Tokyo Olympics opens to live medley of video game music, featuring Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
The medley included music from the Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and King Hearts series.
Photo: Clive Rose / Getty
The Tokyo Olympics surprised gamers over the weekend with a tribute to Japan’s rich video game history. As part of the Games’ opening ceremony, athletes from around the globe paraded around the Olympic Stadium to the soundtracks of classic game franchises.
The medley, which was performed by a live orchestra, included music from the Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series. Nikkei published a complete list of songs performed, which you can see below:
- Overture: Roto’s Theme (from Dragon Quest)
- Victory Fanfare (from Final Fantasy)
- Sorey’s Theme – The Shepherd (from the Tales Of series)
- Proof of a Hero (from Monster Hunter)
- Olympus Coliseum (from the Kingdom Hearts series)
- Frog’s Theme (from Chrono Trigger)
- First Flight (from Ace Combat)
- Pomp and Majesty (from the Tales Of series)
- Wind of Departure from (from Monster Hunter)
- Robo’s Theme (from Chrono Trigger)
- Star Light Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog)
- eFootball walk-on theme (from the Winning Eleven series)
- Main Theme (from the Final Fantasy series)
- Guardians (from Phantasy Star Universe)
- Hero’s Fanfare (from the Kingdom Hearts series)
- 01 ACT I-1 (from Gradius)
- Song of the Ancients (from NieR)
- The Orchestral SaGa – Legend of Music (from the SaGa series)
- The Brave New Stage of History (from Soulcalibur)
Gamers took to social media to share their delight. “Kingdom Hearts III Olympus Battle Theme! No Way!” wrote one fan. See more reactions here:
KINGDOM HEARTS 3 OLYMPUS BATTLE THEME!
NO WAY pic.twitter.com/MVcfKWHPPC
— ☁️Ultima🔑 (@Ultima_Wielder) July 23, 2021
DID THEY REALLY PLAY KINGDOM HEARTS AND FINAL FANTASY MUSIC AT THE OLYMPICS?!?
YES LOOK pic.twitter.com/x8tlnRhDKD
— Maku (@TropicalMaku) July 23, 2021
Of course Japan would start the Olympics parade of nations with the theme to Dragon Quest pic.twitter.com/gjdbwMENfw
— Stephen Stapczynski (@SStapczynski) July 23, 2021
However, music from Nintendo’s Mario franchise was nowhere to be heard. The iconic character has been linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics ever since Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dressed up as the iconic character for the Rio 2016 closing ceremony. Watch it below at 1:51:12:
Mario even has an official video game tie-in with the event, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is set to go on until 8 August.
