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We all love Pokémon. How can we not capture over 600 critters in a vast open world all while trading with friends around the world? Or how about making an elite team and pwning the hell out of little kids at your school who don’t know a thing or two about the art of EV training? But I usually don’t care about all that.

Yup, we’re gonna talk about the music. Precisely, the battle themes. From the first wild Pokémon you found on the wild to that climatic encounter with the top Champion of the region, they are all punctuated with some awesome themes. So why don’t we celebrate them with a nice Top 10 of the best out there? A huge note to all of you – this is MY list, not yours; and most of all, we’re only gonna talk about themes from 1st to 4th generation. Sorry, Black and White fans!

So without further due, this JETZ.acx in the Top 10 Pokémon Battle Themes ‘Till the 4th Generation.


#10

How about we start off with the good ol’ GBC. Gold and Silver were the first Pokémon games to bring out different battle themes according to whom you battle with. And with the return of Team Rocket ravaging the streets of Johto as they await for Giovanni’s return, they always punctuate their battles with their own tune:

Sinister, frenetic, and badass. Team Rocket Battle stands at the #10 spot.


#9

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire brought the Pokémon series into the 32-bit glory of Game Boy Advance. And with that, we’ve also had tons of classic tunes that played through the epics battles between trainers. While most of the soundtrack was…a little similar in tempo and percussion, this particular one stands out as making a difference:


Breezing through the Pokémon League was never so fun as the Elite Four Battle theme blasted through the tiny GBA speaker. And that’s why it’s on the list.


#8

Moving on to Diamond and Pearl – the first game to bring the frenetic trading-and-battling craze into the World Wide Web. And it’s pretty good, too – the traditional look of the game is inviting, and it never hurts to have a few touch-screen controls when making your choices in-battle. And the music? Well, one of the many epic tunes comes from none other than inside a Gym:


Very catchy, sets the tone of your battle with a serious, one-type ace trainer. Gym Leader Battle (Sinnoh) is a definite classic and worthy of a spot on this list.


#7

Moving back to Ruby and Sapphire – how many of you people loved to battle against the legendaries? Well, at least one battle is absolutely epic – the one against the poster Pokémon of your version:


Chills down your spine every time you hear those gongs. You know you’re in serious business when you are battling against The Legendary Pokémon of Hoenn. Brrr, get me a coat…


#6

Ah, the good ol’ Red and Blue days. We can’t forget how many times we went through those bushes and been jumped by Rattatas and Pidgeys. But while the Wild Pokémon Battle theme is a nice tune, it’s not the first one you hear. No. Remember? Gary-er, Blue went in your face, said “WE FIGHT, NOW” and…



Trainer Battle (Kanto) is still hooked into my mind.


#5

So Legendaries once again. They have awesome tunes, do they? In Diamond and Pearl, Dialga and Palkia got one heck of a tune that even made it into the Brawl list, but while it’s awesome and all, I think there’s a far better Legendary tune right there. Hmm, let’s see, crawling around the grass, and…


The omnipresent, monotone chord playing on the horizon quickly changes into a fast-paced, tension-filled percussion. While Uxie and Azelf are pretty good to catch with this tune, it’s absolutely awesome when you find Mesprit and hear this tune during its roaming adventures. Satisfying.


#4

Third-versions always have a reason to exist. They bring new features, fix some flaws from the older versions, and make kids BAWWW towards their parents when they realize they aren’t stupid to fall into the same trap twice. While Pokémon Yellow made the whole experience different by adding elements from the anime series and Crystal brought the introduction of the Battle Tower, it wasn’t until Emerald that we’ve got one heck of a feature that’s going to be synonymous with extra versions on forward: the Battle Frontier.

The concept is awesome: it’s like going through Gyms all over again, but each one has a different twist. From the quintessential Batter Tower to the rental-only Battle Factory, they’re going to screw your strategy in such a way that you’ll need a different team in every situation. But when you finally get the chance to challenge the Frontier Brain, you know it’s kicking ass time:


Either rendition is great, but since the foundation started in Emerald and it’s the best Battle Frontier in my opinion, I’ll give the edge to Hoenn’s Frontier Brain Battle.


#3

Back to Pokémon Red/Blue. Back to Gym Leaders. I want to say this just once: I could care less about the Pokémon breeder version of Brock – this shirtless, rock-horns, Ima-kick-your-ass attitude-filled Brock is THE MAN. And when you hear the music…


Let’s just say that Kanto Gym Leader Battle will be absolutely epic. Until you fire a Water Gun or a Vine Whip and realize how big of a chump he really is. Sigh.


#2

Who ISN’T by all means a chump is Gary Oak. Or is that Blue? Who cares; all that matters is that your rival is one big Mofo. He’s not only a douchebag, he can literally kick your ass when you least expect it. After traveling a cave? Check. Before going into a Gym? Check. Before going into a damn Pokémon Center when all your Pokémon are under life-support? Oh yeah there he is Goddamnit.

He even becomes the Champion of Kanto region, and you are left with no other option but to show who is the real man for this job. It is so fitting that for such an epic battle we need an epic tune:



Kanto Champion Battle is awesome…but why is it not at #1?


#1

Because once you beat your Rival, you are the true Champion…and three years later, you get to show Johto trainers that you don’t mess with the ORIGINAL POKÉMON TRAINER. I don’t give a damn if Lance’s the current champion of the Pokémon League, and who cares if he has the battle theme too…all that matters is that when you find this guy on the top of Mt. Silver, you are witnessing one of the most epic moments in Pokémon history. He just doesn’t say a word, because he knows what you want. A battle. Of battles.


Arguably the greatest twist in Pokémon history, the ability to find (and battle) Red is by far the coolest moment in the game, only topped by the booming music of Johto’s Champion Battle. So epic, that to this day it is still, in my opinion, the best Pokémon battle theme of all time.