Samurai Kirby (theme)
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"Samurai Kirby"[1] is a music track that first appeared in Kirby Super Star. Composed by Jun Ishikawa[1], it's essentially a short jingle, having always appeared in Sub-Games that require complete and total concentration.
Composition[edit]
As stated before, "Samurai Kirby" is rather short, being a mere 4 notes long. The piece outlines a D minor 6/9 chord. The melody, E-B-A-F, is played by a shakuhachi, while a background shamisen strums the chord for a bit of flair. The final F note is drawn out and wavers a little before the song ends, and is often followed up by the sound of rushing wind blowing over the empty plains.
Game appearances[edit]
Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]
In Kirby Super Star and its remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra, "Samurai Kirby" always plays in the beginning of the rounds of the eponymous sub-game. In Kirby Super Star Ultra exclusively, however, it can also rarely play at the start of a round of Kirby Card Swipe. It's listed in the Sound Test as track 62 (track 074 in the remake). Notably, the original version also includes "Wind of the Samurai" afterward.
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]
In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, "Samurai Kirby" plays for the revamped Quick Draw sub-game. Though the sub-game was lifted from Kirby's Adventure, it was redesigned to be more like Samurai Kirby, and so its jingle got a rearrangement. This jingle can be listened to as music 34 in the game's Sound Test and, like in Kirby Super Star, also incorporates "Wind of the Samurai" afterwards.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
After a nearly two-decades-long absence from the series, "Samurai Kirby" returned in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, as the sub-game also made a comeback in Merry Magoland. Just like before, this new arrangement of "Samurai Kirby" plays at the start of every round of Samurai Kirby, though it also plays on the sub-game's title screen. After completing all the missions associated with the sub-game, the original track from Kirby Super Star can be used in place of the rearrangement. Both versions can be found in the game's Jukebox as track 68 and track 137, respectively. Because the rearrangement's track is given white notes, this means that either Kiyoshi Hazemoto or Yuki Kato arranged it, though it's not clear which of them exactly.[1]
Additionally, "Samurai Kirby" makes a brief appearance in "The Merry, Magical World of Magolor!", which is a track that can occasionally play in Merry Magoland after clearing all 100 initial Missions. It's paired up alongside the other sub-game themes, and is played by a whistling-type sound, even including the sound effect that accompanies the sudden attack prompt. This theme can be found in the Jukebox as track 200, having been arranged by Yuki Shimooka.[1]
Other appearances[edit]
"Samurai Kirby" is the opening track in "Get Pumped Up! Sub-Game Medley" from the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival. This medley was arranged by Megumi Ohara.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 刹那の見斬り Setsuna no Mikiri |
Slash in a Flash
|
| Traditional Chinese | 刹那間一斬 chà nà jiān yī zhǎn |
A Split-Second Flash |
| Simplified Chinese | 刹那间一斩 chà nà jiān yī zhǎn | |
| Dutch | Samoerai-Kirby | Samurai Kirby |
| French | Kirby samouraï | Samurai Kirby |
| German | Samurai-Kirby | Samurai-Kirby |
| Italian | Kirby Samurai | Samurai Kirby |
| Korean | 대결! 한판 승부 daegyeol! hanpan seungbu |
Battle! One-Round Contest |
| Portuguese | Kirby Samurai | Samurai Kirby |
| Spanish | Samurái Kirby | Samurai Kirby |
References
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