Smash Five: Top 5 Songs That Make Me Want to Punch Someone

One of the greatest things about the way Super Smash Bros brings together a number of different franchises is how the best tunes from Nintendo’s hit series all gather together in one title. Many of these series are celebrated for their tunes, and often in Smash Bros those amazing songs find new life as they are pumped up and reimagined for a fighting game sound. After seeing GameXplain’s 10 Songs to Smash To (brilliant title, by the way), I wanted to share some of my own tunes that I think should make their way into Nintendo’s fighting franchise. The main rules I’m setting for myself  are that I can only include music from franchises that already have representation in Smash (sorry, Undertale) and that I can’t choose any of the ones already named by GameXplain – although that really only knocks out one of my original picks, Jump Up, Super Star. So I guess it’ll be an honorable mention. Oh, and the final thing is, these aren’t in order of how much I like them, just in order of when I think of them. Get your dancing shoes on, adventurers, it’s time to face the music!

#5: COURT OF THE DEKU KING – MAJORA’S MASK
Majora’s Mask is my favorite title in the Legend of Zelda series (this week, anyway) and it has some pretty great music that ranges from fun to creepy to everything in between. One of the catchiest songs, though, is the one that plays in the Deku Palace, Court of the Deku King. This is an upbeat, fun tune with great instrumentation and a lot of personality. Once I walk into the Deku Palace, this little ditty gets stuck in my head for the rest of the game (until I get to Stone Tower Temple, at least).

Why a musical representative from Majora’s Mask and not Breath of the Wild? First off, this is a wishlist, and while Breath of the Wild will definitely get a song in Smash Five, Majora’s Mask will probably go unacknowledged. And while I think Breath of the Wild certainly has some worthwhile tunes to bring in, the music in that game didn’t quite capture me as much as usual Zelda songs do. Many of the songs were excellent, don’t get me wrong, but they lack that extra punch that causes them to lodge firmly into your brain for the rest of the week.

I’d be happy with the original version of this song in the game, but I also think it would be fun to have a Hyrule Warriors-style rock remix that helps adapt the song to a battle scene a little bit more. I think this metal version by Artificial Fear on YouTube captures what I’m thinking pretty well.

#4: BLUE’S CHAMPION THEME – POKEMON RED/BLUE
Hey look, it’s Buttfa- I mean, Blue! This guy is the original rival of the Pokemon series and in my mind, still the best – Blue was always one step ahead of you and made no qualms about rubbing it in your face. When you finally reach the end of the game and face the Pokemon League Champion, it’s this dirtbag waiting for you (spoilers for a twenty-year-old game). Luckily, he makes up for it by having a pretty excellent champion theme.

This song really sets the stage for a grand battle. It’s wicked fast and features descending chords that make you feel like the situation is growing more dire as the “chorus” continues on. It also works in some familiar elements from other songs in the game, allowing it to thematically tie together the whole Pokemon experience in a climactic way. Perfect for a Smash Bros battle, if you ask me, especially in a year where we’re revisiting Kanto in the form of Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee (oh, and Pikachu, I guess).

I think this song sounds really cool on the piano (this cover is by Jill-Jenn Vie), particularly since the rapid progression of notes makes it pretty intimidating to play. I think it would be well-suited to a very mobile Pokemon stage, driving you to keep moving so the hazards don’t finish you off before your opponents do. Either that or a Pokemon League arena, maybe even with Blue and his team of Pokemon in the background throwing some moves onto the field to complicate things for the fighters.

#3: PRIDE AND ARROGANCE – FIRE EMBLEM ECHOES
Fire Emblem Echoes is, to my shame, the one title released in the US that I haven’t finished yet. While I appreciate that they took a risk in bringing back a much older and radically different game in the series, I didn’t find the gameplay quite as enjoyable as the more traditional Fire Emblem experience. However, where this game delivered excellently (and where I hope Fire Emblem Switch follows suit) is in the presentation – the graphics, voice acting, writing, and music were all brilliant, and the lack of a song from this title in the Smash Bros soundtrack needs to be quickly patched. And what better way to patch it than with Pride and Arrogance?

Fire Emblem Echoes has a gorgeous choral soundtrack that adds a sense of grand scale to each song. This isn’t just one dude singing – you’ve got plenty of voices contributing to the sound, a soaring soprano backed by the harsh chanting of a male choir. Throw in some driving percussion to keep the beat moving and a group of strings, and you’ve got a formula for a song that’s perfect for a confrontation of epic proportions.

Where I’ve suggested possible covers for the other songs I have suggested so far, this one could fit well into Smash Bros with little to no alteration. While I doubt that the villain for whom the song serves as a battle theme will make it in as a playable character, I do think that a stage inspired by some of the darker, more disturbing locations of Echoes could change up the normal Fire Emblem formula of “generic castle setting.”

#2: METAL MAN – MEGA MAN II
Mega Man was a character that I was very excited to see join the Smash Bros roster. When I was a kid, he was right there with Link and Mario on the SNES and was just as iconic in my mind. While I prefer the music (and the setting and gameplay) of Mega Man X over the classic series, I recognize that classic Mega Man is the one in Smash Bros and so I wanted to bring in a classic song in honor of that – the theme for Metal Man.

How this song didn’t make it into the Mega Man 2 Medley in Smash for Wii U and 3DS, I have no idea, but ultimately it’s probably better because that means we can enjoy this song all on its own. This catchy tune has lots of upbeat energy and fun sounds to enjoy, but it has an admittedly short loop and would probably need to be embellished a little bit for the Smash Bros audience.

I found a cover of Metal Man done by classicalcat, TeraCMusic, and String Player Gamer that captures the embellished feel I think would work for Smash. You don’t just have the chirpy chiptunes – you’ve got a bunch of strings, an electric guitar (very Mega Man), and even some vocals to take the simple concept and push it to the next level. I can see an arrangement much like this one fitting very well into the soundtrack of Super Smash Bros.

#1: CRAZY MOTORCYCLE CHASE – FINAL FANTASY VII
How in the world did Nintendo and Square Enix put Cloud in Super Smash Bros but forget to include his awesome motorcycle chase scene song? I mean, Cloud driving a motorcycle with one hand while wielding his Buster Sword in the other is pretty much the epitome of Final Fantasy VII’s aesthetic. I’m not saying that the songs chosen for Smash Wii U were not appropriate songs to bring over from FF7 – I’m just saying that surely to goodness we can have more than two!

This is another song that I think pairs perfectly with a stage concept, an action-packed moving level along the lines of F-Zero’s Big Blue where the fighters are cruising at high speed while also trying to bash each other in the head. The high-energy techno-rock sound of the original is pretty hard to beat, so while it was way easier to find covers of this compared to Fire Emblem’s Pride and Arrogance, I honestly think the version from FF7’s soundtrack would be ideal.

That’s gonna be it for today’s post, adventurers! If you want to read more of my thoughts about Smash Five, you can check out such articles as which characters I think need some work or what kind of versus modes I hope they include. Conversely, if you’re interested in more posts on music, why not read my thoughts on Wind Waker or Ace Attorney? If you’ve got something to say about today’s post, like which songs YOU think should appear in Smash Five, let me know in the comments below!