Airship Fortress (theme)
| "Airship Fortress" | |
|---|---|
| "Airship Fortress" in Mario Kart DS | |
| Composed by: Shinobu Nagata | |
| Time signature | Common time |
| First appearance | Mario Kart DS (2005) |
| Latest appearance | Mario Kart World (2025) |
"Airship Fortress"[1] is a musical theme composed by Shinobu Nagata for Mario Kart DS, where it plays in the race course of the same name. It features lead choir and harmonica instrumentation accompanied by drums, bass, and trumpets. The theme also utilizes call-and-response between the choir and an electric piano.
History[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Mario Kart DS marks the first appearance of "Airship Fortress".
Mario Kart 7[edit]
In Mario Kart 7, an arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays in DS Airship Fortress. It is likewise titled "DS Airship Fortress" in the Nintendo Music app. This arrangement uses higher-quality samples, but it is otherwise near identical to the original. A looping drum set beat is added to the instrumentation whenever the player is driving at top speed while in first place.
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Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, the Mario Kart 7 arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays in DS Airship Fortress, which was first added in the Pirate Tour.
Mario Kart World[edit]
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In Mario Kart World, an arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays when racing in the course of the same name. The choir has been entirely replaced with the harmonica, and the call-and-response with the electric piano has been removed. In Knockout Tour, leaving Airship Fortress causes the theme to transition into a coda. This is one of four course themes to have four codas, the other three being "Mario Bros. Circuit", "Peach Stadium" and "Boo Cinema".
When approaching Airship Fortress from a route or during a rally before reaching the course's finish line, a simple prelude arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays. It is titled "Airship Fortress (Intro)" in the Nintendo Music app. A remix of "Airship Fortress (Intro)" that omits the lead instruments plays during the rolling start of the Cloud Rally.
A brief arrangement of "Airship Fortress" is incorporated in the theme that plays during the intro cutscene for the Flower Cup. It is titled "Opening (Flower Cup)" in the Nintendo Music app.
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Gallery[edit]
Image for "DS Airship Fortress" from Mario Kart 7 on Nintendo Music
Image for "Opening (Flower Cup)" from Mario Kart World on Nintendo Music
List of Super Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart DS | Nintendo DS | 2005 | Original | Shinobu Nagata | |
| Mario Kart 7 | Nintendo 3DS | 2011 | Arrangement | "DS Airship Fortress"[2] | |
| Remix | |||||
| Mario Kart Tour | iOS, Android | 2020[a] | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | ||
| Mario Kart World | Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | Arrangement | "Opening (Flower Cup)"[2] | |
| "Airship Fortress (Intro)"[2] | |||||
| "Airship Fortress"[2] | |||||
| Remix |
- ^ Added in the Pirate Tour on August 11, 2020
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Music | 2025[a] | Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) | "DS Airship Fortress" | |
| 2026[b] | Past arrangement (Mario Kart World) | "Opening (Flower Cup)" | ||
| "Airship Fortress (Intro)" | ||||
| "Airship Fortress" |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キラーシップ Kirā Shippu |
Bullet Bill Ship | [1] | |
| Spanish | Fortaleza Aérea | Aerial Fortress | [1] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Mario Kart World pause menu
- ^ a b c d Nintendo Music
| Mario Kart World music | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Courses | Race courses | New courses | "Mario Bros. Circuit" ("Opening (Mushroom Cup)" • "Replay" • "Trophy Theme") • "DK Spaceport" ("Opening (Mushroom Cup)") • "Starview Peak ("Opening (Star Cup)") • "Boo Cinema" • "Rainbow Road" ("Opening (Special Cup)" • "Results Screen (Rainbow Road)") |
| Returning courses | "Airship Fortress" ("Opening (Flower Cup)") • "Choco Mountain" ("Opening (Lightning Cup)") • "Desert Hills" • "Dino Dino Jungle" • "DK Pass" • "Koopa Troopa Beach" ("Opening (Shell Cup)") • "Mario Circuit" ("Opening (Special Cup)" • "Staff Credits") • "Moo Moo Meadows" • "Peach Beach" ("Opening (Banana Cup)") • "Shy Guy Bazaar" • "Sky-High Sundae" ("Opening (Star Cup)") • "Toad's Factory" • "Wario Shipyard" ("Opening (Star Cup)") • "Wario Stadium" ("Opening (Flower Cup)") | ||
| Battle courses | "Battle Course" (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) • "Battle Course" (Mario Kart DS) • "Battle Course" (Mario Kart 64) • "Battle Course" (Super Mario Kart) • "Battle Stadium" • "Chain Chomp Wheel" • "Delfino Pier" • "Thwomp Desert" | ||
| Arrangements | Mario Kart arrangements | Super Mario Kart | "Bowser Castle" • "Choco Island" • "Donut Plains" • "Ghost Valley" • "Koopa Beach" • "Rainbow Road" • "Staff Credits" • "Title Screen" • "Vanilla Lake" |
| Mario Kart 64 | "Character Select" • "DK's Jungle Parkway" • "Frappe Snowland" • "Kalimari Desert" • "Koopa Troopa Beach" • "Moo Moo Farm" • "Rainbow Road" • "Results Screen" • "Title Screen" • "Toad's Turnpike" | ||
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | "Bowser Castle" • "Cheese Land" • "Peach Circuit" • "Rainbow Road" • "Ribbon Road" • "Shy Guy Beach" • "Yoshi Desert" | ||
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | "Baby Park" • "Dry Dry Desert" • "Luigi Circuit" • "Mushroom Bridge" • "Rainbow Road" • "Sherbet Land" | ||
| Mario Kart DS | "Cheep Cheep Beach" • "Delfino Square" • "Figure-8 Circuit" • "Luigi's Mansion" • "Peach Gardens" • "Rainbow Road" • "Shroom Ridge" • "Staff Credits" • "Tick-Tock Clock" • "Waluigi Pinball" • "Yoshi Falls" | ||
| Mario Kart Wii | "Coconut Mall" • "Daisy Circuit" • "DK Summit" • "Dry Dry Ruins" • "Grumble Volcano" • "Luigi Circuit" • "Maple Treeway" • "Moonview Highway" • "Mushroom Gorge" • "Rainbow Road" • "Staff Credits A" • "Wario's Gold Mine" | ||
| Mario Kart 7 | "Bowser's Castle" • "Daisy Hills" • "Music Park" • "Piranha Plant Slide" • "Rainbow Road" • "Rock Rock Mountain" • "Rosalina's Ice World" • "Toad Circuit" | ||
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | "Bone-Dry Dunes" • "Cloudtop Cruise" • "Dolphin Shoals" • "Dragon Driftway" • "Electrodrome" • "Ice Ice Outpost" • "Mario Circuit" • "Mario Kart 8" • "Rainbow Road" • "Shy Guy Falls" • "Sunshine Airport" • "Super Bell Subway" • "Sweet Sweet Canyon" • "Thwomp Ruins" • "Toad Harbor" • "Twisted Mansion" • "Water Park" • "Wild Woods" | ||
| Mario Kart Tour | "Bangkok Rush" • "Merry Mountain" • "Ninja Hideaway" • "Los Angeles Laps" • "Singapore Speedway" • "Tokyo Blur" • "Vancouver Velocity" | ||
| Super Mario arrangements | Super Mario Bros. | "Ending" • "Game Over" • "Ground BGM" • "Underground BGM" • "Underwater BGM" | |
| Super Mario Bros. 2 | "Ground BGM" • "Please Select Player" • "Underground BGM" | ||
| Super Mario Bros. 3 | "Airship BGM" • "Athletic BGM" • "Course Clear" • "Ending" • "Fortress Boss BGM" • "Ground BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "World 1 Map (Grass Land)" ("Overworld Medley") • "World 2 Map (Desert Land)" ("Overworld Medley") • "World 3 Map (Water Land)" ("Overworld Medley") • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - In the Sky" ("Overworld Medley") • "World 7 Map (Pipe Land)" ("Overworld Medley") | ||
| Super Mario Land | "Ground BGM" • "Underground BGM" | ||
| Super Mario World | "Donut Plains (Map Screen)" ("Overworld Medley") • "Ending" • "Forest of Illusion (Map Screen)" ("Overworld Medley") • "Ground BGM" ("Bonus Game BGM" • "Castle BGM" • "Underground BGM" • "Underwater BGM") • "Koopalings BGM" • "Special World (Map Screen)" ("Overworld Medley") • "Star World (Map Screen)" ("Overworld Medley") • "Title BGM" • "Yoshi's Island (Map Screen)" ("Overworld Medley") | ||
| Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins | "Main Theme" | ||
| Super Mario 64 | "Bowser's Road" • "Bowser's Theme" • "Dire, Dire Docks" • "File Select" • "Peach's Castle" • "Piranha Plant's Lullaby" • "Staff Roll" • "Title Theme" ("Cool, Cool Mountain" • "Slider") | ||
| Super Mario Sunshine | "Delfino Plaza" ("Ricco Harbor") • "Secret Course - Sky and Sea" | ||
| New Super Mario Bros. | "Castle BGM" • "Ground BGM" | ||
| Super Mario Galaxy | "Buoy Base Galaxy" • "Egg Planet" • "Enter Bowser Jr.!" • "Final Battle with Bowser" • "Gusty Garden Galaxy" • "Purple Comet" • "Rosalina in the Observatory 3" • "Space Junk Road" | ||
| New Super Mario Bros. Wii | "Beach Theme" • "Castle BGM" • "Castle Boss" • "Credits Theme 1" • "Desert BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "Volcano BGM" | ||
| Super Mario Galaxy 2 | "Bowser's Galaxy Generator" • "Cloudy Court Galaxy" • "Digga-Leg" • "Melty Monster Galaxy" • "Puzzle Plank Galaxy" • "Starship Mario 1" • "Sky Station Galaxy" • "The Starship's Journey" • "Yoshi Star Galaxy" | ||
| Super Mario 3D Land | "Beach Theme" • "Ground Theme" • "Snow Mountain Theme" | ||
| New Super Mario Bros. U | "Ground Theme" | ||
| Super Mario 3D World | "A Boss Approaches" ("Bowser's Highway Showdown" • "World 8") • "Athletic Theme" • "Captain Toad Goes Forth" • "Double Cherry Pass" • "Hands-On Hall" • "Hisstocrat" • "Piranha Creeper Creek" • "Shifty Boo Mansion" • "Sprawling Savanna" • "Super Bell Hill" | ||
| Super Mario Maker | "Title Screen" | ||
| Super Mario Odyssey | "Break Free (Lead the Way)" • "Fossil Falls" • "Jump Up, Super Star!" • "Peronza Plaza" • "Shiveria Town" • "Steam Gardens" • "Tostarena Ruins" | ||
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | "Attack! Bowser's Fury" • "Plessie Ride!" | ||
| Yoshi arrangements | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | "Athletic BGM" • "Bowser" • "Flower Field BGM" • "Opening Melody" • "Stage Boss" • "Stage Start" | |
| Yoshi's Story | "Yoshi's Song" • "Yoshi's Tale" | ||
| Other arrangements | Mario Paint | "Flyswatter Level 1" • "Painting Mode 1" | |
| Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 | "Main Theme" | ||
| Donkey Kong Country | "DK Island Swing" | ||
| Luigi's Mansion | "Title Theme (Humming)" | ||
| WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! | "Voices Being Carried on the Waves" | ||
| Flipnote Studio | "Mario Drawing Song" | ||
| Other | "Awards Ceremony (1st – 3rd Place)" ("Trophy Theme") • "Final Lap Fanfare" • "Mario Kart 64 Title Screen" ("Victory Lap (Rainbow Road)") • "Mission Clear" • "Results Screen A" • "Staff Credits" • "Staff Credits" (Mario Kart 64) ("Special Cup Appears" • "Trophy Theme" • "Victory Lap" • "Victory Lap (Rainbow Road)") • "Super Star" • "Title Theme" ("Opening (Knockout Tour)" • "Peach Stadium" • "Rainbow Road" • "Replay" • "Course Select" • "Special Cup Appears" • "Spectating") | ||