Alright everybody, let’s take a look at the heroes!
After doing my list of my favorite villainous leitmotifs and character themes two weeks ago, I knew that I couldn’t wait too long to cover the list of my favorite hero themes! Just like last time, I’ll be briefly explaining why I love each entry so much, and also provide a link to an example of their theme for your listening pleasure! Let’s jump into it!
(Also, like last time, rest assured that there are hundreds of amazing themes I couldn’t fit into this list of only ten! Maybe I’ll do another one in the future!)
10) Pokémon ~ Nemona (LINK)
A relatively recent theme, Nemona burst onto the scene as one of the standout characters in the newest mainline installment, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. She’s your main character’s rival, but she’s by no means a terrible person, and is instrumental in helping you stop the main conflict later in the game. She lives for battling, forsaking practically everything else for a charmingly obsessive need to battle people, and she’s already the Champion of the region before you start your journey, but takes up a whole new team to fight alongside you and help you grow. Her enthusiastic spirit is showcased through her infectious character and battle theme!
9) Pirates of the Caribbean ~ Captain Jack Sparrow (LINK)
It’s not the song most people associate with this series (which, if you’re curious, would classify as a main theme and not a character motif), but I guarantee you could hum along to this song after just a few notes! Honestly, every song in this entire franchise is incredible (benefit of being scored by the legend himself, Hans Zimmer), but I’ve always had a soft spot specifically for this piece. It has all the whimsy and mischief you’d expect from a man like Jack Sparrow (sorry, “Captain” Jack Sparrow), but still some of the swashbuckling heroism beneath his foolish bluster. Don’t you just wish that you could frolic around town with this theme accompanying you?
8) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ~ Noah and Mio (LINK)
I’ve already raved about how incredible I find this entire game’s soundtrack, so it shouldn’t come as much surprise that I love our main duo’s central motif. Genuinely, I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much of a soundtrack (video game or otherwise) carried by a flute, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 incorporates this classic instrument into its motifs flawlessly. The Off-Seer tune is one you hear many, many times during the course of the game, but that’s because it is so deeply entwined into the lives and stories of Noah and Mio. It’s a brilliant piece of musical score that manages to be bombastic during the big fights, and tear-jerking during the game’s many emotional climaxes.
7) Marvel Cinematic Universe ~ Iron Man (LINK)
Though it’s criminal that this incredible theme was constrained to only a single entry in the MCU, Iron Man 3 really made this awesome tune work for our protagonist. You can hear shades of this leitmotif throughout the entire movie, whether it’s when Tony is battling against the baddies, or when he symbolically cuts himself off from his suit obsession in the finale by detonating the prototypes. My favorite use, of course, is the one that plays during the credits sequence, as it’s an awesome and earworm-worthy tune that encapsulates the aforementioned credits as one of my favorite film credits sequences ever. Iron Man 3 is the perfect end to my favorite MCU trilogy (holy cow, a contrarian opinion on The Contrarian Corner), and this song really nails all the elements of this unforgettable character.
6) RWBY ~ Yang Xiao Long (LINK)
The talented minds behind the composition of RWBY strike again, this time imbuing the bombastic blonde heroine with an iconic theme all her own. Like many of the characters in RWBY, Yang first received her leitmotif through the image song (a term referring to a song that is about a character in media) “I Burn”, but the instrumentation and melody of “I Burn” went on to permeate through the entire show, punctuating almost all of Yang’s big moments. There’s a crazy jazz version during the Vytal Festival Tournament in Volume Three, and the string-heavy Western rendition in a Volume Five showdown. It’s a great leitmotif on its own, but hearing all the ways it comes back and defines Yang as a character is what makes it exceptional.
5) SpiderVerse ~ Gwen Stacy (LINK)
I knew that this theme had sunk its hooks into me before my first viewing of Across the SpiderVerse was even over, and I love it even more now. It’s the perfect depiction of her character through both distinct halves of this theme, and it serves to further highlight Gwen as one of the best animated heroes of all time. Whether it’s the somber and almost ethereal part of her theme for the scenes involving her father, or the bombastic drums that kick in during her action scenes, Gwen’s leitmotif is incredible. On top of this, her melodies and instrumentations are seamlessly inserted into the film alongside the other character themes during critical moments, adding up to an unforgettable soundtrack.
4) Marvel Cinematic Universe ~ Spider-Man (LINK)
There’s a lot of high expectations riding on the main theme for each new Spider-Man incarnation, and Tom Holland’s MCU portrayal does not disappoint! In every sense, this leitmotif just screams ‘Spider-Man‘ at you, but with all the unique twists that Tom Holland’s younger and more inexperienced portrayal brings. But, just like the character himself, this theme grows and expands across the trilogy of films, blossoming into a much grander and heroic conclusion befitting a Spider-Man who has truly matured and mastered the concept of great responsibility. The MCU has a shaky track record with consistent leitmotifs, and I’m thrilled that the ball was not dropped here.
3) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ~ Daisy Johnson (LINK)
I believe I praised this theme back during the Agents of SHIELD retrospective earlier this year. In fact, the show’s entire soundtrack is the stuff of legends, but this leitmotif in particular is (aside from the show’s main theme) probably the most incredible song of the bunch. First appearing the moment that Skye becomes Daisy and unlocks her Inhuman powers, this leitmotif goes on to accompany every single noteworthy and memorable Daisy moment, with slow renditions for emotional climaxes and powerful orchestral hits for heroic battles. It could almost be considered overplayed if it wasn’t just so instantly recognizable and fantastic to listen to! There’s a lot to love about Daisy, and her theme stands chief among them.
2) Cobra Kai ~ Miguel Diaz/Eli Moskowitz (LINK)
Shared by two characters, with each bringing their own distinct flair to the same base tune, Cobra Kai‘s heroic leitmotif for these two determined teen fighters never fails to get me hyped up. I’m already a huge fan of dissecting each new season’s soundtrack when it drops, picking apart the tracks to find each character leitmotif (I’m a nerd, sue me), and I find immense joy in discovering each instance of this heroic, hardcore theme. Whether the heavy guitar and drums of Hawk’s variation, or the orchestra and choir of Miguel’s, I’m always on the verge of excitedly jumping out of my seat each time I hear this music, not least of which because there’s almost always some sort of incredible showdown happening on screen! The music of Cobra Kai never disappoints!
1) Star Wars ~ Ahsoka Tano (LINK)
I knew how much I loved this theme going into writing this article. I knew before I started that I’d place her leitmotif in the top spot. I also knew I’d be listening to her theme when selecting a track from YouTube to link. I knew all this, and yet I STILL cried while hearing her incredible music play, and being hit with 15 (yes, 15!) years worth of memories since the first day this theme and character ever graced our screens. Yes, the deck was stacked in Ahsoka’s favor for this list, but I can’t help it!
How often can you say that a character and their respective leitmotif were able to enjoy such thorough love and care over an entire fifteen-year period? And across multiple series at that (Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), never once losing the spark that has defined the character through her instrumentation and melody? There’s honestly been so many incredible moments of this leitmotif to punctuate the journey Ahsoka has undergone that I couldn’t even begin to list them all. I certainly tell you that it never stops being a joy to re-hear it each time!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 