For those wanting to check the remixes done for the Super Smash Bros. franchise, check on over to this page so you can hear them.
UNMARKED SPOILERS BELOW.
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Main series
Pokémon Title Theme
- The original Pokémon Theme itself. FireRed and LeafGreen brought about their own great remix.
- Gold and Silver's is pretty great as well.
- Crystal's title theme slightly differs at the beginning from the Gold/Silver version, but soon becomes the traditional Gold/Silver title theme. It's just as good.
- Awesomeness driven up with the simply wonderful HeartGold/SoulSilver remix. In one minute we have: Gold and Silver's intro music, New Bark Town, Goldenrod City, Burned Tower, and the Rival and Eusine's leitmotifs.
- Ruby and Sapphire's and its remix in Colosseum.
- There's an uncompressed MIDI version of the original hidden in the obscure game Pokémon Box: Ruby & Sapphire.
- The orchestrated remix in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is a truly grandiose song.
- In Diamond and Pearl, an unused track in the game is the theme.
- Diamond and Pearl's title theme is great, too, although it plays more during the introduction video rather than on the title screen itself.
- The epic remix from Black and White when you face a Gym Leader's last Pokémon.
- Especially when the music plays during the Gym Leaders' Big Damn Heroes moment in N's Castle.
- Black and White's title theme itself is great as well.
- Black 2 and White 2 version also does the job.
- Black 2 and White 2's title screen.
- X & Y's title theme is a great update to the classic.
- Sun and Moon's title theme is just as magnificent as ever, and appears to take characteristics from every generation's title theme, with some chanting added at the end for good measure.
- Sword and Shield's Title Screen. First used in the announcement trailer, this theme begins with a cool synth rendition of the Hall of Fame music, then suddenly transitions into an electric guitar version of the traditional Title Screen music, which also alludes to the fact that there is no Hall of Fame records like in the previous games, but you get to see the team members you used to beat the champion at the title screen.
Red/Blue/Yellow
- The wonderfully calm Pallet Town, where it all began.
- The Rival's Encounter Theme, an instantly recognizable theme that tells you everything you need to know about your Rival's character.
- Route 1. You step outside, you get your starter and you leave your little pokey town and venture into the world full of hope and ambition. This tune nicely conveys that child-like sense of wonder and playfulness.
- Aaand... the very first wild Pokémon battle theme.
- The Viridan/Pewter/Saffron City Theme. This music is classic!
- The Pokémon Center Theme.
- The Trainer battle Theme, a classic that re-appears every generation.
- The Viridian Forest is damned creepy! And so addicting...
- The music that plays inside the Pokémon Gyms, another classic that gets you pumped up to fight the strongest trainers.
- The Original Gym Leader Music. Awesomeness on a stick. You knew it was time to get serious when you heard it.
- Mt. Moon, the franchise's very first cave theme. Creepy sounding? Yes, owing to how dark the caves are. And it still manages to showcase that darkness.
- The Main Kanto Route Theme. A certain glitch Pokémon causes audio glitches, presented in the linked video as a simplified version of Route 4's music playing at Lavender Town's speed. It somehow makes one of the most inspiring songs in the series be slightly depressing.
- The happy and energetic Cerulean City.
- Route 24 and 25, first heard in the game's opening and then again in said routes (between Cerulean City and Bill's House), just has that perfect adventure sound to it.
- Vermilion City, best described as "departures, arrivals and goodbyes" in musical form. Made better in Gold and Silver.
- The S.S. Anne music. And since you hear it only once in the game, you will miss it.
- The Bike Theme from the original R/B/Y games is so unbelievably catchy...
- Route 11, the seaside boardwalk famous for tying Lavender Town, Vermilion City and Fuchsia City together. It's also famous for the awesomely carefree feel embodied by its BGM.
- Lavender Town is awesome in a scary way.
- The Pokémon Tower music, simultaneously saddening and damned creepy.
- Celadon City and the original Game Corner. So catchy and wonderful. Kind of jarring when you think about Team Rocket's presence there.
- Team Rocket's Hideout. The true theme of Team Rocket?
- The one, the only, the original Surfing tune.
- Silph Co. is, in a few words, creepy, chaotic, and totally awesome.
- For the old school, the original Cinnabar Island theme. Kinda makes you feel like you're walking on a low-bit beach, huh?
- Pokémon Mansion, an amazingly tense and atmospheric song that helps set the mood as you pick through Mewtwo's backstory.
- The one, the only, the original Victory Road. Short song, but packs an unbelievable amount of awesome into the time you spend with it.
- The League Champion Theme. After conquering the Elite Four, your Pokemon are exhausted after four long and difficult fights, but one final challenge lies ahead. Your rival awaits for the ultimate battle, and this theme underscores both the tension of the moment that all of your training has led up to, and your Pokemon's determination to push through the pain and score one last victory.
- The Hall of Fame Music. So simple, so iconic, it got brought back in every main series game.
- The Ending Credits Theme. Even better, up until Diamond and Pearl, the ending credits themes always ended with a short callback to this original.
- Even a song as basic as the Printer error theme in Yellow is surprisingly cute and catchy.
Gold/Silver/Crystal
- New Bark Town. Probably the best starter town music in the Pokémon games. As good as the HGSS version is, there's something about the original version that just can't be topped.
- Professor Elm's Lab, a lighthearted song which tells you everything you need to know about the scatterbrained professor.
- Your Johto adventure begins with Route 29 and Route 30.
- The Johto Wild Pokémon Theme:
- By day...
- ...and by night. Hoot hoot!
- The Tour Music. A catchy little tune that fits so perfectly for tutorials that it was even reused in Black and White 2 and X and Y.
- The Pokémon Center Theme and the Pokémon Communication Center Theme can only be heard in the Japanese version of Crystal. Sweet sounding melodic healing to show how hardworking and compassionate Nurse Joy is and a neat tune to get your companions healed.
- The Rival Trainer music. The Rival Trainer's leitmotif is just as good as the first games' rival's theme. If not better.
- The Johto Trainer Battle Theme. GSC managed to make the second most-heard theme in the games epic. So much so that it's used as the Poké Cup semi-final theme in Stadium 2.
- The Violet City/Olivine City Music, a moody piece which contrasts nicely with the more upbeat Kanto city themes.
- The music that plays inside the Pokémon Gyms. You knew that this theme had to show up eventually.
- The Johto Gym Leader Theme, an intense and driven boss theme.
- The music used in Azalea Town/Blackthorn City, setting a laid-back atmosphere for Johto with its "Last Christmas"-esque tune.
- Team Rocket's Battle Theme, combining just the right amount of intensity and sliminess.
- Goldenrod City, perhaps the best town theme EVER.
- Its awesomeness grows with the Bike Theme REMIX!
- It's even better if you take the train from Saffron into Goldenrod. They just meld perfectly into one another.
- The exciting and addictive Lucky Channel/Game Corner Music.
- The soothing National Park Theme, serenity in audio form.
- The Bug Catching Contest music, a remix of the first-gen Bike Theme.
- Gold and Silver probably has the most elegant surf theme in the entire series.
- Ecruteak/Cianwood City's theme is one of the most beautiful tunes on the Game Boy/Game Boy Color.
- The Route 38/39 music, It has a particularly triumphant vibe to it as if the game itself was telling you, "You're doing great, keep going!".
- Eusine's Leitmotif from Crystal really captures his energy to find the Legendary Dogs.
- The Route 42/43/44 and Lake of Rage music is just incredible.
- Team Rocket Hideout. For when you want tension in your cute Mons series, and a Jump Scare when a Rocket Grunt spots you and the next theme kicks in.
- Team Rocket Radio Tower Takeover; so catchy, it basically got shanghaied into being Team Rocket's Bootstrapped Leitmotif.
- Dark Cave, awesome enough to make you WANT to go in there. Also played in the Ice Path, making it less tedious.
- From Crystal, the franchise's first—and memorable—wild legendary theme music: Raikou/Entei/Suicune Theme.
- THE. TIN. TOWER. Almost impossible not to like this.
- Route 26 and 27. Beat all Johto's Gyms, go back home to New Bark, Surf to your right for a few seconds, and fasten your damn seat belt, because you're in Kanto now, Bitch.
- Victory Road. Wandering through a challenge-less, empty cave has never felt so epic.
- The Indigo Plateau theme. A very short song, but it still makes you feel like the biggest badass around when it plays.
- The theme for the battle against Lance/Red borrows from RBY's main theme. One of the best final boss themes in video game history.
- The Credits Theme sticks the most out of all the tracks in the game.
- The S.S. Aqua. You've just beaten the champion, Professor Elm has given you a boat ticket, and then you're on your way! To...
- Vermillion City! The nostalgic feeling of being in Kanto again. The sense of achievement of coming this far, on your long journey from Johto. How could this not be awesome?
- The Kanto Trainer Battle Theme. Because the original wasn't enough already.
- Kanto's wild battle theme makes encountering Rattata seem like a legendary has arrived.
- The Kanto Gym Leader theme. Dear Lord, as awesome as the HG/SS version of this song is, the GSC version's first few seconds tells you just two things: you're going against the original gym leaders, and SHIT. JUST. GOT. REAL.
- The main Kanto Route Theme is the perfect song for revisiting old haunts.
- Pallet Town once again. You have all 16 badges, you're heading down Route 1, and you know exactly what music is coming... and it's still awesome.
- The Battle Tower Music is happy, yet still gets you pumped up to fight.
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Themes that debuted in FireRed and LeafGreen are in those games' folder.
The SNES-like audio for the GBA did wonders for the music of Pokémon, and the whole soundtrack doesn't disappoint. Plus, you can experience those glorious trumpets!
- The laid-back cheerfulness that is Littleroot Town.
- Route 101 is yet another great first-route tune.
- The Wild Pokémon Battle theme is a great showcase of the GBA's qualities compared to previous hardware.
- One of the cheeriest tracks in the soundtrack: Oldale Town, shared with Lavaridge Town.
- The Pokémon Center theme has its unique flavor to it by being a unique arrangement of the Gen 1 Pokémon Center theme.
- Friendly Shop, the Poké Mart theme. So awesome, it's appeared in every game since Emerald.
- The rival theme, both for Brendan and May. Variations hint at slight differences between the characters.
- The Rival Battle Theme. For the first time that the player's rival is friendly, this theme is both upbeat and epic at the same time!
- Pokémon Trainer Battle theme. Awesome, and yet surprisingly sinister for a battle theme.
- Petalburg City. This link here is 7 minutes of upbeat pleasantry.
- Route 104 is a fantastic piece for the first beach you see in the game.
- The Magma/Aqua Grunt Themes were the most awesome pieces in the game.
- The R/S/E Gym Leader Theme is perhaps one of the BEST battle themes the series has!
- The Gym Leader victory theme in every Pokémon game is super-happy, but its Generation III rendition is probably the best of all of them; it actually makes you feel like you've accomplished something. Bask in your victory!
- Crossing the Sea? No you aren't. You're going to sit on this boat for the next HOUR and listen to this incredibly awesome track loop over and over and over again.
- Slateport City. One of the best town themes from the series.
- The Oceanic Museum, a remix of the S.S. Anne theme from the first generation.
- As with all other route themes, Route 110 captures the air of adventure.
- The Rustboro City theme is a delightfully cheerful, bossa nova-inspired tune that makes you feel you're in a seaside resort.
- Mauville Game Corner is a cheerfully upbeat track fitting the high stakes of a game corner
- The Cycling theme is so unbelievably happy and fast paced.
- Verdanturf Town. One of the most beautiful tracks in R/S/E, which is saying a lot.
- Route 113 from R/S/E, an utterly amazing track reminiscent of "Snowman" from Mother.
- The music that plays while in Meteor Falls (and the Cave of Origin) is just awesome to listen to.
- The Mt. Chimney/Sky Pillar music. Hard-sounding, like you're climbing the side of a volcano, and yet funky at the same time.
- Route 111. Almost made the endless sandstorm damage in battle worth it.
- One kickass Surf theme coming right up. Made the massive amounts of surfing required in the game quite tolerable for some people.
- The Abandoned Ship had some great music. Sad, considering the place was never really plot-important.
- Route 119. Can't take your bike through the tall grass, which people also happen to be hiding in. Not to mention that it's usually raining - and don't bother with an umbrella, lest you get struck by lightning. You're earning your way through this route.
- Route 120, one of the most epic route themes in the series.
- The Mt.Pyre/Shoal Cave/New Mauville theme provides just the right mix of ambience and adventure to suit its locations, and is criminally underestimated when people talk about the best music of the series.
- Mt. Pyre (Peak). A bouncy song, which is odd for a mountain graveyard, but it sounds great.
- Lilycove City/Pacifidlog Town. A complex, yet simple and lovely sounding water waltz.
- The theme of the Art Museum in Lilycove City is one classy tune.
- The Team Magma/Aqua Hideout theme is much more "stealthy" than the Rocket Hideout themes from before.
- The Diving theme shows the beauty of underwater life with a beautiful, yet quiet song.
- The Sealed Chamber. A tranquil song that evokes the mystery and echoes the power of the Legendary Golems of long ago.
- Regirock, Regice, and Registeel's battle theme. Appropriately, it sounds like a ten thousand-year old golem awakening and stomping around.
- The Archie and Maxie Battles are under-appreciated.
- Heavy Rain is excellent for the situation, tense and ominous.
- The Drought puts Lavender Town to shame.
- Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza's battle theme. Those first five seconds tell you SHIT IS GOING DOWN.
- Sootopolis City. It may be calmed and relaxing, but this song does tell you that you're in a legendary town. In the middle of a volcano.
- The theme in Ever Grande City is a good piece to hear, especially after going though Victory Road.
- Victory Road from Ruby/Sapphire is an intense song fitting its rough elements and encouraging listener to keep pushing through to the Elite Four.
- The Elite Four theme is an upbeat song with determined clapping that keeps pushing the player to do their best against the Elite Four.
- The Champion's battle theme, encounter theme, and victory theme all qualify as awesome tracks.
- Even the "Room of Glory" music is incredible... sadly, as always, it only plays when Steven Stone/Wallace is recording the player's League-triumphing feat in the Hall of Fame Room.
- All of the ending themes have a triumphant note to them, but Hoenn's Ending is a complete Tear Jerker.
- The Battle Frontier theme from Emerald, particularly the opening few notes. The whole thing just screams "triumphant."
- The individual battle facilities in the Battle Frontier all have their own themes, some of which stray from the rest of the soundtrack, and all of which fit in well with their respective motifs.
- Battle Factory's is very techno-y.
- Battle Arena's has a medieval Japan feel to it.
- The Battle Dome's gets you fired up to WIN.
- Battle Pike's is more seedy, more antsy. Fitting for trying your luck in a huge Seviper, hoping that darn Kirlia won't jump you and poison somebody on your team.
- Between the Egyptian and ancient temple themes, Battle Pyramid's definitely says "Pyramid adventure".
- More hidden themes: Pokémon Communication Center, Viridian City, Team Rocket Radio Tower Takeover, and the beta version of Littleroot Town.
FireRed/LeafGreen
- Pallet Town is calming and nostalgic, fitting the first town of the first region.
- The Gym Leader battle theme gets intense, with heavy percussion to pump up the player.
- The main Route theme. Uplifting and great for adventure.
- The Sevii Islands bring us some fantastic remixes of music from Gold and Silver. Four and Five Island use Azalea Town's theme, Six and Seven Island have Violet City's, and the other areas feature a stunning rendition of Route 42/Lake of Rage.
- The FireRed/LeafGreen end credits is even better than the original, containing nods to the Team Rocket, Pokémon Center and Pallet Town themes.
- The Deoxys theme, which is also in Emerald, begins with a haunting series of beeps before transitioning into an exciting space-themed battle tune. Unfortunately, very few people were able to listen to this piece as it required the event-only AuroraTicket. The theme that plays just before the fight is also unnerving, with high pitched whining and an ominous background motif playing. Sets the state for battling something other worldly.
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
- DPPt may just have the best professor's lab theme in the entire franchise due to its lovely use of pianos and strings in a low-key, calming tone. Both versions of Professor Rowan's Lab are excellent pieces, with one sounding calming and lax, the other sounding a bit more rousing, but still very tranquil. It is musical perfection for an academic environment like a lab.
- Route 201 just gets stuck in budding Pokémon Trainers' heads.
- The Rival battle theme perfectly fits your rival. Serious in parts, but mostly quick and goofy.
- Sandgem Town is an early town theme that feels faster and more upbeat.
- On the subject of Platinum: Looker's theme is powerful, with high-tempo drums and flashy guitar fitting an International Police officer.
- Oreburgh City. A fast-paced song, with a backing acoustic guitar having a good time.
- The Gym Leader battle theme. An intense song, primarily due to the bass and constant drum beats.
- The Team Galactic Battle Theme. Not only was it epic, so was its Admin variant.
- Route 205 is a great and upbeat theme. Sets the mood for adventure.
- Eterna Forest is eerily calm, lulling the player into a forest hidden away.
- The Bicycle Theme. Despite the drums giving some intensity, the tune remains light and bouncy.
- Hearthome City is a happy-sounding show tune, which is appropriate for the home of Super Contests.
- Route 209 is also a lovely theme: slower and triumphant-sounding with a large amount of changing harmony.
- Route 210 is a speedy track which allows the guitars to cut loose.
- Veilstone City. A slower track that shows unique blues chops.
- The encounter themes are usually sped through after three seconds or so (barring Cynthia) but if you listen to them they're often extremely good. For example, the Fisherman/Sailor theme.
- Canalave City. Nice, relaxing, and it's basically a slowed-up version of the credits music from Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal!
- Route 216 starts out soft for a snowy area, until about 40 seconds in, where it decides it wants to be a funky snow area.
- Dialga and Palkia's battle theme, a fast-paced piano and techno version of the Spear Pillar theme that really drives home their Legendary status.
- The music for the battle with Team Galactic leader Cyrus might be even better than that of his subordinates.
- The Distortion World's background music. The perfect blend of unnerving, surprisingly peaceful, and awesome.
- Platinum Giratina is both bombastic and utterly chaotic, fitting given Giratina's nature.
- The Acuity/Valor/Verity Lakefront theme. A bouncy, yet calming track for the lakes.
- Cavern in the Lake plays in the areas you find the Lake Trio. It's a slower version of their battle theme and serves as great buildup.
- The Lake Trio's battle theme is amazing, having a great mix of a frantic melody, constant background bass, and loud drums making the song sound both tense and grand.
- Sunyshore City is a light, fast-paced city theme. Especially appropriate after you beat the gym and Volkner gets some of his enthusiasm back.
- The music that plays outside of the Pokémon League as well as its more soft nighttime equivalent are both beautiful pieces that perfectly capture the feeling of having traveled so far and grown so much. It really makes you feel proud of you and your Pokémon.
- Challenging Cynthia. Given how she's got possibly the best temperament out of all the Champions (Steven Stone in Ruby/Sapphire a close second), the sheer difficulty in fighting her (with mostly exhausted Pokémon, mind you) and the what-do-I-do-what-do-I-do-what-do-I-do-what-do-I-do?! feel of the music makes for one epic Championship battle.
- "battle gene M" is a song performed by MTM, a group consisting of Junichi Masuda on keyboards, Shinji Miyazaki on bass, and Hirokazu Tanaka on drums. This song is based off of Cynthia's battle theme, as noted in a blog posting by Junichi Masuda. More information can be found in this article.
- The music before the fight is also epic, and provides the perfect build-up to an incredibly tough fight. Many a trainer still has their hearts pound on hearing this.
- Do Diamond and Pearl have the best ending themes? Ehh, well, judge for yourself.
- The theme for the other legendary Pokémon battles. Surprisingly simple, yet consistenly intense.
- Route 225 is an epic way to kick off a post-Elite Four adventure. Route 225 at night sounds even better than it does during the day!
- Route 228. A jazzy theme that wouldn't be out of place at the Game Corner to liven up your desert route. Listen to it. Love it.
- If you get an audio system for your villa in Platinum, it plays this bossa nova version of the Lilycove City theme from ''Ruby/Sapphire''.
- The Battle Frontier in Platinum brings an array of awesome tunes: The main theme (a lively variant of the Fight Area theme from Diamond/Pearl), Battle Arcade, Battle Hall, Battle Factory, and Battle Castle.
- The Platinum Frontier Brain theme.
- Platinum's Global Trade Station theme; the electrifying tune somehow gives a sense of the wonder of trading Pokémon all over the world.
- The Wi-Fi Plaza from Platinum had a trio of happy themes:
- The main theme is very celebratory, as if to say "Look—20 people in one room! Let's party!".
- The minigame theme is short, but it goes well with balancing a Mime Jr. on a ball, or tossing berries into a rotating Swalot's mouth.
- And then the parade theme sends you off. "Thanks for coming!"
- Arceus' theme is unlike any other music in the game. Unfortunately, it only plays if you hack an unreleased event item. Suitable, considering that you're fighting God.
- Hidden in the data of the games, there is a remix of the Main Theme of R/S/E.
- Route 210. That electric guitar makes the frankly infuriating route a lot more fun.
- The music for Routes 216 and 217, i.e. the snowy ones, is amazing. A slow start, followed by some of the most fun music in the game (and that's saying something!)
HeartGold/SoulSilver
- The National Park Theme. The piano... It helps that you see◊ one◊ of◊ these◊ every time you enter.
- Cianwood City and Ecruteak City have different but beautiful variations on the Game Boy Color original (originally the same track).
- Lighthouse/Mt. Silver, especially in the latter's case, where it's the Very Definitely Final Dungeon with the game's bonus boss. The track gives a sense of ominous dread as you climb higher and higher up Mt. Silver.
- Dragon's Den. The remake is even better than the original.
- The legendary beasts (Suicune, Entei and Raikou) each have great themes in their own right, but, when you combine them into one...
- Ho-Oh and Lugia's arrival themes perfectly capture the awe and wonder of summoning and encountering the two most powerful of Johto's living myths.
- The Battles with Lance and Red; an incredible remix that took the most epic song in the entire series and somehow made it even MORE EPIC. A song that is simply outstanding.
- The Ending Credits Remix does the original great justice, though this version of it a bit better.
- HG/SS has an incredible remix of the original wild Pokémon theme in Kanto. Encountering wild Pidgey will never be the same again...
- The Kanto Trainer Battle Theme. HeartGold and SoulSilver's version combines the G/S/C mix with the FR/LG one.
- Lavender Town starts out creepy, then segues into a calm, peaceful remix. As a Youtube comment said, "This is the antidote for Lavender Town Syndrome."
- The music that plays in Cerulean City. Let's face it; this is awesome.
- Despite the original Route 24 and 25 music not appearing in Gold or Silver, the DS remakes have their own version, and it's something else.
- Pallet Town. Possibly the most peaceful theme in the series so far, it truly makes you feel as if the music itself was telling you "Welcome home".
- The very sad Cinnabar Island Theme, and the GB Sounds Version.
- The Battle Frontier theme, an awesome remix of the Battle Tower Theme from Crystal. Inside the Battle Tower.
- Global Terminal, and the GB Sounds Version.
- Sinjoh Ruins! Otherwise known as HGSS's remix of the top of Mt. Coronet from DPPt. Missed out on Arceus' theme in DPP? Good news; it plays during this event!
- The Pokéwalker theme, an unexpected but welcome remix of the Printer error theme from Yellow and the originals.
Black/White
- The music played during the intro movie. Chilling and epic, especially for the crowning of the king of Team Plasma.
- The Rival Battle Theme. Quirky and catchy.
- In the old days, low HP would be met by an annoying siren sound. Now it's been replaced with this.
- Professor Juniper's theme. Fitting for one of the youngest professors, Juniper's theme is light, upbeat and fairly fast.
- Accumula Town sounds extremely great, but it gets even better when you talk to the drummer and the pianist.
- Everything about N is awesome, including his personal Leitmotif, N's Theme which is both haunting and childish... perfect for him.
- The music played during your battles against N throughout Unova. Suitably epic for a rival theme, yet it seems to constantly change backing instruments, not sticking with one for too long.
- The Normal Trainer Battle is epic.
- The Gym Battle music. It starts out fast-paced and epic from the very beginning. Many consider the music that plays when you reach the Gym Leader's last Pokémon (listed under "Pokémon title theme" at the top of the page) to be even better.
- Route 2 gives a true feeling of childlike wonder like few other pieces in the games.
- Relic Castle has some amazing, soothing music that reminds you of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.
- Nimbasa City's theme is a toe-tapping, energetic, and bombastic big band piece that lets you know you're in for a good time at the vibrant entertainment capital of Unova.
- Gear Station. Slow, but powerful. A pure blues track with hard guitars and just the piano to keep it in check.
- Anville Town is a soft, simple song for a small town. Parts of it can even feel lonely...
- The "Carnival Pokémon" Musical is an awesome remix of the original Pokémon Center Theme.
- Alder's Theme may sound out of place in a Pokémon game, but is still very catchy and enjoyable, and it fits his character well.
- Driftveil Drawbridge is eerie and yet very calming at the same time, a good accompaniment to hunting for feathers.
- Driftveil City is a very infectiously upbeat song, fitting for a bustling mining town like Driftveil.
- Route 6 has some pretty awesome music. It's short, yet it feels like a triumphant march.
- Mistralton City has an upbeat track fitting for an airport city, but also adds in a great bass line.
- The Surfing Theme reminds many players of Mother 3.
- Legendary Battle Theme. The song is such a mess that as soon as a melody is found it throws you a curveball. This really puts into perspective just how powerful the Legendaries really are.
- Icirrus City has a peaceful and cheerful melody that can't help but make you smile.
- Celestial Tower/Dragonspiral Tower/Giant Chasm is a beautiful piano piece that sounds like someone crossed the Light World dungeon theme from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past with the present-day overworld theme and the forest theme from Chrono Trigger.
- Tubeline Bridge. Short yet catchy, this is an incredibly upbeat tune. Sadly, it's often overlooked in favor of songs such as Skyarrow Bridge or Opelucid City.
- The Pokémon White rendition of Opelucid City and its Black counterpart may sound nothing alike (with an exception), but both are awesome in their own way. In particular, the White version becomes even better when you stand by a girl playing an erhu, giving it a very Classical or even Celtic vibe, and standing next to the keytar player in Black fixes the lack of resemblance to White's by adding electronic versions of notes from White's music to the music.
- The one in Black is also reminiscent of music from early Sonic the Hedgehog games.
- When opposites attract.
- On the subject of Mother 3, we have Route 10. You half expect to bump into Boney.
- Victory Road is pretty much finality and epicness distilled into musical form.
- The Pokémon League theme when you're in the Pokémon Center or waiting to challenge one of the E4 members. Doesn't have that much, but that's what makes it cooler.
- The Elite Four Battle Theme. One minute and twenty-eight seconds of pure heart-pounding adrenaline that begins at 11 and does not dial it down at all. As one Youtube commenter said: "The bass and drums [in] this song is enough to make your Pokémon faint." Additionally, the theme brings back part of the Hoenn Elite Four Battle Theme, the first (and up until that point in the series, only) unique Elite Four theme (Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh reused the gym battle themes, the latter at least being a remix).
- N's Castle Bridge/Carrying Out a Mission. Very reminiscent of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon's music.
- N's Castle itself is somewhat reminiscent of Castlevania music.
- The music in N’s childhood room – a slow, creepy music-box tune.
- The battle theme for Reshiram / Zekrom. A combination of regal elegance and electrifying/fiery waves of power that signal that these are important figures you're fighting. There's also the similar yet hollow-sounding version for Kyurem, which sounds like it's missing a good amount of the regal felling harmony, but also adds to the drums and bass line, almost as if the two songs were meant to be played together...
- Final N battle and the remix of N's final battle. The badass level just shot through the roof.
- Enter Ghetsis, attacking his son with the most abusive words you are likely to hear in a Pokémon game, shortly before he attacks you with his team.
- Ghetsis Battle Theme is one of the most terrifying Final Boss themes in the entire franchise, with booming timpani that would put Arceus' unused battle theme to shame, and Ominous Latin Chanting that is discordant and haunting, all combined to give any player anxiety as their team gets swept with his notorious Hydreigon.
- Speaking of Mother 3, N's Farewell takes its first five notes from the Mother 3 Love Theme. And then there's the amazing official remix. It brought tears to many a person's eyes.
- This hauntingly beautiful remix of N's Farewell.
- This remastering is great too.
- Even better, Using the Soundfont from Mother 3 for the song. It's as beautiful and as Heartrending as it sounds.
- To Each Future. While other credits themes tend to be more subdued, Black and White's is amazing and upbeat, giving the impression of a Sequel Hook that eventually became a reality.
- Looker's Theme gets an upgrade, and almost doubled in length.
- Marvelous Bridge. Truly marvelous. And also a bridge!
- Black City, and its counterpart, White Forest. The former is a haunting techno melody that seems to emphasize just how much the city is corrupted (heck, a few openly admit to being greedy), while the latter is a happy, upbeat tune with a cheerful innocence to it—perfect for a nature-filled forest. Certainly a harsh contrast, much like the opposing themes for Opelucid City.
- Musical Stardom gives the vibe of a night out on the town. Short but sweet.
- Route 11 has music that is very fitting for a postgame adventure.
- Undella Town's spring/autumn/winter music. A slow, wistful sounding song (complete with slow waves) for an empty beach.
- Cynthia Battle, a good contender for "best Pokémon theme to make the player say 'Oh, Crap!'".
- The Diving/Abyssal Ruins Theme: calm, mysterious, and soothing.
- Lacunosa Town is nice and soothing.
- The Village Bridge. Starts out simple when you enter the area, but adds layers to the song when you talk to certain people scattered throughout the area.
- The Champion/Subway Boss Battle music is upbeat and triumphant.
- Battle! Kanto Champion, used in the finals of the Pokémon World Championships, is a remix of... guess.
- The background theme for the EntraLink. Sounds more like an epic background theme from Final Fantasy than one would necessarily expect.
- The Mystery Gift Theme from Platinum got an awesome remix.
- The Unity Tower Theme is well-suited for a place where people of all nations come together.
- Route 6's theme brings the Fire Emblem theme to mind with its majestic horns.
- Alder's Battle Theme is triumphant, to convey the fact that you are facing the Champion of the Unova Region, properly.
- The Critical Health music used during this generation is just fantastic, not only for being a song that makes you feel the tension of having a member of your team low on health, but also for turning Critical Annoyance into something that doesn't make the player immediately turn the volume off.
Black 2/White 2
- Team Plasma, Again which in the beginning of the game even temporarily replaces the normal overworld music. The beat in the beginning makes it perfectly clear: Team Plasma means business.
- Aspertia City. The new starting city gets some suprisingly quick beats and great piano work.
- Hugh's Encounter and Battle theme are both exceptional pieces of music, even having a touch of Ken's bootstrapped stage theme from Street Fighter II.
- Route 19. This early route comes with a soft, yet bouncy theme.
- Floccesy Town, with calliope and bells working together to make a soothing melody.
- Floccesy Ranch – a very bouncy, entertainingly goofy-sounding tune.
- Revamp of the Unova Gym Battle. It adds instruments where none were there before, making for both a calmer and more intense battle.
- Virbank City gets a downbeat city theme that mostly lets the guitars run the track.
- Black 2 and White 2 have given the Gyms their own variations of the traditional Gym theme (save for Cheren's Gym in Aspertia City, which gets the standard theme carried over from the original Black and White), and that manages to make running through each Gym battling its Trainers and Leader all the more exciting. Here's Virbank Gym's take on the theme. DOGARS! Or in English, POKÉMON!
- Brycen-Man/Full Metal Cop theme in Pokéstar Studios. A big movie needs a big battle song, and of course they delivered.
- Team Plasma's aggressive and relentless battle theme. It really shows how much Team Plasma has diverged.
- Castelia Gym's Theme is quite ambient for a Gym theme, but it does the original justice.
- Nimbasa Gym's Theme is pretty awesome as well, carrying a fashion-show theme to fit its supermodel Gym Leader, especially when Elesa herself makes her ridiculously awesome entrance - at which point, the traditional Gym tune kicks in, only with part of the same soundfont heard in "Dancer In The Street"note thrown in as a Shout-Out for good measure.
- Driftveil Gym's theme has a distinct "underground" sound to it and fits the setting quite well.
- Pokémon World Tournament. Entering this place fills you with a sense of welcoming and preparation.
- Pokémon World Tournament features lots of older characters, and remixes a bunch of themes for that!
- The Kanto Gym Leader battle theme. A bit calmer than in FireRed/LeafGreen/HG/SS, given you're fighting these people, Giovanni included, in a much friendlier environment. It can still get one's blood pumping.
- Vs. Blue. Intense is one way to describe it, being more aggressive than in FireRed/LeafGreen.
- The Johto Gym Leader battle theme. Kind of calm compared to HG/SS, but it illustrates you're only fighting them in a friendly environment.
- Welcome back, Red (and Lance). More serious and triumphant when you're tying your hardest to overcome living legends.
- Hoenn Gym Leader Battle. Serene and sweet, despite being more intense in RSE and their remakes. Perfect since you're not being tested and you're more fighting for fun and glory.
- Hoenn Champion Battle. Two powerful trainers in Steven Stone and Wallace. It's more intense compared to RSE and makes a fine precursor to OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire's version.
- Sinnoh Gym Leader Battle. Surprisingly faster-paced, and heart-pounding compared to DPPt.
- Sinnoh Champion Battle. Welcome back, Cynthia! And your theme has become just that more aggressive as you try fighting the player on equal footing.
- The Tournament Final Round theme sounds like something out of Super Smash Bros.. It illustrates jut how far you've come in the tournament, and this is your moment to shine! This does get overridden by the Champion Themes.
- The theme of Mistralton Gym manages to sound both triumphant and whimsical, befitting the setup of the Gym as well as Gym Leader Skyla herself.
- Lentimas Town, with a very Latin feel to it.
- Both themes for Reversal Mountain, from Black 2 and White 2 are quite enthralling in their own ways, with the former being calm and relaxing, and the latter having a hammy, "Donkey Kong Country-meets-Sinnoh" vibe. Makes sense, given that each game illustrates having an inactive and active volcano respectively.
- The theme of Opelucid Gym. The fact that you get to ride a mechanical dragon to the top of the other dragon where Drayden awaits, battling Trainers along the way, makes this particular piece of music all the more awesome.
- Not only are the Shadow Triad promoted from being The Unfought, but they also have a pretty great encounter theme.
- Marine Tube, an energetic, yet calming song that makes you feel as if you are really underwater.
- Humilau City, with a tropical feel to fit the city’s sunny beach-side location.
- Humilau Gym's theme is about as calm as Castelia Gym's, being akin to elevator music, and is a great contrast to Opelucid Gym's grand variation of the regular Gym theme, but that doesn't mean it's not good music at all.
- Routes 21 and 22 (summer, fall, winter and spring). Very happy tracks that are also quite reminiscent of RSE's music.
- The BGM which plays in the first part of the Plasma Frigate is a remix of the classic Plasma theme in the same vein of the Airship Theme from Mario. And it's awesome.
- The Plasma Frigate Bridge BGM, on that note. Very reminiscent of Pokémon Ranger's music.
- Colress' upbeat techno/electronica themes.
- Black Kyurem / White Kyurem. A dark, menacing theme for a suped-up legendary that ain't going gently. Also, no Master Ball for you.
- N's new Leitmotif starts off with the same creepy tune as his old one. Seventeen seconds in, it goes for a Bait-and-Switch and becomes much more joyful sounding, probably to emphasize his character development.
- Ghetsis' Theme gives off the vibe of just what he's going through. Now with more DENNIS!
- Route 23. A very fitting pre-Pokémon League theme, and it even features a Shout-Out to the theme in Professor Rowan's laboratory at the very beginning of Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.
- Iris' Battle Theme gives off a cheerfully high-energy vibe which gets serious about halfway in, capturing Iris' personality perfectly as well as letting the player know that they're in for one hell of a battle against her team, while also serving as an epic sendoff to the DS era of Pokémon games.
- The ending theme, a wonderful song that concludes a wonderful adventure.
- The Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf Battle Theme makes a comeback.
- Black 2/White 2's take on the Regi Trio's Battle Theme. And it's more badass than ever! Bonus points for using it when catching Regigigas.
- The Gen 4 Legendary Theme makes a comeback, but only for Heatran. Still no less awesome though.
- White Treehollow Challenge is a beautiful theme, which may make you forget you're in Unova's Challenge.
- Black Tower Challenge, a fast-pacing, happy-sounding theme, but with just enough minor chords to remind you that you are facing Unova's Challenge.
- The already creepy music in N's Room gets even creepier as the castle falls into disrepair.
- N's battle theme, a remixed version of his regular battle theme from Black and White.
X/Y
- The music that plays during the Character Customization screen is well worth playing through the entire game to hear again. Sycamore's Lab uses the same melody, and is almost as good.
- While you're likely to only hear about 7 seconds of it because the path is so short, the Route 1 music is a great way to start your journey.
- The Friend Encounter Theme plays whenever your friends show up. It's just so ridiculously upbeat, you can't help but smile. It definitely helps sell the friendship that forms between the five of you.
- Friend Battle Theme is all of the above, except fiercer and more competitive.
- Trainer Battle Theme. Starts out a bit friendly, but gets that "fierce" feeling within the middle of the song.
- This piece of adorable music will give you the strangest urge to skip around merrily on Route 2.
- Encounter! Youngster and Encounter! Lass all fit the relatively easy mood for the first few Trainers in the beginning of the game.
- The Santalune City theme really gets you pumped up for your first gym battle.
- When you face the new Gym Leaders in their awesome, unorthodox gyms, their theme is appropriately awe-inspiring. Heck, even the electronic instruments turn the volume up.
- Encounter! Poké Fan does suit the cheerfulness of the Poké Fans.
- The Gate music, which you would probably hear for about five seconds as you're passing by, is spectacularly tranquil and almost seems perfect to accompany a session of Pokémon-Amie.
- Sina and Dexio, a friendly and cheerful theme for Sycamore’s friendly and cheerful assistants.
- Professor Sycamore's theme has a very French vibe.
- Super Training and Secret Super Training. Both tracks wouldn't sound out of place in medieval fantasy JRPGs.
- Encounter! Butler. Fits the rich Trainers of the Battle Chateau pretty well.
- Encounter! Maid. There's actually the sound of plates and other utensils being moved in the background as a nice touch.
- Route 8's Theme consists of an orchestra so grandiose it would make Super Mario Galaxy proud.
- Encounter! Female Swimmer.
- Team Flare Appears! Slow and sinister. Just like how they just walk up to you and threaten you for interfering in your plans.
- Encounter! Team Flare. Another encounter theme for them, this one is more them actively trying to take you out.
- Team Flare Grunt Battle. Much more fast-paced and menacing version of the two encounter themes. This is where Team Flare intends to burn you for meddling in their goals.
- Bicycle. Who else rode the bike up and down one route, just for that glorious music?
- The Geosenge Town Theme. Very peaceful, making the whole town feel like relaxation.
- Shalour City's Theme gives an oriental, ancient vibe to Korrina's hometown.
- The Tower Of Mastery is appropriate for a cathedral dedicated to Mega Evolution. It also mixes Pokémon's main theme in parts.
- The Gym Leader theme gets a remix when you battle Korrina for the last storyline-required time, with her facing you not as a Gym Leader but rather as Successor to the secret of Mega Evolution. It is the first storyline battle to showcase Mega Evolution (with you being given a Mega-capable Lucario to use as well) and the music is appropriately epic. Unfortunately, some players might not hear it the whole way through due to it being a 1-on-1 battle that will likely be over on the second turn if you're playing it smartly. Fortunately, after completing the main scenario, it becomes one of your options for the music playing on your end in a PvP match. Mashups, such as this one of the Kalos Gym leader's battle theme and the Successor's battle theme, have also proven to be really popular.
- Riding Skiddo, a great theme to hear while riding those Pokémon.
- Coumarine City's theme. Smooth, jazzy, and absolutely perfect for the beautiful port city.
- The Kalos Power Plant theme. Mysterious, spooky, and apprehensive, perfect for the Power Plant and Poké Ball Factory.
- Hark! Who is that pair of unknown masked heroes?! Why, it’s the Mysterious Figures! Well okay, it’s Sycamore’s assistants Sina and Dexio in Paper-Thin Disguises, but let’s play along to keep them happy.
- Laverre City's theme, with its fairy tale setting, is a beautiful and romantic song. This song is even reused later in the anime during an emotional moment between Ash and Serena (XY007).
- Route 15's Theme sounds incredibly grand and epic for "just another route theme". Even more epic when considering the point you listen to this theme. One has probably received about 6 badges at this point, and it is the theme that reminds you that your journey is far but not over.
- Anistar City's theme. Calm, mystical and melancholic—perfect for a city with the penultimate Psychic Type gym, as if it urges you to reflect on your journey thus far, renewing your determination for the grand finale.
- An Eternal Prison: "He was given a tiny box."
- The grandiose synth & organ theme used for the battle against Xerneas/Yvetal (and Zygarde).
- The theme for the battles against Lysandre, head of Team Flare, is an epic, gravitas-filled remix of the Team Flare Grunt theme.
- The theme of Route 18/19/21. A beautiful track that fits very appropriately after saving the world from Team Flare and knowing everyone is still living happily - it is almost impossible to not be cheered up by this one.
- Another potential Tear Jerker in Snowbelle City's theme.
- The Pokémon Village theme. Very quirky, and very Saturn Valley-esque.
- Victory Road. A perfect track for making you want to step forth and charge into battle.
- The Pokémon League theme does not disappoint in the "grandiose" department, setting the mood perfectly for the very final stretch of this journey you have just gone through.
- The Champion's Theme is basically taking a beautiful painting or a stained glass window, and putting it in music form.
- The Hall of Fame Theme is grander than ever with a triumphant orchestra playing as the camera pans around you and the team you just dethroned the Champion with.
- The Sun Shines Down, where AZ reunites with his Floette after so long in the ending.
- Kiseki, the second ending credits theme. There are even lyrics to it. If you're feeling perky, you can turn a Tear Jerker into a Funny Moment by singing these Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal styled Engrish lyrics to the song.
- Kiloude's city theme has a wonderful, joyous summer festival feeling that makes the ending all the more triumphant and cheerful.
- To accompany Looker's return, his theme was given a massive upgrade. There's also a tear jerking version in a minor key, which is played at certain key moments in his sidequest.
- Emma's theme, a beautiful piano and violin piece which describes her character arc perfectly in musical form. It's incredibly short, only about 35 seconds before looping to the start, but the amount of emotion packed into those 35 seconds is incredible. It accompanies the absolutely heartbreaking yet heartwarming ending to the Looker sidequest perfectly.
- For the fights to capture Mewtwo and the Legendary Bird Trio, we get a fast-paced electronic-sounding theme... which samples the original Wild Pokémon battle theme from the Red and Blue versions!
- Emotions make a glorious return from Black/White. It's only played in one place, akin to Route 10's music in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, but still. Can also cause Tear Jerker side-effects too if you're 'emotional'. This piano rendition of Jubilife City can be heard in a similar way.
- The Kanto Champion remix may play only during VGC Championships (Generation V games happen to have one, as well), but it's so damn glorious.
- So it's your birthday and you happen to go into a Pokemon Center to heal your team up! Here's is the music that plays instead of the normal PokeCenter music, befittingly called 'Happy Birthday'. Not only are you met with dimmed lights, but little Pikachu stickers fall down your screen and the display behind Nurse Joy shows a birthday cake.
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
- The glorious trumpets have returned for The Title Screen, which will fill you with a surge of epicness, sense of adventure and nostalgia. Even the players who haven't played the original games will tear up just a bit before the end.
- The Wild Pokémon Battle theme gets an energetic remix.
- The Oldale / Lavaridge town theme has gotten even more soothing and heartwarming now.
- The Trainer Battle theme gets updated with some string instruments.
- The Rival Encounter themes reflect their friendliness and closeness towards the player character.
- The Rival Battle theme gets an awesome remix brimming with energy.
- Wally gets a very upbeat version of his theme that is played at Mauville City and in Victory Road, the tune sounding sweet and innocent to match the kind but shy boy Wally starts out as.
- The best villainous trainer victory theme so far can be heard here.
- The Gym Leader Battle theme is MUCH better than the original version.
- The Team Magma/Aqua Grunt theme is pure ear worm. It's fast paced and captures the feeling of an epic battle going with a good use of keyboards and violins.
- Slateport City manages to sound even better than the original; the beautiful bell-chimes are dang-near entrancing to listen to.
- Rustboro City's updated theme ramps up its bossa nova inspiration while sounding just as cheerful and nostalgic as ever.
- Those who played Red and Blue years ago might shed a few tears when visiting the Oceanic Museum.
- To fit with the expanded presence and characterization of the villains, a couple of new encounter themes were added, which set the mood for a confrontation perfectly. The admins have this, while the leaders get a calmer remix of their battle theme.
- Lisia's theme is absolutely upbeat and energetic. Quite a fitting song for Hoenn's biggest Contest star.
- The encounter theme for Delinquents and Street Thugs is just plain epic.
- The Bicycle Theme will accompany you through your journeys whether you're on an Acro Bike or a Mach Bike, in the middle of a forest or a desert, rain or shine.
- Route 113, like before, is a beautiful melody that plays as you stroll through the ash covered grass, but this time, it's accompanied by the lovely, down-to-earth strums of an acoustic guitar.
- Behold Mt. Chimney and its funky rhythm guitar!
- The desert is no slouch either, and is now even groovier.
- It may not be what most would call bombastic or epic, but the Surfing theme is beautiful, equal parts "exploring" and "relaxing" with an aquatic-techno sound to it.
- Listen to the new Crossing the Sea theme! Already lauded as one of the best songs in RSE, this version dials up the serene awesomeness to a whole new level.
- Abandoned Ship gets two wonderful remixes, the first for the Abandoned Ship’s remake counterpart “Sea Mauville”, and the second playing for the Southern Island.
- Another truly beautiful and relaxing theme is Soaring Illusions, which plays while Soaring at night; perfect for flying through a starlit sky on the back of a legendary Pokémon. Soaring Dreams, the daytime theme, is rather appropriate, too; really gives you the feeling of adventuring in the skies.
- Mt. Pyre's exterior. Those acoustic guitars, man.
- The Lilycove City theme is back and as beautiful as ever.
- The Dive theme is incredibly relaxing and really makes you want to just stay underwater forever.
- Encounter! Diver is likewise relaxing and almost ethereal; it's probably one of the series' best encounter themes.
- Archie and Maxie's Battle theme initially sounds like a straight update of the original song with its menacing piano and trumpet, before suddenly dropping the bass and shifting into an intense song with multiple trumpets and electric guitar.
- The Heavy Rain and Drought themes make their triumphant return, sounding just as creepy as ever. To quote a couple Youtube commenters:On "Drought": In the original Ruby I thought everything just got really bright and that Hoenn was only a bit hotter than normal. Now the fucking sky is on fire.On "Heavy Rainfall": Sounds like a DBZ stare down theme where the villain wastes 15 minutes of screen time just monologuing. I love it!
- The remix of Groudon's, Kyogre's, and Rayquaza's battle theme certainly doesn't disappoint. Then there's the remix Primal Groudon and Kyogre get, which actually samples the theme from the original Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald fading in and out intermittently.
- Coexistence, the song that plays during the scene after Groudon/Kyogre is defeated/captured, where Team Magma and Team Aqua decide to overcome their differences and coexist peacefully. An excellent new addition to the remakes.
- The Regi Trio's battle theme gets another intense remix that also samples the original theme in the beginning.
- Victory Road has never sounded this epic, and you feel like a badass facing a seemingly insurmountable task, but being the badass you are, you just plough through relentlessly.
- Wally finally gets his own Battle theme when you face him at the end of Victory Road, and it sounds like it came straight out of Guilty Gear, BlazBlue or Ys. The best part is that the theme actually flows right into the battle!
- Ever Grande City is just beautiful. You feel like you're about to finish your journey soon, which is sad, but you're also thinking about all the possibilities lying in front of you, once you accomplish your goals.
- The Elite Four Battle is still as intense as its original version, including heart-pacing drums and bombastic horns.
- All of the amazing battle remixes get rounded out with the Champion Battle Theme, sounding even more frantic than before.
- The music that plays in the post-credits scene is a beautiful remix of the rival encounter theme that really captures the bond between the player character and the rival.
- Those who played Emerald may find that the Sky Pillar music gives them an odd sense of deja vu. And then it hits you - it's a remix of the same track that's played when Rayquaza comes down to quell Groudon and Kyogre's fight.
- The many variations of The Heirs to Eternity (Zinnia's Theme), including her Battle theme and The Lament of Falling Stars, which plays when she tells how she would look up to the sky to stop her tears from falling.
- The Emerald Frontier Brain theme returns in all its glory, now used as the theme of the four Battle Chatelaines.
- Hoenn Medley, the ending song which plays after your induction into the Hall of Fame, is a beautiful combination of many familiar songs of the routes and cities you visited during your journey, and it also shows YOUR pokémon and key battles where you used them.
Sun/Moon
- Welcome to the Alola Region takes the inspirational sound of previous introduction themes and adds in a Hawaiian sound that makes for one of the best intro themes in the series so far.
- Lillie's Theme is a beautiful piece that is as soothing as it is haunting and mysterious, much like the girl herself and her companion. It undergoes a lively remix to showcase her Character Development, and will be guaranteed to bring a smile to listeners' faces. However, for those who miss her after she departs from Alola, the theme will instead bring a tinge of melancholy and nostalgia.
- Iki Town's night theme is quite mellow and powerful for being an early-game location, almost as if it were more fitting for the end of a journey than the beginning of one. It may inspire a few tears, especially when the violins kick in.
- Hau's battle theme is as cheerful and energetic as the boy who aims to be stronger than Kahuna Hala. Its liveliness just screams "Pokemon battles can be fun, y'know!" and really captures Hau's overall attitude during his Pokemon journey.
- The Pokémon Center theme takes the original melody and adds nice tropical sounds to it.
- The Trainer Battle theme is an energetic theme with the tune at the beginning pulled straight out of Jurassic Park.
- Hau'oli City's day theme is a happy tune with banjo/ukulele sounds to it, while the night theme is a smooth jazz piano version.
- The salon theme is a smooth R&B number that makes you want to go back to the salon just to hear it, regardless of whether you're getting your hair done or not.
- Team Skull's encounter theme, an insanely catchy hip-hop theme, complete with minor vocals! It gets two equally awesome battle remixes: one for the battles against regular grunts, and one for Plumeria. Guzma has his own battle and encounter theme, catchier and much more threatening than his Grunt's. One can hear a hint of Kanto's trainer music in those themes.
- Ten Carat Hill's theme is a mysterious sounding tune with piano sounds to it which gives the feeling of going on an adventure in the lush Alola region.
- The Totem Pokemon theme, an intimidating remix of the Wild Pokemon theme that does a good job of emphasizing the formidable nature of the foe you're facing.
- The Kahunas' battle theme starts with badass and intimidating drums, before transitioning into a much happier theme signifying that they may be the strongest Trainers in the island, but they're only here to test your strength in a friendly match, and you have the power to beat them.
- Gladion's battle theme is an amazing and catchy bass piece that pulls inspiration from the Unova and Sinnoh music styles and perfectly fits Gladion himself, with his encounter theme being a calmer and softer version, but equally awesome and catchy.
- The Battle Royal Dome theme is very reminiscent of "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky.
- The Dome's battle theme is an energetic theme that perfectly captures the atmosphere of a 4-player deathmatch arena.
- Thrifty Megamart Theme is a very catchy and energetic song, and played as if it actually comes from Megamart's sound systems, hence the seemingly low quality of the sound. Not to mention the solo drum playing before the loop.
- The Ultra Beasts' battle theme, an intense and otherworldly electronic theme that fits these unknown, otherworldly threats perfectly.
- Malie City's theme has a very Japanese feel, fitting for a city founded and influenced by people from Johto. Its night theme almost sounds like something out of Ōkami.
- Nanu has a very chilled out smooth jazz theme that is not only awesome, but perfectly reflects his laid-back personality. It is worth noting that he is the only Island Kahuna that has his own unique theme, while Hala, Olivia, and Hapu share a theme.
- The battle music for the Aether Foundation went 180 to their peaceful theme, replacing violins and soft beats in favor of suspenseful piano and heavy beats. Giving you a heads up that you're not in Paradise anymore...
- The music that plays while Lusamine lets the Ultra Beasts loose upon Alola sounds like a perfect alien invasion theme.
- The battle theme for Aether President Lusamine. It is both a beautiful and menacing piece, which perfectly describes the opponent's ambitions behind their pleasant exterior. Then there is their initial encounter theme which brings to mind a soft lullaby, yet still sounds slightly off. Finally, the remix used for the rematch adds disturbing electronic warbles and hums along with a synthesized One-Woman Wail that completely removes any pretense of calm, when Lusamine completely reveals her psychotic personality by fusing with the Ultra Beast Nihilego and becoming the Motherbeast.
- Poni Wilds, and the other Poni areas. Like Kalos Route 18 before it, an elegant track that gives off happy vibes and wouldn't be out of place in the closing credits of a movie about love. Or as wedding music.
- The theme to the Vast Poni Canyon starts solemn, then grows into a upbeat and overall very heroic theme to serenade you whilst you go through what some consider the hardest dungeon in the main storyline. Bonus points for having serious Route 10 vibes.
- The battle theme for Solgaleo and Lunala. It starts out with what sounds like a quiet, fast paced, heartbeat, before erupting in an intense techno beat that perfectly captures the mood that while they are otherworldly, benign beings, they are still powerful Legendary Pokémon.
- Lonely Lillie, the music that plays during Lillie's farewell to Nebby.
- The Victory Road theme of the game is a resounding triumphant piece, which fits the change of this game's Victory Road from a sprawling maze to a linear last stretch towards the League. The updated Victory Road in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, with additional trainers, made the theme sound even more triumphant to reflect the challenge that you may face at the end of the road once you reach the league.
- The Elite Four's fast-paced and badass battle theme shows how they're not pulling any punches anymore. It suits the Difficulty Spike of this Gen's Elite Four compared to their Gen VI counterparts.
- The Champion's theme (major spoilers). It starts off awesomely with the first few bars of the series' main theme, then transitions into a badass and triumphant theme that perfectly exemplifies how this time, YOU are the Champion; the tables have turned and you're the one who must defend your title from different challengers! Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon give us an amazing remix of Hau's Battle Theme for the Champion Battle with him.
- The theme of the Tapu Ruins has a very mysterious but calming feel, to the point that it could pass for a track from the first Metroid Prime.
- The Tapu battle theme, upbeat, powerful and also very catching, fitting for the Guardians of Alola.
- This remix of Red's battle theme is somewhat more laid-back than its predecessors, somewhat emphasizing the more hospitable environment Alola provides while mixing the intense nostalgia of the original two generations.
- Someday... is soft and low-key, yet every bit as poignant as the moments in the story when it's used.
- And there's the end credits. Upbeat yet heartachingly nostalgic, it makes you realize you never really wanted it all to end.
- This song accompanies the "The End" screen. The sound of waves breaking on the shore is incredibly soothing. Even better, it's a remix of the song that plays inside your house, one of the first songs you heard when you started the game. Makes you want to just sit on the final screen for a minute or sixty...
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
- The return of Team Rocket comes with this remix of the original Rocket Battle theme; it's incredible nostalgia for those who grew up with Red and Blue.
- Giovanni now has his own battle theme; it begins with the opening notes of the Team Rainbow Rocket theme, but it quickly transitions into a medley of previous Team Rocket themes that's every bit as intense and dramatic as one would expect for a rematch twenty years in the making.
- All of the villainous team members got their themes remixed, and they aren't half bad.
- Ghetsis has returned, and with him, his theme. Remixed with less DENNIS and creepier than ever.
- Maxie/Archie get grand, techno-ish remixes of their themes.
- Cyrus gets a bombastic remix of his theme from Diamond/Pearl, which hasn't been heard from in a long, long time. Further, the beginning of the theme sounds like air being sucked out of an airlock.
- Lysandre gets a grand, more menacing version of his original theme, showing he means even more business than before.
- Necrozma gets its own theme for this game, an organ-blasting, drum-heavy song that is equal parts awesome and menacing, playing when it challenges the player after assimilating Nebby.
- The Ultra Recon Squad's battle theme, an alien, techno song that is perfect for the otherworldly trainers that are the Ultra Recon Squad.
- Ultra Megalopolis. It's easy to tell something has gone terribly wrong here. It also serves as foreshadowing to Necrozma's true nature.
- The song which plays during the final battle against Ultra Necrozma is pure undiluted awesome, being a glorious combination of Necrozma's theme, the Cover Legend's theme, and Ultra Megalopolis. The chillingly beautiful intro has an almost religious feel to it, before quickly transitioning into a battle theme worthy of the Pokémon which surpasses Arceus itself in raw power. The sheer power of the song really makes you realize how much has been leading up to this fight, and how much is on the line; it's a fitting song to mark the End of an Era as the franchise prepares to make the transition to consoles.
- The theme for the Ultra Wormhole Ride is a high-energy remix of the Ultra Beast battle theme that perfectly conveys blitzing through time and space.
- Each of the original Ultra Beasts gets a theme for their respective Ultra Spaces, along with one more for the other Ultra Spaces.
- Nihilego has the unsettling Ultra Deep Sea, the original Ultra Space theme from Sun/Moon.
- Buzzwole has Ultra Jungle, a bombastic Donkey Kong-like song. Never before has a song represented a buff flexing mosquito so well before.
- Pheromosa has Ultra Desert, an eerily calm, ethereal piece.
- Xurkitree has Ultra Plant, an energetic, techno-ish theme with various mechanical-sounding noises.
- Celesteela brings us Ultra Crater, a bombastic and somewhat quirky theme.
- On the other hand, Kartana has Ultra Forest, a gorgeous, Japanese-sounding theme that perfectly embodies the origami samurai.
- Guzzlord boasts Ultra Ruin, which is a qualifier for most disturbing theme in the series, what with the constant interruptions, static, and creepy ambience. And it gets worse: It's a warped, backwards version the Hau'oli city theme, which in itself has several horrifying implications...
- The theme for the Ultra Space Wilds is a strange, eerily tranquil piece. Reverse it and speed it up, and it's a remix of the Alola Region theme...
Let's Go Pikachu!/Let's Go Eevee!
- There are two versions of the Trainer battle music from Red/Blue/Yellow in this game. One is the standard trainer battle theme and the other is the "Master" variant that plays in special battles during the post-game. Both are a more grandiose take on the classic theme, with the "Master" variation using more triumphant instruments that highlight how far you've come.
Sword/Shield
- Hop's Encounter Theme conveys his cheery, energetic, and sometimes impatient personality.
- Rival Battle Theme with Hop also does this, but you also feel like he is more serious about winning compared to some of the happy-go-lucky rivals from past games.
- Final Battle Theme with Hop at the Pokemon League semifinals sounds much more tense, and it tells you how he pulled himself together after a series of frustrating defeats and that he's going to take you on seriously. The chants also imply that he has made some fans.
- Zacian and Zamazenta have a few different versions of their theme.
- Slumbering Weald introduces both halves of their theme. The first part sounds regal and mystical, like it's from an older age. The second half calls in their distinct signature: the melodic howls.
- The theme for the fight against their illusions takes the second half of their theme and amps up the bass tremendously. For a song that is, in essence, just their Encounter theme, it was put to good use as a battle theme.
- Their actual Battle Theme is the culmination of every theme surrounding them. Ominous first half, clanking metal, the incredible bass, their melodious howls, even the regal feeling of the Slumbering Weald but made faster. All coming together to give the feeling that they won't be caught without a fight.
- Wild Pokemon Battle sounds as energetic and hectic as ever.
- Trainer Battle Theme is a mashup of various battle themes from previous games, and as a result it sounds like there is more at stake compared to previous trainer battles.
- The long awaited Wild Area comes with two different themes.
- Wild Area Theme of the northern part has piano lines that sounds straight out of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, followed by glorious bagpipes, making you feel the grand scale of the adventure that's about to take place.
- Wild Area Theme of the southern part feels more calm and serene thanks to all the piano, but it still builds up to what sounds more adventurous.
- Being one of the three rivals, Marnie has multiple themes associated with her, the first being her Encounter Theme.
- Marnie's battle theme full stop. Despite the electric guitar riffs and punk rock inspired motifs, the theme lets you know that she isn't edgy as she was made out to be initially, and that she is just there because she cares for her hometown of Spikemuth.
- Marnie's final battle theme sounds more dramatic thanks to all the enthusiastic chanting, and it makes you know that there is more at stake for her than just the semifinals.
- Spikemuth's theme has a soft techno beat feel to it, along with the look of the town itself it wouldnt feel out of place in Streets of Rage.
- Piers' Battle Theme is the only gym leader theme that is unique to a certain gym leader. There is a bit of Team Yell and Marnie's battle theme alongside some heavy punk and metal inspired build up, making this one of the most intense battle themes in the franchise.
- Your jerk rival makes his return as Bede in this game, and his Encounter Theme exudes with his cockiness, arrogance and confidence.
- Bede's Rival Battle Theme is heavy in bass and synth sounds similar to Gladion from the previous generation, and there are some Gen 5 themes mixed into it, making it noticeably fast paced and energetic.
- Since the gyms have returned and now plays a role that is bigger than any of the previous generations, they naturally got more music.
- The Gym Lobby Theme is a more relaxing synth version of the traditional gym music.
- The Gym Theme makes a return, and it plays during the Gym Challenge.
- Gym Trainer Victory is an extremely upbeat dubstep-esque remix of the trainer victory theme specific to the gyms, and it is a bop.
- Gym Leader Battle sounds like it came from a rave party. The theme is also, for the second time in franchise history after the Virbank City Gym in Black and White 2, accompanied with human vocals. The enthusiastic crowd cheers and it gradually turns into a full-on chant by the last member, when the Gym Leader Gigantamaxes on their Pokemon. This awesome moment was obviously inspired by the football matches played in UK where the Galar region is based on.
- Elite Gym Battle Theme, used during the tournament leading up to the Champion, takes the rave that was the Gym Battle Theme, and makes it more intense. After all, the winner of this tournament has the chance to become the Champion. No one is holding back.
- The Wyndon Theme lets you know that you've finally reached the Shining City where your awesome showdown at the Pokemon League will be watched by millions of people around the world, and the theme really brings home the point that you're at the high-tech cultural and financial center of the region that is modern yet traditional at the same time, just like the real life city it was based on.
- Oleana's battle theme, which is actually the "battle version" of Rose's normal theme, which she amps up to create a great combination of elegant and unhinged.
- Chairman Rose's theme doesn't exactly fit him, but it's nonetheless hauntingly beautiful.
- Eternatus has three different themes for each of its battles.
- Its first phase serves as a good introduction. Starting off ominous, before breaking down into alien-sounding techno in the second half.
- Its second phase, after it Eternamaxes, is almost completely alien techno, making it feel like it's so strong, it even corrupted the music.
- Finally, its third phase has Zacian and Zamazenta take back control of both the battle and the music. The melodic howls serve as the lead-in for the guitars to kick in and give enough strength to force Eternatus back, capture the monster, and end the darkest day.
- Leon's Champion Battle theme begins with an almost regal fanfare, then transitions to an intimidating remix of the Hall of Fame music, as if to signify that you're finally fighting the most powerful Pokémon Trainer in Galar... Then it changes to a hopeful, triumphant tune, almost saying "You've come this far. Now give it one last push!" All capped off with the crowd cheering and chanting throughout the whole thing, urging both Galar's undefeated Champion and the Trainer who blasted through the Gym Challenge to give it everything they've got in one last historic battle that the entire game (and technically the entire series as well - no previous champion battle has had the buildup and triumphant music of this one) has been building up to.
- Certain battles in the Battle Tower are accompanied by this banger of a battle theme, composed by Toby Fox of Undertale fame.
- With The Isle of Armor DLC is a host of new tracks:
- First up is the initial battle theme for the retired champion, Mustard. Combining instruments that wouldn't be out of place in a martial arts film and modern jazz, it's the perfect theme for the goofy martial arts master.
- When the time comes for Mustard to go all out, the battle theme goes up to 11.
- The battle themes for your two new rivals, Klara and Avery. The former's synth-rock rhythms give off trickster-like vibes that match her personailty, and the latter's techno beats emphasize his psychic power and how he's boisterously showing them off to you.
- Some awesome new tracks come with the Crown Tundra DLC:
- The battle theme for Calyrex is incredibly majestic and regal, the battle music against Spectrier and Glastrier is frenetic to the beat of galloping hooves, and finally the battle theme against full-power Calyrex combines the above two into something regal, foreboding, majestic, and awesome.
- You might expect the Galarian versions of the legendary Kanto birds to have a remix of the original Red/Blue battle theme like in previous games but you'd be wrong! For each encounter with the original legendary trio, you are treated to brand new ORIGINAL battle theme and it is incredibly fitting for their darker, more vicious counterparts with plenty of fast/panic inducing beats and rocking guitar riffs that let you know they aren't messing around.
- Peony's battle theme just oozes hilarity, jazz, and ham from every pore.
- With the Legendary Titans getting two new members, they also get a new remix of their theme, with a deliciously ominous new reprise of the main melody featuring chiming bells and powerful strings.
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl
- Same as the original, Professor Rowan's Theme is still an amazing piece that captures Rowan's more professional and calm demeanor in a beautiful string and piano piece.
- Cynthia's Theme is still an absolutely amazing battle theme, and it now sounds a thousand times better with the excellent synths and rocking guitar that kick in.
- The Elite Four Battle Theme is a marked upgrade from the original, with an intense guitar piece to better distinguish itself from the Gym Leader theme.
- VS Dialga/Palkia is a frantic piece, as it was originally, but with more emphasis given to the organ and the piano that make it sound absolutely enthralling. The string section even reverts back to the original Diamond, Pearl and Platinum soundfont at times, like they did in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
- The Lake Trio's Battle Theme is noticeably more playful and upbeat than the originals, with an accordion of all things providing the lead in build up. And yet, it works. It fits the trio's personalities well and sounds awesome to boot. You can even pick out the original games' strings being sampled in certain parts!
- Arceus's Battle Theme manages to sound even more intense and terrifying than the original, and that's saying something. It helps that the percussion is far, far more primal and frantic sounding than before.
- The Slate Legendary Battle Theme is a fully new piece that combines several different legendary Pokémon battle themes together in one song, like the Birds of Kanto, Beasts of Johto, and even Primal Dialga, from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers! It's incredible hearing these songs back to back in one amazing piece.
- The Superboss Legendary Battle Theme is another original track that captures the general atmosphere of fighting the major legendary Pokémon of previous generations perfectly.
- Giratina's chaotic theme makes you feel as though as if you are in Giratina's realm, and you are not welcome there. The fight is also more intense considering Shadow Origin Giratina is at level 100.
Legends Arceus
- The second trailer's theme is an amazing, epic piece that can really get players excited for their upcoming Hisuian adventure.
- The Galaxy Hall theme is empowering with its majestic brass section and beautiful flutes.
- Jubilife Village is beautifully calm, with its uplifting flutes, light bells and even using the original Jubilife theme at the end, blending into a calming nostalgic melody.
- The wild encounter theme is a high-tempo track with powerful drums and frantic Japanese guitars, making any Pokemon battle more dangerous.
- The overworld Alpha Pokémon theme is an amazing track that perfectly captures how much more powerful the Alphas are compared to other Pokémon.
- Battle! Noble Pokémon is an insanely intense and bombastic remix of the regular wild battle theme. The intro features alarming piano, followed by horn blasts punctuating each phrase, capturing the feeling of imminent DEATH by insane Pokémon. And just when you think you're done for, you manage to throw enough balms to stun the damn thing. Then you get a second, triumphant phase. The intro is given an added punch of horns compared to the start of the fight. The feeling of satisfaction is palpable, as for the first time, the Pokémon-to-Pokémon part of a boss is the relaxing bit.
- And Aftermath is the perfect way to calm down from this mortal peril, with reassuring piano and a peaceful, memorable xylophone lick going up and down, up and down.
- Ancient Retreat, Cogita's home, serves as your temporary home base when you're banished from Jubilife Village. Its calming theme has a tinge of sadness, fitting for what would be the player character's Darkest Hour.
- "Disaster Looming" replaces all the overworld themes during the climax of the story. The hauntingly beautiful synth-driven ambiance is punctuated perfectly by seemingly random instruments at times, with a slightly calmer synth refrain to make it feel more like a proper, structured song. The bells recur a lot in the theme, and add an element of seriousness, just like the Darkest Hour the Player Character is facing. The first sound you hear is a stinging, rising synth line accompanied by a more nebulous, calm sound before the bells are introduced. It sounds like something Marconi Union would compose to put you to sleep, but maybe give you a nightmare. The more unsettling moments and vibes make it feel like the song is emanating from the Red Sky, Take Warning itself. Tragically, this song becomes inaccessible once you save the world.
- Origin Forme Dialga/Palkia, an aggressive Eurobeat remix of Dialga and Palkia's battle theme from Diamond and Pearl, serves as a wildly heart-pumping backdrop to the final boss of the pre-credits story, complete with a surprisingly jolly and laid-back bridge section.
- The main story’s credits theme is a modern rendition of Route 209, one of the most famous tracks from the original Gen IV games and perfect for a sendoff to the region.
- The lake trio get an eerie but mystical-feeling techno remix for the battles against them.
- Volo's Transformation, an unsettling strings arrangement that plays right before the battle with Pokémon Wielder Volo, is a slower remix of a section of Cynthia's battle theme, punctuated with "Psycho" Strings throughout to let you know the person you're about to battle has fallen far off the deep end.
- Remember the small piano étude that plays before you face Cynthia in Diamond and Pearl? It gets a remix for the True Final Boss battle against her maybe-ancestor, Pokémon Wielder Volo, quite possibly the only trainer to even come close to knocking her off her perch as the toughest storyline trainer in series history.
- So you managed to defeat Giratina in what was effectively a 6v7 battle against Volo. Time to get your reward for defeating the post-game, right? Origin Forme Giratina begs to differ, with a crunchy electric guitar riff to beckon a fight against an eighth straight Pokémon, with your own team looking almost certainly worse for wear.
- The legendary Pokémon battle music is loud and grand and helps convey the feeling that you’re fighting a very powerful Pokémon. The drums in particular add to the intensity of the battle. Out of all the music in Sinnoh, this one takes the cake for "most improved."
- Arceus's battle theme, originally from DPPt, gets its obligatory remix, and plays for your battle against the Creator of All Pokémon after you've captured the other 237 in the Hisui Pokédex. If you take over five minutes to defeat it? Then get ready for the theme to devolve from its original use of just heavy percussion to increasingly frantic glitchcore.
Scarlet/Violet
- Levincia's theme, a highly electronic and upbeat theme that will fittingly make you feel like you're in a big, industrial city. In a game where almost all of the cities/towns (minus this one, Mesagoza and Cascarrafa) have a remix of the Province themes, it is also a hugely refreshing tune.
- Tera Raid Battle Theme, an upbeat tune similar to some of the more hopeful beats of Undertale, and that is entirely deliberate since Toby Fox himself composed it, and a few other tracks as well.
- Penny's Battle theme is an intense rave theme despite Penny herself being rather quiet and shy.
- The Team Star Grunts' battle theme is a rocking, upbeat theme tailor-made for probably the most relatable villain team seen so far in the main series.
- The Team Star boss theme opens with wailing guitars before diving headlong into a hard-hitting rock anthem that would make Piers from Sword/Shield nod with approval. Even better, this is actually their theme In-Universe. Yes, they are really blasting this absolute banger from their Starmobile as you fight them.
- The theme of Area Zero is a haunting, ethereal sounding track that perfectly fits the mysterious nature of the Great Crater of Paldea, with its droning synths and vocals really helping emphasize that there is something wrong with this place, with 'mons being displaced from their time periods just freely roaming about. The track itself even feels like it's out of the much darker and bleak Shin Megami Tensei series rather than anything Pokémon has done before. The battle theme is a lot more urgent and frantic, but still fitting the rather alien feeling theme of the place. The Paradox version of the battle theme is slower-paced than the normal Wild Battle but it's nonetheless intense.
- Battle! Zero Lab, the Dark Reprise of Tera Raid Battle Theme, reveals Sada's/Turo's fate that led up to it, coming as a genuine surprise to players. It is because of this theme that many praise it to be the greatest battle in the game, if not the entire series.
- The Legendary Quartet Battle Theme is another haunting theme, with instruments that sound like bells and a strong Ancient Chinese influence mixed in as well, perfect for Pokemon that are just called the Treasures of Ruin, who are based off of Ancient China's Four Perils.
- The Elite Four battle theme is a very intense sounding theme that fits well with all four of the battles. Even the glitched version, which only plays the introductory bass line in a 10 second loop, is considered awesome, suspenseful, and anxiety inducing, considering you're fighting all four of them inside of an empty white room. Some people felt like the Elite Four theme was wasted due to being only able to fight the Elite Four once along with the mentioned musical glitch ruining the full experience.
- "Celestial" by Ed Sheeran is an upbeat Award-Bait Song in his own style that plays over the credits. In contrast to "KISEKI" from Pokémon X and Y, it's the first true vocal end credits theme in a Pokémon game, and marks a satisfying, peaceful ending to your journey through Paldea. Toby Fox made a remixed version for the credits of Indigo Disk.
- The Teal Mask DLC has its fair share of songs worthy of the series:
- The theme that plays while battling the so-called "Loyal Three". A frantic mix of techno and traditional music with clashing meanings for both parties involved: somewhat ominous for the player and their team, and the Loyal Three's twisted belief that they are the heroes of Kitakamian legend.
- Ogerpon's battle theme. An intense blend of electric guitars and traditional music appears to be very fitting for a fierce Pokémon challenging you to a Boss Rush-esque challenge with all four of its forms at once.
- The Indigo Disk DLC also has its fair share of awesome music:
- The new rendition of the Unova trainer theme is every bit as good as the original, and adds new bits with Blueberry Academy leitmotifs.
- The new version of the Unova wild Pokémon battle theme is also amazing, as is the version that plays when battling a Terastalized Pokémon.
- The BB Elite Four battle theme sounds very intimidating, fitting for battling trainers with competitively viable teams.
- Kieran's Champion theme lets you know that he is not messing around this time. It is possibly the most intimidating-sounding Champion battle theme in the series, and almost sounds like Kieran's mind is broken.
- The theme that plays when battling Kieran after he has caught Terapagos sounds like Kieran is fighting with his last bit of hope. It is incredibly climactic, but feels like there should be something after. Which brings us to...
- The final Terapagos battle theme, which plays when fighting Terapagos after it Terastalizes to its Stellar form and breaks a Master Ball, the first Pokémon in the series to do so. It truly sounds like this is the culmination of your entire journey, incorporating the Area Zero leitmotif and parts of the Tera Raid battle theme. Of particular note is a part where the time signature becomes 18/8, a great way of incorporating the fact that Terapagos can harness the power of all 18 types into the music. When you encourage Kieran to join you in the fight, it calms down to a string rendition of the intro to the Tera Raid theme. When Kieran finally joins, it leads into a triumphant rendition of another part of the Tera Raid theme, which then transitions back into Terapagos's battle theme. Truly fitting for the True Final Boss.
- And finally, the epilogue gives us the Pecharunt battle theme, which takes the Loyal Three battle theme and somehow manages to upgrade it, fitting its status as the Greater-Scope Villain of the Kitakami legend and the plot of The Teal Mask. It lengthens the loop and adds a soft, frantic harmony, before cranking the electronic tones way up, making an already energetic theme sound even more frenzied.
Related
- The Special Music Video, "Gotcha!", with the song "Acacia" sung by the band BUMP OF CHICKEN is a wonderful piece, with the music video itself being filled with many Mythology Gags in the music video shots and nostalgia galore. The song reflects on the point of view of the trainers who pick their first Pokemon and go through many things together with them as time goes by, just like the many players who choose their starter in the first game they play regardless of the generation and continue to play and stay with their favorite Pokemon for their next adventure.
Spinoffs
Pokémon Stadium
Stadium 1 (North America/Europe)
- Prime Cup Battles 1-3 is a chaotic and energetic remix of the Gym Leader and trainer encounter themes which really hypes you up to battle with level 100 Pokémon.
- The Prime Cup Semifinals. An energetic battle theme that's intense and majestic enough to get you hyped up to win and progress to the final showdown, yet also relaxed in its own way, with some fairly complex melodies. Late in the track, it takes more of a turn for the dramatic.
- Gym Leader Castle gives us awesome electric guitar-heavy renditions of the regular trainer and Gym Leader battle themes, fitting for the more threatening teams they're packing this time.
- Mewtwo's battle theme in Stadium 1 starts off with the distinctive notes of the Generation One wild Pokémon battle theme and then continues into an electric guitar infused remix of that same song.
Stadium 2 (North America/Europe)
- Challenge Cup Master Ball Final, a truly awe-inspiring remix of the rival theme, and one of the hardest and most climactic battles in the game.
- Red's Battle Theme; after surviving the Johto and Kanto Gym Leader Castles, you're treated to this majestic theme for the battle against Red. It's as if Red himself is saying "You've made it this far, don't disappoint me."
- After battling your way past the Elite Four, Lance awaits you at the end of Johto's League, and his theme, a remix of Silver's theme (given Red ends up taking Lance's original theme), has all the gravitas of a Champion battle.
Pokémon Battle Revolution
- The first theme of the game, that of Gateway Colosseum, is a catchy, pounding techno beat.
- This part of Colosseum Master Sashay's theme sounds extremely similar to part of the Cipher admin battle theme from Pokémon Colosseum. Justified, as the developer studio Genius Sonority worked on both games.
- Stargazer Colosseum. Who would have thought horns and an odd undulating electronic bassline combines so well into something that fits a futuristic space-themed stadium?
- Pokétopia Master Mysterial's battle theme is a bombastic remix of Gateway Colosseum's theme with blaring brass and an overall climactic, epic feeling that tells you that this is it, the final challenge.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Red and Blue Rescue Team
- The ever-lively Pokémon Square.
- Mt. Thunder, and Mt. Thunder Peak have a slow, heavy beat that sounds like roaring thunder.
- Great Canyon, a mystical-sounding tune for seeking the mystic seer Xatu.
- The Legend of Ninetales, a slow, heavy song that fits the somber telling of the ancient legend.
- The song playing while you and your partner become refugees is just... man, it's sad and epic at the same time! Same for the snow version. You might want some tissues for it, though.
- Mt. Blaze and Mt. Blaze Peak perfectly capture the tone of slogging through a fiery mountain, climbing through the searing heat.
- This will play if you dare steal from a Kecleon Shop.
- Benevolent Spirit, a relaxing, ethereal tune.
- Mt. Freeze Peak. The slow synths have a cold feeling to them, as befitting the icy dungeon.
- Monster House. Nothing says "Oh no!" like entering a room only to have this start blaring as over a dozen hostile Pokemon drop in... unless you've got a room-clearing move in your arsenal, in which case free XP!
- Magma Cavern can provide some intense imagery of a world of fire, which your team must walk through in order to face Groudon.
- WORLD. CALAMITY. The song says "the world is in great peril, but all is not yet lost".
- Sky Tower, the final level. And the Final Boss theme, Rayquaza: Defy the Legends, a song that made it to Explorers (as the boss fights for the Seven Treasures) and Super Mystery Dungeon (for Rayquaza.)
- Stormy Sea and Murky Cave, a very aquatic-sounding cave, fitting for Kyogre's home.
- Buried Relic, a pulsing, steady beat to accompany the longest slog in the game.
- The Credits theme. After great hardships and at great cost, the world is saved; people will remember what you have done...
Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky
(Warning: Major Tear Jerker material here):
- Two games into a subseries, and we're already starting to have recurring themes... not that that's a bad thing when the Boss Theme is so awesome.
- Time Gear (Remix) (a.k.a. "Fogbound Lake"), the game's first iteration of the Time Gear theme. The calm beginning slowly rising to the determined ending... awesome.
- The Outlaw/thieves battle music from Time and Darkness was truly awesome; if it plays because you just stole from Shopkeeper Kecleon, it's truly panic-inducing.
- Mt. Horn, a rousing march that's perfect for mountain-climbing.
- Steam Cave and Upper Steam Cave have a slow, heavy beat to match the cave's stifling heat.
- Time Gear, an ethereal, mystical tune to accompany the mystical artifacts that stabilize all of time.
- Time Restored is a beautiful tune for a beautiful sight.
- Northern Desert has a swinging sound that is perfect for the sandy locale it goes with. Dig that flute!
- Quicksand Cave boasts strings, brass, and an almost tribal drumbeat to fit well with the shifting sands.
- Crystal Cave. Slow and gentle, with beautiful crystalline chimes.
- The Darkness. Welcome to the Bad Future.
- Chasm Cave is perfect for the environment of the Bad Future.
- Dark Hill, a track for one of the dark future's dungeons, and very heavy on the (MIDI) brass.
- The tear-inducing In the Hands of Fate, a solemn music-box tune (and, if you pay close attention, Primal Dialga's battle theme has bits of this in it).
- Sealed Ruin. Trekking through the Bad Future, seeking a way out, not knowing who or what may lay ahead of you...
- Dusk Forest. To some it might be a bit tacky, but to others, it's just awesome. Plus, Deep Dusk Forest.
- Treeshroud Forest. Slow, mystical, and a little creepy - in other words, perfect for a cautious trek through a shadowed forest.
- Brine Cave, a slightly bouncy song, with sounds like popping bubbles and glittering waters.
- The Hidden Land, a slow, flute-dominated tune, soothing yet eerie, as you begin your trek towards the final battles.
- Hidden Highland, slow and serious as you approach the Temporal Tower, knowing what lies ahead... It also plays in the Bad Future section of the game during the Darkest Hour, when Dusknoir reveals that you were in fact Grovyle's partner, and that your amnesia made it easy to manipulate and capture you.
- "Battle against Dusknoir", the battle theme used for Dusknoir and Darkrai. Take a listen and get pumped and creeped out at the same time. Ooooh~!
- Temporal Tower, the final level of the main story. And Temporal Spire, the end part of the level.
- Through the Sea of Time, most famously played for Grovyle's Heroic Sacrifice against Dusknoir just before Temporal Tower. The tune's slow wistful and energetic use of flute and brass puts energy to a desperate scene, as if saying "don't go, please!" to Grovyle when you need him most. It is so named because it first plays when Lapras lifts off from the sea of water and begins swimming through the sea of time to carry your group to the Hidden Land. The fact that this one song can convey both the sense of wonder and adventure from seeing the Hidden Land for the first time, and the emotional weight of Grovyle's final act in the main story, is incredible.
- Dialga's Fight to the Finish!, the final boss of both the main story and the fifth special episode. In the latter, it actually begins to play well before the battle actually begins, serving to make the prior scene even more epic. It even reappears for Super Mystery Dungeon!
- Don't Ever Forget... Grab the tissues.
- If you're not done crying, there's "Have to Get Home", which follows soon afterwards. Short and simple, but nevertheless beautiful.
- Memories Returned plays over your partner's montage of memories of your adventures together, just before the end credits. Someone wrote lyrics.
- And then the ending theme kicks in to remind you that you just did something great. It acknowledges that some difficult sacrifices were made that are still hard to accept, but man, you saved the world! What's not worth it about that?
- Blizzard Island Rescue Team Medley. A medley of at least four different tracks from Rescue Team (Thunderwave Cave, Mt. Thunder, Mt. Freeze, and Sky Tower), seamlessly blended together in beautiful nostalgia.
- Defy the Legends, a remix of the first games' final boss theme, played for some Legendary bosses, including the Seven Guardians.
- Palkia's Onslaught! is a suitably epic theme for a suitably epic boss. Too bad it didn't get ported over to Super Mystery Dungeon...
- The music for Dark Crater. The music for Deep Dark Crater is also pretty good.
- Say hello to the awesome Sky Peak Forest music! And the retro-styled Sky Peak Cave.
- Random Dungeon Theme 3. Despite its absolutely boring name, it is truly amazing with horns and drums that set the track's atmosphere as the prelude to an epic journey.
- One for All, All for One!, from when the Wigglytuff Guild shows up to back up Bidoof in Special Episode 1.
- The Fortune Ravine theme. The whole thing just screams "EPIC ADVENTURE".
- Spring Cave Depths, slow, hot music for Sunflora's determined solo quest to bring Haunter to justice.
- Barren Valley, the first dungeon of Grovyle's extra chapter - so peaceful, but so powerful.
- Vast Ice Mountain Peak, the final dungeon of Grovyle's extra chapter.
- Dark Wasteland. It's a shame the dungeon it plays in is so short.
- Icicle Forest provides a sense of ominousness. Fitting, considering what happens afterwards...
- The music from the first part of the Vast Ice Mountain is quite sad.
- In the Morning Sun, the music before Special Episode 5's credits as Grovyle, Dusknoir and Celebi begin to fade away.
Gates to Infinity
- The opening theme provides a nice sense of the feat of "triumphing against adversaries in mysterious labyrinths".
- Ragged Mountain is just a wonderful first dungeon theme.
- This game's version of the boss battle music.
- Despair, the game's obligatory tune used for sad and tragic moments. The light and super light arrangements convey sorrow in a pure, simple fashion. The aptly named heavy arrangement, however, is of a totally different tone from the previous versions, and is used to set the mood for what's easily one of the darkest moments in the entire series, if not the darkest, and is very befitting of its name.
- Theme of Hope. Beautiful.
- Hazy Pass (Highlands) is driving, tense, and an overall amazing piece.
- The whole first half of the game builds towards going to the Great Glacier, and when you finally arrive, the music doesn't disappoint.
- Withered Savannah is a catchy song with some wonderful vocal effects.
- Holehills: A dungeon theme that's fitting for the situation of going against the odds to rescue a dear friend.
- Kyurem's Battle of Destiny is often compared to Duel of the Fates with the choir, heavy drums and fierce brass.
- Kyurem Approaching! When you hear this, you know something bad is about to happen.
- The final visit to the Glacier Palace has a total of three tracks to it, since it's such a giant level. The Eastern Spire starts it off on a mysterious note, then the Western Spire switches it to a suspenseful and ominous note. But then the Great Spire comes along, and the result is unbelievable. Ladies and gentlemen, the pinnacle of final level music.
- The final boss themes are both amazing, as one might expect from the rest of the soundtrack's quality. While the first theme has a dark and desperate tone to it, the second theme really gives you the feeling that you can and will save the world, no matter what.
- The ending themes are incredible as always, A Home To Remember being the first in a sequence of tearjerking songs that convey a profound mixture of joy and sorrow.
- One of the most rockin' Optional Boss soundtracks ever, Bounty Board Challenge.
- Illusory Holehills has a different composition together with the original Holehills' main melody, the main part of which somehow manages to make bagpipes sound epic.
Super Mystery Dungeon
- The main theme is about as bombastically orchestral as you can get.
- Lush Forest is one of the best songs in the game, and the perfect way to kick off your adventure.
- The Children of Serene Village theme is a major ear worm. It perfectly illustrates not only the behavior of the kids of the village, but the partner's overly joyful attitude to first meeting you really well.
- This epic remix of the boss theme re-orchestrates it and adds real instruments to make the boss fights feel even more grandiose. And then there's the Rock version.
- The Partner's theme is sweet, beautiful, and an little sad at the same time. Also, an equally amazing, but more heartbreaking, music box remix.
- Gentle Slope Cave turns out to have a really engaging and dynamic soundtrack.
- Fire Island Volcano is absurdly epic, opening with a low-key didgeridoo before abruptly kicking into high-gear with fiddle and bagpipes.
- The third boss theme, "Fiery Showdown with Entei", is even more awesome, perfectly carrying the mood of an intense showdown with the deity-tier Legendaries it plays for.
- Reverse Mountain is an epic song for a point in the story where things are getting intense, and its presence in the final few floors of Destiny Tower is fitting for a time when your journey is finally coming to an end.
- Submerged Cave's theme is mystical and crystalline, a perfect fit for the dungeon itself.
- Road to Primeval Forest is a haunting and ethereal melody perfect for an endgame crawl through The Lost Woods.
- "Make It!", the soundtrack's accompaniment to a climactic cutscene.
- "Fight with Yveltal and Others", the theme for the boss fight with Yveltal, Nuzleaf, and the two Beeheeyem. What an unnervingly fitting theme for the legendary Pokémon of destruction.
- The two final dungeon themes, Tree of Life: Roots and Tree of Life: Trunk are both epic, with the former's church bells and catchy instrumentation that is bound to get rooted in your head, as well as the latter's more warped sounding instrumentation, which makes it sound more like the Tree of Life is being killed right in front of your eyes.
- Both of the final boss themes are amazing, much like Gates to Infinity. The first theme really gives off the feeling of fighting an incredibly mysterious but dangerous foe, while the second theme just screams the fact that everyone's counting on you to save the world. It even has part of the Partner's theme mixed for good measure!
- Sahra Town and Noe Town have wildly different but extremely pleasant themes that really sum up the character of each town. The latter even seems to have hints of the Time Gear theme from Explorers.
- Some of the best themes from the previous games got remixes here: Sand Dune of Spirits is a remix of Great Canyon from Rescue Team, and Amp Plains from Explorers was remixed as Electric Wasteland.
- Kyurem's Battle Theme from Gates to Infinity got remixed with higher-quality instruments, especially the brass and percussion.
Rescue Team DX
- While most of the tracks in this game are remixes of those in the original game, albeit really good ones, Oddity Cave has an entirely new theme that's a medley of some of the most iconic music from Gates To Infinity, including Hazy Pass, Great Glacier, and Ragged Mountain.
Pokémon Ranger
Original
- The capture tutorial music in the first game is way cooler than it has any right to be.
- The music when you battle Raikou and Suicune in Pokémon Ranger is pretty cool. The music for the final battle against Entei, however, is pure awesomeness. Gordor's theme is also good.
- Go Rock Quad's Last Chance, Go Rock Squad's Secret Base and Sekra Range.
Shadows of Almia
- The Ranger School theme is one of the most awesome Pokémon music. This is the outside version.
- Team Dim Sun also has a very catchy blues-style tune. Not to mention their battle theme, and the Admin Battle and Sinis Trio Battle Themes.
- Ladies and gentleman, the Cargo Ship/Oil Field Hideout. Note how it's a medley of several Dim Sun themes.
- The Shadows of Almia Ending is beautiful, especially from 1:05-1:36.
Guardian Signs
- The theme that plays when you encounter a legendary in the story starts off foreboding before rising to a feeling of determination.
- Riding the legendary beasts. Catchy and very heroic sounding, ensuring that you won't want to get off the legendary beast any time soon.
- Arceus' battle theme. An ominous and foreboding song that gives the impression that you've already lost.
Pokémon Colosseum
- The friendly battle theme. To quote the comments section, "never before has a one-sided battle against two extremely common Pokémon been so epic." To wit, the song (and its associated Trainer, Rider Willie) was so popular that it (and Rider Willie) returned in all its (and his) splendor for XD.
- The normal battle theme. Quirky yet energetic, matching perfectly with the bizarrely named trainers of Orre.
- The Cipher Peon battle theme, with its heavy emphasis on electric guitars and a synth matches well with the sci-fi looking uniforms worn by the Cipher Peons.
- Pre Gym theme, an awesomely catchy and upbeat song that just makes you wanna dance.
- Pyrite Town, so insanely catchy you'll start finger-snapping along.
- Miror B.'s theme. Let the music play!
- The peaceful Agate Village.
- The beautiful Relic Forest perfectly fits the kind of area where you would go to heal the closed hearts of poor, tortured, and corrupted souls.
- As if to contrast the previous two themes, the very next area is the imposing Mount Battle.
- The Semifinals theme. Despite it being rarely used throughout the game it is perfect for building up the finals of both a Colosseum and Mt. Battle.
- The Cipher Admin battle theme. A wonderfully bombastic take on the main leitmotif reserved for the difficult battles against the Cipher Admins.
- "The Under" is an awesome, slightly sinister theme that really emphasizes the feeling that you're blending in undetected in a corrupt town well behind enemy lines.
- The Shadow Pokemon Lab theme makes surprisingly effective use of the piano and harmonica to produce a tune that doesn't sound like it should fit a secret criminal research lab, yet it somehow does.
- Tournament Semifinal Battle. A track that seamlessly fuses synths, brass and an electric guitar into an oddly calm, yet tension building atmosphere.
- The relaxing Realgam Tower.
- The brass and drum heavy final boss theme emphasizes that you are fighting one of the most difficult battles in the history of the franchise.
Pokémon XD
- This game outfitted Miror B. with a funky-fresh, disco-riffic battle theme, perfect for groovin' to.
- The Phenac City takeover music, officially named "Cipher Command." At first you just think, "Hmm, the music is a little different." It's certainly not worse than the original, but something about it just doesn't feel right... and then the theme suddenly gets progressively more sinister until it comes to a positively demonic crescendo... and then it loops back and goes back to the pretty, serene theme that it was at first. This theme plays when, unknown to the player, Cipher has taken over the city with its members disguised as the various characters who are normally in the city.
- "Citadark Isle", a heavy, bombastic theme that perfectly fits The Very Definitely Final Dungeon of the game.
- You probably used the Master Ball instantly on Shadow Lugia... but if you did, you missed out on his awesome battle theme.
- The final battle theme is absolutely amazing, starting with low ominous horns, tense drums and then gradually giving way to bright, triumphant brass. It's basically the story of the triumph of light over shadow in musical form.
- VS Battle 1, a remix of the Hoenn battle theme with better instruments, some bright chimes, and a brief reference to the Hoenn Elite Four theme at the end.
- VS Battle 2, which plays during free play mode, is an energetic orchestral remix of the Hoenn Gym Leader theme with less of the infamous "Hoenn trumpets".
- VS Battle 3, which plays during free play mode, is an orchestral remix of the RSE Champion battle theme with a truly brilliant section in the middle with clashing instruments that really emphasizes the frantic pace of battling against the Hoenn champion.
Pokémon Snap
- The chirpy "party time" Main Theme.
- The dark and scary Tunnel.
- The war-drums of the Volcano.
- The western-sounding Canyon.
- The surreal, mythical Rainbow Cloud.
Pokémon Trading Card Game
First game
- The Club Master battle theme riles you up with tension before the battle proper begins, then turns into an epic do-or-die song.
- The Grandmaster Battle Theme is pretty epic.
- Ronald's theme for two distinct reasons: 1) because it's awesome and 2) because it conjures up memories of beating the absolute tar out of that jackass. To put it another way: Ronald is Blue/Gary's expy. But unlike Blue, you will want to face him, if only for this awesome theme. That can't be said for most Rival battles.
- The regular battle theme. Who says awesome tunes can't be laid back, especially with that bass.
- How about the chiptune beauty that is... the theme to the Water, Rock and Psychic Clubs?
- By contrast, the theme for the Fire, Fighting, and Science Clubs is very hardcore. But hey, children's card games are Serious Business. As something of the odd middleman, the Grass and Lightning Clubs gets this feel-good beat.
- The theme for Mason's Lab/the World Map is oddly soothing. Has a bit of a "getting ready to depart on a grand journey and explore the world" feel to it.
- Imakuni's theme. Just as weird as the guy himself, but catchy as hell.
Second game
- GR Duel from the second TCG game is cool stuff.
- The OST for Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR! really pushed the limits of the Game Boy Color in the sound/music department, and it shows. Another standout track is the Great Rocket Fortress Leader Duel theme.
- The theme for Team GR's Grass and Water forts sounds relaxed at first, but is still driving enough to make you want to progress deeper into the fort.
- Ishihara's Villa gets its own theme in the second TCG game. It's a laid-back, yet playful-sounding theme, perfect for the house of a well-known Pokémon card collector.
Pokémon Masters EX
- While Wally's battle theme is already amazing, Masters improves upon it.
- Lance, Cynthia, and Steven are all champions of their regions with unique themes, but Masters combines their three themes into an astronomical piece.
- Cynthia's encounter theme has been remixed into a battle theme proper, combining elements of Giratina's theme.
Other spin-offs
- The Battle Royale theme and Mewtwo's theme in Pokémon Rumble.
- Pokémon Fort Team Battle from Pokémon Rumble Blast. That guitar...
- Hey You, Pikachu!:
- The credits. This song, in which Pikachu himself sings, may not be "awesome" in the "I just captured Mewtwo with a Great Ball" sense, but it is the cutest song that was ever sung.
- Another from Hey You, Pikachu!. This game had a surprisingly good soundtrack for how simple it was.
- PokéPark Wii has some great tracks near the end. The boss style battle music, Rayquaza's Balloon Panic, and especially Mew's Tag Race stand out.
- Pokémon Pinball:
- "Mezase Pokémon Master", the first Japanese intro of the anime, in 8-bit form if you go play Blue Field in "Catch 'Em" mode.
- Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire gives us the calm and relaxing Pokédex theme, * as well the ominous Kyogre battle theme.
- Pokémon Conquest gave us some pretty good battlefield themes. For example, here's the Avia (Flying), Pugilis (Fighting), Violight (Electric), and Viperia (Poison) battlefield themes.
- The battle theme for Dragnor, the Dragon Nation is probably one of the best penultimate battle themes in the series.
- To say nothing of the final boss theme.
- The main theme of Pokémon Conquest exudes awesomeness and seems to be a fitting tune for such a unprecedented crossover game.
- Pokémon Battle Trozei has some pretty epic tracks, particularly the boss music.
- Pokémon Shuffle has this standout track play whenever you face another trainer and their Mega Pokémon. The electric guitar is reminiscent of the battle themes from Colosseum and XD by the same composer. It probably won't play for long, since there's an entirely different song for when YOUR OWN Pokémon Mega Evolve that is completely different in tone.
- As you might expect, Pokemon Box: Ruby and Sapphire has a batch of remixed songs from Ruby/Sapphire. They're not huge departures from the originals, but most of them have their own bit of awesome: Title Screen, Bridgette (Fallarbor Town), Arrange Boxes (Pokemon Center Theme), Party (Come Along), Gym, Hall of Fame, Slateport City, Oceanic Museum, and a music box arrangement of the Pokemon Center theme.
- The boss battle track from a typing game, of all things, is absolutely fantastic.
- Pokémon Puzzle League ends in the most appropriate way ever; accompanying the credits is an N64 remix of the Pokérap
- Pokkén Tournament
- The game has some great songs for the arenas, but the one that takes the cake is the Magikarp Festival stage theme, which mixes traditional Japanese instruments and modern dubstep to create one kickass beat that will now be forever associated with Magikarp.
- Tellur Town has a great "setting out on an adventure" feel to it.
- Mystery Carnival serves as Chandelure's theme, and radiates a nice spooky and upbeat atmosphere.
- Dark Colosseum Final is tense and climactic, especially when the organs and piano come in towards the end.
- Neos City at Night takes the overly techno Neos City theme and tones it down while toning up the class.
- Pokémon GO
- The Gym Battle Theme feels like a combination of Gym Battle Themes of the past.
- The Raid Battle Theme is perfect for taking on larger-than-life Pokémon, whether it's a simple Magikarp or a Legendary. Especially the latter when a dozen or so trainers team up at once.
- After a Raid is cleared, the Raid Capture Theme kicks in. The heightened tone of the song emphasizes the limited time you have to catch the Pokémon in question. This theme is reused for special encounters as rewards for completing Research Missions.
- The Mew Encounter Theme ramps up the Raid Capture Theme to 11. Whether it's exclusive to Mew or used for all Mythical Pokémon in general remains to be seen.
- For GO Fest 2021, the night overworld theme got a lyrical version.
Related
- This track note was composed by Junichi Masuda of Game Freak (who is a part of the music group MTM and helps compose music for a lot of the handheld Pokémon games) at the request of Shokotan (Shoko Nakagawa) of the television show Pokémon Sunday. It was apparently played in a live performance by MTM on September 4th, 2011. As of now, it does not seem to be a "Generation 6" Pokémon game music track; it was likely just composed in the style of such game music. Nevertheless, it sounds awesome, perhaps fitting for a wild Pokémon or Trainer battle theme. There's also a terrific "triumphant" remix of this theme.
- In commemoration of the release of Pokémon Black and White, The Presidents of the United States of America (the band) performed "Can't Stop (Catchin' 'Em All)", an awesome List Song about all... er, most of the Generation 5 Pokémon (essentially the closest thing that exists to a "Unova Pokérap").
Anime
Image Songs
- The 2.B.A.Master soundtrack is full of beautiful character songs, particularly "Misty's Song" and "The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye)".
- Special praise goes to Double Trouble, Team Rocket's theme. Why does Team Rocket keep coming back after failure after failure? Because we're Team Rocket. 'Do Unto Others'...
- It's almost cliché to mention the foreign versions of music for animation on the Crowner pages, but one must mention just how wonderfully over the top the German Team Rocket is. Yes, James CAN get even campier.
- Their Japanese theme, Team Rocket Forever (Roketto-Dan Yo Eien Yi) is equally awesome and conveys the same sense of unstoppability. note
- The Team Rocket image song returns in glorious form with Rocket-Dan Danka, which begins with a military drumbeat, then brings in the electric guitars before what seems like the entire brass section of the orchestra takes over. The vocal version plays over their finer moments, like their challenge to Team Flare. Indomitable Team Rocket, indeed.
- "Viridian City", sung by Jason Paige, the same guy who did the original dub theme song.
- "My Best Friends". If you listen closely in the second version of it with a female singer you'll realize that it's James and Jessie who are singing!
- The album's title song "2.B.A. Master", among others.
- YOU GUYS READY FOR THE POKÉRAP?!
- "Together Forever".
- Special praise goes to Double Trouble, Team Rocket's theme. Why does Team Rocket keep coming back after failure after failure? Because we're Team Rocket. 'Do Unto Others'...
- Then there's the Totally Pokémon CD:
- Two Perfect Girls.
- The Johto Pokerap. P-O-K-E-MON!
- You & Me & Pokémon.
- Never Too Far From Home. A reminder to trainers everywhere that their loved ones are always with them.
- "I Keep My Home in My Heart," a duet between Brock and Misty on Pokémon Christmas Bash.
- The 20th anniversary remix of the homely Oyasumi, Boku no Pikachu makes it feel like a true lullaby.
Openings
- I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was...
- Extended version. "Come with me, the time is right..." The Instrumental/Karaoke version isn't bad either.
- Movie version. "Our heart's so true, our courage will pull us through!"
- What's that? You don't think there's any way the first opening could be more epic? PowerGlove would like a word with you.
- A rendition by Taylor Davis and Lara de Wit on piano and violin.
- Then comes Jonathan Young with this Metal cover of the song, alongside Jason Paige, the man who did the original theme itself.
- Jason Paige (the original singer) made a Japanese version in 2017, so now at least Japanese listeners can better understand why we in the Anglosphere find it to be so awesome.
- Thought that was amazing? How about hearing a cover by Rica Matsumoto, AKA Ash's own Japanese voice actress, and Project.R. The English lyrics are sung absolutely beautifully. The pinned comment is Jason Paige's approval of the cover.
- Advance Adventure's instrumental remix. It was one of the pieces that 4Kids Entertainment consistently kept making the scenes it was used in just as awesome in the dub. The vocal version is even better.
- Pokémon Symphonic Medley is all the earlier opening themes put into an orchestral medley, and it is a thing of beauty.
- As its lyrics say, the anime's ninth opening theme, Battle Frontier, certainly does overflow with rising power. Full version given for maximum awesome.
- "Spurt". There's nothing better than an intro with Rica Matsumoto going Hot-Blooded.
- "Pokémon (Dance Mix)" version, a single which is hardly ever heard because it was released unofficially by Robbins Entertainment. It was used in some commercials for the first three Pokémon movies though.
- The original Japanese opening theme to the series ("Mezase Pokémon Master"): Pokemon, GETTO DAZE~!
- Related, an 8-bit remix from the Pokémon Pinball game.
- Whiteberry's version for the fourth opening is pretty great too.
- The 2001 version used for the 4th movie is nothing to sneeze at.
- You think the song can't be any more awesome? The 20th movie's remastered version may make you say it, and perhaps more than that!
- And what better way to send off Ash Ketchum after 25 years of being the face of the anime with the ~with my friends~ remix which serves as the Aim to be a Pokemon Master mini-series opening. Anyone who's grown up with the series is sure to have waves of nostalgia with the sequence being chock-full of Call Backs to the series so far!
- Holy crap, The Greatest - Everyday was so awesome it leaked out some spoilers!
- Johto Journeys Theme Song. A perfect introduction to "a whole new place, with a brand new attitude". And catchy as all hell. The Dutch version is too.
- The theme of Orange Islands, "Pokémon World".
- Then there's OK!, Ready Go! and the 2009 version of High Touch!. Oh, and Together too. High Touch!'s instrumental version has a hint of the first opening just to top it off.
- Black and White, the first dub opening for the series of the same name, is a very beautiful track that is almost guaranteed to make you smile.
- Best Wishes! probably isn't the best opening theme. But damn, is it ever catchy.
- Battle Cry - (Stand Up!)
- Be An Arrow was awesome enough, then Episode N came out.
- The X/Y dub theme, a cool slightly-abbreviated remix of the ORIGINAL theme. And here's the Full Version.
- V (Volt) and its remix Mega V (Volt) start out with the singer chanting out all eighteen Pokemon types, which is repeated after the chorus, and then there's the instrumental section in the middle of V (Volt). Man. What could make it even better? How about the fact that V (Volt) is the song that plays whenever one of Ash's Pokemon evolves in the Japanese X/Y series?
- How 'bout a Rica Matsumoto version?
- "Mad-Paced Getter", the second Japanese opening theme for Pokémon the Series: XY, stirs up quite the craze. And then there's KiraKira, the variant used as an insert song. Both songs also end up being sung by cast members at later points — the former by Ash in the 20th anniversary "Mezase Pokemon Master" album, the latter by Clemont as a one-off ending theme.
- "XY&Z", the Japanese opening theme for Pokemon XY&Z, is shaping up to be one of the most awesome openings, especially with its beautiful lyrics and amazing title sequence. There's also an instrumental version which plays as Ash-Greninja's Theme - which is whom the lyrics of the XY&Z theme song actually reference.
- Alola!! is the first Japanese opening for Sun and Moon and very effectively captures the lighthearted yet exciting nature of the setting.
- Adventures In Unova gives us It's Always You And Me, a lovely piece, that emphasizes how Ash has gotten so far in his adventure with his friends, and how he won't be giving up anytime soon.
- The Swedish versions of the original and Advanced Challenge are pretty good as well.
- The opening theme to the Explorers of Time and Darkness special is easily one of the most adventurous music tracks in the entire series. The perfect theme to prepare a viewer for Team Poképals' journey.
- Under the Alolan Moon may be a little on the short side, but it's very catchy and unique. There's something rather ominous about it.
- "Future Connection", the third Sun and Moon Japanese opening, begins with an Epic Riff, and is quite catchy.
- "Your Adventure", the fourth Sun and Moon Japanese opening is a laid-back but really very good song, with the lyrics being a reference to much of Ash's time in Alola.
- "Unbeatable" is the final theme song produced by 4Kids, and they certainly made it memorable.From the stars and the ancient past
They come to play but they'll never last! - "1,2,3", the Japanese opening to the Journeys series, kicks off the theme of revisiting all the previous regions with the ultimate nostalgia trip, the one sound every single original game fan would have heard - the Game Boy startup sound. There's also the instrumental remix used for Ash's battle theme in Pokémon Masters, which does a great job in selling the hype about the anime's main character finally appearing in Pokemon's biggest in-universe crossover (as well as the first time he himself has appeared in a game not explicitly linked to the anime continuity).
- The English version of Pokemon Journeys gives us "The Journey Starts Today" as a way to kick off Ash and Goh's journey all around the world! It helps that it is covered by Walk Off the Earth themselves. The full version of the song makes it even more epic and catchy.
- The Pokémon Ultimate Journeys opening song, "With You", is a lovely song that perfectly describes the bond between Ash and Goh. For bonus points, it was done by Echosmith!
- In a notable shakeup, it is the Korean dub of Pokémon Horizons that delivers a catchy song in the form of We Go, which screams adventure, excitement, confidence, and looking to a bright future ahead. Very fitting for the anime series it is representing, as it perfectly captures the emotions and feels of our two main characters Liko and Roy, and as the icing on the cake, it was made by aespa!
Endings
- The 20th ending, May/Haruka's Hot-Blooded theme Watashi Makenai! (I Won't Lose!) sung by her voice actress, KAORI.
- The 21st ending, Dawn/Hikari's theme Kimi no Soba de (By Your Side).
- The Winter version.
- The Image Song remix from Megumi Toyoguchi.
- This low-key instrumental version.
- "Takeshi's Paradise" by Yuji Ueda as Takeshi (Brock) features an irresistible salsa/merengue-type beat. "O-NE-E-SA-N!" The chorus is used in the English dub as an insert song twice, with different lyrics each time.
- Some of the other ending themes like Boku no Best Friend e, Smile, Kaze no Message, Ashita wa Kitto and Kimi no Mune ni LaLaLa are surprisingly moving.
- Soko ni Sora ga Aru Kara (Because the Sky is There) is just... wow. The orchestral version is at least as good.
- Best Wishes' first ending, Fanfare of the Heart, is adorable.
- Its second ending, Can You Say The Pokemon?, is the combination of the Pokerap and a rave party.
- The third ending, Nanairo Arch, is perhaps the most heartwarming ending so far. It's a pleasant reminder that the anime aims to show the main characters' journies together with their Pokémon, and having fun and spending time together with them.
- The only English ending song Pokemon Go! Of course they only used the rap part in the actual show.
- The fourth Best Wishes ending Look Look Here. Dancing Theme? Check.
- Type: Wild is awesome enough to make appearances as insert songs years later.
- The English version is just as awesome.
- Sun and Moon has it reappear as a Shoko Nakagawa-sung remix, playing several times during the Alola League.
- One-Hundred Fifty-One, the very first Japanese ending, is a very cute and very catchy song.
- Big Meowth Day, an ending theme from the recap show Pokemon Sunday. If you've ever wanted to hear Meowth singing about surfing, this song has you covered.
- This XY ending, Peace Smile, is just so freaking adorable. The full version is also extremely fun to listen to.
- If you think that's adorable, wait until you see and hear the Pikachu Song from XY. It's got everything: Pikachu leading other Pikachu in a Call-and-Response Song march surrounded by HUGE bottles of ketchup, before changing to a catchy J-pop while the Pikachu grow a giant ketchup tree Totoro-style. The extended version also has Pikachu challenging the other Pikachu by going fast, then slow, quiet, then fast, before going into a quiet lullaby, then a big finish with a key change.
- The fourth XY ending, "Gao Gao All Stars", is extremely catchy and cute. It also manages to remain intact for the dub of one of that region's Pikachu shorts (which has a Pokemon acapella version).
- The Journeys ending is also extremely catchy, being a wordplay game of 'shiritori' - starting with Pikachu and then using the subsequent ending syllable of each Pokemon to move to another one with the aim of reaching Mew. Like the opening theme, it pulls on nostalgia trip with rapid-fire naming of older generation Pokemon since the new series features all previous regions, and gets bonus points for including the Pokemon Centre healing jingle. The second version of the song, Mew -> Zamazenta, switches out the healing jingle for another classic sound, the item get jingle.
Pokémon Live!
For those who aren't aware, there was a very short lived Pokemon Musical! And they did broadway versions of some of the songs from the anime while adding a few of their own. And it was awesome!
- My Best Friends a three part harmony between Ash, Misty, and Brock. For those who love the original anime, this is an awesome version of the song!
- The Time Has Come. Remember the sad song about Pikachu leaving forever? Yeah, they remade it... and it is sung by Ash himself. And his voice is ACTUALLY GOOD!
- Everything Changes. Instead of it being about Pokemon like in the original show, this version is a duet between Professor Oak and Delia about how Ash is growing up. So, it really hits home for any parents out there.
- The fact that "Everything Changes" gets an EVIL REPRISE sung by GIOVANNI HIMSELF!
- Giovanni has HIS VERY OWN VILLAIN SONG! He is voiced by Darren Dunstan, who later voiced Maximillion Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh! You can really hear hints of Pegasus when he sings.
- For those who didn't like the somewhat strange vocals in the original version of Misty's Song, they changed it to a power ballad.
- The song I Got A Secret, a duet between Ash's mother about her previous relations with Giovanni and Misty's secret feelings for Ash. It's especially good when Ash joins in about wanting to be the best man he can be.
- Double Trouble may not be as cool as its original counterpart... until ya find out that James was played by a younger version of Tony Award Nominee Andrew Rannells!
- This version of Two Perfect Girls is what the original version should have been!
- Team Rocket gets a song about how they fail at their job... and then to precede to get on board with the idea that they are the Best At Being the Worst. If ya like the idea of Team Rocket doing a Tango, then there ya go.
- Take the final confrontation between Ash and Giovanni... have them in a fist fight... during a kickin' finale song!
- Let's just say that The Whole Soundtrack is awesome. The Stage Director has even uploaded the Instrumentals to all the songs. So now even you can sing them!
Series BGM
- "Pokémon - I Choose You!", the Kanto/original series anime variant of the classic title screen theme from the main series games (specifically, Red and Blue's title theme). There have been other similar and amazing anime arrangements of the same theme, such as:
- The second and third title variants of the original series.
- The Pokémon: The Johto Journeys variant, modeled after the arrangement from Gold/Silver/Crystal.
- The Pokémon: Advanced Generation (Hoenn) variant, modeled after the arrangement from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald.
- The first generation had its music reserved for awesome scenes, too. Basically the regular Gym theme with better guitar licks. Always accompanied a Big Damn Heroes moment.
- That would be Kanto Gym (Intense action) variant. You hear that, someone is going to have their ass handed to them.
- It has a remix, Pokémon Gym (Version 2). Say what you will about the series, but with music like this you can't deny that it has its awesome moments.
- The original Team Rocket Motto Theme, maybe not before the Villain Decay set in (that happened very quickly) but certainly from when they were threatening at least. And it shows in the music. The Unova Team Rocket Motto Theme signifies them being even more threatening than before.
- This anime version of Route 1 is short, but to-the-point. This take on the first generation's credits theme too.
- Two words: Burning Battlefield!. Nice use of electric guitar too!
- Fighting Spirit. The horns are simply amazing.
- "Who is Stronger?: Epic Battle!" is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. The subtitle at least. Notably, this was used in the Japanese version of the first movie instead of "Brother My Brother", and it fits even better as the epic fight scene music.
- "Real Pokémon vs Copy Pokémon."
- Any time the anime used a remixed version of the game music. Listen to the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh wild Pokémon battle themes.
- Namida, Nochi Hare/Tears After the Cloudy Weather always accompanies a moment that normally manages both Heartwarming and Awesome at once. Notable examples are Pikachu charging through the lightning to defend Ash in the first episode, the Pokemon breaking out to save Ash's life in "Snow Way Out," and Charizard waking up to see Ash massaging him out of an Ice Beam in "Charizard Chills."
- After an extremely long wait, a badly needed BGM set has come out with some new anime arrangement tracks that were never released:
- The RBY Champion battle theme.
- Burning Battlefield second version.
- The Johto Trainer battle theme.
- The GSC Champion battle theme.
- The Groudon/Kyogre/Rayquaza battle theme. One of the most epic songs to grace the Pokémon anime.
- The Regirock/Registeel/Regice battle theme.
- The Team Magma/Aqua Grunt battle theme.
- The Team Magma and Team Aqua Encounter themes.
- The Pokémon Gym remixes mentioned earlier.
- Special mention goes to the outstanding instrumental version of "OK!", which was used as Background Music during the finale to the epic showdown between Ash's Charizard and Gary's Blastoise in the 270th Pokémon episode, "Can't Beat the Heat!", as well as other Johto-era episodes. The fandom was practically in tears when this track finally got an official release on CD.
- I Got a Victory Badge is a triumphant, bright piece that is pretty much a victory march. Three guesses as to what point that's used in.
- Every single Elite Four battle theme:
- Kanto — also does double duty as the Gym battle. note
- Hoenn, with its rockin' electric guitars and rhythmic clapping, brings to mind a stadium filled with thousands of screaming fans cheering for their favorite trainer.
- Prayer is slow piano heavy melody that is played over sad moments in the anime.
- To Be Continued has a sort of happy tropical island feel to it.
- The BGM for Best Wishes/Black & White. For example, the remix of the Gym Leader's Last Pokemon theme is particularly epic; especially noteworthy is its use during Ash's fifth gym battle.
- The Heroes of Hoenn was played when... well, something particularly heroic happened during the Hoenn saga.
- Johto's Victory Battle Theme. Essentially the precursor to "The Heroes of Hoenn" and no less grand.
- Ash And Goh is quite the head banger. As it's composed by Yuki Hayashi, that makes sense.
- The Gym Leader Theme, a remix of Pokémon Sword and Shield's Gym Leader theme, is a funky techno tune that usually plays when someone whips out the Dynamax band and things are about to get big.
Movies
- For starters, all of the title themes. They give you a taste of the epicness that is to come from the movie you are about to watch.
- The remix of the original title theme from Pokémon: The First Movie, which has its own page. GAH.
- Japanese Mewtwo carries a terrifying organ motif that lets that the audience know that it means business. One can get a sense of how powerful Mewtwo is just by the music alone.
- "Three on Three" from Mewtwo Strikes Back includes a horrifyingly awesome Curb-Stomp Battle Dark Reprise of the Kanto battle theme.
- Tears of Life from the first movie. Perhaps the most well-done instrumental piece in Pokémon history. That music was only in the dub version of the movie, and apparently it actually made the original Japanese developers of the film tear up. You know you've made dub music history if that happens!
- That Which Has Life from the Japanese first movie. The sadness of the Pokémon killing each other, the epicness of Mewtwo vs. Mew, and the drama of Ash climbing into the stadium while Pikachu is being beaten by its clone is demonstrated perfectly. Even fans of the dub soundtrack admit that they wish that this wasn't cut out.
- "Brother My Brother", another great dub-song-change/Tear Jerker. Some people think it's unfitting since it plays during a fight to the death, but one has to actually listen to the lyrics. It's not a song about brotherly love, it's a song about how there should be brotherly love instead of what's actually happening: a war in which brothers kill each other. In that light, it is very fitting for the moment, particularly when it comes to Pikachu's train of thought.
- From the Japanese version, there's Kaze to Issho ni, sung by well known enka singer Sachiko Kobayashi. It's one of the loveliest ending songs ever.
- The Legend Comes To Life, a.k.a. Lugia's theme from the second movie.
- It was actually changed from the Japanese version which is stunning too.
- The whole thing is amazing, but it's the solo flute at the end...
- The World Turns To Ash, the music that plays when Ash and his Pokémon fight their way to the last sphere and back. Especially the part starting at 2:48 when Lugia shows up to give Ash a ride.
- The big symphonic version at the end of the movie, where Lugia (with Ash on his back) and the legendary birds are flying around amongst all these other Pokémon...
- One of the ending themes from the English version of the second movie gives us Polkamon, which is a fun and goofy original song sung by "Weird Al" Yankovic himself!
- Behold four AWESOME tracks from movies 3 and 5 (Japanese soundtrack).
- Spell of the Unown Medley is one of the best pieces in the entire anime. From the same movie, I Want Things Real Again. Beautiful.
- To Know The Unknown, the third movie's ending theme in the dub, beautifully underscores the characters going their separate ways and Molly's reunion with her parents.
- The fourth movie has an extended version of Born to Be a Winner set to Ash battling another trainer with his Johto team. It reuses the second verse of the original theme to great effect with an amazing electric guitar medley to go with it.
- CELE-B-R-A-T-Enote . Bonus points for sounding like Celebi. From the Japanese version, there's Ashita Tenki ni Shite Okure, which is one of the loveliest theme songs ever.
- Search for the Girl from Pokémon: Heroes. You normally have to be "Weird Al" Yankovic to sound this awesome with an accordion. (Weird Al you say?)
- The fifth movie's version of the Master Quest opening theme was quite memorable. See here.
- The Rescue For Latios from Pokémon Heroes is so good it has been used during other epic scenes in the anime, such as the debut of Misty's Flamethrower-using Gyarados (Which she previously had a fear of) and the infamous "They're using Thunder as armor!" scene, which despite being a a "What the heck?" moment, was still undeniably awesome.
- Chiisaki Mono. Made even more awesome when you factor in that Asuca Hayashi was 14 years old at the time the song was released. They even adapted it into English as Make a Wish, including transitioning in and out of the original seamlessly. Wow. We seriously need more bilingual songs like that.
- "We Will Meet Again" is the ultimate tribute to the friendship of Lucario and Sir Aaron from Movie 8.
- "Together We'll Make A Promise" from Temple of the Sea, a bittersweet song that perfectly suits a film which shows how hard saying goodbye is.
- As long as I can hold my breath... Urgent yet hopeful and packed to the brim with emotion.
- Darkrai Inochi wo Kakete (Darkrai's Theme) sounds perfectly fitting for the Master of Nightmares. Ominous with deep horns, drums and organs.
- Arishia. Although a pretty short song, it's still pretty powerful.
- If We Only Learn from Arceus and The Jewel of Life is one of the most beautiful songs to come out of the anime.
- This Is A Beautiful World from Giratina and the Sky Warrior gives a beautiful uplifting message of the simple beauty in the world that many miss.
- Great Air Battle from Giratina and the Sky Warrior. Truly an epic score that illustrates the triumph as Shaymin, Ash and his companions stand up to Zero.
- The Japanese version of the Volcanion movie comes with an updated version of XY&Z, with an extra brass section making it even more epic. The English Dub gives us the series' counterpart 'Stand Tall' as a full remixed song, and it is awesome!
- Oracìon Theme ~Let's Walk Together~, the ending theme to I Choose You. They brought back Asuca Hayashi, singer of "Chiisaki Mono", and wrote a song for her based off "Oracíon" from The Rise of Darkrai, basically making the song 100% musical fanservice. And it is glorious. The English variant is just as beautiful, but for different reasons. It's sung by Haven Paschall, Serena's dub actress, and it even sounds like the song is saying how special Ash is. Because of these factors, it's hard not to hear it as a declaration of love to him. With the phrasing of some of the lines, and the reappearance of all of Ash's previous travelling companions during the credits, it sounds less like a song about romance, and more like the strong bond between Ash and Pikachu, where, despite how different their story is, they are still the closest friends imaginable, and how, eventually, they might meet their other friends in this different universe. In the original Oracion, the opening bells grab the listener's attention, then switch to the sort of quiet, soothing melody that you'd believe has all the calming power of the song in the film. It also features the masterful use of violins to deepen the effect, plus a horn at the end to underscore the song's preceding sections. The result is beautiful, peaceful without being dull, a masterpiece of emotion.
Pokémon Origins
- Pokémon Origins doesn't have a large soundtrack, but it possesses a number of great remixes from the past gen along with a few new pieces to coincide with Mega Evolution.
- Their take on the classic title screen, for starters. It is a breath of fresh air that does the original justice. That is, unless you aren't too fond of dubstep.
- Welcome to the world of Pokemon. It's just as welcoming as the original game, and the appearance of Professor Oak drove many an old school fan to nostalgic tears.
- Lavender Town got a tranquil and serene piano remix. Just mind the creepiness that still pervades to tune.
- The Wild Pokemon Battle. For the nostalgic, this remix really sells it and drives the epicness home and makes one want to go and battle wild pokemon.
- The trainer battle theme remixes the original anime version and makes it more badass. It's more serious, and it keeps people on their toes more while battling difficult opponents.
- The Gym Leader Battle theme. Much more serene compared to game's version at first before going into a more triumphant tune. Bonus points for playing during the battle against Brock and in the montage where Red defeats Koga, Sabrina, and Blaine.
- Gym Leader Last Pokemon. Better known as "Charmander vs. Onix", it plays in the Moment of Awesome where Charmander, who has barely any health left, is the last thing standing between Red and defeat. Listening to this after watching the battle itself can cause one to suddenly relive the Moment of Awesome.
- Giovanni's Theme. You know something bad is going on when this theme plays. The second part is more sinister since Giovanni is getting ready to hand you your ass.
- Rival Encounter. Not quite as smug sounding as the games, per se, but a lot more subdued and serene. As the song progresses, however, it starts to sound like Blue's just grinning and getting ready to wreck your team.
- Champion Battle. The final battle against Blue has never sounded so epic since the original games.
- Mewtwo Battle. A more heart-pounding remix of the Wild Pokemon battle. It starts off ominous as the battle against Mewtwo draws near, and keeps up the intensity going from there.
- Mega Charizard X Theme. Also known as the Mega Evolution theme, it is perfect for when your most powerful Pokémon gets his Heroic Second Wind and uses his Super Mode for the first time against a previously invincible opponent, proving they're Not So Invincible After All.
- Gionvanni Final Battle. Not only does it play right when Giovanni begins his Heel–Face Turn, but it also does an incredible job of showcasing the epic conflict between Red's Charizard and Giovanni's Rhydon.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon specials
Miscellaneous
- In honor of Pokémon X and Y, Pogo produced the song "Catchatronic". It was also made in commemoration of the 2013 return of the "Gotta catch 'em all!" slogan to U.S. advertising for the Pokémon franchise. The song uses numerous audio samplings from various episodes of the Pokémon anime, notably the "Gotta catch 'em all!" voice clip(s) from NOT the first dub theme song, but actually the freaking ORIGINAL POKERAP (compare the 'Gotta Catch 'Em All!' from the remix to the said Pokerap). The mix sounds simply phenomenal. GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL- POK-E-MON!
- "What Kind of Pokémon are You?" is the type of song that never loses its relevance, no matter how much the franchise expands.
- "Side by Side, it's Pichu and Pichu", the ending song for the Japanese version of Trouble in Big Town, and the opening theme for the Pokémon Channel-exclusive special episode, Pichu Bros. in Party Panic. A nice, jazzy tune with the English version having satisfying lyrics, and the adorable Pichu sounds in the background. Equally catchy in Japanese.
- To commemorate Ash and Pikachu's retirement as main characters, Jason Paige, the original English dub opening singer, wrote and performed "Last Goodbye", a song about how while their time may be ending, the memories will never leave and they'll always be together in spirit.
Live-Action Films
Detective Pikachu
- Henry Jackman's arrangement of the iconic Red & Blue Theme is mind-blowing in how amazing it is, as it combines the awesome symphonic melody with a backing 8-bit melody, all while being played over a stunning credit sequence. Perhaps the movie's biggest sin is that this arrangement wasn't included on the film's soundtrack.
Other
Official remixes
- In 1999, Nintendo released a (fairly obscure) album of some of the music in Red and Blue called Pokémon Hikerukana? (Can You Play Pokémon?). The mixes of the S.S. Anne, the opening, closing and cycling themes are definitely worth listening to. A user on YouTube has the linked songs and more. Listen to it. Now. Somehow, these guys make Team Rocket's theme threatening with what sounds like a harmonica.
- This remix of the Hoenn Champion battle theme is simply epic. The beeping and Pokémon cries are all taken from the final battle against Steven. A remix in the same vein as Steven's theme was also done on N's final battle theme. It's exactly as awesome (or even more than) as you think it is.
- There's the vocalized remix of Slateport City by Hiroko Takano, making an already awesome track even better.
- Memory P from the FireRed/LeafGreen soundtrack is a beautiful vocal remix performed by Yumi Funasaka of the theme that plays on Four and Five Island, itself a remix of Azalea Town and Blackthorn City's theme from Gold/Silver.
- The Nintendo Special Big Band did an especially awesome Pokémon Medley at a 2014 concert.
- Another game by Game Freak called HarmoKnight has a few bonus levels set to Pokémon music, namely the Gym Theme, Route 26 from Gold and Silver, Gold and Silver's Bicycle theme, and the Champion theme from Red and Blue. The battle theme from Black and White also shows up unedited.
- ... from Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions is an absolutely epic orchestral remix of Red's theme, which will make you feel like you are standing on the peak of Mt. Silver.
- Approximately two weeks before the airing of Aim to be a Pokémon Master's final episode, the Japanese and English Pokémon Youtube channels posted "Pokémon Mezase Catch Em All!", a remix of the first English Pokémon theme song and "Mezase Pokémon Master" by Night Tempo. Not only is this an incredibly rare acknowledgement of each other's themes from both sides, the remix also serves as a nostalgia trip rave party for the 90s and Noughties kids who grew up with the anime, now grown up and having to bid farewell to Ash Ketchum before he passes on the baton to Liko, Roy and the next generation of Pokémon fans who're going to grow with them.
- Golden Sun and Silver Moon: Pokémon Remix Album is a a two disc Japan only album with remixes of various songs from all across the franchise (as of 2009), among which is Sky Tower, a remix of the song of the same name from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky but punched up with a snappy drums and vocals.