Best/Worst Tokusatsu Theme Songs used in Fights

[TheNoMoreHero]

The other day me and a friend were discussing Drive and I brought up how I hated Surprise Drive being played in battles, especially in the early episodes. Something felt off when I heard it used in fights. Which got me thinking what are good theme songs that when you hear it when a fight happens you know it is about to go down? What are bad ones that turn you off a fight?

Here are a few of my choices off the top of my head...

Best:
Decade (Journey through the Decade)- Slow build up that can be used for a grand entrance and pretty epic overall.
Fourze (Switch on!)- Energetic and fun. When it plays, I can imagine the tides turning and a Rider Rocket Drill Kick coming up.

Worst:
OOO's (Anything Goes)- I like it but no real bite.
Drive (Surprise Drive)- Maybe it's how the singer is belting out the lyrics but the flow just doesn't feel right for fights.

 

[Shogun_Master]

I really hated Wizard's. Generally, I really didn't like that song to begin with, but 'Magika, Magika, Magika- Sho-owtime!' really doesn't work to enhance the drama of anything. At all.

I'm also not really caring that much for Ghost's theme. I like the song & grunge seems like a really good fit for the subject material at first glance, but it just doesn't really seem to fit at all.

Maybe it'd be a good idea to expand this to Rider music in general, though. There's just as much bad music as good music & just as many poor fits as perfect cues overall.

 

[urugoji]

The problem with Surprise Drive as an insert song is how repetitive the chorus is, especially when they loop the chorus during the fight.

I always thought WBX made a really good fight song, if we're just talking about openings as insert songs.

 

[lazycoconut]

I don't like hearing slowed-down "ballad" versions or instrumentals of the OP played over battles that are supposed to be especially dramatic or tragic. I don't like those arrangements of the music full stop, but a battle needs something kinda ... rousing? Not a song that wouldn't sound out of place at a funeral

Climax Jump (Den-O), Just Live More (Gaim), and Alive A Life (Ryuki) are among the best for a battle scene IMO

 

[SquidKing]

I basically agree with everyone here. I think Switch On is probably the best overall KR song, and it was great for inserts. Seems like they're not doing that one special battle song recently, right? I think I remember especially in early Heisei they had really specific fighting songs.

 

[Photon]

I don't like hearing slowed-down "ballad" versions or instrumentals of the OP played over battles that are supposed to be especially dramatic or tragic. I don't like those arrangements of the music full stop, but a battle needs something kinda ... rousing? Not a song that wouldn't sound out of place at a funeral

Even worse when the song itself has upbeat lyric. Even though it's instrumental, you'll know the lyric, and an upbeat lyric in a dramatic sad scene doesn't match at all.

I don't think a tragic battle scene should be accompanied with a rousing upbeat song, though. A "ballad" song would be more appropriate for that.

 

[lazycoconut]

Even worse when the song itself has upbeat lyric. Even though it's instrumental, you'll know the lyric, and an upbeat lyric in a dramatic sad scene doesn't match at all.

I don't think a tragic battle scene should be accompanied with a rousing upbeat song, though. A "ballad" song would be more appropriate for that.

I agree with that but IMO at least pick a song that was designed to be that style? Not an awful bastardisation of the OP

 

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

The one exception I can think of to the "slow ballad of the theme" thing sucking is when "Switch On!" played during the scene where the KRC reads Kengo's farewell letter. The use of the theme evoked the good memories they had together, but the theme had this melancholy that worked because the air of death was hanging over them.

As for the main topic, every time the bridge in "Kamen Rider Kuuga" played during that series, it never failed to get me pumped.