Gitaroo Man is a video game for the Sony PlayStation 2, published by Koei and developed by iNiS, with visual production by 326 (Mitsuru Nakamura) and music performed by COIL. The player character is U-1 ("Yūichi": a common Japanese boys' name; pronounced "you-one" in the North American and European releases), 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, a title which makes him a target for many varied individuals.