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Kingdom Hearts Music Reprisals



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jahob000

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I'm not sure if that was the right word to use lol. In any case, Hey guys!

As we are all fans of the wonderful music in the series, I found something that I figured could be kind of fun for us for a little while.

You know how there are sections of music that has a piece of a theme from another character or from any other moments of the series? Kind of like how you can hear a portion of Kairi's theme embedded in Xion's theme or how different portions of "Fate of the Unkown" are embedded in Terra's, Aqua's and Ven's themes. Not only do these seem like little nods to earlier music but it can also show connections to other characters in the series which I love.

So I figured lets try to find as many of these as we can, found in the different tracks of the Kingdom Hearts series. I know a lot more of them but I don't want to hog them all.

Edit 11/1: You can also use videos to reference the times where you hear the reprisals if you want.

[video]https://youtu.be/5moTuo-4MKU[/video] "Xion's Theme" - Kairi's Theme @ 1:20

[video]https://youtu.be/oEgjc7a2Jx0[/video] "Fate of the Unknown" - Terra's Theme @ 57, Aqua's Theme @ 2:10. I had a hard time finding Ven's theme in here. If anyone else hears it, can you let me know what part?

[video]https://youtu.be/fBpIRi5Y4i4[/video] "Terra's Theme" - Fate of the Unknown @ 18

[video]https://youtu.be/RHB0S9Y8u1E[/video] "Aqua's Theme" - Fate of the Unknown @ 30

Anyone else have anymore?
 
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Amadeus

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Ventus' theme is highly reminiscent of Roxas'. It honestly feels like an extended variation on Roxas' theme to me sometimes.

Xigbar's theme is just the Organization XIII theme at a higher tempo with added strings.
 

Seadrin

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This is a great topic of discussion!

Another obvious one, Vanitas' theme has the melody from Sora's theme excepted inverted to be minor instead of major.
 

jahob000

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This is a great topic of discussion!

Another obvious one, Vanitas' theme has the melody from Sora's theme excepted inverted to be minor instead of major.


In all honesty, funny enough, I've never figured that Sora had an actual theme (despite him being the main character). I know there's the theme when they wake up in Kingdom hearts II but I've always attributed that to Sora, Donald and Goofy's theme as a trio. There's also "Hand in Hand" which plays in Traverse Town during battles and also at the end of Kingdom Hearts when they chase Pluto but I've never considered that to be his theme either.
 

AmaryllisMoth

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I've never figured that Sora had an actual theme (despite him being the main character). I know there's the theme when they wake up in Kingdom hearts II but I've always attributed that to Sora, Donald and Goofy's theme as a trio.

The song you are referencing here is actually titled "Sora's Theme" officially. And you're right, generally hand-in-hand is more of a Sora, Donald and Goofy theme song even though it isn't referenced as such.

To add to your topic, Dearly Beloved is repeated multiple times throughout the series in other tracks (the prettiest versions imo are when Sora is sealing the door in KH1 (called Beyond the Door) and it's slight presence during Xion's fight in Days).

I've always loved "Lord of the Castle" from Re:CoM because it does a really nice remix of most of the previous organization themes while adding its own spice.

I had a hard time finding Ven's theme in here. If anyone else hears it, can you let me know what part?

Not sure exactly, but maybe its represented by the instrument that comes in around 1:47? Not EXACTLY the same as his theme, but it's a bit harder to tell because the tempo is different.
 

jahob000

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I'm gonna reference the ones you guys have mentioned so far.

Ventus' theme is highly reminiscent of Roxas'. It honestly feels like an extended variation on Roxas' theme to me sometimes.

Xigbar's theme is just the Organization XIII theme at a higher tempo with added strings.

Yeah, there's no way they would created Ven's theme without some Roxas influence in there lol.

https://youtu.be/NytOZx5B4fM "Ven's Theme" - Roxas Theme @ 20

No need for me to reference the Xigbar one because as you said, it's a faster tempo of the Organization that everyone can hear.

To add to your topic, Dearly Beloved is repeated multiple times throughout the series in other tracks (the prettiest versions imo are when Sora is sealing the door in KH1 (called Beyond the Door) and it's slight presence during Xion's fight in Days).

I've always loved "Lord of the Castle" from Re:CoM because it does a really nice remix of most of the previous organization themes while adding its own spice.

The majority of any Organization music's source is from the "Deep Dive" track for the KHI FM secret trailer. There's a bunch linked to this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6Q6tycE7k "Beyond The Door". Hmm. I can't hear Dearly beloved in this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCFabT7arA4 "Vector to the Heavens" Kairi's theme @ 1:14 Dearly Beloved @ 1:24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ARqdiYASpE "Deep Dive" - Organization XIII Theme @ beginning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWiEqPjuBOs "Lord of the Castle" - Organization XIII Theme @ 30
 
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AmaryllisMoth

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6Q6tycE7k "Beyond The Door". Hmm. I can't hear Dearly beloved in this one.

Apologies, I got the track listing wrong. I meant the track directly after on the CD: Always on my Mind. Silly mistake, sorry. For some reason I connected the two songs together in my head.

It's very reminiscent of "Friends in my Heart" from KH2.

Thinking back on it now, of course I always remembered the first time I realized the world music at end of the world was the same that played during the opening dive to the heart tutorial (all of which were a remix of destati anyway...) but first arriving in the world and hearing that song again gave me serious chills.
 

Tempo

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picking out leitmotifs in the KH soundtrack is one of my favourite pastimes. besides several pieces already mentioned, i'll list a few more off the top of my head:

Organisation XIII's official theme first appeared in the music for the secret trailer at the end of the very first Kingdom Hearts title. Its second official appearance is in Marluxia's first fight theme in Chain of Memories.
"the 13th struggle" is the boss fight theme for every Organisation member in Chain of Memories, except for Marluxia who gets two themes of his own (and a third in Re:CoM). the motifs from the KH1 secret trailer were added to "the 13th struggle" upon its inclusion in KH2 (whereas the CoM version didn't have it). the org 13 theme gets reused for "The 13th Dilemma" and "the 13th Reflection", as well as the second and third movements of the final boss fights ("Darkness of the Unknown") in KH2, and Marluxia's added third fight ("Lord of the Castle") in Re: Chain of Memories. It appears later on, virtually unchanged, as the theme for the final boss fight of 358/2 days, and the second battle against Braig in Birth by Sleep. It can also be faintly heard during "L'Impeto Oscuro" in Dream Drop Distance.

the opening to "Forze del Male" is used throughout itself, as well as the opening to "The Force in You" from the boss fights against Riku Replica and Ansem in Chain of Memories, and "Revenge of Chaos" from Ansem's final boss fight in the same game. Forze del Male and Darkness of the Unknown are then mashed up in Birth by Sleep to form "Forze del'Oscurit" (Force of Darkness), the theme for the "No Heart" battle.
Xemnas gains another brand new battle theme in Dream Drop Distance, titled "L'Oscurita dell'Ignoto" which just translates to "Darkness of the Unknown". It sounds almost entirely new, but still incorporates the titular motif in its second half.

"Dismiss" is a unique combination of "Destati" and Terra's own theme, which itself draws from parts of "Fate of the Unknown" (whose other parts are used to form Aqua's theme).

The series title theme, "Dearly Beloved", can be heard hidden in several unexpected pieces throughout the series, including the "End of the World" theme (an arrangement of Destati with added instrumentation), the KH2 Twilight Town battle theme "Working Together", the first of the final string of boss fights in KH2 ("A Fight to the Death") and several others I'm forgetting right now. I believe it can also be heard in "The Tumbling" in Birth by Sleep but that one might be a stretch.

[dril voice] these are all i can remember right now. my hands are shaking
 

jahob000

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picking out leitmotifs in the KH soundtrack is one of my favourite pastimes. besides several pieces already mentioned, i'll list a few more off the top of my head:

Organisation XIII's official theme first appeared in the music for the secret trailer at the end of the very first Kingdom Hearts title. Its second official appearance is in Marluxia's first fight theme in Chain of Memories.
"the 13th struggle" is the boss fight theme for every Organisation member in Chain of Memories, except for Marluxia who gets two themes of his own (and a third in Re:CoM). the motifs from the KH1 secret trailer were added to "the 13th struggle" upon its inclusion in KH2 (whereas the CoM version didn't have it). the org 13 theme gets reused for "The 13th Dilemma" and "the 13th Reflection", as well as the second and third movements of the final boss fights ("Darkness of the Unknown") in KH2, and Marluxia's added third fight ("Lord of the Castle") in Re: Chain of Memories. It appears later on, virtually unchanged, as the theme for the final boss fight of 358/2 days, and the second battle against Braig in Birth by Sleep. It can also be faintly heard during "L'Impeto Oscuro" in Dream Drop Distance.

the opening to "Forze del Male" is used throughout itself, as well as the opening to "The Force in You" from the boss fights against Riku Replica and Ansem in Chain of Memories, and "Revenge of Chaos" from Ansem's final boss fight in the same game. Forze del Male and Darkness of the Unknown are then mashed up in Birth by Sleep to form "Forze del'Oscurit" (Force of Darkness), the theme for the "No Heart" battle.
Xemnas gains another brand new battle theme in Dream Drop Distance, titled "L'Oscurita dell'Ignoto" which just translates to "Darkness of the Unknown". It sounds almost entirely new, but still incorporates the titular motif in its second half.

"Dismiss" is a unique combination of "Destati" and Terra's own theme, which itself draws from parts of "Fate of the Unknown" (whose other parts are used to form Aqua's theme).

The series title theme, "Dearly Beloved", can be heard hidden in several unexpected pieces throughout the series, including the "End of the World" theme (an arrangement of Destati with added instrumentation), the KH2 Twilight Town battle theme "Working Together", the first of the final string of boss fights in KH2 ("A Fight to the Death") and several others I'm forgetting right now. I believe it can also be heard in "The Tumbling" in Birth by Sleep but that one might be a stretch.

[dril voice] these are all i can remember right now. my hands are shaking

...Oh...My...GOODNESS! That was excellent! That was beautiful! Lol. If I had a hat, I'd tip it to you madam. Now excuse me while I pick my jaw up from the floor. Those are all of the ones I was thinking of too because they are littered throughout the game. My failure is that I never care to remember the names and always have to look them up.

So now, I have a question for you. Which themes do you feel are the dominant/definitive themes of the series? I don't necessarily mean because they are played in the same form repetitively but rather samples of the these songs are embedded in many parts of the games. I guess the kind of like "Parent Themes". In my opinion, I feel They are "Destati" "Forze del Male" and "Deep Dive". I was going to say "Fate of the Unknown" as well since it's the same type of theme as "Deep Dive" where it was born from a secret trailer and brings revelations we couldn't yet understand. However, It is not heavily sampled as much as the other two. "Dearly Beloved" I somewhat feel it's a definitive theme but not really. It's kind of one by default. Because it's from the title and end credits as well. It's the theme that tells you "This is Kingdom Hearts".

"Destati" is the theme for all Darkness in the series which is why I feel it is embedded in so many characters.

It's funny how the themes sampled the most are of the antagonists more than anyone else. I feel like Yoko heavily favors making themes for the bad guys more because the music is a lot more dark and complex.
 

Amadeus

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Yeah, there's no way they would created Ven's theme without some Roxas influence in there lol.

I figured everyone would assume that lol. It's just that I hear the whole thing as a variation on Roxas' theme rather than a piece just influenced by it (thanks 9 years of music education)

Another motif I found is the piano part from Roxas being in Unbreakable Chains (Vanitas' theme). You can hear it at 1:08 here (I've linked to the timestamp). Listen closely here and you can hear the melody from Ventus in there, too. I'm also kind of hearing Riku in the strings here, but it's hard to make out. The Orchestra arrangement of Unbreakable Chains (in the Heroes and Heroines medley) makes the Ven and Sora parts really obvious (by putting them in the choir lol) but the Roxas and Riku(?) parts aren't as audible (if they're there, I can't make them out at all).

...Y'know, for all the time I've spent listening to KH music, I really can't come up with that many comparisons. My original comment was rushed as hell, and I could have said more.
 

Tempo

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...Oh...My...GOODNESS! That was excellent! That was beautiful! Lol. If I had a hat, I'd tip it to you madam. Now excuse me while I pick my jaw up from the floor. Those are all of the ones I was thinking of too because they are littered throughout the game. My failure is that I never care to remember the names and always have to look them up.

So now, I have a question for you. Which themes do you feel are the dominant/definitive themes of the series? I don't necessarily mean because they are played in the same form repetitively but rather samples of the these songs are embedded in many parts of the games. I guess the kind of like "Parent Themes". In my opinion, I feel They are "Destati" "Forze del Male" and "Deep Dive". I was going to say "Fate of the Unknown" as well since it's the same type of theme as "Deep Dive" where it was born from a secret trailer and brings revelations we couldn't yet understand. However, It is not heavily sampled as much as the other two. "Dearly Beloved" I somewhat feel it's a definitive theme but not really. It's kind of one by default. Because it's from the title and end credits as well. It's the theme that tells you "This is Kingdom Hearts".

"Destati" is the theme for all Darkness in the series which is why I feel it is embedded in so many characters.

It's funny how the themes sampled the most are of the antagonists more than anyone else. I feel like Yoko heavily favors making themes for the bad guys more because the music is a lot more dark and complex.

Oh bless you, you're too kind :p
sorry i didnt see this sooner. I'd say Dearly Beloved could count as one of the main leitmotifs, not just because it appears as the title theme for every game but also because of its appearance throughout the rest of the OST such as in "friends in my heart", "end of the world" and when sora and riku combine their Sound Ideas in Symphony of Sorcery. my top "dominant motif" picks are Dearly Beloved, Destati and Deep Dive (look at that, DDD). All of these have been in and appeared multiple times throughout the whole series ever since the first game.
Forze del Male I feel doesnt quite meet the mark since it's only relevant when Ansem SoD is relevant, and it hasn't been a "Riku" motif since Chain of Memories. In fact, Ansem's fight themes in DDD don't even use the motif. It's sadly been dead for a while now. Frankly, I hesitate to choose any one character motif over another anyway.
 
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