Born in Osaka, Japan, Ryuji Sasai began his musical career at the age of 15 playing instruments and forming a band. In 1982, he joined the rock band Novela; he was an instrumentalist and songwriter for several of their albums. During his stint with the band, he composed music for the anime series "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" (1982) and "Adventures of the Little Koala" (1984). After Novela dissolved in 1984, he provided the score for the 1986 film "Windaria" alongside Satoshi Kadokura. He became a member of the band Action in 1988, where he was a bass guitarist and a backing vocalist; the band were active for a decade.