Zero

is a song by Japanese rock band Bump of Chicken. Created as the theme song of the 2011 role-playing video game Final Fantasy Type-0, it was released by Toy's Factory on October 19, 2011 as a single with their earlier track "Smile". The song was written by band member Motoo Fujiwara, with band producer MOR and Bump of Chicken as a whole arranging and producing. It later featured in two of Bump of Chicken's live concerts, and as a track on the 2014 album Ray. The band, who were fans of the Final Fantasy series, were contacted about providing the Type-0 theme song in June 2010. Fujiwara wrote the song over two days in January 2011 inspired by early promotional art featuring the characters holding their weapons. He also recorded a version for acoustic guitar to be used in the game's opening. When mentioned the track saw praise from Japanese journalists, and it stayed in the Oricon charts for over thirty weeks while peaking at #2 in sales. Background Beginning development in 2006 as Final Fantasy Agito XIII, the role-playing video game Final Fantasy Type-0 was released in Japan in 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. Directed by Hajime Tabata, the game was designed as a darker entry in the wider Final Fantasy franchise. The theme song "Zero" was created by Bump of Chicken, a Japanese rock band represented by the label Toy's Factory; the band is made up of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Motoo Fujiwara, guitarist Hiroaki Masukawa, bass player Yoshifumi Naoi, and drummer Hideo Masu. The music and lyrics were written by Fujiwara, and arranged by Bump of Chicken as a whole and band producer MOR. "Zero" would be the band's 21st single. Tetsuya Nomura, who was main character designer for Type-0, invited Fujiwara to a preview screening for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005). The band were fans of the series, and Nomura voiced a wish for the band to work on a Final Fantasy theme song in the future. They were contacted in June 2010 through their record company about producing the Type-0 theme song, which both surprised and pleased the band. Fujiwara was shown a five-to-six page document detailing the setting and including concept illustrations and screenshots. The band also got a chance to see in-development screens during visits to Square Enix. The band were given no specific instructions about the song's style or tempo.