Kanō designed the first Metroid on the Nintendo Entertainment System, under the direction of Satoru Okada and Gunpei Yokoi, specifically the game's characters and scenario. He later returned to Nintendo to work on Metroid II: Return of Samus, which was released in the United States in 1991. He next produced and directed Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. He also worked on the original Game Boy device.