Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game developed by iNiS and released for PlayStation 2 in 2001, featuring visual production by Mitsuru Nakamura and an original soundtrack composed by Japanese band COIL. Players engage in musical battles by following on-screen cues tied to the game's original songs, with each encounter structured around the rhythm mechanics central to the experience. The game's distinctive aesthetic and soundtrack give it a notably individual identity within the music genre. A portable version of the title was later released for the PSP under the name Gitaroo Man Lives!, bringing the same core content to a handheld audience. The combination of COIL's original compositions and Nakamura's visual direction established the game as a memorable entry in the early 2000s rhythm genre landscape.
The player character is U-1, a young boy who is frequently ridiculed by classmates and passed over by Little Pico, the girl of his dreams. The story proper begins when Puma, a dog with the ability to speak, teaches U-1 to play the guitar, simultaneously teaching the controls of the game to the player, and subsequently revealing to him that he is the last legendary hero of Planet Gitaroo, and the possessor of the Last Gitaroo. When they are then attacked, Puma transforms into Puma AC-30 and gives U-1 the Gitaroo, transforming him into Gitaroo Man.
