created by Koyama, but if you swap the sound of one show with another, it would drastically change the feel of that show. I think that's because he customizes a sound profile for each anime that he wor

ks on, and that gives the animation a great deal of character in its own right. But sometimes these sound effects can give a show too much character. It's no secret that I love Koyama’s sound design, but not everybody does. I would be remiss if I didn't discuss the dark side of Koyama’s sound effects. There are a few shows that Koyama has worked on that a lot of people didn't like the sound effects for. The three that we will be looking at today are from the 2016 rendition of Berserk, the second

season of One Punch Man, and Fate/Apocrypha. First up, let's take a look at Berserk. I can understand the criticism for this one. Guts’ sword sound effect sounds very similar every time he strikes something. You get this massive “clang”, but I also hear the story that Koyama was trying to tell. Guts’ sword is not described as a sword, but a massive, unwieldy heap of raw iron. There is no finesse or swordsmanship in how Guts wields his weapon. It's all brute strength, and this is reflected in th

e sound we hear. But the repetition of this sound effect throughout an entire season of anime can definitely get old. So I can see the criticism. But let's listen to our next example. Here are the sound effects for One Punch Man Season two. The criticism that this show gets is that overall the sound effects just aren't that good. I've also heard that the production of this show was rushed and so Koyama didn't have a whole lot of time to work on it. I don't know if that's true or not, but I could

see it. This is just my opinion, But I think that because the show changed studios from Madhouse in Season one to J.C. Staff in season two, a lot of people thought that the quality of the animation suffered. I think that this feeling spilled over to the sound effects, because they were so different from season one. When I watched the second season, I thought they sounded fine. But let's take a listen to our last example. This is Fate/Apocrypha. Okay, so these sound effects are a bit of an acqui

red taste. They're overdriven and can even sound like static or clipped audio, but I personally still enjoy them. I think that they're meant to convey the overwhelming power of the characters. But whether it's these or any of Koyama’s other sound effects, I totally understand people's opinions when they say that they don't like them. However, it's my opinion that these people should medically tested for ageusia. And shout out to anyone who actually gets that joke. But now that we've looked at wh

at some people would consider Koyama’s worse sound effects, I think it would make sense to end the video with the sound effects that I consider to be his best work. To be fair, I haven't seen every anime that Koyama has worked on, but out of the ones that I have seen, one in particular stands out to me. It's my opinion that this show's sound effects are some of the best that he has ever created. The show that I'm talking about is called Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. For

me, these sound effects contain the perfect blend of originality, power, and control. They convey the massive amount of power that certain characters possess without overblowing their audio channels. What's fun about this show is that as you watch through it, the sound effects continue to outdo themselves and each attack and encounter consistently tries to one up those that came before it in terms of both animation and sound quality. Let's start with the sound profile surrounding one of the vill

ains of the show. I love those insane bass drops. To me, they convey the insanely deep power level of this cataclysmic level threat. Let's take a look at some combat sound effects when different heroes try to attack this opponent. There are so many good things going on here, it's hard to narrow them down. I think one of the show's greatest strengths is that the visuals and sound effects do a tremendous job in how they support each other. Normally, you would think that the sound effects are suppo

sed to support the visuals, but in this case, I think that they end up supporting each other equally. Let's move on to another hero and see how her sound design helps reveal her character. Ishtar’s attacks definitely pack a punch, and these massive bass frequencies do a lot to show us just how powerful she is. But this next attack turns up the heat even higher. Quetzalcoatl unleashes two of her strongest attacks back to back, and they do not disappoint. These attacks convey an insane amount of p

ower. But what's even more crazy is that they have only temporarily slowed the enemy down, not finished it off. Now let's hear what it sounds like when Mash protects her friends from one of the enemy's strongest attacks. Nega-Genesis. Mash uses her ultimate defense noble phantasm, Lord Camelot. And when the two attacks clash, it is wild. This ear splitting sound as one attack washes over the other is quite jarring. But it makes sense when you realize that Nega-Genesis would have killed everyone

that it touched. But now, it's time for Koyama’s ultimate massive attack. It's my opinion that this is the most powerful sound effect that he has ever created. At least for now. We've seen everyone give it their all in this struggle to take down this massive enemy. And finally, Gilgamesh decides to take up the most powerful noble phantasm in his entire armory, a sword named Ea, and he unleashes its most powerful attack. This is Enuma Elish. Now THAT is how you design a powerful sound effect. Th

is attack trumpets out a massive musical chord, but then that harmony shatters into a screeching dissonance. This is genius, because the full name \ of Ea’s attack is called Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation that Split Heaven and Earth. It makes perfect sense that this massive attack starts out unified and ends up completely fractured, absolutely obliterating whatever is in its path. I say we listen to it again. What do you guys think? Yep. I don't think that sound effect will ever get old. And

with that, these are the greatest hits that came from the mind of the man who made Anime’s most powerful sound effects, Yasumasa Koyama. He is definitely my favorite sound effects designer in the game right now. And I hope that you guys have enjoyed listening to his work as much as I have. And with that I have to give a huge shout out to my patrons who made this video possible, especially to the absolute kings, Javi G and Elias Axonov. You guys rock. If you want to get your name in the credit

s, get early access to videos, or just want to help support the channel, please consider becoming a patron. Thank you all so much for watching. I'm Drew Malou, and I'll see you storytellers in the next video.