The Culture Behind ARMS's Soundtrack

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Hello! I'm Scruffy, and today I want to show you an interesting spoiler-free bit of trivia about the martial arts culture that influenced the soundtrack to ARMS, Nintendo's breakout fighting game for the Switch! I hope you enjoy it!
Here's the Nintendo music streaming channel, Dystifyzer! Check it out for soundtracks to recent Nintendo games. / channel
All ARMS content belongs to Nintendo EPD. This video is for educational purposes only.
{ ? I ♥ }

[@ScruffyMusic]

Whoops, that's not how you spell "aggressive!" Heh, sorry about that.

[@Lukinspire]

will you be able to do more 3d model things

[@saraaskeloph283]

No problem we all make mistakes even someone as great as you slips up from time to time!

[@shortcake6984]

The pizza is aggressive

[@browneburbs5377]

That mispell makes me... *Agressive* Nah I didn't even notice it.

[@Hamantha]

Scruffy what about Kirby?

[@GameRevo]

Not only are your videos expertly crafted, but they're also accessible to people like me (with no knowledge of music theory). Great video!

[@thenoponis1493]

I couldn't agree more about the accessibility. So many dedicated music channels heap loads of jargon on the viewer, and it personally makes me lose interest. I love the idea of a channel that appreciates game music in a more general sense and makes it more about what the listener feels and responds to.

[@louispaine6281]

I also noticed that the soundtrack contains the Brazilian cuíca drum. That may be how they made Helix's voice, since they didn't credit a voice actor for him

[@dreamer1292]

nice point

[@captainclawlie239]

One of my favorite things about small(er) channels is that nobody is claiming first, or begging for likes, or any other of the annoying comments that have nothing to do with the video. It's refreshing!

[@Mr.Ltastic]

Not first plz like

[@browneburbs5377]

Exactly! I love videos like this! And I noticed that it always strikes for channels that reach a million. So Scruffy has a LONG way from getting that, too! It's a blessing, and a curse.

[@ThatOneAwkGuy]

The people that are complaining about the people that claim first are still there, though.

[@alsirehctelf327]

That moment when this has nothing to do with the rest of the video.

[@snmcfadden]

And then you came along and ruined it all.

[@ryleighrichards1040]

I don’t know why but I have always loved the opening song of Arms. The harmonies are beautiful, the drums give it a feeling of a drum roll leading up to something big, the bass hidden in the back and the techno sound also let you know the modern style of the game. It makes me not want to start the game and just listen to the song forever

[@RenatoGrigoli]

Kudos for the portuguese pronunciation! Finalmente alguém falando sobre a música de Arms! Greetings from Brazil!

[@dreamer1292]

entao né demoro pra alguem fazer um video sobre isso assim q escutei a musica do spring man eu ja notei tudo isso

[@gabrielshishido9965]

É engraçado como a nossa cultura soa bem mais legal quando é citada por um gringo

[@RenatoGrigoli]

Talvez tenha um pouco daquele sentimento de vira-latismo quando a gente pensa na nossa própria cultura. Talvez também porque não conseguimos ver com o olhar estrangeiro =]

[@ojuze4792]

realmente e muito legal ver quer nossa cultura e reconhecida la fora! principalmente para mim já que sou baiano e já pratiquei capoeira.

[@ValenteXD]

dreamer129 eu percebi q era bem br a música no trailer, mano é bem estranho ouvir capoeira num jogo feito no Japão, eu fiquei WTF quando teve a demo e eu pude finalmente ouvir de perto

[@EvsMusicAndGaming]

Your research never ceases to amaze me. I would've never thought ARMS was Brazil-influenced in any way!

[@EvsMusicAndGaming]

no

[@dreamer1292]

i already knew it from the start, but i'm not surprised, cuz i'm brazillian

[@HBDiniz10]

The Shearsquid Well I'm brazilian so for me it was really obvious

[@EvsMusicAndGaming]

Well I'm not Brazilian so for me it wasn't really obvious

[@thrice_cube]

That’s just s a d

[@supernguy728]

I knew it!! The main theme sounds like the brazilian 2014 football championship

[@Thomazbr]

Great video. The brazilian inspiration is noticeable in the soundtrack, but i don't think it came directly from Capoeira. ARMS has this sporty-feel to it, with the crowd of fans wearing their favorite athletes shirts, to Biff commentating the match and were the last two big sport events prior to ARMS release? The World Cup and the Olympic Games all set in Brazil. I feel like Nintendo wanted to draw from these events and its locale, and inspired by it set to recreate some of the feel using some of brazilian most notable musical tropes. From there they could've have made the connection to Capoeira but i don't think they started from there at least.

[@arielvillanueva1127]

I don't even feel a need for the visuals. Your sound choices and voice are so captivating that I just close my eyes and enjoy.

[@theblitz1070]

If only ARMS had the content to back up its expert world building.

[@PlumEXE]

TheBlitz WELL ITS IN SMASH NOW

[@ink3487]

@@PlumEXE As the single most boring character in the game

[@PlumEXE]

@@ink3487 Boring? No. Annoying, definitely. Degrades the gameplay but top tier Min Min is more interesting to watch than idk Ryu

[@Albern1]

Noticed that little monokuma theme sample for the brass example :^)

[@jkm5856]

1:35 sounds like Monokumas lesson but slower

[@noodleboboodle910]

Oh my god, that Brazil fighting style from Bob's Burgers actually exists.

[@HBDiniz10]

Ryan Tucker It's more kinda of a fight, and yes it's really real, as a brazilian it was funny seeing his Accent saying "berimbau" and "roda"

[@ActualBlueBlu]

it's so weird seeing people not knowing that capoeira existed lmao everyhere i go people talk about it , on school , jornals , and even on youtube , it's everyhere , and it's super fun

[@wyattsmith2498]

Fun fact: there is an unused main theme recording featuring lyrics, that may have been intended to play in an earlier version of the credits. The lead vocalist is the royally underrated Lizzie Freeman, who voices characters such as Trish Una (English) from JoJo, and Meggy Spletzer from SMG4/Sunset Paradise.

[@MeesterTweester]

ARMS music is now in Smash and it makes me appreciate the soundtrack even more. The remixes they did were really good, too.

[@soniasquishy]

Interesting! I had actually considered taking lessons in Capoeira before ARMS even got announced and I did think of it when the original main theme played in the trailer, though I made no real connection between what I was listening to and what it reminded me of lol.

[@TheUnknownsShow]

Love that little "What I love" at the end in Portugese

[@AlexPerez-tv1zg]

I read the title as: “the culture behind ASMR’s soundtrack”

[@RacingSnails64]

With Min Min coming to Smash Ultimate, and hearing some of the great tracks that are gonna be in as well, I just wanna say wow! This is super neat to know. Everything about Arms is a great fit for Smash.

[@ink3487]

Except the character herself lol playing as and against min min is just suffering

[@nkaijkanjii6418]

OMFG I THOUGHT THAT THE TITLE SAID ASMR MUSIC AAAAAAAA

[@NoLongerASimulacrum]

Cant wait to here this game’s music in smash!

[@lulu1997master]

Despite being from Brazil, I didn't actually realize how inspired in Brazilian music ARMS was! Valeu pela lição!

[@joaogabrielmoreno7519]

I know this video is already two years old, but I keep coming back to it!! All your videos are great, Scruffy! Thank you! (and I loved the “o que eu amo” in the end!)

[@ScruffyMusic]

I've noticed quite a few requests here for a video about Splatoon's music, and I'd like to give it a shot! I'll keep the idea in my queue, but for the time being (couple months) I'm a bit too busy to make more educational videos like these. I'll keep you posted on my Twitter account! The link is in this video's description.

[@PrincessFelicie]

1:36 Wait a minute... What is this black and white bear doing there?

[@ifcat2147]

My mind went straight to Danganronpa when I heard the Brass on that time xD

[@mynewaccount2361]

1:36 Is that Monokuma's theme?

[@thecraftingkid5723]

I think it is!

[@luisdomingues9248]

Its realy interesting to watch this video beeing a brazilian, since he says a circle( roda) called roda, a whistle(apito) called apito

[@NetoTedesco]

Great video and research! The chanting and percussion also reminds me of a crowd of people on a football stadium singing the songs of the team playing. As a brazilian myself I could notice most of this when I first heard it, but your video made it amazinly well presented!

[@Sonicjan]

Would be cool to have that kind of video for Splatoon and Animal Crossing too!

[@BitSmallX3]

I think a lot of the look and feel of the game, including the music, was inspired by the Rio 2016 Olympics.

[@RayalWorldConz]

Can you do the hidden culture behind Splatoon's music? I enjoyed this video. :D

[@homedepotguys8088]

you predicted it

[@citrusblast4372]

I FRIKIN KNEW IT, I had a hunch this game took inspiration from brazil stuff, the frikin logo is yellow, like the brazil soccer jersey lol

[@CaptCam13]

3:00 SCRUFFY DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT, IT FEELS LIKE YOU SCUTTLED AROUND ME

[@gxalcremieshiny4229]

my dad is from brazil so now I get why he likes arms so much

[@FletcherGaddy]

Coming back to this video after the new Splatoon 3 song dropped and realizing how much of this overlaps is so cool. Can’t wait for the full game to release

[@farissaadat4437]

New vid! Thanks for spreading out from just Pikmin!

[@Untitled_Niamiko]

>implying pikmin is bad

[@farissaadat4437]

Implying other things are good. I love Pikmin

[@silver_heart266]

Honestly, I smile every time I see his video because he says “Hello!” in every video. Him sounding happy makes me happy :)

[@nankinink]

Woah, As a brazilian, Arms soundtrack feels so familiar yet I had no clue why. Thanks for clarifying it!

[@vernicimo]

Nintendo: taking inspiration from a brazilian music style also nintendo:no game has translation into portuguese (language spoken in brazil)

[@ryanhanley3663]

That transition from you speaking to the documentary excerpt, as it swept in from the right even aurally was just buttery smooth.

[@CaptainWobbs]

I’ve noticed a third motif spread amongst the fighters’ songs, it’s the one played at the beginning of Spring Man’s theme on the berimbau. It also appears in Helix’s theme and at the very beginning of Twintelle’s, among others.

[@Daggeto_]

I love ARMS music, this video is amazing!

[@inkie2504]

i had no idea nintendo used music from my country in one of their games im unreasonably happy rn

[@SuperRitz44]

As a brazilian who had heard the game's OST, I clicked this video without hesitation, knowing your experience from your other videos. I actually never noticed the Capoeira inspiration, just the music! Great pronunciation and great video! Also, "roda" may just be translated to "circle" haha.

[@ThisIsRusko]

such an underrated game! thank you for making this!

[@BigBoss-xz1pp]

OW MY CULTURE IN A NINTENDO GAME I AM SO PROUD OF MY COUNTRY

[@_Rhatsody]

thank you for making a music study behind one of my fave games

[@KylerRamos]

I love these videos, the pikmin model one was fantastic. Creatively produced, entertaining and most importantly informative as well. Keep it up this stuff is den outta den I luv it.

[@rmt3589]

Brain: ASMR Soundtract time!!! Video: ARMS, not ASMR. Me: Oh... okay...

[@kingbrolathia9877]

I need more content like this asap scruffy

[@msorosco9161]

These are some fucking genius videos. These videos are great please continue and don't become a sell out.

[@froglaine]

I love hearing you break apart the aspects of the music in Nintendo's games, it gives me an extra appreciation for all that goes into it that I'm unaware of. I'd love to see more videos like this!

[@SuperLucas]

Can I just say: I'm Brazilian myself and this was a really fun video to watch! I also have to appreciate the Portuguese pronunciation and the outro. Thank you for teaching me more about my culture!

[@browneburbs5377]

Ooh! Another animated video! it's been awhile since that's happened, glad to see you're bringing that back! Also, congrats on over 5K subscribers!

[@adog3129]

your videos are just..... ughhhhh i can't describe how nice they are to watch and listen to

[@elemangell2981]

Came back to this after the smash announcement. Fitting that a fighter with a never before seen gimmick brings with them a never before scene genre of music, and what music it is! I can't wait to see how they remix it!

[@agentdave7]

@Scruffy: Another excellent video! Thank you. Could you please do an analysis on the soundtrack of Splatoon 1 & 2? That would be awesome!

[@rafaelcoelho9735]

I was born and live in Brazil (and speak portuguese). It's so weird that exist people that actually don't know what "capoeira" is. Like, it's so common here, everyone in the country know what kind of dance/fight and the music of "capoeria" is. You forget that other people, that live in another "social bubble"/country, don't have the same experience as you. I hope my idea in this comment is clear, sorry for any mistake in the writing, i love your videos.

[@1wiz1]

You forgot an important point : everybody doesn't live in Brazil ... So ...😶

[@1upedro798]

@@1wiz1 you sounds ignorant, and your "argument" is wrong, actually Brazil has more than 250 million habitants (2018)

[@selinnazsur2328]

@@1upedro798 ...He/she isn't wrong, though. There are 7.5 BILLION people on Earth, which makes Brazil's population only 3.3% of the total population, going by the number you gave. So, not everyone lives in Brazil, and by that logic you're more ignorant. My country has way less people than that but you don't see me complaining about not everyone knowing my culture, that'd honestly be a pretty self-centered outlook on life.

[@newgenderplus]

an incredibly well made video about a really interesting subject!!! keep up the fantastic work!!

[@JeffHawthorne]

The more of scruffy I see. The more I love. Thank you

[@Eric_Perna]

So I'm Brazilian, and seeing you talk about brazilian culture was... interesting...

[@happyfellowship4291]

Acrobatic fighting driven by communal music? SO COOL!!!! I wanna play Arms now!

[@erickmaverick3128]

You really did your homework. I was curious about what made the ARMS so unique. :)

[@randomotaku2137]

this ip is kinda forgotten and it makes me saad

[@RF-Ataraxia]

Yeah. It had so much potential, but it wasn't well executed and died quickly. I really want a sequel, or an expansion, at least.

[@bessieburnet9816]

Yeah. ARMS is a really fun game and all, it just doesn't have the right stuff to keep you engaged and coming back again and again.

[@djadj_]

1:35 oh no, not that bear again

[@PrincessGrouchy]

This is super cool! Nice video!

[@Maxler5795]

Fun fact: the reason capoeira is both a martial art and a dance, is because it was fighting practice disguised as a dance because people were forbbiden of practicing self-defense.

[@phantomdgen1766]

Hehe i love when they start spelling brazil words, they sound quite silly. Not in the bad way, it makes me smile!

[@Flowtail]

I will never get tired of hearing you say "capoeira"

[@cheychc]

This video is so freaking great. I'm only 2 minutes in and its already incredible. Thank you for the video!!! :)

[@supremechaosbeing2696]

thank you for letting me know what an apito is called that shit rocks

[@knuckl6972]

Arms was lit. It was how I got really into the Switch

[@rwiseart2269]

Saw your vid on Reddit! Now this is a good video.

[@NolansNote]

This is a quality video. How have I never seen your channel before?

[@RadiantMantra]

All your videos are just so interesting

[@rozemorgaine1886]

How do you only have 5k subs? Your work is amazing!

[@juanrodriguez9971]

Almost 100k subs bro! This man is getting what he fucking deserves

[@GabrielPerboni]

I’ve just found this channel and I am amazed by its content… congratulations for the research, content and accessibility… The best thing is that I can share it with my non-musicians friends… By the way, you are right! It is a Tambaú

[@joaov.3275]

Greetins from Brazil! So, I really love your video. I always felt a sort of "brazillian style" in the wonderful ARMS soundtrack, but never understand why exactly. However, your explanation was great and I think that Spring Man's theme really is the one that most represent this brazillian influence.

[@Goofy4426]

Very good video ! This is probably the only game so far were I enjoy every single song .

[@PhilipJFryII]

Thanks Scruffy!

[@raphaelamorimbomfim1618]

As a Brazilian I noticed it almost instantly, and am really glad that someone is talking about it

[@GenoTD]

Awesome video! Greetings from Brazil.

[@ojuze4792]

Really nice video! Is always good to see the culture of my country mentioned in the overseas, especially capoeira which is a cultural mark of the region that i live! I really glad that i fond this video, good job.

[@ojuze4792]

...and sorry about this but is obligatory to me as Brazilian so... VAI BRASILIAM!!!!!!!

[@manburry]

phenomenal like always

[@andrewgautron4404]

huh. That's kinda like how Aang and Katara were moving in that one episode of ATLA where they're having a dance party for all those kids who didn't know what dancing was. That's cool. They had the ring of people around them and everything

[@SandroFrancisMiranda123]

I'm brasilian, and "roda" literally means "circle".

[@gauwoof]

Nice video, man! :)

[@xernexx9723]

Well just wait until Mustache Girl Ex's theme uses a CHAINSAW.

[@NanaNussbaum]

Man, ARMS just never got the respect it deserved, especially musically- so I appreciate this.

[@AuraArondight]

3:02 I almost thought my headphones were on it's last legs.

[@coryvevo]

The "What I love" at the end of this video, I want it as a whole song

[@kingdohe]

Wow, really nice video! I never knew that

[@22TwentyTwo]

Really cool video! Love from Brazil!

[@truemetalsonic]

yay a Scruffy music video ~

[@juanrodriguez9971]

Why KZbin didn't recommend me this video? I loved ARMS but I hadn't found nothing about it until now...

[@AdamAce98]

Instant subscription. Keep it up man.

[@MrJamhamm]

Your videos are fantastic, so much so that you almost convinced me to buy the game.

[@Mr.Ltastic]

Nice video brotha!

[@sp49]

Great work! I really appreciate your points. Had a feeling about the Brazilian influence, but not as in depth as yours. Thank you! I really enjoyed it.