Leitmotif/Anime: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
* ''[[Shugo Chara]]'': The majority of the [[Ear Worm|very memorable]] back - ground music, although most are variations of the main "Open Heart" theme, which can be seen as a theme for the Heart's Egg as a whole, and almost no - one (Aside from the Heart's Egg, the Embryo {{spoiler|and, oddly, Utau's "Seraphic Charm" Charcter Transformation}} are the only beings within the entire series to have that privilege, which, for the [[MacGuffin|former two, at]] [[Fridge Brilliance|least, is fitting]], really.) gets a theme applied directly towards them: The Guardians within general have two versions of their theme (A quieter, more cheerful one, and a majestic, regal form, complete with copious amounts of brass.), and the Easter corporation had one (A dark, ambient work.)An odd case would be {{spoiler|Ikuto's [[Brainwashed and Crazy|"Death Rebel" Character Transformation]], which also has one...[[Justified Trope|But only because it's him actually playing his violin, or if he's not there, and the villains are]] [[Magic Music|using it]] [[Justified Trope|without him, a recording of it played through - out some form of replicating device: Once he isn't playing/the machinery used to broadcast it is halted, it halts as well]].}}
* The ''[[Dominion Tank Police]]'' OVA did this: The cops had one, the Buaku gang had one (The "Hey, Boy" striptease number done by the Puma sisters), and the Red Commandoes had one. Bits of each were played to introduce each group in the beginning of the [[Mexican Standoff]].
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' has numerous bits of theme music and leit-motifs that appear repeatedly throughout the show. The first two seasons of the English dub used none of the original soundtrack, but it did retain the concept of having individual themes even though it used them more sparingly. When the show's license switched over after Sailor Moon R, the new license holder just kept the soundtrack as is.
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* The intro song to the ''[[Lupin III]]'' TV shows or movies is also the leitmotif for the titular main character.
* Many wrestlers from ''[[Kinnikuman]]'' have their own theme music.
* In the dub of ''[[Kirby: ofRight theBack Starsat Ya!]]'', Meta Knight is always introduced by a Mexican fanfare.
** He has a similar one in the original, but it's not quite as foreign-sounding.
* Vegeta's theme music from ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' It's iconic to his character, though its usage dropped considerably after the Frieza Saga.
** Leitmotifs were very common in the dub of DBZ. Piccolo had his own theme, usually played whenever he did something heroic (although it was occasionally used at other points). The various story arcs introduced new leitmotifs. Then there's the leitmotif that was first introduced when Goku shows off Super Saiyan 3. It's ostensibly the Super Saiyan 3 theme, but it tends to get played any time the heroes gain an edge during the Buu Saga. Buu himself, of course, has his own, devillishly jovial theme, befitting of a nightmarish trickster.
** Piccolo had a whistling theme in the Japanese original, mostly seen in the movies when he swoops in to save Gohan.
** The strangest part about the dub is that every single situation had its own leitmotif. To the point where I can't remember a single scene where some sort of background music ''wasn't'' playing.
*** In fact argually leitmotifs weren't as strictly applied in DBZ as most other usages. Captain Ginyu, a minor character from the Frieza Saga, has his own epic theme for when he uses his body-switching technique, that is named after him. However, it was SO epic that it was used throughout the series for moments of awesome, whilst still being called 'Captain Ginyu's Transformation.' Also the Hyperbolic Time Chamber theme became Gohan's Super Saiyan theme near the end of the Cell Games Saga.
* [http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=NatwbuRCZ_w Ryoga's Theme] is one of the most noticable in the ''[[Ranma ½|Ranma One Half]]'' series
* In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.
** Note how Asuka's leitmotif sounds quite American-ish.
** Rei has three different ones, not counting reduxes thereof in the [[Alternate Continuity]] movies. {{spoiler|[[Cloning Blues|Guess why.]]}}
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLbDNFbw10A Some of which are quite creepy]. For good reason.
** We don't hear Shinji's much, but it's a very good study of the character; it's not a fast-paced epic full of dashing contrasts. It's quiet, reserved and moved to passion on a few recurring points. There are two themes, the first of which (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[[Cpt T Ck AT 2 GM]]) clues us in just what he's all about when we hear it in the first episode. The second (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vcxJmOnVlw) expands upon this.
** There's also [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5xfIcR4-tA&feature=related Angel Attack], which plays nearly every time an [[Department of Redundancy Department|angel]] [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|attacks]].
** There's also [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N2MYUn6YK8&feature=related Tokyo-3], the theme music for the city. It's big, impressive, and perhaps most importantly, never quite seems to get to where it's going, making it feel unfinished.
* Some characters in ''[[Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt|Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt]]'' have their own themes, like Corset. Neither Panty and Stocking nor their enemies Scanty and Kneesocks, however, have ''individual'' themes - rather, they only have ''duo'' themes that play when ''both'' of them are together.
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* ''[[Bleach]]'' has [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyi5xHtkb0 On the Precipice Of Defeat]when someone on the side of the heroes is about to make a big comeback.
** And the fantastically amazing ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc3lXjBfe6o Number One]'' for when that someone is Ichigo.
*** [[Took a Level Inin Badass]] in its remake ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMKMZy1eSQU Chokkaku]''.
** Bleach is incredibly fond of these. You also have the haunting "Nothing can be Explained" when the heroes seem to be on the precipice of total defeat.
*** Clearly, there needs to be a song called "Big Comeback" for when nothing can be explained.
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** Also, Andy would usually whistle his own generic Western theme whenever he showed up.
* One from a ''manga'', carried over into the OVA: Rip Van Winkle of ''[[Hellsing]]'' is continuously singing from the opera "The Magic Bullet" (about a huntsman who makes a deal with a devil for bullets that never miss; Tom Waits based ''The Black Rider'' on it). At one point, when Alucard attacks her, he sings the demon's part.
** This opera is actually called ''[[Der FreischuetzFreischütz]]'', although some English-Language versions of the folktale it's based on were called "The Magic Bullets" since "The Free-Shooter" doesn't make as much sense in English as it does in German.
* In the Japanese ''[[Digimon]]'' series, each of the main characters gets their own [[Leitmotif]]. Hikari and Takeru get two, as they star in two separate seasons. If you're watching ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' in Japanese, that quirky beeping techno music that plays every time Koushirou whips out his computer or realizes something important? It's called "Digital Scratch!" Get used to it. You will hear it a ''lot.''
** There's no way the ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'' songs "Bokura no Digital World" (the season's memorial song) and "Mirai e no Message" (an image song) can contain the same six note melody (da-da-DAH dah dah ''daaah'') and similar chord progressions in the verses without some intention to tie the songs together by the composers. Even more, "3 Primary Colors" from ''Tamers'' (sung in the points of view of the three main kids, and it was used in that season's final episode) seems to use a variation of the aforementioned motif between vocal sections. Different characters, different continuity, same franchise...not surprised they sound alike.
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** Actually, each character has an epic theme song. The editors/writers just don't want to overuse them.
* ''[[Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei|Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei]]'' has some good examples, too. Each of the girls (and Itoshiki-sensei), or to be more precise the personality quirks their entire characters are based around, has their own specific theme - stalking, trolling, being incredibly positive, being incredibly depressing, you name it, it has a theme song.
* ''[[Minami-ke]]'' does this often with Hosaka, usually resorting to a Harmonica version of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C major during his many rambling monologues dedicated to his unrequited love for Haruka.
* In ''[[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]'' the main group of characters each have their own themes--most notably Kurogane, Fay, and Syaoran all have seperate themes that are often played when they're fighting, at least in the first season. Kurogane's is "break the sword of justice," Fay's is "strange names," and then Syaoran's "a song of storm and fire" is probably the best known one. Even some arcs have their own set of background music and insert songs.
* ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' has a few good examples, but the one used with the most consistency is definitely "Nagato's Confession," a cool, stoic electronic tune. "How Promising" is also used pretty often and usually means Haruhi's about to pull some harebrained scheme again.
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*** ''[[Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer|Gundam 00 a Wakening of The Trailblazer]]'' gave us even more epic versions of Intervention, one of which (Envoy from Jupiter) plays in its entirety and EVEN EXPANDED for the duration of the only battle where Tieria and Setsuna actually fight. The main battle in the end even had its own epic battle music, based off "Trans-Am Raiser" from the original series, which competes with "00 Gundam" for the titular Gundam's leitmotif.
* ''[[Gunslinger Girl]]'s'' anime adaptation gave all the girls one of these. They also have a version with lyrics. Here are [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc2K_riXHL8 Triela's,] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPZq1_81__Y&feature=related Claes's,] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5nSzDrK75M&feature=related Angelina's,] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAeuIH3Xjkc&feature=related Rico's,] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7bE-oOCdw&feature=related Henrietta's].
* In the anime of ''[[Baccano!]]'', the brief appearances of the [[Torture Technician]] Mr. Chick are accompanied by a faint, upbeat and ''very'' unnerving whistling tune.
* ''[[Slayers]]'' has a couple. The main heroes' Leitmotifs are pretty subtle, but the not-quite-main characters (especially the [[Black and Grey Morality|morally ambiguous]] sorts) have some very apparent ones, which sometimes serve as foreshadowing or add a flashbacky layer of emotional poignancy, especially when dead or absent characters' motifs turn up in the later series, Revolution. Rezo's theme in particular is an elegant, rather catchy little melody.
** Although "The Clan of the Fire Dragon King", a somewhat playful but sinister song was used in Season 3 for...well...the clan of the Fire Dragon King. But in Seasons 4 and 5, it plays quite often when Xellos is around. It fits perfectly for him.
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** There's also "M.Albarn" for Maka, "C.Mosquito" and "D.Mosquito" for Mosquito, "Mifune" and "Masamune" for the characters bearing those names, "Camellia" for Tsubaki, and "Lycaon" for Free.
** Let's not forget "STEP UP" for Justin Law.
* ''[[GaoGaiGar|Gao Gai Gar]]'' has several, though most seem to be more for specific scenes rather than the characters themselves. A few examples include the different themes that accompany [[Transformation Sequence|Final Fusion]], [[Memetic Mutation|Symmetrical Docking]], [[Combining Mecha|Big Volfogg's combination sequence]], and [[Disappears Into Light|Goldion]] [[Drop the Hammer|Hammer]]. Additionally, there are other songs that seem to play in less specific situations, such as the [[Anime Theme Song]] playing during some of the titular [[Humongous Mecha|GaoGaiGar's]] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|CMOAs]].
* ''[[Daily Lives of High School Boys]]'':
** Literature Girl has a lonely piano piece, which resonates well with her seemingly solitary nature, but is also non-indicative of the [[Hilarity Ensues|hilarity that ensues]] from her interactions with Hidenori. It was even used as the [[Placeholder Titles|ED for the first episode]].
** [[Bully Hunter|Rubber Shooter]] has [[Pachelbel's Canon]].
* ''[[Initial D]]'' used them for various characters. Nakazato's stands out do to being organ music compared to the usual techno beats.
* The ''[[Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple|Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple]]'' anime makes excellent use of "Night on Bald Mountain" for Siegfried, who is often singing along to it as he fights.
 
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