In an interview with game's director and designer Noriyoshi Ohba, he was told about how popular the game's composer Yuzo Koshiro’s music was. He commented:

"Yeah, it’s really a collection of some of his most famous songs. The Chinatown stage theme, in particular, is amazing. I remember getting goosebumps when [...] I listened to a demo tape of the Chinatown theme for the first time. I was impressed by his work, and we worked well together, so I asked him to do the music for Streets of Rage the following year."

Ohba's sound effects would also be re-used in later titles such as the Streets of Rage games.