Pokémon Jukebox Club ~ Week Two!

[Dragon]

Pokémon Jukebox Club​

Welcome Pokémon fans to the Jukebox! Are you a fan of Pokemon music in games? You've come to the right place! The Pokémon Jukebox Club is a thread where we discuss the various pokémon music that comes form the main series of games, to even the spin off pokémon games, as we compare and contrast a wide range of them, and even have discussions about how they enhance each game. After all, there's nothing like a great gym battle without great gym battle music, right? (;

Each week there will be a theme, and there will be different music on display will feature that theme. And from that, there will be discussion questions that will complement them, as well as a chance for you to share your opinion on which music from the theme is the best from the bunch. Further more, look here:

Frequent posters of this will receive something special! An emblem representing the Pokémon Jukebox! So I do encourage you to participate to the best of your ability, and show your interest!

Week One Jukebox Discussion: The Trainer Battle Themes

You can follow which theme will play with the times shown below:

KANTO
0:00 Red/Blue/Green/Yellow
1:40 FireRed/LeafGreen
3:20 Gold/Silver/Crystal
5:00 HeartGold/SoulSilver

JOHTO
6:30 Gold/Silver/Crystal
8:10 HeartGold/SoulSilver

HOENN
10:15 Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
11:55 Omega/Ruby/AlphaSapphire

SINNOH
13:35 Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

UNOVA
15:15 Black/White
16:55 Black2/White2

KALOS
18:35 X/Y

ORRE





So, what can you say about the Trainer battle themes in the Pokemon games; how do they enhance your battling experiences, competing against the random pokemon trainers throughout the games? Don't forget, these are the themes that most likely, you're going to hear the most throughout the games as you're playing through the games casually. But before we go on more to this, just want to hear what you guys think: Which of these Trainer battles themes are your favourite and why? Which one did you not really enjoy? How has these specific themes enhance your experiences battling against the NPC trainers? If there was a single pokemon game that had all the regions, which one trainer theme would you think would enjoy listening to the most while playing?

And feel free to share any other thoughts! Note, you don't have to bring up the discussion questions in a list, nor do you have to answer every one of these; these are just questions to help you out!​

 

[Dragon]

My favorite out of all of these is the HeartGold/SoulSilver Kanto battle theme. I'm not sure what it is about it but it just sounds so...bumped. That sorta music really gets you hyped to battle and defeat your opponents! I personally can't stand battling to slow music. I like all of them honestly but I think the Unova ones are pretty weak honestly. They just don't get me excited at all. :(

I have to agree with you on Unova; they didn't really seem as.. excitable. xD But yeah, the Kanto themes were great; loved the first one from R/B/Y actually! <33

Personally for favorites I gotta give it Kalos. They've really stepped up!

 

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

When it comes to the different trainer battle music, it is hard for me to decide which one is my most favorite since they are all so good. As for if we had a game that featured all of the regions, the trainer battle music that I would be interested in would be the X/Y due to how awesome it is. A close second choice would be the Red/Blue/Green/Yellow trainer battle music since it was the very first one in the Pokemon series.

 

[Laguna]

Ooh, this sounds like something right up my alley.

I actually really like the G/S/C Kanto trainer battle a lot, I think it's really catchy and the HG/SS version is just not as good. If I had to choose one theme though, I'd have to go with X/Y's theme, it's both really memorable and intense in the second half. They're all really good themes though.

 

[Poké Bean]

I can't listen to the videos just yet as its the middle of the night and I've no headphone socket but my all time fave battle music is when you battle your rival in ORAS. It's so catchy and exciting. I always switch it to that when using Battle Spot. I also use it as my wake up alarm! I look forward to those videos tomorrow, I love the Pokemon music!

 

[Fun Size]

I really think the Kanto HG/SS battle theme was the best. It just sounds upbeat and it's an exciting tune to listen to as you're fighting. I do agree that the Pokemon Black/White battle music was a little disappointing, but I think that Black/White 2's music was better.

 

[Wicked3DS]

I like the Kanto theme from GSC and HG/SS quite a bit, and I'm also a fan of the X/Y theme. I'm generally a fan of the Gen II music the most which is why that music is my choice, but I like the X/Y battle theme because it's got very good instrumentation. I gotta say I'm a big fan of the OR/AS theme as well, they definitely brought the original Hoenn theme a bit more life without overdoing it.

 

[Poké Bean]

I haven't played Gale of Darkness or Colosseum but listening to the videos I like them both, though Colosseum doesn't seem quite as dynamic. They're both recognisable as Pokemon battle themes whilst being their own thing.

 

[Seth Rollins]

HG/SS Kanto battle theme ftw!

no but seriously I'm a fan of the Kanto battle themes. I also like the R/S/E one because trumpets!! (Or french horns...)

 

[Lycanthropy]

I feel so much nostalgia when I hear the Sinnoh theme, as that was my first game. But I must say Pokémon has really good music in general, but my favorites are the Kanto music from RBY and the Johto music from HGSS. Kalos has great music too, but it's a completely different style than the older game music.

 

[Nagi]

my personal favourites are the Kanto and Kalos battle themes, but the Hoenn theme always hold a special place of course. so many memories! to be honest though, the only theme i've actually listened to outside of the games is the Pokémon Colosseum Normal Battle theme. which is actually not the one listed above - as the title says, that one is only for the first (and maybe other) 'friendly' battles, if you will. and though it's not bad at all, i would argue the Normal Battle one is actually better. at least i absolutely love it, to the point where me and my brother would sing along to the tune whenever it played haha. if ever they make a console game with all regions in it, they can play this for all i care!

 

[Circuit]

Orre has the best music hands down. Colosseum is like, the best Pokémon game there is, and its music really makes it. It's perfect in all situations. XD kinda messed it up a bit, by becoming a bit more light hearted in it's atmosphere, whilst still trying to be as dark as Colosseum in plot.

In the main series of Pokémon games, then Kalos and Hoenn have the best music by far. Sinnoh is also really good, followed by Kanto, Johto and lastly Unova. I hated gen V in every aspect, and its music didn't help any.

But yeah, Colosseum for best trainer battle! Also, as Nagi said, the music in the OP is the 'First Battle' music, encountered when you battle Rider Willie, anyone at the PreGym, and the first 10 trainers on Mt. Battle (and maybe a couple besides, one or two in Agate village and so on).

 

[Dragon]

But yeah, Colosseum for best trainer battle! Also, as Nagi said, the music in the OP is the 'First Battle' music, encountered when you battle Rider Willie, anyone at the PreGym, and the first 10 trainers on Mt. Battle (and maybe a couple besides, one or two in Agate village and so on).

It's.. essentially the trainer battle theme in the region too; the Normal battle theme in Colosseum was for trainers who had Shadow Pokemon yeah, but some of them were a part of Team Cipher, soo, it was kind a weird hybrid on it being either a Trainer or the Villainous team as well, I think.

 

[Circuit]

Most trainers you battled as part of the plot or travelling had the Normal battle theme, while most trainers outside of the plot in particularly friendly locations sported the Friendly battle. But even some trainers outside of the plot had the Normal battle theme associated with them, for example in Colosseum battles and any battles in Pyrite Town or The Under and so on. And it wasn't specific to Shadow Pokémon, since many trainers you fight for example on the way to find Miror B in Pyrite cave didn't have Shadow Pokémon, yet still had the theme. It was kinda awkward how they associated the music in Colosseum, but I always associated the music Nagi posted as the Normal one, if only because it was the one I heard the most lol

 

[Dragon]

Most trainers you battled as part of the plot or travelling had the Normal battle theme, while most trainers outside of the plot in particularly friendly locations sported the Friendly battle. But even some trainers outside of the plot had the Normal battle theme associated with them, for example in Colosseum battles and any battles in Pyrite Town or The Under and so on. And it wasn't specific to Shadow Pokémon, since many trainers you fight for example on the way to find Miror B in Pyrite cave didn't have Shadow Pokémon, yet still had the theme. It was kinda awkward how they associated the music in Colosseum, but I always associated the music Nagi posted as the Normal one, if only because it was the one I heard the most lol

Yeah, that's why I think that.. they were both Trainer battle music, and it was more kind of like, friendly battle music vs unfriendly battle music, but yeah.

Did you prefer Colosseum's music to XD's? o:

 

[Circuit]

True, they are both regular trainer battle music, just one seems specified to friendly people haha.

Yeah, in general I found Colosseum's music much more fitting, and much more epic where it needed to be than XD. The music in XD was good, don't get me wrong I really enjoyed XD too and I think the two games are arguably the most innovative and interesting games in Pokémon. But the music comparably between the two... Colosseum just stands out above XD imo.

 

[Nagi]

to be completely honest i never actually played XD... so when i say i like Colosseum's a lot more, i suppose that may be biased because i have memories for Colosseum that i don't for XD. still, i agree with the above and think that Colosseum just did better in conveying the overall feel of the game, and the epicness that came with it! c:

i also keep reading 'XD' as the emoticon... makes it really hard to take conversation about it seriously lol

 

[Hikamaru]

Ben has a point here. I like themes that are fast and pumping, like it makes you know you have to fear yourself when it comes to an extremely tough battle. Ones that come to mind are the Gym Leader theme, but then we have villains with intense themes as well such as Ghetsis and Lysandre.

 

[sirboulevard]

Personally, my preference is for Orre's Friendly Battle Theme first (Which I personally feel is Orre's Main Theme since its the first real major musical cue in the game after the dynamic opening of blowing up Team Snagem's base and shares musical cues with the main Pokemon Theme).

That's followed by Johto's Trainer Battle theme from both Gen II and Gen IV. But I never hear two mixes of this song, official or fan made, that ever sound the same. Which is real curious thing to me.

After that is Hoenn's Gym Leader theme. Then Red's Theme. And its downhill from there.

Also, speaking of the Orre Games, surprised no one brought up VS. Shadow Lugia, which was cheeried up and canon immigrated as VS. Lugia in HGSS/ORAS:

 

[Dragon]

I think we've had our fill with the Trainer themes, yes? Usually I'd prefer them not as excitable too, but something in the norm to get us in that feel for battle! Anywho:

Week Two Jukebox Discussion: Villain Battle Themes

Team Rocket:
Gold/Silver/Crystal: 0:00
HeartGold/SoulSilver: 2:00

Team Aqua:
Sapphire: 4:00
Alpha Sapphire: 6:00

Team Magma:
Ruby: 4:00
Omega Ruby: 6:00

Team Galactic:
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum: 8:00

Team Plasma:
Black/White: 10:00

Neo Team Plasma:
Black 2/White 2: 12:00

Team Flare:
X/Y: 14:00

Above are the time stamps for the villainous team battle themes for the main pokemon games from RBY ~ XY, so you can use the times recorded there to follow along the video to listen to a particular soundtrack!




This is the 'Cipher Peon Battle' theme on Pokémon Colosseum. It plays whenever you battle against a member of Team Cipher. Interestingly enough this was also the second battle theme you'd hear whenever you challenge a Colosseum in this game, as well as in XD!





And here we have the Cipher Peon Battle theme on Pokemon XD. Like Colosseum, it plays whenever you battle against a member of Team Cipher.If you're playing XD for the first time, be prepared to hear this theme a lot, haha.





I'm not too knowledgeable on the Ranger games, but this is the Pokemon Pincher Grunt theme that plays whenever you're up against a member of Pokemon Pincher!

Spoiler:

From the original Pokemon Ranger, in the spoiler are the Rock Squad Grunt themes - which interestingly enough they have two themes, one for the 'weak' grunts and one for the 'strong' grunts, but, all the same for grunts!




This is the Team Dim Sun Grunt theme from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Yuppers~




I'm not sure if you'd count this or not, but this is the ROCKET battle theme on Pokemon Stadium 2. Plays when you're at that 'roadblock' when you're doing the Gym Challenge there. It's the same theme for the executives too.


Now, I'm not sure if I got them all, but you see the idea: these are the themes in which you face the antagonistic grunts during the pokemon games. I think that they sort of give off a 'calm before the storm' feel since you're battling against the lesser branch of the evil pokemon team division before you'd have to go to town to battle against the admins/boss and such. Still though, for the discussion: Which villainous theme do you enjoy the most? Which one did you not care for? How should these sorts of themes set the tone for greater evil in game? If you have any other thoughts, share them!