We’ve taken a look at the villains, and we’ve explored the heroes, so now it’s time to examine my Top 10 Favorite Main Theme Leitmotifs. I define these themes as being the central musical melody associated with an entire media work, or one shared equally by multiple characters. This is usually heroic in nature, but it’s played more universally across the work than a specific character leitmotif.
Like the last two times, we’ll talk a bit about why I like each theme, and then I’ll link to the theme so you can give it a listen yourself! Let’s jump into it!
(And, though this probably goes without saying, rest assured that tons of amazing main theme leitmotifs couldn’t fit into this article!)
10) The Avengers (LINK)
A theme so intimately iconic in the world of cinematic soundtracks, it can be easy to forget that it only debuted a mere ten years ago! And yet, even if that short span of time, the Avengers motif has proven to be one of the most heroic superhero themes of all time. It might be a bit cheesy, but it’s truly an unforgettable moment to sit in the theaters when this theme kicks in, and the crowd goes wild. Across all four installments of the Avengers team-ups, a few other MCU references, and a humorous nod in Free Guy, this motif has proven that it’s got the right mix of epic instrumentation and earworm melody to stand amongst titans.
9) Pirates of the Caribbean (LINK)
Pirates of the Caribbean carved out a niche by being one of the first ever pirate-theme blockbusters, and Hans Zimmer’s masterful work with “He’s a Pirate” apparently scared other filmmakers from ever trying the genre again! With absolutely zero knowledge of this franchise, you can take a listen to this central motif and know exactly what sort of swashbuckling adventure you’re signing up for! It’s fun, it’s inspiring, and it makes you want to break out into a goofy run just like Captain Jack Sparrow! These movies wouldn’t be half as incredible without Hans Zimmer’s impeccable score, and this leitmotif is the distilled greatness of the score in a single track.
8) My Hero Academia (LINK)
My problems with this show are numerous (and I, in fact, have a two-part article series planned to come out soon about this), but something I definitely don’t dislike about My Hero Academia is the soundtrack. Across every season there are plenty of incredible tracks, but the hands-down favorite has to go to “You Say Run”, the show’s central leitmotif. When those opening notes slowly trickle in, you know that you’re about to watch an incredible scene play out before you. Encapsulating everything that it means to be a hero and to risk it all to battle villainy, “You Say Run” is an amazingly heroic tune that gets its chance to shine with much of this shows huge cast of characters across a plethora of actiony scenes.
7) God of War: Ragnarok (LINK)
With a rumbling bass-and-choir soundtrack created by Bear McCreary (who will be making another appearance on this list), God of War: Ragnarok possesses a truly cinematic soundtrack quality. It’s not really a surprise that it won the accolade for Best Score and Music at the 2022 Game Awards. Though the entire soundtrack is fantastic, this central leitmotif never fails to hit al the right notes every time it plays. It’s invigorating, it’s goosebumps-inducing, and it’s emotional in its musical depiction of Kratos and his incredible journey. You really get both a sense for Kratos’ troubled character arc, and the sheer epic scope of his battle against the Norse pantheon in just this one track alone. Awesome stuff!
6) Xenoblade Chronicles X (LINK)
I can’t imagine it was easy to craft a central leitmotif that wholly encompasses the feeling of being the last vestiges of humanity exploring a jaw-dropping alien planet, but by golly, they nailed it with Xenoblade Chronicles X! This leitmotif is criminally underused through the runtime of the game, but it’s sparse uses are still excellently timed (such as your initial arrival to your hub city and humanity’s last bastion, and also when you befriend your first alien species and realize just how huge of a help they’ll be with their massive warship). It also gets a great remix during one of the ending cutscenes alongside a dramatic character reveal. When this game gets a sequel (please, please, please give it to me), I hope that they carry forward with this awesome established motif!
5) Mission Impossible (LINK)
It’s a song that everyone knows and loves, and it’s hardly surprising that this seminal theme has undergone so few dramatic changes or revisions in its lifetime. Even still, each new movie in the franchise adds a slight twist in the instrumentation of feeling that the song evokes, with my favorite iteration being the Fallout one. Even the most casual of moviegoers could hum along to this musical masterpiece, while simultaneously flashes of their favorite jaw-dropping stunts and set-pieces race through their mind. If you ever find yourself in the position of needing to save the world from evil terrorists and nuclear threats, make sure you’ve got this on loop!
4) Valkyria Chronicles (LINK)
If you took a look at the box art for Valkyria Chronicles and assumed that “Anime World War 2” couldn’t possibly work as a concept, the opening notes of this incredible tune should immediately dissuade that thought! Honestly, you could probably close your eyes and listen to this song, and come away thinking it came from an epic live-action war film of days past! There’s so much weight, so much hope, so much determination in this theme song that it gives me goosebumps each time I hear it. Whether it’s used for a heroic sacrifice, a counterattack to turn the tide of the war, or an even more crazy remix for the final boss battle, this main leitmotif never lets me down. How could I give up fighting while listening to this?
3) Jurassic Park/World (LINK)
A song so good that you’re probably already humming it in your head as you read these words, the leitmotif from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World is one of those amazing tunes that just sticks with you for years. It seems impossible to think that a single song can encapsulate the joy of creation and wonder of dinosaurs, but here we are! As has been said in the past, John Williams truly is ‘the man’, and his incredible compositional ability is clear for all to see through even this track alone. It’s a song so good that not a single film in the franchise dared to skip out on having it play, it’s frequently used in promotional materials, and you can hear it yourself walking under the Jurassic Park sign at Universal Orlando! Humans might not ever learn from their dinosaur-creating mistakes in this fictional universe, but at least it gives more chances to hear this theme!
2) Agents of SHIELD ~ (LINK)
Another incredible Bear McCreary soundtrack brings with it one of the most incredible television show leitmotifs of all time, and an excellent addition to the world of superhero themes. Managing to be exceptionally heroic, but still possessing an undeniable undertone of super agent/spy espionage, the Agents of SHIELD theme is one for the record books! The first few seconds of this leitmotif alone are enough to put a smile on my face, and the fact that nearly every episode in the show used it as the end credits theme ensured it was always at the forefront of your mind long after turning the television off. It’s various remixes throughout the show’s emotional beats and epic action scenes only further enhanced the experience.
To top it off, I love this song so much that it’s been my phone ringtone for the past three years, and will continue to be so for a long time to come!
1) Fairy Tail ~ (LINK)
The sheer perfection in this theme is hard to fully describe. I’ve never encountered a central leitmotif quite like this before. A composition that can truly be anything and everything it needs to be to fit a given scene, without losing its core energy or melody in the process.
You want a slow, somber, excellently-played orchestral version for those critical emotional moments? You’ve got it. How about a similarly emotional variation, but one led by the piano instead? Yep! Are you interested in a killer rocking electric guitar remix to spice up your action scenes? Take two distinct but equally impeccable variations, just for fun! How about a twist on the original to represent the story time jump and show the character’s growth? We’ve got that ready for you! Or, you can just never go wrong with the outstanding original!
I seriously don’t think any other anime comes close to reaching Fairy Tail‘s level in terms of soundtrack quality, and this amazing central theme is but the icing on the cake!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 