Interest

Pokemon Singer Sachiko Kobayashi to Appear in Phantasy Star Online 2

Enka singer Sachiko Kobayashi will make an appearance in the multi-platform video game Phantasy Star Online 2 in mid-August as the "PSO2 Ambassador of Goodwill to Earth." She will sing the song "Yōkoso Arks" ("Welcome Arks"), written by music game composer Beat Mario. The pair had earlier gained attention for their collaborations at Comiket in 2014 and 2015. Beat Mario is a fanatical Phantasy Star player, having logged in over 10,000 hours.

Phantasy Star series producer Satoshi Sakai made the announcement at an event on June 15 at Akihabara's UDX Theater. "In addition to being a famous singer, Kobayashi is active in many directions, like Nico Nico Douga or Comiket. She's a character loved by young and old, men and women," he said. "PSO2 also breaks many boundaries between platforms, and for this first concert on Earth, we couldn't think of anyone but Kobayashi." Kobayashi was grateful that her character is less than half her age. A CD release of "Yōkoso Arks" isn't planned, but they may provide one if there is enough demand.

Among Sachiko's many collaborations include Vocaloid, where she has her own character (also called Sachiko). She has sung and acted in the Pokémon TV series and first movie, as well as narrated Ryōkan-san.

Sources: Phantasy Star Online 2 official website and My Navi News: Papii Tantō