Vs. Marx

Vs. Marx Kirby Super StarKirby Super Star UltraSuper Smash Bros. BrawlKirby Star AlliesKirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound TrackThe Sound of Kirby Café 2Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert Summon Jingle: Music Remix: Various arrangements of the "Vs Marx" theme. Details Debut appearance Kirby Super Star (1996) Last appearance Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022) Other appearance(s) Kirby Super Star Ultra Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U Kirby Star Allies Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Composer(s) Jun Ishikawa

This article is about the musical theme of Marx. For the character himself, see Marx.

"Vs. Marx" (also called "Meddlesome Marx") is a musical piece composed by Jun Ishikawa. It serves as the boss battle theme of Marx, first appearing in Milky Way Wishes from Kirby Super Star.

Composition

"Vs. Marx" is notable for its frequently changing time signatures:

• Intro: 2 bars of 6/8
• Section 1 (twice): 1 bar of 7/8, 1 of 6/8, 1 of 9/8, 1 of 6/8, 2 of 5/8, then 2 of 6/8
• Section 2: 2 bars of 6/8, 2 of 5/8, and 2 of 6/8
• Section 3: 2 bars of 5/8, 1 of 6/8, 1 of 5/8, then 4 of 6/8

Notably, Section 3 partially incorporates the main melody from the boss battle theme from Kirby Super Star, albeit altered to fit the time signatures.

Game appearances

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra

The original version of "Vs. Marx" appears during the final boss battle in Milky Way Wishes. It is titled "Meddlesome Marx" (Track #10) on the Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition Compilation Soundtrack.

In Kirby Super Star Ultra, "Vs. Marx" is remixed with Nintendo DS sound chip, like the other remixed Kirby Super Star tracks. It also plays when battling Marx Soul.

Super Smash Bros. series

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, "Vs. Marx" is rearranged by Yasunori Mitsuda. It's an unlockable music theme for the Halberd stage. This remix plays Section 3 twice, and uses electric guitar. After Section 3, it incorporates "Kirby's Triumphant Return".

The Brawl remix, along with the Halberd stage, reappear in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

The Brawl remix is also in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where it can be played on any Kirby stage. It is unlocked via Vault's Shop, and plays when battling Marx in Classic Mode (as Kirby, Rosalina & Luma, and Sephiroth) and World of Light (as any character).

Kirby Star Allies

During Morpho Knight's battle in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! and The Ultimate Choice of Kirby Star Allies, if 1P is Marx, Morpho Knight's theme will be replaced by a new orchestral remix of "Vs. Marx".

This remix is arranged by the original composer, Jun Ishikawa. It can be found as Track 176 in the Jukebox as of Version 4.0.0.

Kirby's Dream Buffet

The original version from Kirby Super Star can be unlocked as a race song, named "Kirby Super Star: Memorial Song 3", by reaching Gourmet Rank 125.

Other appearances

The original version of "Vs. Marx" was included in the compilation album The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks.

The theme is also featured in the second half of the bonus track ボスバトルメドレー／エレクトロニックver. (Boss Battle Medley / Electronic Ver.) from the Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track. Interestingly, while the other two sections of the song use the original song's time signatures, the third section is completely in 4/4, making it sound a lot like the boss theme from Kirby Super Star.

The theme was played live in the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert, as one of the last songs in the "Kirby Super Star Medley".

In The Sound of Kirby Café 2, the theme is featured in Track 3: マリオネットキッチン (Marionette Kitchen), alongside Magolor, the Distant Traveler, completely transposed to 4/4.

The theme was performed live at the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival as part of the Kirby Finale Battle Fest medley, along with "Nightmare's Battle", "0² Battle", "CROWNED", "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight", and "Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection".