Awesome Music / Guilty Gear

aka: Guilty Gear The Missing Link

Buckle up. It's time to rock.

Guilty Gear is Awesome Music incarnate, its entire identity being based around the creator's love of rock and metal. Naturally, the tunes that appear in the series are gonna rock and then some.

Guilty Gear: The Missing Link

The first game in the series has undistilled RAW Rock, and it's still awesome over 20 years later.

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• To start, we have the relatively short but badass opening theme, Prickle Man, the track that gave way to the entire series.
• Keep Yourself Alive - The Theme of Sol Badguy, the walking Queen reference, has that gruff, don't care attitude that perfectly defines Sol's character. That opening riff is legendary at this point.
• Ky's theme, Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead). Easily considered by many to be Daisuke Ishiwatari's masterpiece and one of Guilty Gear's most recognizable songs, as well as the piece that made him a household name.
• The theme of Millia Rage, Writhe In Pain, fits the assassin's beauty and deadliness like a hair-clip.
• The Token Mini-Moe May's theme, Unidentified Child. It just makes you wanna jive at the beach. The Complete Sound Box bonus disc 8 remix amplifies the metal. This and the other remixes from the bonus disc will play if you're fighting against Order Sol in Accent Core.
• Chipp's theme, Suck a Sage, set a high standard for just how metal ninjas can be. The GGxBB Music Live 2011 version is considered by many to be the definitive version of the song, for good reason.
• Dr. Baldhead's theme, Suspicious Cook, sounds absolutely bizarre. Makes sense when you know who you're dealing with. The Bonus Disc 8 Version manages to make the song sound even more intense.
• Potemkin's theme, In Slave's Glory. A powerful ballad with a tragic undertone, signifying Potemkin's then status as a slave.
• Zato's theme Black Soul. The disjointed piano and heavy riffs perfectly capture the pure evil that is Zato-1.
• The theme of Axl Low, March of the Wicked King. You can just hear the Guns N' Roses influence. The Bonus Disc 8 version. Welcome to the jungle...
• The theme of Kliff Undersn, Pride & Glory. Perfect for such an old warrior like him. The Bonus Disc 8 Version manages to sound even more heroic, trading the piano for a snazzy organ.
• Testament's theme, A Fixed Idea, sounds utterly manic, befitting their status as Justice's most devout follower. The Bonus Disc 8 version plays heavier on the orchestral tones, with a slower interlude added in that somehow manages to work.
• So you've beaten Testament, you think the tournament is over, you can go home. However, one last things stands in your way, the commander Gear herself, and she has just the theme to signify her arrival. Ladies and gents, behold Death and Republic.
• Meet Again, Justice's theme. Frantic, intense, perfect for the final battle. There's also a sense of tragedy to the song, which makes sense when you find out later down the line just what Justice really is. The Bonus Disc 8 version adds a slightly different intro and a brand new section full of sweet, sweet riffing.
• The theme of then-hidden boss Baiken is Momentary Life, a hard and fast track taking many elements from traditional Japanese music while playing up the riffs to brilliant effect. Never has a shamisen sounded so awesome...
• Conclusion, the ORIGINAL rival battle theme music (Sol vs Ky or Millia vs Zato). Looking back, even with PS1 qualities, that song still KICKS BUTT FROM HELL. The Bonus Disc 8 version KICKS ASS FROM THE DEEPEST LEVELS OF HELL. Since Mega Man Next on Newgrounds uses it as a boss battle theme, Conclusion is the first thing about Guilty Gear that many Mega Man fans have learned.
• Beyond the Dark Life/Light, the ending theme for several characters, most notably Sol. It's probably one of the best songs in the entire series, with a melancholic tone well-suited to the series' original Downer Endings.
• Even the staff roll music Love Letter From... will blow you away. Obligatory Bonus Disc 8 version.
• Shout And Burning acts as the prologue theme for the OST, it will definitely get you fired up for the rest of the tracks.
• The Missing Link, the OST epilogue theme is a soft orchestral piece that doubles as a Tear Jerker when you know the history of Frederick Bulsara and Aria Hale.

Guilty Gear X: By Your Side

The second game in the series now features distilled rock music. (Note: in its original arcade release it had synthetised music instead of pre-recorded. The ones linked below are from the Hard Rock Tracks version of the console versions.)

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• Keep Yourself Alive 2 and its XX version.
• The remix of Holy Orders, unofficially named "Holy Orders 2", adds even more orchestral elements and only manages to make an already amazing song even better.
• Writhe In Pain manages to sound even better than it already did.
• The X version of Suck A Sage goes even heavier on the riffs.
• The X+ version of Pride and Glory. So good, that it even managed to make its way to XX.
• Anji's got Fuuga also known as Elegance.
• "A Solitude That Asks For Nothing In Return", the theme of Venom. It's your choice whether the more sinister sounding original or the more relaxed XX version is better.
• Johnny, the captain of the Jellyfish Pirates, got quite the kickass track in the form of Liquor Bar & Drunkard. The XX version is just as good, if not better.
• May's theme, Blue Water, Blue Sky, and the XX version. Upbeat and adventurous, which falls in line with May's character very well.
• Anything that draws from Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" is automatically awesome. Hence, Potemkin's new theme, Burly Heart.
• Zato-ONE/Eddie on the other hand, got a worthy succesor in Feel A Fear, and its XX version.
• Returning again as a Mid-Boss, Testament brought us a new theme, Bloodstained Lineage, a grungy track reflecting their desire to atone. And it is glorious.
• Before we get to being beat up by Dizzy, we get this beautiful instrumental called Grief.
• Our final Boss herself has a theme that will leave you in Awe of She. Just like her extreme power will probably leave you in the dirt before the prelude is even finished.
• "Still in the Dark", whose awesome and catchy guitar melodies were so powerful that this song was used for the intro movie of X and became, essentially, the game's overall theme song despite being intended as "just" the vs. theme for Millia and Zato/Eddie.

Guilty Gear XX/X2: The Midnight Carnival

The tracks from the third game in the series hold a strong claim to the title of the series' most iconic tunes, even against other contenders such as -STRIVE-.

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• The original versions of the game start off strong with Feedback, a high-energy rock track with riffs that quickly get the blood pumping despite the track only clocking in at around a minute long.
• The XX version of Holy Orders forgoes a lot of the more orchestral traits for more traditional metal, and doesn't suffer one bit for it.
• The XX version of Writhe In Pain once again has more emphasis placed on the metal aspects of the song.
• Somehow, Suck A Sage got even faster and -oh God, that bass!
• Bridget has an upbeat and grooving theme called Simple Life.
• Zappa's theme, Good Manners and Customs. One of the most eerie-sounding intros in the series, mixed with a rather somber track and a killer synth.
• Haven't You Got Eyes In Your Head?. Strange Name, but Slayer's awesome and so is his theme. That saxophone is absolutely legendary.
• The Assassins contemplate the meaning of their lives while fighting each other using The Assassin vs. Assassin theme Existence as a background music.
• You see two identical persons duking it out? It's Nothing Out Of The Ordinary in these parts.
• The Mega-bitch I-No got two ass-kicking themes: her normal Ka-Ge-Ma-Tsu-Ri and the Megalomaniacal Midnight Carnival.
• No Guilty Gear game is complete without the Sol vs. Ky Rival Theme, and this game delivered with the phenomenal Noontide. (GGxBB Music Live version.)
• Even the character select theme, D.O.A. is awesome.

XX/X2 Korean versions

Note: The soundtrack is composed by famous K-pop star Shin Hae Chul.

• Ass-kicking has a theme song. That theme song? "Starchaser". The fact that it's Sol Badguy's theme on the Korean OST is just the icing on the cake.
• The Korean version of Midnight Carnival happens to be not only a fine piece in its own right, but easily the best song of all at reminding you that you are fighting a Really Final Boss.
• I-No's normal theme, Blacklight Babe. It just oozes sex appeal.
• Dance of the Behemoth has CMoA written all over it. Both versions of it.
• Vortex Infinitum, Robo-Ky's' theme from the Korean OST. As a Youtube user put it, "Pillars of the Underworld? Be greased or be rust".
• Pillars Of The Underworld, Ky's theme. It feels so heroic, it's beautiful.
• Keeper Of The Unknown, Venom's Theme. This is the stuff entrance music for pro wrestlers is made of.
• Riding the Clouds, Anji's theme, has some serious "The Beautiful People" vibes to it, and it hoo boy does it hit hard.
• Great Empress, Millia Rage's theme. Considered by many better than the already awesome "Writhe In Pain".
• Axl Low gets the upbeat and rocking Dogs On the Run, with a very fittingly Guns N' Roses style riff complementing a tune that wouldn't feel out of place in early 2000s Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Child Of The Wild, Chipp Zanuff's theme, featuring some pounding beats with the the occasional tribal feel, combined with confident and high-octane guitar riffs.
• Vampire Saga, theme of the vampire, Slayer. You can almost hear the Castlevania fans headbanging.
• Faust's theme in this soundtrack, Take the Pain, captures a lot of the same essence as "The Original", so it feels right at home with the character while taking on its own unique and intense feel.
• Megatona Furioso, as heavy as Potemkin himself.
• Tears Are Forever, Dizzy's theme, is by far the heaviest theme ever composed for the innocent young Gear. It's the perfect theme to remind you that Dizzy, for all her innocence and kindness, is still a Person of Mass Destruction, and you had best be grateful she doesn't like to put that power to use.

Guilty Gear Slash/Accent Core

• The new intro Launch Out is just as, if not more epic than "Feedback" and "Starchaser", with that gorgeous guitarwork accompanied by a piercing organ.
• While composed by Masaomi Kikuchi (who already had scored some tunes in Isuka) instead of Daisuke Ishiwatari,Keep in Gates, the theme of Canon Immigrant A.B.A, is still good in its own right.
• Get Down To Business, the theme of Order Sol. This theme screams "You are about to get royally fucked up." Then it turns into something out of a western tavern-brawl scene. It came back at GGxBB Music Live 2011, and the new rendition is incredibly groovy.
• And finally, the Order Sol vs. Ky theme Keep The Flag Flying. The start of an iconic rivalry.

Guilty Gear Isuka

The Spin-Off game, while very unbalanced, still got awesome music. In addition to the series main composer Daisuke Ishiwatari, there's also Tetsuya Ohuchi and Yoshino Kusano, who scored various menu themes and other miscellaneous music, and Masaomi Kikuchi, who scored the A.B.A theme and half of the Boost mode themes.

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• When you start the game you'll immediately be hit by the absolutely sublime opening riff of The GOD Bites Own Lip In Chagrin, an intense metal piece that easily meets the standard set by Feedback, Soul Dealer and Prickle Man before it with some of the best guitar work in the series.
• Sheep Will Sleep (If You Become Fatigued) is a shared theme of Sol and Ky (and I-No, but this music fits them more) that starts as a solemn piano piece, but quickly turns into an epic and ominous metal song fitting for the two rivals.
• Home Sweet Grave, a shared theme for Faust and Zappa. A great beat with some techno-ish vibes, an impressive whistling ambience to complement a kick-ass riff, and an overall vibe of strangeness that suits it well to the oddballs it belongs to. It was good enough to be the theme of the first world in I Wanna Be the Guy.
• Quicksilver, the theme for new character A.B.A manages to be as simultaneously creepy and cool as the homunculus herself.
• Might is Right but Tight, A quick, 15 second blast of pure guitar goodness. Just don't blame us if you end up reflexively reaching for your "R" key.
• The credits theme, The Cat Attached To The Rust, is possibly THE BEST credits theme ever. So relaxing, yet epic at the same time. Made even better in the GGXBB Music Live version.

Guilty Gear 2: Overture

• Keep Yourself Alive 3 once again changes up the instrumentation, but still manages to capture Sols's personality to a T.
• Holy Orders 3 brings the orchestra back front and center, signifying Ky's newfound status as king, and by God, it is worthy for a king. The GGxBB Music Live 2011 version manages to make the song even more grandiose.
• Ride on Time, Sin's theme. Full of young enthusiasm.
• HIRUANDAN ~Noonday Lantern~, Izuna's theme, mixes traditional Japanese instruments and kabuki shouts with fast-paced, carefree shredding.
• Intellect, Reason, and the Wild, Dr. Paradigm's theme, is more subdued than the rest of the OST, focusing more on tribal instrumentation. Doesn't stop it from rocking out, though.
• The Mask Does Not Laugh, Valentine's theme, sounds absolutely chaotic, fitting one of Guilty Gear's more surreal villains.
• Worthless as the Sun Above Clouds, Raven's theme. Guilty Gear is finally Death Metal, with vocals provided by Junya Motomura.
• The Re-Coming, the game's Sol vs. Ky theme. This one sounds much more somber this time around, signifying that the story is now moving forward. It brings out a level of uncertainty not unlike what is heard in "No Mercy", "Noontide", and "Keep The Flag Flying". Some people flat out consider this the best Sol vs. Ky theme, for good reason.
• Communication, the Ky vs Sin theme. Wanna know how good this theme is? It carried over to Xrd.
• Misadventure, the mirror match theme, sounds outright hectic compared to the previous mirror match themes.
• The Man, the theme of the Gear Maker himself, That Man. Combining classic Ishiwatari riffing with gothic instrumentation, fitting for someone so regal, yet mysterious and dangerous.
• Last but not least, the final boss theme: Diva. An epic, yet tragic song that manages to sound like its own thing, while also acting as a Dark Reprise of "Meet Again".

Guilty Gear Xrd

• Give Me a Break, Sol's theme. Thumbs up for the nod to his old theme at the end!
• Magnolia Éclair, Ky's theme, now with more Judas Priest.
• Starry Story, May's theme. Captivatingly upbeat and cheery, just like May.
• The Lily of Steel, Millia's theme, showing another side of her personality.
• Black Blank blah-blah-blah, Zato's theme, is not menacing as "Feel a Fear", but don't doubt that it's still awesome.
• Engage, Potemkin's theme, just screams Patriotic Fervor.
• Flash Hider, Chipp's theme still rocks and his attitude remains.
• Destructive Goodwill, Faust's theme, pure madness.
• A Slow Waker, Axl's theme. A smooth and catchy tune that manages to feel both laid-back and tough at the same time, just like the man it belongs to. Around the breakdown, the beat switches to an upbeat, swing-like style with beautiful piano work and an awesome guitar solo. Overall very reminiscent of his theme from the first game, "The March of the Wicked King", and it features a nod to that theme in the beginning.
• Call Shot, Venom's theme. The mix of badass guitar riffs and a rather somber chorus manages to capture the nature of Venom's life as an assassin, switching between his unfazed, professional nature in his work, and his inner struggles.
• Jack-a-Dandy, Slayer's theme. Because who wouldn't want more smooth, classy saxophone mixed with hard hitting guitar riffs? In short, if any theme sums up Slayer's Cultured Badass nature, it's this.
• Dirty Drive, I-No's theme, the riff adds to the sexy vibe.
• Does the Sheep Count the Sheep?, Bedman's theme. Starting off with a soothing, yet fittingly creepy Ominous Music Box Tune, it flawlessly transitions into an intense, threatening metal piece perfectly suiting a villain with power over dreams. Then, somewhere around the middle, it switches to a somber piano piece that captures the essence of Bedman's Tragic Villain nature, before switching back to metal one last time to capture his dedication to his goals. It manages to run the gauntlet of Bedman's character in 4 minutes of pure, concentrated ear candy.
• Ramlethal Valentine's theme Diva of Despair, which contains elements from "Diva" and "The Mask Does Not Laugh" before going in its own villainous, yet somber direction. It's well-fitting for the first Arc Villain of Xrd.
• Sin's theme, Just do it, manages to take the spunkiness of Ride On Time and gives it a fun, energetic twist..
• Cute Moeblob Elphelt Valentine's theme Marionette. While awesome, it has a tragic feeling to it, which is seemingly odd. That is, if you haven't found out what becomes of her in the ending of Story Mode.
• Leo's theme, Stolz. Mixing military-style drumming, regal sounding guitar riffs, and pure badassery into one song that suits the pride and power of a king. The theme basically says "The rumors were true. I am every bit as amazing and powerful as you have heard."
• The Sol Vs. Ky theme, Reunion, sounds more uplifting compared to the other Sol Vs. Ky themes, befitting them delving more into Friendly Rivalry territory, but it still kicks all kinds of ass.
• The Millia Vs. Zato theme, The Spider's Thread (Do You Know?), adds a new layer of uncertainty, fitting how Millia is once again fighting the man she once thought to be dead.
• The Assassin's Guild theme, When Life Comes. There's still plenty of debate amongst fans as to whether or no this is better than "Existence".
• Hear the acoustic sweetness that is the title theme, Django django by Norichika Sato.
• Outrage's singer Naoki Hashimoto stepped onto the mic for the vocal tracks of Xrd. Fitting that a Metal singer would take part in a Metal soundtrack. Needless to say, Daisuke's music benefited from this:
  • When the first trailer for Guilty Gear Xrd came out, it had one kick-ass piece of music to add to this list: Heavy Day. The full version is out on iTunes and Amazon...and it. Is. GLORIOUS.
  • Also in story mode is Dice for when Sol and That Man work together to bring down the Cradle's shields.
  • Verging on Tear Jerker, "All I Can Do" plays during the mid story credits and really drives the idea that this series really is- love and the power of human bonds.
  • The Arcade Mode's ending credits theme, "Lily", basically one big tribute to Queen as if Freddie Mercury rose from his grave for one last concert with his bandmates.
  • Sol's Dragon Install now has its own face-meltingly metal theme, "Ride the Fire!", and it perfectly encapsulates Sol taking the kid gloves off and giving no shits whatsoever while doing so.
  • The console release of Xrd gave us Big Blast Sonic, with a Metal Scream: GET DOWN TO ROCK!^{click me}Get up to burn! Stand with your pride! Never fear your desire! It's so awesome, Lizbeth forges weapons to it.
  • The music which plays for Johnny's tag-team with Leo against Bedman in Story Mode, Storyteller.
  • The Story Mode's ending credits theme, Icarus, is also a huge homage to Queen.
  • When -REVELATOR- first landed in arcades, fans were uncertain if whatever Arc Sys had in store could possibly rival "Heavy Day". Ladies and gentlemen, you Wanna be Crazy?
• Original Bet, Johnny's theme. The slow, pulse-pounding drums and the catchy beat give the song a very casual feel to it, fitting for Johnny.
• Juno, Jack-O''s theme. A playful, celebratory song which captures Jack-O''s whimsical personality.
• Bao Babel Nose, Jam's theme. Much like its predecessor, it combines energetic hard rock with a distinct Chinese flair to it, and even has a few nods to the original Babel Nose.
• The Tuner, Kum Haehyun's theme. Slow, pulse-pounding, and dual-toned, and almost sounds like something that you would hear in Fist of the North Star: Twin Blue Stars of Judgment. Yep, fits Haehyun to a T.
• TSUKI NO SHIHAI (The Moon's Domination), Raven's theme. A fitting sequel to "Worthless as the Sun Above the Clouds". As befitting Raven, it's a death metal number with lyrics, this time from Naoki Hashimoto.
• One Dawn, Dizzy's theme. Much like its predecessor "Awe of She", the theme starts off soft, but gradually grows into the usual Epic Rocking. Unlike the original, however, this is a more uplifting, beautiful symphony rather than a mysterious and somewhat tragic one.
• For the first time since the original XX, there is now a theme for the final boss of each characters' Episode Mode, which is a powered-up version of your character's rival. Fittingly, the song's name is Sky Should be High. Now with Vocal Version.
• "Lily" was a great song but for -REVELATOR-, we get a new Arcade Mode ending theme: Freesia.
• Baiken is back in action, and she got a rockin' new theme to go along: -ROKUMON- (Six Coins).
• Enough is Enough, a rock number mixed with light jazz that you can hear in a fancy restaurant, fits Answer like a glove.
• The Surprisingly Gentle Song Birthday Train is an upbeat country rock track as opposed to Guilty Gear's mostly hardcore metal rock music.

Guilty Gear -STRIVE-

• "Smell of the Game", the main theme of STRIVE, seems to admit to the series being a frozen, old and decrepit franchise, only to then defiantly declare they're still as excited about their Rule of Cool nonsense as ever. It even gets oddly inspirational partway through, encouraging others to similarly be Hot-Blooded. It's so awesome that whenever the song makes an appearance in trailer reveals at tournaments, you can bet the crowd will immediately start singing it.
  That is bullshit! Blazing! Still my heart is blazing!
  [...]
  Remember you are blazing! Still your heart is blazing!
• Sol's theme, "Find Your One Way", is the kind of song that makes one wonder if Ishiwatari wasn't challenging himself to crank the attitude and intensity of "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Give Me a Break" up to eleven. As usual, the song is 100% in line with Sol's character, with intense fret-slide licks, pounding bongo rhythms, and, as usual, the iconic riff from "Keep Yourself Alive" making a cameo. Arc System even had a short music video of it done by Sanzigen ^note the animation studio behind the 2020 Sakura Wars the Animation that sums up the entire key plots of Guilty Gear up to Xrd.
• Ky's theme, "The Roar of the Spark", is an energetic track fitting for the paragon of good and justice in the ravaged world, with stylish fret-slide licks and beautiful chimes sparkled throughout the song. Callbacks to "Holy Orders" and "Magnolia Éclair" can found hidden within the track, signifying the evolution of Ky's character.
  Under the sacred briars
  Never stop, just go
  I don't care how many more scars I get
  Bearing a pale fire
  I'm going as far as I can
  I hope my path will be,
  a guide of light for someone to follow!
  THE ROAR OF THE SPARK!
• May's theme, "The Disaster of Passion", has a massively peppy vibe to it as thought it were an anime ending theme or a forgotten Paramore song, and is overall catchy as hell. There's a reason why it gained a Dark Horse Victory as far as character themes go, with many considering it the best song out so far based on the previews given. The full version did not disappoint either.
• Axl's theme, "Out of the Box", is both intense and chill at the same time, reflecting Axl's growth over the course of the series as well as his usual personality, and the lyrics reflect his unpredictable and lax nature incredibly well. To top it off, many fans seem to get ARMS vibes of all things from the backing vocals behind a rhythm reminiscent of "A Slow Waker".
• Chipp's theme, "Play the Hero", keeps the fast-paced and energetic nature of "Suck A Sage" and "Flash Hider", with added vocals reflecting Chipp's headstrong nature, while also harkening back to his Dark and Troubled Past and what he has learned from it.
• Potemkin's theme, "Armor-clad Faith", is a militaristic, heavy rock track with subdued eastern elements. The vocals of this one tell the story of Potemkin's past as a slave, and how he holds onto his past as a reminder of his strength as well as his pride. But after facing hardship after hardship and failure after failure, he's beginning to question himself and see his life as a joke, but he refuses to turn his back on his life, and continues his fighting in hope for a better the future.
  I'm a fool, I know nothing
  I take the role of a silly clown
  But I won't turn my back on life!
  I'm a fool! Maybe I'm worthless!
  But this world created my faith!
  So all I can do is stay hopeful, and pray!
• Faust's theme, "Alone Infection", seems to tell a story of the good doctor's life and his self-acceptance, starting out violent and angry-sounding, signifying his descent into madness back when he was Doctor Baldhead, with an out of nowhere jazz verse depicting his transformation into Faust, until the song becomes more somber and resounding near the end, showing that despite his horrifying new look and mannerisms, the Faust we know may not be gone after all. It's absolutely beautiful.
  We've got only one sky!
  Blue, red and black, paranoia!
  What is it like to you?
  No one can see the colors but you!
• Millia's theme, "Love the Subhuman Self", has an almost mystic and graceful feel to it while still carrying Guilty Gear's hard-hitting rock aesthetic, and feels befitting of a graceful, mysterious assassin. The song itself is like a fine blend of Devil May Cry's and Bayonetta's soundtracks, topped off with the usual Guilty Gear spice we've come to know and love. Bonus points for the backing vocals being provided by the man responsible for Retsuko's metal singing, Jamison Boaz.
• Zato's theme, "Let Me Carve Your Way". What starts as a discordant black metal song filled with violent and outright manic screeching, detailing Zato's last life, death, and subsequent resurrection suddenly transforms into a powerful and absolutely heart-wrenching ballad where Zato longs to have his lost memories of what he used to be back, so he can understand why he came to love Millia. And if he does get them back and he discovers the monster he used to be, and even if Millia no longer reciprocates these feelings, he will always love her, no matter what. Several people have unashamedly admitted that the ending of this song drove them to tears, and they can't exactly be blamed.
• Ramlethal's theme, "Necessary Discrepancy", is what you would get if you were to ask Ishiwatari to compose a piece of Progressive Rock, and it delivers in the most epic fashion possible. With stellar usage of unusual time signatures, absolutely beautiful lyrics from both the male and female vocalists, and a glorious mix of synth, piano, and electric guitar all set to a pounding drumbeat, the song completely and totally manages to capture everything about who Ramlethal is in one absolutely stunning theme.
• Leo's theme, "Hellfire", has a fittingly regal intro, absolutely intense, fast paced guitar riffs mixed with some awesome bongo rhythms. Perhaps the highlight of the theme, however, would be the surprisingly somber and tragic lyrics, dealing with Leo's compassion for his soldiers, his fears of outliving them and being unable to keep them safe, and how he will make sure to take down any foe who harms them. The chorus of the song is especially poignant, practically being the embodiment of The Last Dance in musical form. Some have pointed out how much "Hellfire" sounds like a song from Sabaton, who are also a metal band focused on the history and tragedy of war.
  Hellfire! Hellfire!
  Bring it on, bastards!
  Hellfire! Hellfire!
  Hellfire! Hellfire
  All of 'em are going down with us!
• Nagoriyuki's theme, "What do you fight for?", is a fast-paced yet chill rock theme with Japanese influences, befitting his characterization as one of Slayer's fellow immortal Nightwalkers and a wandering samurai.
• Giovanna's theme, "Trigger", sounds fairly out of place when compared to the other tracks, being much softer than anything else in GG's history (with the exception of "Birthday Train"), but that doesn't stop it from being an absolute bop. It's an absolutely masterful dive into the world of Funk Metal, noted to have some heavy Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys vibes to it. Then, around the 2 minute mark, the intensity of the song kicks up to deliver a guitar solo that's stunning even by the standards of the series.
• Anji's theme, "Rock Parade". Energetic and intense riffs and beats, One of the best choruses to come out of the series, and a stunning breakdown with heavy usage of oriental instruments and rhythms. Definitely a song that screams "Yep, Anji is back and better than ever".
• I-No's theme, "Requiem". I-No's newest showing departs fairly dramatically from the heavier style of some other character themes, but delivers a remarkably emotional lyrical and melodic piece fitting for a story focused on I-No as a character, and as a sort of last hurrah for her character in the overarching Guilty Gear story.
• Goldlewis's theme, "The Kiss of Death". A heavy blues-rock number with lyrics that perfectly describe Goldlewis's character as the no-nonsense Secretary of Defense who's not afraid to stand and fight in order to achieve a peaceful resolution, as well as how, even if there are times he feels frustrated he can't always know the full story behind what he's doing, he's willing to put his doubts aside and do what people want him to do for the sake of his people.
• Jack-O''s theme, "Perfection Can't Please Me", is a bubbly pop-rock song that fully encapsulates Jack-O''s character arc of learning how to live her own life and being honest with her feelings. "This is it" indeed.
• Chaos' theme, "Drift", truly fits the character, being all over the place with elements of freeform jazz combined with headbanging speed metal and heavenly arena rock that gives it a chaotic feeling, given that Chaos himself is a mish-mash of ideas and impulses with an unbridled power in his hands. Lyrically, it does a lot to capture what truly drives Chaos, how he finds all of existence beautiful because of its meaninglessness to him, and how the conflicts he stirs up for "Drama" make their aftermaths feel that much more beautiful to him.
• Baiken's theme, "Mirror of the World", is perhaps a new high for Daisuke's music. Starting off with a slow, western-sounding steel guitar with some "Hotel California"-esque riffs, it soon transitions to pulse-pounding, threatening metal mixed with the sounds of Buddhist mantra chanting and the usual heavy metal with lyrics about Baiken's grudge and how it defines her. Then it cuts to a brief interlude of traditional Japanese instrumentation before returning to insane metal.
• Testament's theme, the oddly named "Like a Weed, Naturally, as a Matter of Course", is Daisuke turning the thrash metal dial up and not stopping even once. Naoki's performance does a surprisingly good job at replicating the vocals of Chuck Billy himself. All of this builds up to an absolutely beautiful ending, signifying that after decades of inner torment, lasting hatred, and longing for atonement, Testament has finally found peace.
• Bridget's theme, "The Town Inside Me", is an upbeat pop/R&B track and another Aisha solo that describes Bridget's conflicted feelings on her own identity and how she wants to be herself for herself. All of it makes for a fun song about self acceptance that becomes more funky and bombastic towards the end.
• Sin's theme, The Hourglass, AKA what happens when Daisuke decides to combine Van Halen riffs with lyrics that scream "Shonen Protagonist Theme Song". It's energetic, it's upbeat, and the words are all about Sin's "go with the flow" mindset and endless optimism. It's "The Power of Friendship" in song form, as composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari.
• Bedman?'s theme, The Circle, is a mournful tune in the same vein as Faust's theme. The lyrics are beautifully abstract, remaining as mysterious as the original Bedman himself was in life. One interpretation is that it details his tragic existence, being kept in an eternal slumber in order to preserve his life but never being able to interact with the waking world he was born into, with his only desire to be with his sister again. Another interpretation is that these are the original Bedman's final thoughts before his death, and another is that this is the original Bedman's post-death experience, his soul moving to another dimension but unable to know peace and trying to break free because of his intense determination to be with Delilah.
• Asuka's theme, The Gravity. Befitting Asuka's nature as an intellectual who blended science and magic together to create an entirely new species, his theme is a song that blends elements of progressive rock (unusual time signatures), symphonic power metal (orchestral backing and an Ominous Pipe Organ), arena anthem rock, and opera to form one of Daisuke's most epic masterpieces yet. Clocking in at 6 minutes and 40 seconds, it shares a spot with Baiken's theme as the longest of Daisuke's vocal songs, featuring fittingly metaphorical lyrics that paint Asuka's story, his wish to atone for his past sins, and his true feelings about Sol and Aria.
• Johnny's theme, Just Lean. Pure, unadulterated, Aerosmith-style hard rock from beginning to end, with hints of The Man in Black himself as well as The Eagles. All of it describing how much of a badass outlaw Johnny is.
• Elphelt's theme, Extras. Featuring a brand-new vocalist to the series in Molly Daisy, for this theme Daisuke takes inspiration from BABYMETAL and throws in a bit of Mariah Carey for good measure to create an utterly insane fusion that just works out beautifully, with lyrics describing Elphelt's clumsiness but also her broad, unique sense of love and enduring optimism in the face of despair. Only Guilty Gear music could make the lyrics "Rub-a-dub-a-dub, yeah yeah!" completely unironically awesome.
• A.B.A's theme, Symphony. Suiting A.B.A's personality and gameplay style is a chaotic song that features strong drumming, piano, and a Jazzy genre shift towards the end as well as callbacks to her two previous themes and a nod to "Another Brick in the Wall". Lyrically, the song is about how A.B.A does not want to fit into the world she was created in and is happier doing her own thing and leaving her own impact on the world. Much like Elphelt's theme immediately before it, it somehow manages to make "blah-blah blah blah-blah blah blah blah blah" sound just as badass of a lyric as the rest of the song.
• The Arcade boss theme, "Crawl", is a headbanging speed metal track that conveys the grave danger the characters find themselves in, as Nagoriyuki unleashes his full might against them to test their mettle.
• The Arcade ending theme, "The Name of Heaven" is a tragic ballad with lyrics that detail the thoughts and emotions of a dying man pondering what awaits him in the afterlife. The gorgeous vocals and heavy beats take on a whole different meaning in Story Mode, where it plays when I-No becomes the Guilty Gear series' equivalent of God and frees mankind of all of their tribulations in what is both a powerful and absolute Mind Screw of a scene, turning the song from a Tear Jerker ballad to what is essentially Daisuke's answer to "Komm, süsser Tod".
• And at the end of it all, we have "Talk About You", the story mode ending theme of Strive, and by proxy, the ending theme of the entire series up to this point. An undoubtedly moving love ballad that acts not only as a final goodbye from Sol to the now truly deceased Aria, but also to the cast of characters that we've come to know and love over the course of more than twenty years.

Other

• We could spend all day listing fanmade Holy Orders remixes, but we wanna give special mention to this remix by Powerglove: Holy orders (Be quick and just shred).
• The English vocal version of Nothing out of the Ordinary. May not be in the games themselves, but it's worth a mention. As is the English Keep Yourself Alive.
  • The songs are live showstoppers as well, as evidenced by the Sound Alive album. Some believe that the live version of 'Existence' far and beyond outpaces the original game version.
  • As well, S.S.H. has done some great remixes of Guilty Gear songs. Just listen to the mixes of Conclusion and Holy Orders

In fewer words, Daisuke Ishiwatari: we love you.

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