Top Ten Favourite Battle Themes In Anime
 

I actually had this idea for a fun topic a while ago, then forgot about it, but now I remember. The idea is for people too list there top ten favourite battle themes from any anime for other people to compare and talk about. Here are the loose rules for the thread:

1. The song has to have been used during a sequence where combat is happening. People can use their own judgement, but it should hopefully be fairly clear if it's meant to be for combat.

2. The song can be either vocal or instrumental, it doesn't matter.

3. Give the name of the song followed by the anime in brackets. If you don't know the songs name then shame on you for listing it. Just kidding, but let us know where it appeared and the series in which it did.

4. As an option you can explain why you like a certain song.

5. Preferrably list your picks in descending order of 10 to 1.


Here I go then.

10. GX that Running Past (Gundam X): A piece featuring lots of drums, an ominous brass background portion and lots of power. Kind of sounds like it belongs in an old James Bond film.
9. Ground Zero (Brain Powered): Orchestral piece played when the Baron Zu attacks. It's flighty and fast paced and makes the Baron Zu's presence feel like a demonic and dangerous one. It also sounds a bit like the Dragon Quest battle theme at certain points.
8. Trembling Lives (Victory Gundam): Song played when the League Militaire characters are at a disadvantage. Again a very orchestral piece with a foreboding tone.
7. Fleet Battle (Zeta Gundam): Used during the huge battles. Very very dramatic and epic sounding.
6. The White Ghost (Victory Gundam): Orchestral song with several layers of music that's usually played during battles in the lower atmosphere. It seems designed to evoke a feeling of aerial combat, as this is the first Gundam series where some of the units can actually fly on their own power and they liked to do it a lot.
5. Ground Operation (Zeta Gundam) A pure product of the 80's with lots of synth sounds, and pumping background beat, and an overall dramatic feel to it.
4. The Blue monday e'r'ectrical parade (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann): A techno beat that first plays during the second half of the series, and remains the mainstay battle them for the series. The perfect song for when lots of explosions are going off. Somebody also needs to make a dancestep of this for DDR.
3. Dogfighter (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross): A very fast passed song that works well with some of the tense battles of the series. It also has a fantasy feel to it, which is really neat as you see the characters soaring through the skies and dodging missiles.
2. The Militia March (Turn A Gundam): A military march used in some of the combat sequences in the series, as well as during the end credits. It has a civil war era flair to it with drums and trumpets, as well as a large build up to a climax (seems to be a staple of Yoko Kanno BGM), and remains one of the most unique pieces I have ever experienced in an anime.
1. Dogfight (Macross Plus): This song keeps on building to one hell of a climax, and uses a full orchestra for the piece. It's so ingrained in me that on some layer of my subconcious the song is always playing and threatens to burst to the upper layer. Anytime I think of music it often pops up too and I start humming it.

1. Trombe! (SRW: OG TV series orchestral version) Because I cried when I heard it play.

In my mind, not a single song can beat
Do you remember love (Macross Movie "Do you remember love?" sung by Lynn Minmay (CV: Mari Iijima). It is slow-paced, but suits perfectly well in a fateful battle in which the human culture was at stake against destruction ... and culture prevailed. Of course, it is a love song.

That reminds me of Macross 2, during the fight.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread was "Kakusei" (Awakening) and "Chikyuu Kyoumei" (Earth Resonance) from Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna. The BGM is of course by Yoko Kanno... But I remember I genuinely had my breath taken away when those songs were used in battle scenes and I couldn't get them out of my head until I finally got a copy of the songs and could play them to my heart's extent. Great choreography + great music = happy me.

Then, of course, there's "Innocence", "Time Limit!!" and "The spirit of FRAMENCO" (no, not Flamenco) from Melody of Oblivion, by Hijiri Kuwano. The anime wasn't all thaaat good after all but one of my most favourite things about it was the soundtrack, and I can still remember being so excited about the episode with Bocca and the bullfighting - I think they used the latter piece, and it was just perfect. I can't think of MoO without thinking of the soundtrack, and when I hear these tracks I sometimes find myself imagining up battle sequences to them.
There's also a good one by Yoshikazu Suo, "Phrygian Koko", except I can't remember where it was used.


I also liked the music from Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto composed by Hideyuki Fukasawa, but with relevance to this thread it would definitely be "Tsurugi no Sadame". I can't even remember which part of the show it was in exactly apart from it being in the second half or so, but I remember there was a water battle and confrontation with the Head and this music was used. I love the piano crescendo especially.

And I guess this is going to be terribly cliche, but I really did like "Mezame" from the Mai-Hime soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura. For quite some time whenever I thought of "battle scene" I'd think of this song straight away... and then feel on the top of the world. Now, though, it doesn't have nearly the same effect. Speaking of Yuki Kajiura I'm tempted to mention "nowhere" from Madlax but I keep laughing when I hear the song, which probably isn't the intended effect...

Another one is "Shangri-La" from the Noein soundtrack by Hikaru Nanase - to be honest it's kind of overwhelming and a bit too over-the-top, but I'll be darned if I'll ever forget the absolutely amazing battle sequences from episodes 1 and 12 and so on...

But for a long-time irreplaceable favourite, I'd have to say the Rurouni Kenshin battle themes - I just can't remember the track names now because I don't have the soundtrack with me anymore, but one that keeps replaying in my head is one which starts with those picked strings... I almost feel excited just thinking about it :)

Not implying anything about the Bleach or Naruto in general, I really like their battle themes. I think Bleach's theme was Number One and Naruto had many battle themes in which I can't remember them all. One that I really like is Turn Over.

number one is one of my favourites, and naruto has a couple of good 'uns but happily ever after or viral's theme from Gurren Lagann are by far and away my favourites.

1.Battle Cry (Samurai Champloo):It's the opening theme and if you watched Samurai Champloo you know you loved it!!!...I know I did

Shangri-La, Noein, absolutely stunning.
-Final Shore ~ Oo, sairin ariyato, -The Second Advent ~ Turn A Gundam ( I like Final Shore better though)
Junikokugenei Juuni Kokki
Nodos no Tatakai Heroic Age
Battle in the Air Eureka 7.
Gundam Attacks Mobile Suit Gundam, its a classic :p

And I also have to shamefully admit, I thought Dragon ball and Z had surprisingly good fast paced battle themes (note Japanese version) even though the show was extremely slow paced.

Those two songs are beautiful... in fact, the whole series, including the outstanding soundtrack, was pure beauty. Other great fast-paced songs (though I can't exactly remember whether they were used in battle or not) were Girl With Power and Asura Jittaika.

What I can think of at the moment
 

10. Countdown (Blood+)

9. Souma no Tatakai (Kannazuki no Miko)

8. Non Vocal Version of Dear You -Hope- (Played in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai. during a battle, or near one.)

7. Decisive Battle (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

6. Number One (Bleach)

5. The Rising Fighting Spirit (Naruto)

4. Those who inherit the Will of Fire (Nauto, Played once, in part, during the Invasion of Konoha)

3. Erinyes (played during the Last combat scene in Night WIzard)

2. The theme for the last battle in Full Metal Panic! TSR. It is based on Shouri, but at some points it differs slightly, so as to make a better song. I don't think it was released

1. I say Yes (Wedding Version) From Zero no Tsukaima FNK

Well, that's all… I guess

I don't think I could pick 10, but still my favorites are.
美しき光の翼 (Don't know what is called in English)- This was the battle theme when King J-Der appeared for first time.
Yuusha-oh Tanjou!- Loved it during the battle against Primeval.
Don't know the battle theme of Eureka 7, but I loved it.
Evangelion theme such as The Beast, Decisive Battle were really good.
Macross DYRL's final battle, Do You Remember The Love, how can you not love that song.
Of course many of the Fire Bomber's song in Macross 7 are awesome.
Dogfight from Macross Plus was also awesome.

libera me from hell (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) - Iwasaki Taku and Shinya & Tarantula
Shiroki Kouro (Toward the Terra) - Takanashi Yasuharu
Kasukanari no Aogi no Sai (Erementar Gerad) - Kajiura Yuki
Bloom (GetBackers) - Iwasaki Taku
Stoner Sunshine (Shin Getter Robo: Armageddon) - Who knows?
BRAVE (Gigantic Formula) - Sawano Hiroyuki
Trombe! (Super Robot Wars: OG Divine Wars) - Hirano Yoshihisa(Orchestral arrangement only)
Justice (Shingetsutan Tsukihime) - Omori Toshiyuki
Nu Gundam (Char's Counterattack) - Who knows?

That's ten, but not in any order though, since they're all equally awesome for me.
Lurking outside ready to get in at the first sign:
Deadly Work (Darker than Black) - Kanno Youko and James Wendt
Get away from here (Kekkaishi) - Iwasaki Taku and Shinya & Tarantula
Kaishou (Gankutsuou) - Kasamatsu Kouji
That theme in Gundam Evolve 9.

And yeah, I'm all for the bombastic type. :p I need to to stop editing and adding tracks I think up too....

I don't have much time to post mine, so they might not be in the order of importance in my opinion. But let's try:

1) Shouri - As featured in the last episode of FMP! TSR, as someone else mentioned above. The song, added to that battle scene, steals the first place for me.

2) Vestige, by TM Revolution - Oh, come on. You've got to agree that having this playing in the background while X20A launches off of Eternal is quite kickass, right?

3) Storywriter - I think this is one of the greatest songs out there. I always hold on tight to my seat when it starts playing whenever I'm rewatching some of the great Eureka SeveN episodes.

4) Omae no XXX de Ten wo Tsuke! - Not entirely sure wether there is a battle scene associated with this song, but I find it one of the best in the Gurren-Lagann soundtrack. It brings back memories.

5) Number One, Off-Vocal version - Can't help but go "woo" whenever it starts playing. Bleach wouldn't be so fun without it.

I don't think I can name ten, but I'll throw out a few:

1. Gunbuster March: used at the climax of episode 4 in both Gunbuster series. Great song that really enhances the truimphant mood of the episodes. And it's very fitting song since it plays during a huge turning point in the lead characters' development. Seriously, everytime I watch those episodes, I feel like humming the song.

2. dunno the name, but there's this very cool and catchy battle song in Project A ko. I believe it's used in most of the fight scenes. It's a rather simple song, but the synth beat is infectious and enhances the excitement of the film's over the top battles.

3. That song that plays at the end of episode 8 of Gurren Lagann: Like the Gunbuster March, a very heroic and trumphant sounding song. Really made one of the best death scenes I've ever seen even more epic.

Yes, yes! In fact, until now this soundtrack is my most favourite Yoko Kanno soundtrack. It works well as an album IMO, and I really do like and remember most songs. (I was over the moon when I got hold of the unreleased tracks :)) I'm pretty sure Asura Jittaika was used as a battle theme - it really sounds like one, too. Love the grand-sounding drums and the use of the vocals! And now you've reminded me that I like Time to die as well, it's got my favourite kind of suspenseful buildup, although perhaps it isn't as listenable as the two quoted songs. In that soundtrack, the calm songs were excellent as well... not the place to discuss them, though.

And while on the topic of Yoko Kanno, maybe I'll throw in Dragon Reika from the Aquarion OST - I guess it's not my favourite, but I did think it was effective and one track I used to play again and again from that OST. Although, it wasn't actually by Yoko Kanno but Hisaaki Hogari (who is good too).

The Asahina Mikuru Battle Theme, definitely.

^^

Damn! I forgot about that one. Yes, that one's awesome too. :D