Final Fantasy’s iconic composer feels too shy to enjoy his own music but appreciates the medieval theme of Final Fantasy 9.

Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu has expressed that he’s never truly satisfied with his own tracks and tends to avoid listening to them once they’re completed. However, he does have a soft spot for many of the songs from Final Fantasy 9, largely because of his passion for medieval fantasy.

In a recent interview celebrating the game’s 25th anniversary, Uematsu shared that he rarely considers his music “good” after finishing it. The iconic composer, who has been crafting music for the Final Fantasy series since the beginning, admits that he often grows to dislike his work during the creation process.

As translated, Uematsu stated, “When I listen back to [my soundtracks], there isn’t a song where I think ‘good,’ if we’re talking about original songs. If someone created the orchestral arrangement then I can listen to it, but when it comes to the songs that are included in-game, I’m not satisfied with any of them. The instant I finish, I can’t listen to it again. I’m too embarrassed. I listen to it so much while I’m debugging that I hate it.”

Despite his critical view of his own work, he acknowledges that there are aspects of his Final Fantasy 9 soundtrack that he appreciates. “The melody and the chord progression are OK,” he admits. “When I listen to my music, there are points of reflection that only I take notice of, like ‘this sound is dull’ or ‘why didn’t I edit this part more tightly?’ The melody isn’t bad though.”

While he may struggle with self-reflection, Uematsu confesses that there are numerous tracks in FF9 that he “might enjoy” if he ever felt inclined to revisit them, primarily due to his enthusiasm for medieval fantasy. “I also like synthesized music, so it was fun to completely shift gears [with previous Final Fantasy soundtracks]. But I was pleased when FF9 returned to the medieval style. I’m a medieval nerd after all… You have to admire medieval fantasy.”

It’s fortunate for fans that we appreciate his music far more than he does.

While there’s still no JRPG remake in sight, the Final Fantasy 9 animated series is reportedly making a comeback, aiming for a 2028 release.