Super Smash Bros Brawl's main theme is such an operatic banger

[@itsyaboi.1645]

The brawl theme had no reason to ever go this hard

[@marche800]

That's what you get when you hire Nobuo Uematsu

[@Strato5]

So glad they did tho ❤

[@wolfpack_104]

Not to mention Brawl's Final Destination score. Pure final boss energy

[@meemee2832gokubettertbh]

and yet people call LifeLight a anime theme, lifelight may have lyrics that can be understanded but brawl theme delivers so hard

[@Mari_Izu]

@@meemee2832gokubettertbh And "anime" is not even a musical genre, people are idiots.

[@CefcaPalazzo]

I remember when Brawl first came out and I thought the main theme was so epic, I looked up version with lyrics and everything. Lots of people seem to be vocal about brawl being bad but I suppose that's mostly for competitive players. I absolutely loved Brawl.

[@AkaiAzul]

Brawl is a party game and a single player epic. But that wasn't what the most *vocal* of players wanted. Me? I just want fun, and that's Brawl.

[@Surdjak]

Awesome single player experience and lot of fun to be had with all the multiplayer options. It just wasn't geared toward competitive play, which is what makes a fighting game stay relevant for a long time

[@AkaiAzul]

@@Surdjak I mean, there are plenty of non-competitive games we still talk about, such as this one, it's music, and hell, I love Adventure Mode, critics be danged.

[@GHOSTD475]

bro same brawl was great

[@arthapz]

best smash party game, worst smash competitive game

[@xXthevenomousXx]

In high school, I convinced my choir teacher to let us sing this one semester. I got to do the tenor solo bit, and it was just a lot of fun.

[@realbartsimpson]

based

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

That sounds friggin amazing. Your teacher was awesome for letting you do that.

[@KING_LINK]

Teacher: 🗿

[@GeekMasterGames]

The song reflects the story of the best game mode in SSBB: The Subspace Emissary, where Nintendo characters from across franchises, friends and enemies, must unite together and defeat a common enemy, gaining a new respect for each other in the process.

[@warcheddar4163]

the subspace emissary was goated

[@suerte1392]

@@warcheddar4163 Ultimate's story mode left me so down.

[@kingofflames738]

​​@@suerte1392imagine an Ultimate sized Subspace Emissary

[@rockowlgamer631]

Except Samus and Ridley, never gonna get along.

[@GigaChadsAreReal]

​@@suerte1392I liked it just as much as I did with Subspace. Ngl the ending basically meant all the characters are going back to their own universes, meaning the end of Smash Bros and tbh, It was due time

[@yoshiaki12452]

As a Japanese, I think this song should have been used in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

[@thelostmessenger]

Absolutely

[@Soup-man]

Holy shit, that's a good idea

[@saramartinez5872]

A brilliant idea

[@CA120N3]

Bro

[@MeitanteiKevin]

They used the Dragon Quest Theme didn't they? Pretty good choice too imo :D especially because Dragon Quest is so huge in Japan

[@spaceyisspacedout1920]

To me, this is THE theme of Smash Bros. as a whole. I feel it just fits the whole series well. While Ultimate's Lifelight is also a wonderful musical piece, nothing I feel will ever beat Brawl. It just has a special magic to it that cant be replicated.

[@Sauraen]

Lifelight had an advantage in terms of presentation though. Throughout the leadup to Ultimate, we only heard the version with the orchestra and "ahh" choir. But once we all knew the music, in the very final trailer, which introduced World of Light, they revealed that the theme had lyrics all along.

[@thelostmessenger]

@@Sauraen I wish they released the version sung in the Smash trailer with inkling

[@cassowary1817]

My main downside to Lifelight is that its almost like it was specifically made for the World of Light trailer. The lyrical version doesn't work nearly as well as that trailer in any point of the actual game it's used. And its non-lyrical versions can't catch the depth of different feelings the Brawl main theme can use for its derivatives despite a huge quality and presentation upgrade due to Brawl's just evoking a wider range of positive and negative emotions with both music and lyrics.

[@ArkFisted]

song needs to be featured in your 'Opera Singer/Conductor Reacts to VGM' series

[@RogersBase]

One of my favorite Nintendo themes of all time and composed by the legendary Nobuo Uemtasu too! 🙌

[@stryfe7467]

Roger in the wild?! 👀

[@thecringeprophet]

@@stryfe7467guess so

[@JJBerthume]

ROGER!!!!

[@forsagebone]

I love this Smash Bros theme so much. It's super nostalgic. Every time I hear it I always think back to the times when I was a kid, waking up to my brother playing Smash Bros Brawl every morning on the weekends.

[@OfficialTigerino]

If I remember right the tenor singer for this song is also a big gamer and a fan of the series, and said was absolutely ecstatic when he got the part.

[@CGFillertext]

I like to think that the lyrics are describing Meta Knight (legendary guy with a sword that is feared and revered). You can’t get much more feared and revered than the intergalactic swordsman in SS tier

[@piccoroz]

Nah, its Kirby, always the most feared eldritch knightmare.

[@Sauraen]

Like how the lyrics to Lifelight are describing the Sora reveal trailer? :)

[@rush99]

Considering how the intro is, that's probably true

[@dynawesome]

Especially since he's one of the villains of the game's story

[@stryfe7467]

I love how the song essentially represents what Smash is, really. Where you might might look up to someone and at the same time, be unnerved by them due to their skill. Excellent analysis as always, Marco 🙂

[@graytoyota1283]

Always fun to see Marco go full opera mode

[@Panzerschreck9]

Brawl specifically means so much to me for many reasons, being it was my first smash game, it blew my little baby mind realizing characters from different games could be in one awesome fighting game, and that it made me and my cousin create the strongest bond I've ever had with a person in my life until he moved to a different state in 2016... and I never seen him since... the greatest memory of my life was him and my other cousin spending the night at my house playing all night and now, watching this video and understanding the lyrics in English read "Now that person stands at my side Now my friends are with me Some of them were once heroes Some, my mortal enemies And as we face each other in battle, locked in combat We shine ever brighter" Legitimately made me almost cry cuz it reminded me of that night

[@arach6199]

It was composed by Uematsu and Shogo Sakai (Mother and Kirby series is what I know him from) to help explain why it turned out so memorable.

[@krysmphoenix6010]

Beyond this amazing song, the whole soundtrack did something unheard of. Composers from across many video game franchises popped in to to remixes. This game was a grand union in so many ways, and this over the top theme is a prefect example.

[@macabrevoid]

Marco SSBB cover? 👀 This song has always held a dear place in my heart for it being so unlike anything I heard of when I was young with huge orchestras and a hauntingly beautiful choir. You going through this piece of music feels like a chef analyzing and telling me why my favorite food from my childhood is so good and has the effect that it has. Really awesome analysis dood and it’s awesome to see how hype and into you get with the music you go through. Keep up the awesome work!

[@BJGvideos]

I'd love to hear him cover this!

[@royjonzejr]

Man I've been waiting months for this one. Nobuo Uematsu just decided to drop in and remind everyone why he's the GOAT (arguably)

[@fairiegirl2992]

Brawl had an absolute chokehold on my teenaged brain. I would go to the smash bros dojo website EVERY DAY either before or after school to look for updates on the Subspace Emissary mode. I was counting down the days to when it came out, I was doodling fanart...yeah, obsessed might be the best word to describe me. Brawl got me through a really rough patch in my life. It was my escape to a world where I had a whole cast of friends who didn't care what was going on in my life, they just liked me for me. I loved the story mode, so much, since it brought everyone together and they all had to put aside their differences to fight a common foe. This theme has so much nostalgia for me, and honestly, of the five Smash Bros themes, I think this one is the best. Melee and 64 are great for nostalgia, but after that, I think they were like..."Well, we can't top Brawl at this point!"

[@WreckItRolfe]

I would just go to the Dojo site at school

[@soconapleura]

Crazy that you hadn't yet covered this one, but I'm really glad you did. And yes, we do love opera

[@leonsdx]

This track was one of the tracks that hooked me VGM as a kid. I'll love it my whole life 😊

[@ariwl1]

Lol. I played this game for years and this is the first time I actually heard the lyrics. They actually really speak to the heart of what Smash is about. This was fun!

[@supremesonicbrazil]

I'm so glad you stop the music to comment on it, I was on the verge of bawling during the acapella section, it just hits me so hard every freaking time. That's how powerful it is.

[@LegitLord2000]

Probably my first opera style music that I ever really heard and it has always held a special place in my heart. Yesss sing it, give us a cover 😆

[@sanfransiscon]

Brawl is one of the most iconic songs of my childhood as the game I played the most with my friends, especially with the huge story mode and the stage builder.

[@AHylianWarrior]

Love it when opera is in modern video game music. For a long time I never knew that the lyrics were an actual language but then again I was young I was just like "yooo this is hype" back then without paying attention lol

[@CountMonsparkle]

5:27 OMELET PREVAIL!

[@1Henrink]

I remember at the time of this game searching for translations and each one said different things. But the incredible part is that we can still feel the heroic motion they want to push without knowing the lyrics.

[@honjohorikoshi]

Back in the Wii days, I used to go to the map maker in Brawl just so I scroll through the music and re-listen to Brawl's Main theme along with the Fire Emblem Music as well and would just dance around and try my best to sing along with the opera. While I had listened to some opera music before then and already had some interest in it, Brawl reignited the interest and love and made me appreciate it far more than I even realized at the time. The opera was an amazing choice and it made it feel like you were doing more than just playing a video game with famous characters; you were embarking on an epic adventure fighting along side true legends of their worlds, it never seemed possible yet here they are standing right next to you.

[@DaNintendude]

Man, hearing this for years and years as a kid, and then finally finding out what the lyrics meant... it hit so hard. Like I loved the song as a kid, but until a few years ago, I had no idea what the song was actually about. To know this masterpiece of a song has such a touching message just touched me really hard, and I still find myself tearing up a bit listening to it. I've heard legends of this hero. He's so strong and powerful. But I don't fear him. Together we don't fear him. Because he is on our side, and he is us. Some of us were friends, some mortal enemies. But together, as we fight, we are strong. I'm actually not a huge fan of Smash, or fighting games in general. And I think Brawl's story mode has some flaws. But the idea of all these unrelated characters teaming up to fight a bigger threat is just so amazing. It's like the Avengers, but the Avengers aren't just a group of powerful heroes. They're all your friends, and all your enemies, and all of their friends and enemies too. All of them are together. I'd honestly be down for a Smash side-game that focuses solely on a story mode. Because man, it's so awesome.

[@islandboy9381]

I stilll dream of a Smash Bros where it's just a platformer/beat em up game, it would be so chaotic but idc 😂

[@TribalKiwi]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl was my entire childhood growing up. I spent endless hours playing with family and friends, grinding out Subspace Emissary, and toiling so hard to make the perfect map in that Map Maker. I remember never skipping the intro just so I could listen to that majestic song. Every time I hear it, it sends shivers down my spine and fills me with such juvenile excitement, taking me back to my younger days. You absolutely nailed the feeling of this song, and I am so thankful you did this video. There's simply so much to love about SSBB's theme that makes it so timeless and magnificent. It is, in my opinion, among the finest VGM we have to date. That being said, have you perchance heard of a song called Baba Yetu? That's another childhood classic of mine that is absolutely worth a listen. It was written by Christopher Tin for the game Sid Meier's Civilization IV, a staple in the Civilization series of video games. I would heavily recommend checking it out!~ Thanks again, Marco for the lovely videos you make! Always a good day when you upload.

[@sanfransiscon]

I somehow forgot Baba Yetu was for Civ 4. I just remember singing it in high school choir class!

[@yautl1]

I don't know if he's done a video on it specifically but he definitely knows of it; he's used it a couple times in some of his "showing game music to non-gamer musicians" series

[@TribalKiwi]

@yautl1 Ooo, he has? I must have missed those uploads. I need to go and find those videos, then. Thank you for letting me know!

[@Palasid11]

I think you put it best when you said this song was Reverent. For the greatest crossover of its time, it loved its cast (Some more than others), but there was so much heart in it and its music.

[@gamerkingdom1442]

Daaaaaam… I honestly forgot about this masterpiece. It’s the most OPERA song I’ve ever heard in a video game! And the added touch that you KNOW LATIN, to finally know what there singing about! Nice…

[@Jav4nos]

It was great seeing you just having so much fun with the song at the end. Keep doin what you love Marco!

[@drpaimon2369]

Such a gorgeous piece of vgm. One of my favourites.

[@Lighthammer18]

You really baited me with the 2 seconds of sing-along at the start and I'm so happy you continued towards the end. So amazing!

[@reecekountouri4510]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is the single greatest musical piece in video game history, I’m unintentionally on a conquest to watch every SSBB theme video on the internet

[@GLC-93]

Highly recommend “songo de volaire” and “baba yetu” by Christopher tin from civilization

[@Strato5]

I love how jazzy the trumpet fade out is at 7:47! 🎺 Thank you for this vid Marco, such an epic op and such a fantastic tone setter. ❤

[@teiyuthegoat]

I'm sorry but... I just can't unhear the words from the "misheard lyrics" I watched a thousand times back then. "I'll be the Marth (e.g. noob)! This is Yoshi's B! This monkey wants to hug him!"

[@TheSnowconeMachine]

Brawl was my first Smash Bros game, and oh god, I'd ALWAYS loved the opening! It truly felt so EPIC! Opera has been making a huge comeback in videogame soundtracks, and I am SOOOO HERE FOR IT! It's a beautiful piece, and I hope there will be many more.

[@OtakuDeCarnitas109]

Fun fact: this theme was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

[@gamerkingdom1442]

For real!? Well, it explains why’s so good… 😅

[@johnny_boi5456]

No way!

[@chengvang4690]

This song always had that person staring at the display demo at Targets and Walmarts. Song is iconic and memorable.

[@xRoboRedx]

Song is one of the best SSB songs but man I'm just sitting here with a big goofy smile on my face watching Marco getting into and singing along with the chorus. Glad you're having a good time.

[@creeperkinght1144]

This song, this very song, was the thing that got me into epic tier classical and opera music.

[@robinvuorinen9402]

This was my childhood, oh my god thanks for covering it

[@willonapop6184]

This song was the first one for me, I mean the one that got me to really start listening to music instead of it being a background thought. I have been listening to music with a keener ear ever since. It means a lot to me and it nice to see you cover it. Thank you.

[@koji8872]

Two Planets Approach the Roche Limit from Kirby and the Forgotten Land goes in really hard with the vocals too even if there are no words, it's super powerful, cannot recommend it enough especially since it's underrated

[@snowflake_18]

I revisited Smash Brawl like a month ago, GOSH the nostalgia of that theme hit me so freaking hard. You're the perfect person to have covered this theme ngl, what a banger it is. Made the entire experience feel kinda epic- as all opera does lol Edit: Finished the vid, definitely the right person to have heard this 😂 Ya described it perfectly too, it's amazing wordpainting fr

[@runevarkevisser7289]

Great video! Love hearing more about this song. I didn't even know it had lyrics, haha

[@JullOxW]

Been quite a while since I've watched one of your video (irl time issues mostly). And the quality has only improved since last time. Love your work Marco, keep going!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Welcome back!

[@JullOxW]

@@MarcoMeatball Hehe thanks! Can't catch up with everything but a few caught my eyes already ;)

[@citrusblast4372]

Wow those lyrics are cool

[@nat_sukashii]

YESSSSS!!!! Don't get me wrong, Smash Ultimate intro is good.... BUT BRAWL OMG blblbllblblll I have been screaming this to my smash bros brothers they won't understand how GOOD the chanting is aaaaaaaaaaaa

[@genericnamehere7602]

This theme is so good, it can mentally and emotionally place you on the battlefield, fighting alongside and against legends, champions and heroes.

[@BadyearOakarus]

this makes me want to go back and watch some old mis-heard lyrics videos people made for brawl

[@Chalycees]

hearing you cover this would be so awesome!

[@Garland41]

I would bet that this is the same group of artistis and muscians that perform the old Fire Emblem Commercial operatically. The commercial is 30 seconds long, but there is a fully released version of the song out there.

[@Lukz243]

Such a banger of a theme. I can't help singing it whenever I hear it

[@Mortal2064]

How have you NOT made a video on this song until now?? A legendary piece of gaming music, AND it's an orchestra with a choir? Well, better late than never. Glad to see you, Mr meatball.

[@DarkWarrior0175]

This is *The song* of Smash. Melee fans dont bother try to change my opinion.

[@Third7Plays]

Best smash main theme HANDS DOWN

[@giovannamoretti4001]

It’s cool having a opera singer break down this amazing song 🙌

[@atoafriend]

Brawl had the best story mode for any PvP game ever. The story of Subspace Emissary really contextualizes the lyrics of the main theme.

[@commandergs1390]

Titanfall 2’s is really good

[@insertnamehere6659]

My favorite theme from my favorite Smash title. If you would indulge my overthinking for a moment. The lyrics are what make this song to me. Yes, the opera did an immaculate job with their performance, and the music (especially the strings and percussion) mixes it all together, but those *lyrics.* They're powerful, they're relevant to the subject matter, they get their point across without being direct and soulless, they are poignant, filled with gravitas and are INSPIRING. It really makes it feel like yes, these are revered fighters, legends, heroes, villains, coming together in a union, a brotherhood of martial culture, a kind of respect that can only be found between fellow warriors. Meanwhile Ultimate's theme feels... aimless in comparison. Tells you a bit about the game's shallow story mode, and... that's it. No galvinization, no rip-roaring setpiece, nothing that gets you in the same mindset as Brawl's theme. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[@thelostmessenger]

I absolutely agree. Lifelight holds nothing to Brawl's theme. It sounded promising in the first Ultimate teaser back when Inkling was revealed but the end product was not as good as I wanted it to be. Especially World of Light. Brawl had unique, detailed areas, character interaction and cutscenes but Ultimate just was a glorified event mode. I understand the character quantity affected things quite a bit but it was still a let down.

[@tarnishedsouls7976]

I was hoping to ser you sing this one a bit and I was not dissaponted ! Such an amazing video, an amazing voice and it was fun seeing you have a blast with one of my childhood favourite theme 🤌🏻

[@technoneko8108]

Songs like this is probably what sparked my love for classical especially for me being at such a young age when this came out.

[@damacattack8434]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl completely turned Smash Bros. from a celebration of Nintendo's history to a celebration of the history of videogames.

[@boat378]

One of the first games I had on the original Wii. It was also an era of the internet where flash animations of misheard lyrics were prevalent on this particular piece, so I can never unhear "Call me papa! Hee hee hoo!" 😂

[@dugoo3405]

I enjoyed this video so much :) Even as a Smash Brothers fan since Brawl I never knew the translation of the lyrics!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you liked it :)

[@andrelopez3321]

Loved this theme, I remember making custom maps and always choosing this track for them.

[@IvoryMadness.]

One of my top 10 VGM, for sure! Great video!

[@Matt_0001]

Love this. You had the same reactions to this as I did first hearing it when I was 10

[@Rixstarian]

The main theme is so celebratory & uplifting. Many fans of the franchise will say Brawl isn't their favorite for mechanical gameplay reasons. My friends. This game gave us the Bramble Blast rendition of Stickerbrush Symphony. It has the hands down best single player content for Smash. There's lots to like.

[@xeruexe1624]

See this is the reason why I keep coming back to your channel. I never knew there was this story to this theme. All my life I used to think the lyrics were all just gibberish.

[@BJGvideos]

It gives a translation over the end credits when you beat the story mode.

[@xeruexe1624]

@@BJGvideos We never really did the story mode, we just bashed each other off the stage mostly (Pikachu is so cheap in a 4-way). But even so, it's not really what I'm getting at. I wouldn't even think that this intro has such a narrative, that it could have a story of it's own, even if I knew what the lyrics were.

[@BJGvideos]

@@xeruexe1624 haha that's one way to play

[@rodneybuckentime4838]

Hey Marco! Great content as always. I am still holding out for a Deep Rock Galactic OST reaction.. Here's my top 5 picks if you do. Horrors of Hoxxes, Fathomless Tomb, Dance of the Dreadnought, Echoes of the Past, and Prospector's Journey. all of the tracks are absolute gold (no pun intended) in my opinion. I would absolutely love to see you react to them, which is why I wrote this comment. Rock and stone to the bone! Also completely unrelated: Ragtime from the game Don't Starve is pretty cool

[@thelostmessenger]

This game really made me love opera like nothing else in the world. Also the music in Eternal Diva the Professor Layton

[@bicboyjoy]

You know it's good when it got 7 year olds across the world to love opera

[@TBoneTony]

How to describe Brawl's misheard lyrics???? My only love was Whinnie Pooh. I'm only Five Million There's four people, see Foreman. There are four people speeding, Omelet prevail.

[@CybertrooperOfficial]

nah the omelette line is THEY ARE THE PEOPLE FEEDING OMMLETS IN HEELLLL

[@d3structi]

A great theme with plenty of different arrangements in Brawl alone.

[@Schwaby69]

Nobuo Uematsu is a master of his craft. This was a fantastic breakdown of the song.

[@crownlessking101]

Wow I never really knew this had lyrics to it like that. Makes it much more powerful and makes sense based off the game

[@syn_amin]

this is a comment completely unrelated to the video, but i figured i could comment here since there’s other music minded/enjoying people here. i was listening thru hoyoverse’s sumeru soundtrack, specifically the song titled “unyielding witness.” in the first few seconds of the song, the melody that plays is that of the beginning of “devastation and redemption - fleeting colors in flight.” it divulges from the latter piece quickly, but i couldn’t help but be astounded to hear the same melody multiple patches after that song came out. hoyoverse does an amazing job with their music and i love that you acknowledge that on your channel, marco :)

[@Devsization]

Every time I played brawl I almost never skipped the theme, it was the perfect welcome to smash 💥🙌🏻

[@Doctor_Bamias]

Nintendo really cooked with this theme

[@Tryon_00]

Che ricordi Super Smash. Grazie per questo video Marco!

[@SiriusJuanForte]

Yooooo he finally covered this song

[@dan74695]

You should react to the Smash Bros. Brawl version of the Fire Emblem theme, it was performed by the same orchestra, choir and soloists as Brawl's main theme.

[@RETTA27]

3:47 goosebumps.

[@bestbladerevah]

this literally explains the story of the game

[@bitterman213]

Denim rendering technology peaked with brawl Mario’s overalls

[@Benevolent_Fafnir]

I love those memes where the newer games all have anime intros, but people keep going back to Brawl because it’s actually inspiring.

[@Supermario3607]

Song gives me goosebumps every time 😩

[@MadSwedishGamer]

Ooh, nice! Always loved the Brawl music, and I'd usually never skip the opening cinematic when booting up just to get to hear this song.

[@onirosis298]

yk you got a great childhoud just by knowing this theme

[@theslayer2360]

Super Smash Bros Brawl still has the best opening in my opinion. Always delivers 👏

[@SaeWhat21]

He needs to see the mistranslated lyrics video of the brawl theme its hilarious

[@Wolfsinger96]

Bro brought in some Nemorino. As a tenor myself, you got my respect.

[@TNight00]

Super smash bros brawl and melee are my childhood thanks for hear this masterpiece

[@Zeek0079]

Brawl definitely has the best theme

[@strasbourgeois1]

This man has a mighty voice when in tenor