# Kinuyo Yamashita — Investigation

**Status:** Documented. She composed Mega Man X3 but received **no credit** — attributed to "Minakuchi Engineering Staff."

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## Overview

Kinuyo Yamashita — composer of Castlevania (1986), Power Blade, Pocky & Rocky, Mega Man X3 (1995). Left Konami late 1980s; freelance since.

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## Supporting Evidence

### Mega Man X3 — Uncredited
- Yamashita composed the soundtrack.
- **In-game credit:** "Minakuchi Engineering Staff" (the development contractor).
- She was hired as a freelancer by Minakuchi Engineering for Capcom; the contractor received credit, not the composer.

### Mega Man: The Wily Wars — Same Pattern
- Yamashita also uncredited; again via Minakuchi Engineering contract.

### Pattern
- Contractor (Minakuchi) credited; subcontractor composer (Yamashita) erased.
- Parallel to Rare crediting "Rare" while Nintendo R&D or individual contributors may have been obscured.

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## Cross-Reference

- User theory: Mega Man X3 may contain "leftovers" from X1/X2. X1: Setsuo Yamamoto (primary), Makoto Tomozawa (Spark Mandriller, Storm Eagle). X2: different team. X3: Yamashita (uncredited). No evidence of literal track reuse; composer change each game.

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## Sources

- [Capcom Fandom: Kinuyo Yamashita](https://capcom.fandom.com/wiki/Kinuyo_Yamashita)
- [VGMO: Kinuyo Yamashita Profile](http://www.vgmonline.net/kinuyoyamashita/)
- [Square Enix Music: Kinuyo Yamashita Interview](https://www.squareenixmusic.com/features/interviews/kinuyoyamashita.shtml)

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Keywords: #Kinuyo #Yamashita