Birth place: Akita, Japan

Blood type: O

Tazawa is the composer, lyricist, guitarist, and lead vocalist of Bump of Chicken—basically the creative driving force behind the band. He's responsible for most of their music and has even handled the artwork for albums like The Living Dead and Yggdrasil.

Away from music, he's got pretty specific tastes and quirks. He actually enjoys doing laundry, can't handle spicy food, and has admitted to having poor eyesight. He's picked up harmonica as a hobby (scored one for just 300 yen) and has mentioned wanting to live as an "unworldly man," whatever that means to him.

In 2006, he put out a solo album called Song for Tales of the Abyss, which featured "Karma" and instrumental arrangements of tracks from the video game. It was a bit of a side project that showed his range beyond the band's work.

Gear-wise, he plays a Gibson 1960 Les Paul Special Single Cutaway, a Sonic Fender, and a Gibson J-45.