Metal Gear Rising's Music is Brilliant - And Here's Why!

[@Zetact_]

Something wild is that the boss themes actually are each only on about a 2 minute loop, but you wouldn't notice because the composition is so energetic and they use various parts of the loop dynamically.

[@lastpringle8904]

And most of the time you're in the fight for so long that it feels longer That's probably why you're never in a boss fight thinking "Will this fight just end already?"

[@justinbutcher1126]

Huh so Raiden has been winning the boss fights in like 2 minutes?

[@Ocoro_]

​@@justinbutcher1126It makes more sense, realistically speaking, sword fights in the middle ages were extremely short

[@temp3608]

''Hey do you know how to do this style of music?'' ''Nn-Yeah!'' ''Great you're hired!'' And then he proceeded to make some of the best video game OSTs of all time.

[@gdassspar6nar]

Sadly,it sounds pretty lame for my taste

[@funnybones98]

⁠​⁠@@metal_fusionEven if he's wrong, just remember we can't fret over every egg.

[@Dimumouto]

I'm glad you brought up The War Still Rages Within. It's not a boss theme, so it often gets missed out by a lot of people, but it's the perfect capstone to MGR from a philosophical standpoint. It is essentially Raiden asking himself the questions the song itself poses. If Raiden didn't follow his own path and decide to attack World Martial HQ (and thus leaving his own PMC group), what would have happened? "Always struggling with the truth of the life that might have been". He was, while believing he was doing good, a cog in a system that would've let World Martial and Desperado go through with their plans, but decided he wanted to fight his own fight. And I feel that's where some people might be in their own lives; they're doing something good, that they believe in, while knowing they're just a small cog in a larger machine that may one day end up using them. But hopefully they will realize that you can't always follow the machine and must strike out on your own, even if it means the path you take is filled with hardship. And that leads back into asking yourself the what ifs, buts, and maybes. You can never know what your actions (or inaction) will lead to, and you can keep asking yourself those questions, but the "fights" in our modern day aren't going to stop to let you figure them out. You put yourself on this path, so walk the rest of the way, no matter where it leads. And though I might be one person, I like it when people delve deeper into the meanings behind stuff in video games/anime. There's a lot of interpretation one could gain from seeing a video discussing something that they may or may not agree with and come out the other end with a slightly different view or a new appreciation for something.

[@kingbash6466]

MGR probably has my favorite usage of vocals in boss fights out of any game. Not only are they kinetic as hell, they also tie-in incredibly well with the characters you're fighring against.

[@TerryB01]

The music sells the story so well,

[@maddiestratus]

I think the overall message of Metal Gear Rising can be summed up in just four words: *Why. We. Keep. Going.* Every character in the game has their own answer to that question of why they keep going. Blade Wolf keeps going because he wants his life to finally be his own. Raiden and Armstrong keep going for what they believe in. Sundowner keeps going basically for the fun of it. Mistral keeps going because she wants to find her place in the world. Monsoon keeps going because... why not? Khamsin keeps going just because he's told to. Sam doesn't even know why he keeps going. The game asks the question and gives you a cast that represents all the different possible answers.

[@APubescent13YearOld]

Who tf is khamsin

[@onlyechadtherebellious2467]

@@APubescent13YearOldExactly, his character is the embodiment of what soldiers are. They fulfill duties before vanishing and being forgotten. He's a DLC character from Blade Wolf's story who is also a cyborg wind of destruction.

[@aso3094]

I discovered MGR:R through it's music, thanks to memes in the MGS community. Trying the games, I found them surprisingly philosophical and enjoyable. Characters like Monsoon and songs like Collective Consciousness made me think a lot. People often follow patterns and memes, clash over ideals, and claim to be logical, but when you accept that's just life, it can be beautiful. That's why I love this franchise, and I enjoy your content too. I like your style very much. Exquisite!

[@dejinnthedjinn5311]

My favorite track will forever be The Only Thing I Know for Real.

[@BladeMaster84]

BUUURY THE LIIIIGHT DEEP WITHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!

[@jtherealmccoy5309]

MEMORIES BROKEN

[@BladeMaster84]

CAAST ASIIIDE THERE'S NO COOOMIIING HOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!

[@dejinnthedjinn5311]

@@jtherealmccoy5309 THE TRUTH GOES UNSPOKEN

[@chukyuniqul]

Personally I like red sun for its gleeful love for destruction

[@josueveguilla9069]

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance? Awesome. That game brings back so many happy memories.

[@SamTheGumMan117]

The osts and especially music during the boss battles is so damn fire I wanted the fights to last longer just so I could keep listening to them but overall the soundtrack is wicked sick

[@Crocogator]

On the topic of MGR's dynamic music, I want to give a special shoutout to the original X-Wing and TIE Fighter games. The MUSE system was incredible, with musical cues signalling things happening in the missions. You hear the imperial march interrupt the combat music, you know something big (star destroyer) warped in to make things complicated.

[@alexm9603]

I kinda wonder if you can represent a few of the metal gear rising songs with the 5 stages of grief, with the war still rages within being acceptance, explaining why it's much calmer.

[@Noriaki-fc7sm]

Stains of time being denial maybe? Trying to let go of it all, but it keeps coming back in an infinite cycle of denial?

[@SirYeetU]

Only thing i know for real is acceptance?

[@Ocoro_]

A Stranger I remain: Denial Stains of Time: Anger Red Sun: Bargaining The Only Thing I Know For Real: Depression It has to be this way: Acceptance

[@thelastcrow5660]

So when are you going to stop talking about Rising? MangaKamen: *Yes.*

[@Jay-ln1co]

I always imagined the music is on from the start with Sam because it is the final stage of their fight. You fought Sam at the beginning, had a psychological duel in Denver, and when you meet him in the badlands, it's the final stage of the fight. So the music is on from the start. Likewise with Armstrong, the final fight in the ruins of EXCELSUS is the final stage between him and Raiden, so the music is on from the start.

[@GikamesShadow]

I only got to play the game last year for the first time. I had been completely spoiled on every storybeat and listened to the music daily. I mean, heck, I watched your videos about the game which made me eventually buy it lol And gotta say, experiencing the music ingame was insane. I knew the context but having it as a backdrop to the fights as I am playing? Just all the yes.

[@jaredcondit9888]

This is what pushes me to play games, even if I've been spoiled on everything about it. It's about being there to play and experience it for yourself.

[@D4rk_Lum1nous]

The war still rages withing, it hits so deferent from the other osts, it feels like an actual message to give us courage to keep on going I hope we get a sequel to this game at some point

[@Kiorka]

All I know is that all the songs go hard.

[@Grimmdigger]

I like to think that "the storm still wages within" are the mental struggles of Sam and Raiden wondering if fighting is all they are good for and if they will ever find peace (aside from wolf who has basically retired)

[@ROO1752]

I like how kamen says immersion to ironically break your immersion during rules of nature.

[@luvstagrind]

One of the few OST I actually bought because the songs were just fire

[@topcat59]

Rules of nature is my favorite music at the start, since it shows you how war has changed but people still remain the same with their nature and the fact that you fight a metal gear makes the music to me very memorable and symbolic to the narrative.😺

[@liamstark5982]

Fun fact: Jamie Christopherson also composed a rendition of Over the Horizon by Samsung

[@BerryDeLajt]

I love that you used a MGRR menu theme mix by the SilvaGunner.

[@electro___]

Good to see people still talk about this game

[@metal_fusion]

It is indeed the meme of the dna of the soul

[@luigiboi4244]

It really means something to me, because I have both the Sonic Frontiers and MGR:R playlists saved to my Apple Music thing. I feel like an unstoppable force meeting a challenge to overcome whenever I put on some headphones or earbuds and turn the music on full blast.

[@curtainsandsuch]

During Stains of Time you can hear background vocals which sound eerily similar to Raiden's voice, but upon asking the composer he said was not Quinton Flynn doing those vocals (but would be awesome if it was) I find the voice sounding like Raiden fitting considering where the song plays and what it talks about

[@jam3scruz859]

31:05 really hit the feels man, I finished the game on just Normal difficulty, I have to admit My war stil isn't over. This game is a Masterpiece, no player holding the Controller will ever forget... "I've got my own war to Fight....." 💯

[@bananbananowy3552]

Man, I seriously cannot wait to watch another over 30 minutes essay about MGR again!

[@VladimierTheVagabond]

18:52 the perfect way to reject someone

[@TheGloryXros]

This game brought such a huge bar of standards in what I expect for videogame music..... From this game on, I wanted EVERY VIDEOGAME to follow this standard of making epic dynamic songs for their Boss Battles!!!

[@GzaTPG]

If Sundowner is fucking invincible, then why can I see him?

[@alialkilani1182]

Invincible means, unstoppable, Invicible and invincible hqve different meanings.

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

Hot Wind Blowing, Only Thing I know for Real and it Has to Be This Way, are legit banger songs I listen to at the gym way too much.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Really happy that you covered the songs in particular, because they are just so awesome. They are some of my all-time favourite compositions, on par with Carmina Burana (the originals, not Carl Orff's version). Although I feel like leaving out _A Soul Can't Be Cut_ is a shame, because it's a wonderful song that characterises Raiden and his DID. Have you ever paid attention to it?

[@Noriaki-fc7sm]

I'm so happy that The War still Rages Within was mentioned it's such a banger

[@ondururagittandeska2004]

I like to think "It has to be this way" is Armstrong and Raiden having a debate in song form. Very thematic for their fight where as you have discussed in your Armstrong video is an interactive Debate in a way. It is another way for the game to interact with the player and it ends to the finale to a great game.

[@giovannis.martinez8581]

Advanced debate: fighting to the death surrounded by the wreckage of a giant mech.

[@ericguzman8141]

The reason why jetstream, Sam loses his lyrics it’s because he lost his true identity ever since he lost to Armstrong the sword purpose was changed into being a killing machine. It’s even on the lyrics that explains all. This also includes the battle with Armstrong. It’s talking about jetstream Sam and Raiden being similar.

[@koboldwizard]

with the end credits song, the last we see of raiden (before the post credit scene) is him standing over armstrong, hes killed him and completed his mission, hes done, no more fighting, and now he just stands there with his own thoughts, and then we hear this song, truly makes you stop and think, after all of the stuff youve been through the action packed gameplay and the bat shit insane scenes, and now you get to stop and reflect on what youve done and what youve become, and now its all over.

[@Electrolight_44]

When the soup is cold and the salad is hot

[@WaveForReal]

Finally, somebody with an acceptable opinion about metal gear rising soundtracks. also fun fac- I mean opinion, It Has To Be This Way is actually Raiden's theme song.

[@chunkyking8225]

Hot wind blowing deserves more respect

[@darkrexkigntstone8773]

Yes fam.

[@Jedisage909]

I love every song from that game

[@Meandmyshadowclones]

This game really has THE BEST boss tracks. I love it when other games have used that dynamic mixing. It really brings out the spectacle of a boss fight. Nier Automata used it to great effect, too.

[@mrhalfsaid1389]

Id love to see more content like this, its one of the better vids ive seen in a while

[@Mangakamen]

Well, unless this video gets a lot of views, I don't think I'll be able to keep it up.

[@markwebber3862]

My favourite song of this masterpiece game is Soul can’t be cut.

[@minichad5456]

This is one of your greatest videos, great job

[@FrozenLord66]

what i like about metal gear rising boss themes they tell the backstory of each main boss of metal gear rising about their philosophy and ideals in the game and each boss theme basically reflects raiden himself when he fights them thats i always listen to them like hot wind is blowing red sun over paradise the only thing i know and stain of time

[@lokic-ug2sc]

And thus, banger OSTs just became the *"RULES OF NATURE!!!!"* of gaming.

[@pokeymaster9415]

Happy birthday Kamen

[@thepurplebirdwunderwaffen]

DAMN YOU COPYRIGHT

[@IapitusMcHeimer]

My favorite sound track to lift weights to

[@danielferrieri7434]

And Addictively Catchy

[@PersonstuckinMichigan]

e

[@AndrewPagel9628]

This may be a lot to ask, but could you do more vids like this and preferably one on NieR... Automata or Replicant/Gestalt?

[@Puscruna]

Best saturday night ever, thank you mangakamen 🤝

[@koichidignitythief7429]

One of the best OSTs out there

[@manunova5929]

Armstrong's first battle theme I always found interesting, not just because his whole personality is a fake-out revealed as such in the next cutscene, but also because of how in the face it is, even compared to the other themes. It's slower and more methodic, like a well-oiled machine (the instruments kind of make it sound like one too), unlike the more wild and human themes of the others, and how it talks to you personally instead of talking about the people in the game. That said, it still has more soul than than what corporate, commercial music has shown.

[@AngelCopout]

The score is such power fantasy fuel. Like when I'm at work and my playlist pulls out one of the tracks, my partner's like, "Yo wtf??"

[@realwhelan]

i'm glad you looked at The War Still Rages Within, and I think it'd be cool if you looked at the others, even if they are a bit more one dimension, like A Soul Can't Be Cut for example, great video tho, been watching since video one and they helped spark my MGR addiction

[@juggernikos3460]

Metal Gear Rising memes...the DNA of the soul!

[@NickolasSamuels]

Maybe The End Credit Theme Is Raiden's Theme

[@Curlyfries237]

I just finished mgr ( final one in the mgs cannon timeline) and even though it was the shortest out of all of them it was one of the better ones probably 3rd place for me out of all the mgs games. The song in the end credits really resonates with me being young and basically working everyday and finally getting good at fianaces the idea of just moving and getting out of, as the song says “ carving my own path” making myself free. I deal with depression and I would say this song has got me to discover how to make myself happy and I love it. I know it’s the end credits but it’s my theme song lol. Also first song to not be repeated lyrics and actually be really catchy.

[@Sleepy_Cabbage]

adaptive music is very pog

[@brayenmorrison3199]

First..... Yup Indeed. RULES OF NATURE!!!

[@PersonstuckinMichigan]

e

[@FabulousJejmaze]

Kamen just can't stop making W Revengeance videos

[@jeremylackey6587]

Ive watched nearly every video essay on MGR i can find. I never get tired of hearong about this game. 😆

[@TheDataByteChannel]

Probably one of my favorite video game soundtracks out there, glad to see it still gets love.^^

[@ichibanbento]

A very nice essay on a fun game i should play more. War rages within I never even knew it existed but it kind of is perfect, after all the action there is finally time for Raiden to take a breather and contemplate and think. Time for him to wonder the questions the song brings up! (I need to play it, add it to my list of games i need to finish like Digimon World 3 and 4, Gravity Circuit, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and so forth)

[@Reaper_bot40k]

Can you do an analysis on Armored core music, mainly mechanized memories with it's symbolizm in the lyrics and the boss your fighting

[@YourCeeCeeDuelist]

I agree with a LOT of what you said. As a matter of fact, THIS is one of the VERY FEW video games where the OST is one that i love EVER SINGLE ONE of its songs. (behind LoZ OOT) With 'Red Sun' being my most fave out of all of them.

[@8-bitsarda747]

Monsoon's "Stop! Stop it!" isn't actually dependent on doing the fight without getting hit. You just have to do it fast enough, and without using EMP grenades.

[@Dr.Gold-Dry-Bowser]

Right kn my birthday! Thanks Manga!

[@blxt4208]

The rules of nature line should've been when he throws the thing into the sky.

[@thelasthunter3123]

I'm ex-AF and when I heard Kamstein's theme I understood everything about the man. It's fucking tragic and one of my favorite songs in the game too

[@infinitefun527]

what I like about video games is the music, it gives me extreme adrenaline, like I mean holy god

[@Blackberry_Kenway]

fun fact in Red Sun the song is supposed to be the cruelest song because of the lyrics and backstory yet it is sang with a very calm voce that echos throught the arena

[@imbadatpickingnames420]

When ULTRAKILL

[@mickwous2795]

When the lyrics kick in during Mistral's fight. That moment right there gives me chills. Not because it's so hard or crazy, it's just that exact sound with this exact gameplay that works so good together. I love this game so much and i only discovered it 1 week ago while being a metal gear fan. Can you imagine how much of an abomination this was for me 😂

[@CommanderButter]

this feels like a noteworthy increase in video quality since the last MGR video

[@TheNarwhal784]

Collective Consciousness has to be my favorite song in the soundtrack

[@soulflayed]

In my opinion I think It Has To Be This Way is actually Raiden's theme during the Armstrong boss, since it seems to be sung from his perspective. ("I've carved my own path" whereas Armstrong says YOU carve your own path to Raiden.) The reason the lyrics drop out when he loses the sword, like Sam is that in the moment both Raiden and Sam have overlapped to an extent, with Sam yielding to Raiden's force and giving Blade Wolf, someone he seems to respect, the choice on what to do if he loses. Blade Wolf acknowledging Raiden puts him on the same level as Sam, and also serves as Sam acknowledging Raiden as well, so their sword-song mechanic is the same. (Plus they both try and beat the shit out of their opponent with their bare hands before they try and get the sword back, and Raiden says "let's dance" etc.)

[@bahesb2419]

My favorite song Is “The hot wind blowing” This song feels like it was made for All the members of wind of destruction as a whole. “We fight for justice, in a forgotten place”: it’s like how The Winds of destruction want to make America Rise again with their ideal which seems to have been forgotten a long time ago in their eyes. “Here I am, dirty and faceless, waiting to heed your instructions”: How Sam feels “Dirty” and “faceless” because he now follows Armstrong. “Out of the ashes, the eagle rises still, freedom is calling, to all men who bend their will”: How Armstrong wants to create A new America “out of the ashes” so people can live free and Fight for their ideals.

[@calsalitra4689]

I think it makes more sense to apply to Khamsin alone. As a soldier, he is just another faceless cog fighting for what he believes to be the American way. He's fully bought into the "freedom" rhetoric, gladly fighting and killing to impose the so-called justice of America. He has no ideals of his own, he just follows instructions in pursuit of contradictory beliefs. Khamsin represents everything Armstrong hates about America. He is a standard-issue American fighting someone else's war, killing and forcing others into servitude in the name of freedom, and too indoctrinated to think or act for himself.

[@bahesb2419]

@@calsalitra4689when you say it that that, it does make more sense.

[@jixdl]

22:20 Red sus, red sus over paradise~~

[@MonsoonPlush]

the part with chowder caught me off guard

[@gojiboy69]

I'm curious on your thoughts on other non-boss vocal tracks like "A Soul Can't Be Cut"

[@ChloeCommentss]

Shh shh shh... listen closely now... Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's music is the reason I found the game and now have over 50 hours into it. Not just because it was incredible, but because it intrigued me. What did the lyrics even mean? What are the comments talking about? Who tf is Jetstream Sam? So I, impatient yet eager, sat down and watched videos on it, finding KZbin channels like Max0r and yours and deeply enjoying the videos themselves and the game talked about. I started seeing more and more in my Home page and eventually bought the game, got out my Xbox 360 and played it. It was so SO SO SO great, now leading to my discovery of the character action/ Hack 'n' Slash genre as a whole. Without finding one specific music track from a game I'd never heard of before amidst fucking Sonic OST's I wouldn't have had so many new games to experience, so many more KZbinr's to enjoy and, honestly, quite an incredible time getting *mildly* angry at a game where a cyborg ninja with a robotic Pitbull that grapples with whether or not it can fight against his masters, the Pitbull assisting the cyborg ninja in his emotional turmoil on killing people as the cyborg ninja succumbs to memes and eventually fights a US Senator in a "disguise", that may or may not be racist, and quote Martin Luther King whilst the US Senator kicks his ass with wrestling moves and nanomachines. So yeah I like the music.

[@AppplemanTheHoloFan]

Can you make a video about the battle themes in mgrr?

[@chrisbailet8940]

MGR needs to go into a time capsule

[@KNIGHTMARE__]

Metal Gear Rising is a musical. Change my mind

[@darkrexkigntstone8773]

No you are not wrong!

[@createrz8433]

13:03 M M E R S I O N

[@Aki-kh2qe-StreetKidZZZ]

Dude i remember in every fight I getting motivational as F@(K! I was also fighting more stylish. That shit was Divine

[@tyukogames]

Nah man, you forgot the calm/soul touching part of "It has to be this way", it compares the carachters, like this line "You followed your wrath, i carved my own path, but mayby we are both the same" it shows how they followed diferent ideals but ended in the same place

[@2ori1012]

great video

[@KingOfMumbles485...]

I love Chowder.

[@jimmypackorino]

STANDING HERE I REALIZEEE

[@ericjones9701]

The real message of this soundtrack is to not allow little things like "credentials" or "previous experience" stop you from making one of the greatest pieces of all time.

[@babayagaofi]

Every theme is good

[@wolfclaw719]

Kinda surprised you didn't take a twenty minute tangent to complain about RWBY's soundtrack. Okay running gag that no one other then me finds funny aside; this video was really enjoyable and I'm glad you talked about Mistrals alternate theme; I really feel like that song adds a lot to her and even in a way towards Raiden as they have an interesting amount in common that you only really learn later with codec calls, I've always found it odd how so much of the lore is left optional in this game but then I guess it is a Platinum game so hour long cutscenes aren't really their cup of tea.

[@virtualashez]

What about, "Dark Skies", "Return to Ashes" and "A Soul Can't Be Cut"?

[@BladeMaster84]

OMG, NO! The songs are copyright muted...

[@Mangakamen]

yeah, that actually happened recently.

[@BladeMaster84]

@@Mangakamen Man... Copyright is cruel for sure...

[@see.ya.in.another.life.brother]

@@Mangakamen its in fair use, i dont understand why itd be claimed?

[@DarkEclipse23]

@@see.ya.in.another.life.brotherbecause youtube sucks

[@psyxypher3881]

Remember: Mistral: Donatello Monsoon: Raphael Sundowner: Leonardo Jetstream Sam: Michelangelo Armstrong: Splinter.

[@aim9659]

Crazy thing was, earlier today I was wishing the mgr memes and videos would still trend and here this video is lol

[@Mangakamen]

Well, we just need to get more views on this and who knows, maybe more will come.

[@aim9659]

dam i wasn't expecting a reply from a favorite youtuber lmao. yeah i mean nothing lasts forever, but MGS and MGR will forever be one of my favorite games.@@Mangakamen