Game Composer Listens to DIVINE DRAGON for the First Time

My first time listening to Sekiro music! Sekiro Divine Dragon was recommended by several of you and I decided to give it a shot since I've been curious about the Sekiro OST. It definitely feels different from most Soulsborne music I've heard. I wonder if all Sekiro music is like that.
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[@DaviVasc]

Hope you enjoyed my first Sekiro video! Speaking of Soulsborne... Elden Ring just came out! Have you seen my video on Elden Ring music yet? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmSVe6GwZ7WVl80

[@asaeltorres941]

Davi I think you should do Pontiff Sullyvahn in your next video ❤

[@autgoddess1002]

Can you react to a music called Overpowered made by Phantom Power?

[@rieJW]

Ive always been impressed at Yuka Kitamura’s ability to not only compose European Medieval themes for the Souls games but even Traditional Japanese tracks for Sekiro

[@dunzek943]

THE GOAT

[@TheDiggus]

The bossfight has two distinct phases, in the first you don't really fight the dragon itself but instead the spirits guarding him. The spirits are old, stagnant and full of rot, very easy enemies that barely pose any challenge. In the second phase you fight the dragon itself, that is when the track really picks up. The dragon is also the most significant entity in the game's greater context, a foreign entity that settled in the land of ashina a long long time ago. The dragon is benevolent in the sense of granting immortality through its blood and elevating the people that worshiped him to divinity but human nature and ambition, as per usual, got in the way. The blessing/curse of the dragons blood and its immortality is the main driving force of the plot in Sekiro, but the dragon himself is barely involved in any of the happenings during the game. A divine entity sought out and fought only for a gracious gift of tears.

[@kimvarki]

This whole track is the divine dragon boss fight. The first and second phase are both the dragon itself. So I don't understand what you mean by "In the second phase you fight the dragon itself, that is when the track really picks up."

[@TheDiggus]

@@kimvarki must have mixed it up 😁

[@hahahahahaha1946]

@@TheDiggus The spirits guarding the dragon I'm pretty sure just has the normal aggro music as the rest of the game. There's a part about 3/4 of the way in the divine dragon bossfight where the dragon uses a wind blast sort of thing and that's when the music changes. Also, I didn't know this till recently, but you don't actually kill the dragon when you obtain the tears

[@hahahahahaha1946]

Side comment, how many of you guys got caught off guard and/or killed by the dragon's wombo combo? Tbh I didn't expect the dragon to swing THAT thing so fast and I actually died to the boss but thankfully I could resurrect.

[@igniii3348]

This music only starts to play when you fight the dragon, the part when the music gets tense is when you get double lighting

[@yiangaruga4928]

This soundtrack is timed in a way that it hits its best parts just when you're about to finish it off with a badass lightning attack. F to all those who couldn't quite get the timing and feel it just right

[@gin9410]

I got the timing perfectly and that feeling I had at the moment is probably one of highest points in Soulsborne I've ever had, it felt so amazing

[@fantomeduchateaux8136]

This is one of Kitamura's finest creations

[@maran947]

In sekiro opposing to the other souls games the world is not yet fallen to destruction and chaos but is about to, and characters again try to avoid the natural flow of things. Which is why most of the song have a lot more humanity or human motives in them. for the most part

[@NobleLeader6]

Idk, it seems more like the character is fighting to restore the natural order, since Kuro asks you to help him end the Dragon's Blessing, and all the endings except the Shura ending are your methods of doing so.

[@maran947]

@@NobleLeader6 Yes but I am talking of Genichiro not of Kuro

[@milarmadiya1989]

I'd love for a music breakdown of corrupted monk from sekiro, i feel it is one of the best tracks from the game and a reaction to it would be awesome

[@cheese5081]

That one is good, personally I think demon of hatred's theme is the best in the game

[@2D_Stranger]

Owl(Father) for me

[@blueshellhater1845]

Yes

[@gastar805]

That and demon of hatred

[@oldboy117]

Great Shinobi > anything

[@howdyh5267]

So I know nothing about music nor sekiro, but I thought it might worth mention: In eastern mythologic dragons(龍'Ryu') are more of a serpent-like creature, they are seen as holy entities and were thought to fly in a flow just like how a serpent move, roaming in sky or in sea. That assending two cord mentioned in 3:00 give me a strong imagery of a Ryu spiralling into heaven, and it feels sooo wild how much music can deliver

[@liaogregor4047]

8:58, I'm just in awe, how can this track be so beautiful

[@cosmic2750]

I love how all Fromsoft's boss music are such you can immediately guess the lore of the boss, be it from Soulsborne, Sekiro, whatever. Also, just some background to the fight: The Divine Dragon *IS* a god. He isn't particularly a "good" character, but he's more of a like, lurking character, important to the story nonetheless. His 'tears' can be used to cure Immortality (it is a curse in Sekiro), the immortality that comes from his own blood. He in fact doesn't even belong in Ashina, he's from somewhere in the West, who came to Ashina somehow (Idrk how). And in coming to Ashina he started the lineage of the 'Dragon's Blood'/'Dragon's Heritage', which chooses this person known as 'Divine Heir', who's like, this sort of super powerful immortal being, and that is the only 'true' kind of immortality in Sekiro, all other forms are just duplicates of trying to replicate the effect of the Divine Dragon's blood. He doesn't play such a big role in the story of the game itself, but in the grander context, Divine Dragon is the reason for how Ashina is right now, and how the story of Sekiro progresses. Listen to more Sekiro. I would recommend Owl (Father), Genichiro Ashina, Demon Of Hatred. Oh and as for Elden Ring, I would recommend you check out the new Margit track (they changed it in full release), as well as Godrick the Grafted.

[@TheSuperRatt]

It's not actually the Divine Dragon's fault. They were brought against their will by the person who stole a cutting from their tree and planted it in Ashina; which bloomed and is responsible for creating the Dragon's Blood lineage. They don't belong in Ashina, in Japan. That's why the land suffers so much from its gift.

[@BeamMonsterZeus]

Remember the game swaps the boss defeat message to reflect the tragedy of this boss and the deep sadness it represents. Gracious gift of tears received, indeed.

[@coreansic2.046]

I recommend Demon of Hatred. It’s my absolute fav track from Sekiro and one of my favourite songs from the whole soulsborne series

[@DaviVasc]

Cool, thank you for recommending it

[@Syphus.99]

That was a bombastically beautiful track. And I learned a lot too! Looking forward to more videos from you soon^^

[@Phoenix-oy3pn]

Gyoubu Oniwa is also a fairly underrated track imo, it might be cool to check out

[@hannahshark8080]

"My naaaame is Gyoubu Masataka Oniiiwaaaaa!"

[@iruga7379]

@@hannahshark8080 WARE ONIWA GYOUBU MASATAKA NARI... Much better in my opinion.

[@juwe7143]

"The Owl" would be the best theme from that game

[@orochi8750]

Awesome video. One of my favorite little touches, because the Dragon uses lightning attacks, there are some hints of thunder in percussion or maybe a straight sample at the parts like 12:45. it just adds a lot of flavor to the already beautiful theme

[@Igneous200]

this theme is fantastic. If you’re looking for more sekiro music then emma, the gentle blade and lady butterfly are fantastic. There’s also sword saint isshin

[@littlekitsune1]

Sekiro has so much flow to it. Both in its combat and its soundtrack. Really beautiful stuff. My favorite track from it is definitely "The Owl", if you'd like to check out another!

[@gediminasmorkys3589]

I beat the Godskin Apostle yesterday, and (now ready for spoilers) went online to look for the track - the chorals really stood out to me. This is how I found your channel, and now I am enjoying the third video (first going through the games I play, ofc). As a person without any musical education, I feel like I learn something fun in each of these. Great content, no filler.

[@DaviVasc]

Great to know you're enjoying it, my friend. Welcome!

[@Sparklydrew]

I was just watching your older soulsborne related videos and was thinking to myself that I really wanted you to do a video on the Divine Dragon OST only to check your videos and find this! What a pleasant suprise

[@DaviVasc]

Hope you enjoyed it :D

[@unusualatmosphere]

Awesome video! Really like how you breakdown music

[@KomradeBaguette]

I can't remember exactly since it's been so long I've played Sekiro, but I think that the divine dragon had quite a sad story and his body is rotting to some degree. That explains all of those sad and tense notes.

[@Aya_Albion]

I’m very interested in your explanations of the harmony and the holding the same chord part. This piece sounds monotonous, but I love the restrained vibe which gives it a sense of quiet beauty, as if the piece is a part of the dragon, and the dragon itself is playing it, rather than this piece being written for the dragon and the fight. “a sense of wonder and a respectful fear”, I think your descriptions are spot on. I feel the mystical vibe which surpasses human understanding. When I listened to Narwa the Allmother theme, I also felt something similar to this vibe. This is such a beautiful boss and theme. Thank you for this amazing video, Davi!

[@Tuxedosnake00]

Gentle Blade from the Sekiro is also a very beautiful track. could you maybe do a reaction too?

[@DaviVasc]

Sure :)

[@CursedToaster134]

great reaction once again! im really happy you checked out some sekiro music, i really recommend checking out owl(father) and demon of hatred too, they are some of the best songs from the game in my opinion.

[@DaviVasc]

Cool, thank you for the suggestions!

[@futsanflier4422]

One of my favourite game tracks. It's beautiful

[@rhanhur7912]

Sekiro! Such a good game with such a good Ost! Amazing Video as always.

[@tsf_skeith6614]

Pretty sure it was the first "peaceful" OST we got from Souls games. I'm glad to say one such track made its way to Elden Ring as well ! Regal Ancestor Spirit is what it's called. Would love for you to check it out sometime !

[@DaviVasc]

Thank you for the suggestion!

[@signa8]

Whoa, KZbin just dropped this into my feed, and I think its from before I found the channel!

[@TheDiggus]

This is a game that I played an absolute ton of but I guess I never managed to pay a lot of attention to it's music because the combat demands such attention to sound. This bossfight might actually be one in which you don't constantly hear the clashing of steel.

[@desertfoxinabox7360]

Another great Sekiro soundtrack is Demon of Hatred, you should check it out! love your work btw

[@Alpha545]

All of this was interesting but your excitement when phase 2 kicks in was great to see :)

[@sandrols7]

I love your reaction! I wonder if you could also do a video on the Owl: Father boss music. it is such an amazing fight with such amazing character!

[@annegilbert4786]

Oi Davi. Two words describe this to me and they are majestic and beautiful! Nice video :)

[@DaviVasc]

Thank you for watching Anne!

[@immortal_jairo88]

The music always makes me cry.

[@marcoasierrabernal4893]

That second phase always gets my tears, is like watching that legend in front of my eyes, the carp swimming up the waterfall gradually becoming a dragon, until at the it becomes mage sting so much that becomes air archiving absolute peace.

[@anobash]

the whole song is like an elegant tale of a wondrous eastern journey

[@Psilo-gn1sx]

Nice, I got here early. Love your Fromsoft stuff!

[@0rteku]

I always love when you guess something with just the music, but this boss is more strange to guess it at all.

[@PuunPuunpp]

Please have a look at Dancer of the Boreal valley if you haven't already. One of the more interesting themes imo as its also a waltz.

[@stringynoodles9151]

I would love a review of the Dragon Slayer Armor

[@johnnojojack-exe]

I love it when you guess the state of the characters based on the music. Have you thought about going through some God of War soundtracks? Both the norse and the old greek games soundtracks? I would love to watch you react to them.

[@johnnojojack-exe]

And more Sekiro, of course!

[@DaviVasc]

Sure, God of War music would be fun

[@ravnkottr]

I highly suggest looking into Making your way home from The Evil Within 2 OST , I can't even properly describe how all encompassing the sense of isolation and 'end of journey' is

[@WhatupitsTetra]

You should absolutely do an analysis of the Owl (Father) theme. Personal favorite from the game.

[@geraldthegoose1685]

I would really love to see you check out both the crimson Fatalis themes from Monster Hunter Frontier

[@MBtooth]

I’ve never played Sekiro but the 2nd phase of the Guardian Ape is haunting, it would be really cool if you could check it out!

[@wobbegong4366]

Please if you haven’t already done so check out the ‘demon of hatred’ ost from Sekiro. That soundtrack is incredible and the lore is awesome.

[@user-cs6vw9ye3r]

shakuhachi is a flute that is originated from China and has passed down to Japan in the Tang dynasty of China and has a sound that can express vast, tranquility, ethereal and desolation is a good representation of the places where players fought the divine dragon; or the divine dragon itself.

[@kunibertrandolf1886]

The duality in there speaks loads for the lore of the dragon once more. In Sekiro, Japan had no "own" dragon at that point as the lands of it where governed by two snakes as deities. The dragon came from a divine cherry tree importet from the outside and kept as a royal heirloom so that only they can disconnect them from their lands flow of life. The dragon chooses a human as an undying embassador, who, in return, can give his blood to others to make them immortal. But as the game prgresses we find out that this isn't an act of benevolence of the dragon but a desperate attemt to grant a human the power to return the dragon to where he belongs. The tree, not coming from these lands rejected the soil occupied by other deities and started withering. The dragon as part of the tree and vise versa also started to corrupt, resulting in the people using him as a source of immortality and power spreading the dragon rot to all people they come in contact with when they reincarnate. When you fight the dragon, you help him in his own reincarnation, severing the rotten and corrupted root followers and rebirthing them as clean, white followers. The first fight is less about fighting itself but fighting FOR the boss, helping him to regain his strenght lost by mistreatment and selfish greed, while the second part is more of the dragon testing you, to see if you can be the one returning order, dancing with him so to say, to see if you are in tune with the dragons wish of return. Even as the fight is over, you don't kill him but only collect a single tear from the exhausted dragon, a key item in an ending that finally returnes the dragon home and ends the dragon heritage along its curse in Japan. The music perfectly fits that. The dragon is no enemy. He is out of place. While divine, he is corrupting due to missuse. And while the first part of the fight, mixes the sadness and divinity of his state, the second part plays into the dragons anticipation of finally being returned to his place and finding a person strong enough to do so.

[@January1983_1]

didn't the divine dragon come from a sakura tree

[@kunibertrandolf1886]

@@January1983_1 that's what I said? Sakura is just japanese for cherry.

[@January1983_1]

@@kunibertrandolf1886 oh

[@alvitto2520]

My favorite track from sekiro by far is emma the fentle blade! It’s so sad and beautiful

[@nadiablackrose87]

Hey new to this channel but definitely liking and subbing anyways I feel like you should react to sekiro the owl fathers team also disclaimer don't get it confused with great Shinobi cuz its the same boss but he uses different strategies

[@jussieronen3707]

Basically in the lore as you defeat the divine dragon, he grants you his invaluable tears as a gift for doing so. So you pretty much got it right just by listening to the soundtrack

[@PaszerDye]

Many people have already commented about the dragon's role in the lore, but I can't help but gush or just lose myself everytime I here this theme. The dragon was driven from its original home for one reason or another. Though it's blood has negatively affected the characters & land of Sekiro, it has never done anything explicitly wrong. The 1st phase speaks of its undeniable existence in the same way as a natural force, which commands wonder yet asks no justification to simply be, while 2nd phase is the demonstration of the power of said force which leaves mortals in awe and aware of their small place in the natural world. In the same way you look at a volcano, the Divine Dragon is a natural force of inspiration, creation, and destruction that will endure and outlast countless generations of people, as nature does. Also, if you haven't yet, I recommend Sekiro OST, Great Shinobi Owl, and Owl the Father. There is a bit of shared progression from the 1st into the 2nd track, since you fight version 1, Great Shinobi 1st, and then version 2, Owl the Father. Great Shinobi has a deceptive feel in general and gives the impression of cloak & dagger maneuvering, while Owl the Father has a tough yet doting melody that bears all truths and soars with pride by the end. And in the off chance, I also recommend Gravity Rush OST, which was composed by Kohei Tanaka, who is also known for his works in the long-running anime series of One Piece. He made a lot of great music for those games.

[@solidsnake9898]

Please do one for Gyoubo Madataka Oniwa! Most underrated theme imo!

[@TheWerelf]

what do you think about Iceborne's Hoarfrost reach battle theme? It's called Roars across the Hinterlands

[@mmmohyeah281]

I hope you react to more sekiro tracks. The soundtrack is amazing.

[@armaani11]

This is one of my favorite boss fights of all time. Its very easy, but everything about it beautiful and soundtrack just adds up to that beauty. For me, Divine Dragon is definitely the most beautiful boss fight of all time and I'm very thankful that from soft made it actually easy so that we can just sit back and enjoy the spectacle unfolding before us. Even freaking shinobi execution is beautiful. Just look at how gracefully Wolf's hand moves as he collects the tears.

[@DaviVasc]

Absolutely. Every single movement looks so elegant.

[@suicidalkangarooz]

Man, I'd love to get your reaction to some Okami music.

[@nathancollier4751]

Yes sekiro amazing game! You will really enjoy it

[@aii_chacheyyy9466]

I'm curious about something. So the song have conclusion of their own. How do they manage the song to end together with the boss. Do they repeat certain parts or the whole song or any methods else?

[@xunding]

since you are doing sekiro now, i would suggest demon of hatred, corrupted monk and great shinobi + the owl. The last two songs are slight alterations of each other.

[@DaviVasc]

Thank you for he suggestions, xunding

[@shindaku8286]

Please make a video on emma the gentle blade's theme. My personal favourite track sekiro has blessed us with.

[@DaviVasc]

Thank you for the suggestion :D

[@kilbofragginz2613]

I'd love to see a breakdown of Velkhana's theme from Iceborne

[@killerb359]

Hey Davi, so I have been thinking alot about becoming a video game composer like you, I have realized how much i love music and instrumentals and I have always loved video games, but I have no idea where to start. Idk if I have to go to school. Or idk, if you could make a video explaining what you did or something like that, that would be amazing

[@DaviVasc]

You definitely don't need to go to school.1# Learn music, 2# post your music in social media often, 3# make some game dev friends and get involved in the community. But yeah, I might do a video about that.

[@blitzgirl6522]

Just noticed the piano that is in the last half/third of the track. Little nod to other godly SoulsBorne figures like Gwyn?

[@TheDark-ny9qo]

Demon of heatred for the nex one ?

[@TeNou7]

please do more sekiro music. especially the main (menu) theme

[@bastardog7998]

Ori and The Will of the Wisps have Bloodborne-lvl or even better OSTs too..i'd love to see you do one of them.

[@teero121]

So glad I found your channel. I am really enjoying the content and wish you all the best for your KZbin journey. If I may make a suggestion, check out a song from the anime Attack on Titan and give it a listen. It has a weird title "進撃st-hrn-egt20130629巨人" and it is made out of two parts. The second part that starts around 2 minutes and 15 seconds into the song is really good and I thought that you might enjoy it.

[@captaint.tearex9279]

"check out a song from the anime Attack on Titan" *Extremely bad take*

[@MightyMyna]

He only does game music.

[@TopazIngenious]

*sees Davi Vasc upload a video* *Sekiro music* Reset the clock! 🤣 But on a serious note: Keep doing what you do.

[@TopazIngenious]

Another note: I didn’t know this theme was this good!

[@DaviVasc]

Thank you friend

[@cagrgunduz9934]

Can you do Dancer of the Boreal Valley? It is known for off timings.

[@donkykong9880]

Please react to Gut's Theme from Berserk. Soulsborne games are heavily inspired by this manga!

[@geraldthegoose1685]

I really love Sekiro especially the Divine Dragon, the dragon is not hard which is very appropriate for the lore behind in that its a spiritual creature

[@stefan-vb4qu]

I think you should try to listen to the demon of hatred ost! It's, I think, the most beautiful music of the game

[@jerzysuchenek264]

I also recommend the Owl (Father) theme from sekiro

[@AMYusuf6969]

I think you should also try listen to "The Owl" from Sekiro 🙂

[@Churi_Venatriss]

How did your perception of the dragon/fight compare to the actual thing?

[@DaviVasc]

Looks similar to what I imagined. Very elegant and ethereal.

[@calvinbowman3289]

Ghost of tsushima way of the ghost next! And pleeease do slave knight gael, I'm sure we've all been begging

[@phillippereira8239]

Check out Godrick The Grafted from Elden Ring!

[@zmoon9764]

Isshin Sword saint theme breakdown please

[@kanera37]

you need listen on video father gascoigne theme and artorias theme. these are incredable

[@darkhait]

ah finally sekiro, can you reacted with owl (father) boss battle theme?

[@DaviVasc]

sure

[@suugeshinoby]

Dude try persona 5 song, i want you to talk about it since i love your vids

[@no5565]

Deliverance from god of war or midirs theme from ds3. Or maybe abyss watchers if you haven’t

[@victorribeiro6772]

Oh... I can't wait to see you talk about a certain monkey hehe

[@LacoSinfonia]

You should react to the Valkyrie Gondul’s theme from God of War (2018). It’s unreleased so it’s only on KZbin. It’s so primal in a feminine way. It’s absolutely sick

[@EhrenRich]

Can you hear Godrick The Grafted/ The golden from Elden Ring

[@elgringofeo9348]

That's interesting that some music doesn't necessarily need a melody to be consistent, I heard a Venezuela tribe song with a 2 flutes and maracas and the melody was never perfect

[@grimreefer213]

I don’t understand how you can hear individual notes, I have to really search to hear the chords you are pointing out. It must be the headphones that i’m wearing compared to yours. With better headphones I can hear more but I can barely make out individual sounds unless i’m misunderstanding what you’re pointing out.

[@micahjoneshawaii]

You should listen to starscurge rohdan from Elden ring

[@yams7355]

I would love to see you cover something weird, like 666 Kill Chop Deluxe from LISA

[@Reybackk]

Abyss Watchers maybeee?

[@RatBurger007]

please do more sekiro

[@Igoorboy]

do 'great shinobi owl'!

[@FourthyThe2nd]

yuka kitamura is my god

[@bdizzle7072]

Sekiro is a bit different than Soulsborne games, enough that a lot of people don't group Sekiro with them as the same despite it being a Fromsoftware title. It has a single set character, a definitive story (with a few branching endings), fewer rpg mechanics, and much deeper characters. The divine dragon, as you thought, is a bit more benevolent than the standard Fromsoftware boss and is an enemy you don't kill when you defeat it, rather taking a "Gracious Gift of Tears" from it (that message standing in the place of the usual "shinobi execution" that typically pops up at the end of a boss fight). The music and atmosphere is much different in Sekiro, and you might find a greater variety of music compared to Soulsborne titles. There's a lot of personality in the music of Sekiro, and a greater reliance on returning motifs since some of the characters appear in multiple locations and fights as well as a reflection of the player character's standing, since the character is defined for once.

[@2D_Stranger]

React to Owl(Father) not the Great Shinobi owl. Genichiro's ost.

[@yukadsfa]

You’re about to have a field day with Elden ring

[@DaviVasc]

I come from the future to tell you that you were correct

[@mavvynne444]

Hey bro, can you react to Hellsing Ultimate Monster of God theme? Thanks

[@stringynoodles9151]

Can you do a review on the dancer of the boreal valley

[@lucasvinicis6059]

Great vídeo bro, look nier automata "beautiful song"