Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection – Sound Team Interview #2

Hello, Tan-Tan here!
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which released on March 13, 2026, is continuing to captivate players!
In particular, there has been a lot of praise for the game's music. So, here's the continuation of when we sat down with the sound team to learn a bit more about how exactly they came up with such a great soundtrack!

We talked with the audio director: Taichi Ezoe, lead composer: Yuko Miyata, and composers: Akihiko Narita and Kodai Ikeda.

Side Stories
Character Themes

Tan-Tan

Last time, we talked about the main theme and battle themes. But we have to talk about the companion characters as well.
Could you please explain the key features of each character's theme?

Miyata

Well, in this game there are various side stories which delve deeper into the backgrounds of the characters, as well as enhance your stats and skills. They offer a slightly different perspective from the main story, exploring the more humorous sides of your companions, and touch on their past journeys and experiences.

Right from the beginning of development, we considered the character themes present in the side stories as a crucial element to bring these narratives to life. Just like we did with "Navirou's Theme" from Stories 1 & 2, we thoroughly read through the design documents and scenarios for each side story and came up with a concept that perfectly captured that character's charm and personality.

Once we had that, we carefully crafted each song, paying close attention to expressing the character's unique situation, their personality, and their thoughts and feelings through the music.
Now, let's briefly introduce the concept behind each character's theme!

"Eleanor's Theme: The Secret Ingredient is Love"
For Eleanor's theme, we tried to make sure to capture her elegant side as well as her charming, playful side. We wanted to have a warm sound that naturally makes you feel happy when you hear it. It also showcases her unique charm in that no matter how unconventional and creative her dishes may be, she herself remains serious and earnest in her approach.
To capture her distinct personality, we came up with a track that expresses sophistication with just a touch of playfulness.

"Ogden's Theme: The Exotic Monster Hunt"
Ogden's theme is all about curiosity, fun, and the friendly old-timer vibe that is at the heart of his character.
The track has a wild feel created by smoothly raising the guitar's pitch using bending techniques, and incorporates ethnic tones while making extensive use of distinctive percussion instruments such as the güiro, vibraslap, cowbell, and conga. The composition's vibrant and varied instrumentation nicely conveys Ogden's insatiable curiosity for unknown monsters and his cheerful attitude.

"Gaul's Theme: Behind the Scenes"
Gaul is brave, honest, relaxed, and always supports his friends from the shadows. So in order to convey that, we decided a powerful orchestral sound would be needed as the foundation.
At the same time, by adding a clean guitar and a more rock-like guitar as accents, we were able to show off not only his trustworthiness and reliability, but also his passion and humanity.
It expresses both the feeling of a leader who brings his teammates together and also the steadfast support he provides from behind the scenes.

"Kora's Theme: Geological Survey"
Kora's side story is all about exploring caves, so we wove sounds reminiscent of caves and ore into her theme. However, rather than go in a cutesy direction, we placed great importance on maintaining the dignified aura that Kora possesses. It's a track that exemplifies the adventuring spirit needed to explore unknown dungeons head on. To portray Kora's strength, both inner and outer, we utilized low-pitched toms and strings to provide a strong, stable base for the whole track.

"Thea's Theme: Pal to Poogies"
For Thea's theme, we went with a lively track representative of her upbeat, bubbly personality.
Incorporating claps into the track really helped to highlight Thea's cute and energetic charm.
We also included plucked string instruments^*to create a similar mood to the Poogie theme, creating a fun and lighthearted song that evokes the image of Thea and Poogies running around together.
(*Plucked string instruments are instruments that are played by plucking strings, like the guitar, mandolin, and banjo.)

Tan-Tan

I see. So by drawing out the character's charm and personality from the scenario, you can use the music as one element that tells the story of the character.

Cutscene Melody Motifs

Tan-Tan

I'd like to switch gears now and focus on the cutscene tracks used in the main story!
How did you come up with the concept for these tracks?

Miyata

While not necessarily reflected in the song title, we incorporated a variety of thematic elements into the creation of cutscene tracks used in the main story. For example, starting with the memorable melody reminiscent of the twin Rathalos, melody motifs that hold a great deal of significance—like the theme symbolizing eggs, Corbin's theme, Amara's theme, the Kinship Theme, and the final boss theme—appear in many cutscenes. Among those, there's a track symbolizing the kinship bonds with your party that is used in significant scenes. For example, when the protagonist and Thea are talking during the inaugural expedition, when hatching an egg with your companions, and when in places meaningful to the protagonist and Simon.
That track is called "Lingering Warmth," and we even use its melodic motif in the final cutscene in the game.

Examples of the "Lingering Warmth" Motif

▼The Original Motif
▼An Arrangement of the Motif

Tan-Tan

Ah, so the same melodic motifs connect different scenes and tracks!
You're sure to find new discoveries when listening and thinking about the story!

The Canyne Hatching Ceremony Song

Tan-Tan

Are there any other cutscene songs that left a lasting impression on you?

Miyata

Yes, in the Canyne hatching scene, Kol and the other villagers are actually singing in Monster Hunter language, a language unique to the Monster Hunter series. In order to create a mysterious atmosphere appropriate for such a ceremony, I was very particular about the lyrics right from the planning stage. So I worked on them while consulting with Tomoyuki Hosokawa, the scenario director, to get his vision for the scene.

Now this is some true behind-the-scenes information, but aside from Kol and Len, the singing voices of the villagers were all members of Capcom's planning and sound departments. We had so many staff members come to participate that it really captured the sense of villagers joining together to perform a ritual.

Given that this is the perfect opportunity, I'd like to share the draft lyrics before they were put in Monster Hunter language.

(Draft Lyrics)
Within a long slumber
The sound of my heart rings louder
O sound that tells me when the time is nearing
That is, the sound of my heart beating
The time is nigh
The time is nigh
Come forth, howl, come forth

Miyata

Rather than simply prioritizing the sound of the Monster Hunter language and assigning words accordingly, we carefully constructed the meaning and role of the song and lovingly integrated it into the game world.

Tan-Tan

Whoa, the singing voices of the villagers were actually staff members!?
The sense of unity that comes from everyone making it together really adds to the feeling of the scene.
Now that I know the meaning, I want to go back and watch that scene again!

The Feelings Poured Into the Ending Song

Tan-Tan

Next, I'd like to talk to the audio director, Taichi Ezoe!
Are there any tracks in this game that left an impression on you, as an audio director?

Ezoe

Of course I thought the main theme was a deeply meaningful song, but if I were to offer up a different song, I would have to say the ending vocal theme "Echoing Wings."

At the beginning of development, I heard that, in part because they were targeting an older age group than before, the story would be heading in a more mature direction. At the time, the scenario wasn't quite finished, but Monster Hunter Stories has always been supported by fans who enjoyed the emotional narrative. I'm confident that this charm has not been lost with the current title.

So I suggested that we create a vocal ending theme for the staff credits in order to heighten the impact and emotional resonance of the ending, and strengthen the sense of achievement that came with reaching the end of the story. Of course, there's a bit of personal preference mixed in there (haha). I discussed it with the sound team and everyone was all for it. When it came to the direction of the track, we were largely in agreement, so it felt like we naturally shared a vision for what we wanted the track to be.

Miyata

It really was quite a coincidence! Honestly, before full production began, I also thought that, as a JRPG, it would be fitting to include a vocal song. I even gathered some concept art and imagined what kind of melody would work well.

Ezoe

Oh, that's right!
In addition to the unique worldview of the Stories series, it really helped that we were able to see the concept art for the game during that stage of development.

Miyata

Yes. I remember that after hearing your idea for the vocal track, I immediately said that this type of melody would be great!

Ezoe

Sharing a complete vision with the team from the early stages led to a smooth production process, didn't it?
I'm really grateful to everyone that helped create lyrics and music that perfectly embodied the themes, worldview, and human drama of this title.

Miyata

Just like with the Canyne hatching scene song, we talked with the scenario director, Tomoyuki Hosokawa, and received some keywords that we used as a base to draft the original lyrics.

▼Keywords received from Tomoyuki Hosokawa

"Twins, Coexistence, Resonance"
Words that symbolize what we were born from and what we have lived through, resonating with each other.
The fact that no part can exist without the other is deeply connected to various elements in the story.

"Guilt"
A word that symbolizes a series of calamities stemming ancestral transgressions.

"Inheritance"
This refers to the end of the story, where Rangers inherit the responsibility of protecting the surrounding environment, from Amara. Furthermore, it also references the protagonist inheriting the Rider way of life from the King, partway through the story.

"The Game's Worldview"
How people face unknown environmental threats is a major theme present across the entire Stories series.
The Riders' actions are not about defying nature as a species, but rather they are about confronting nature and the workings of the world, and trying to fulfill their role within it. There is not only conflict with nature but also conflict between countries and people, and it is how the protagonist and others will face those problems that is at the core of the story.
The story doesn't depict people being condemned by the laws of nature, but rather shows how people face those laws, try to fulfill their purpose, and find answers along the way. It is the Riders, who embody the coexistence of humans and monsters, that support and uphold this endeavor.

Miyata

We used these keywords to write the Japanese lyrics and then we had mpi-san write the English lyrics. For the Japanese lyrics, I first made a draft, and then consulted with the art director: Takahiro Kawano, scenario director: Tomoyuki Hosokawa, and the composers: Akihiko Narita and Kodai Ikeda, and made some revisions.

The song was composed by Kota Yokoseki. Having the song composed before writing the lyrics made the direction and imagery clearer and really expanded the possibilities for the lyrics. As it was going to be used during the credits, I also asked for the song to start off soft and build to something more grand and dramatic.

The lyrics were based off the keywords we received from Tomoyuki Hosokawa, but we placed importance on including feelings of warmth, beauty, peace and tranquility, grandeur, and moments symbolizing the bonds between you and your companions after overcoming numerous hardships together.

I had asked for the song to be centered around strings, piano, and guitar, but even when I first heard it in the initial draft stage, I was shocked by how well it fit. I remember thinking "This is it." I was quite moved.

The development team's reaction was also memorable. When it was implemented in the game, it received a lot of praise from various members of the team, including the planners, designers, and programmers. I remember being overwhelmed with emotion and I knew that the feelings I poured into this song would surely reach the players.
When I checked it in game, so many emotions came to the surface, and before I knew it, I was sobbing.
At that point, I was beyond the point of checking anything more (haha).

Ezoe

But those kinds of things are important, aren't they?

Miyata

They are. This game has so many moving scenes, I've lost count at the amount of scenes that I had to check while crying. I was deeply moved when I went to the recording of the songs, it reminded me that the power of a live performance is truly immeasurable.

Ezoe

While the players experience the story through the perspective of the protagonist, it's in the ending that we get to see that perspective expand to encompass the entire game. "Echoing Wings" turned out to be a fitting song and serves as a culmination of the entire work.

Tan-Tan

The song is not only emblematic of the journey taken by the characters in the story, but also the one taken by the staff as well!

Ezoe

That's right! We've also released the ending theme: "Echoing Wings," on YouTube as well.

Miyata

Yes! We made this promotional video after the sound team pretty much begged the producer to let us make it. This video was completed through the efforts of so many people, it's something I treasure deeply.

Ezoe

I believe it will have a stronger emotional impact if you listen to it after seeing the story through to the end. Please give it a listen! YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/fgrfRMDQzqs?si=aHrEH7cHueiVHH6R

Tan-Tan

Thank you very much!
I hope everyone reading this article checks it out!

The History of "Bonding Winds" and Developer's Thoughts

Tan-Tan

Are there any other stories that come to mind?

Ezoe

There is definitely one concerning "Bonding Winds." It's the main theme of the Stories series and it is the signature track. This is the third installment of the series, and with each iteration, we've refined it along with the games.

For this title, we created "Bonding Winds - Monster Hunter Stories 3 Version" and "Bonding Winds - Final Battle Version." This song holds a special place in the heart of not only the fans but also the development team. You can probably tell how much we love the song based on the fact that we put out two arrangements of it (haha).

Miyata

You could say that "Bonding Winds" is representative of the series, so there's no way we could leave it out from this title. But, once we knew the mechanics of the final boss, we felt a strong desire to create a final battle version of the song.
In normal battles only one companion character battles alongside you, but in the final boss fight you team up with everyone and fight together. Knowing this, there was no way we couldn't...
So, that's how we ended up creating two versions of the song.

Ezoe

"Bonding Winds" is used in particularly important scenes in the story. Most notably, in the scene where the protagonist returns to the castle with Simon at the beginning of the story.
The director, Kenji Oguro, specifically requested it to be played there.

While we were still solidifying the direction of the Stories 3 arrangement, we decided that it should have a grander scale than before to match the more serious tone of the story. However, the opening scenes still needed to maintain the feeling of anticipation and excitement of heading out on a new adventure. So there was a slight difference in the direction of the song and the atmosphere of the scene. It was then that the director came up with the idea that we should use the original "Bonding Winds" there.

When we actually implemented it into the game, it fit very well. The excitement of heading out on an adventure came naturally and the players would also feel like their adventure was just beginning.

Furthermore, in the Additional Side Story: Rudy DLC, we used the Monster Hunter Stories 2 version of "Bonding Winds." Looking back, it's obvious how much the development team loves the song (haha).
I think the fact that you can enjoy all of the different versions of "Bonding Winds" from across the entire series in Stories 3 is another point in its favor.

Miyata

I think so too. However, we didn't originally plan to include all the versions. It just happened naturally because the version of "Bonding Winds" that best matched the scene happened to be a previous version from the series.

We talked about this in the previous interview, but coexistence was one of the major themes for the music concept. A variety of tracks, both new and old, coexist in Stories 3.

In the previous game, only Velkhana and Fatalis had their own unique tracks. Almost all other monsters had the general battle track. (Aside from the final boss.)

However, for this game, the story boss for each chapter features the iconic music associated with that monster from previous titles. The inclusion of monster-specific tracks was a deliberate decision, but I feel some strange sense of fate that "Bonding Winds" has also been incorporated in the whole series. I truly love each and every version of it. That's why I hope that every track passed down through the series will continue to be loved for a time to come. In that sense, even though it's a new title, it feels more than just coincidence that so many songs from Stories 1 and 2 happened to make it into Stories 3.

Ezoe

I agree. I hope that everyone plays through the main game as well as the DLC, and has fun finding out where each version of the song plays. I would be delighted if you could spot the slight nuances and different layers of emotion in each version.

Tan-Tan

So, each version of "Bonding Winds" naturally found their way into this title, and the way the music is structured allows you to feel the progression of the series. Thank you for sharing such a great story!

Our Top Tracks!

Tan-Tan

Moving on, there are a lot of tracks in the game, but I was hoping the sound team could tell us about any songs you'd like to recommend or any you think are particularly good.

Miyata

Well, every song was carefully crafted from the concept stage, so I'd like to recommend all of them. But...if I had to choose only one of them, it would have to be the previously mentioned "Bonding Winds - Final Battle Version."
It plays during the final boss battle, and as such you only hear it once, unless you lose. But it's such an important scene in which the protagonist, their companions, and everyone they've met on their journey, come together. That's why I poured my entire heart into composing the track.

In the final battle, I wanted to create a super intense atmosphere that suited the moment in the story, so I used an arrangement of the melody of "Bonding Winds" as the motif.
The piano in the intro symbolizes the crystals falling like snow, and then in the subsequent part where the rhythm and strings enter, it depicts the moment that all the protagonists come together and shout "Let's go!" I think this structure really helps the player feel the determination and resolve of the party.

We also went in a different direction from previous battle songs, aiming for a song that evokes a heroic coolness that resonates with the feelings of the protagonist and player during the battle. "Bonding Winds" is originally a very bright and cheerful tune, but this time it's a bold and grand arrangement designed for a battle.

Narita

One particular track that left an impression on me was the small monster battle theme that plays in the Canalta Timberland, "Footfalls in the Timberland."
Actually, this was the first battle track we composed for the game, during the prototype phase. In a sense, it set the tone for all future battle themes, like the large monster battle themes in each area, the invasive monster themes, the feral monster themes. They all started from this track.
For the concept, we didn't really want to push for a feeling of tension, but rather express the feeling of excitement at the beginning of an adventure.

But, and this is just between us, I actually originally planned for this track to be used as a large monster battle theme (haha).
When Yuko Miyata, the lead composer, said "This is good. Let's use it as the base for the large monster battle theme," I was really surprised. "But, this is the large monster battle theme..."

Given that, I added a more aggressive arrangement and that ended up becoming"Echoes Pierce the Timberland,"the large monster battle theme that also plays in the Canalta Timberland.

In the end, the initial small monster battle theme and the large monster battle theme that was ultimately born from it, are the tracks that left the largest impression on me personally.

Ikeda

For me, the songs surrounding the final battle left the largest impression.
Specifically, there are three songs: "Blue Shadows on Reality's Edge," "Indigo Trembles at Reality's Bounds," and "The Sea's Lament, Reality Torn Asunder." Including "Bonding Winds - Final Battle Version," which Miyata brought up earlier, all of the tracks were recorded live and were carefully produced to enhance the climax of the game.

"Blue Shadows on Reality's Edge"
This song expresses the nervousness, the overwhelming sense of scale, and the intimidating feeling of going up against an unknown presence, and makes you instinctively brace yourself and think "what is this!?" The piano conveys a mysterious and ominous feeling, while the strings and woodwind instruments ebb and flow like the waves, combining to create a feeling of fluctuation in the tempo. We hope you can feel the unease and other-worldliness of the piece.

"Indigo Trembles at Reality's Bounds"
For this song, in order to convey the intense and ever-changing progression of the battle, we utilized a structure where the beat and key change constantly. The piece is structured in a way that the strings, percussion, and chorus all seem to clash with one another, allowing each section's individuality to shine through. The track begins with a trumpet solo, and then almost like using that sound as a signal, the other instruments come in all at once. I aimed for a sound that evoked a sense of chaos engulfing the world with string noise, piano, brass clusters^*, and woodwind instruments all rushing in and creating dissonance.
But in the latter half, a beautiful melody cuts through that air, changing the scene completely. The song was composed with the aim of creating a dramatic and intense piece where tension and release clashed through multilayered waves of sound and an ever-changing rhythm.
(*Cluster = A technique that involves playing many notes of similar pitch simultaneously in a close group to create dissonance.)

"The Sea's Lament, Reality Torn Asunder"
This song focuses less on the threat itself, but more on the strong wills of the protagonists who face it.
While centering on a grand and majestic melody, we aimed for a sound that pushes the player forward with a strong rhythm backed by percussion and low-sounding instruments. Then we layered in crystal-clear piano sounds to create a song in which beauty, transience, and the heat of battle all coexist. As tracks that enhance the battle and climax of the story, each one was created to fulfill a specific purpose. I hope you can listen to them all as you progress through the battle.

Tan-Tan

From songs that served as the starting point of the production, to tunes that enhanced the climax of the story, each one has a great deal of care and love poured into its creation.
I've come to learn a lot about how the music has supported the characters, story and evolution of the series as a whole. Thank you so much for sharing so many valuable insights.

Check out this video showcasing our favorite tracks:
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection - Music Selection
https://youtu.be/-UWGhmAqPsA

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Original Soundtrack
↓↓↓
▶Major Streaming Platforms
▶Also on Apple Music and iTunes Store!

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection - Official Site
https://www.monsterhunter.com/stories3/en-us/

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Demo version available now!
https://www.monsterhunter.com/stories3/en-us/trial/

 

The Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection original soundtrack is now available on streaming platforms! Check it out!