The Pokémon Evolution (and More) Music

The Pokémon games have many different characteristic pieces of music, though many of them are distinct to or for certain games or certain generations. Only a handful of those pieces are relatively constant in sound over a wide swath of Pokémon games. One of those is the music that accompanies Pokémon evolution (and trades; also starting from Generation 2, Eggs that hatch). It's a distinct piece of music that signals that the events are happening or bound to happen, and that distinction is very much iconic in and out of the games.

The music piece begins with a four-note introduction before it goes into the main portion of the music, which has a repetitive cadence of alternating notes with a few other notes and shifts from time to time. Such a cadence creates a feeling of expectation that builds up as the piece and process continues. When the process concludes, the piece ends with the "success" sound, with the last part of the piece looping if necessary, for however long it takes. It's a distinct structure that has applied for as long as the piece has existed in the main series games.

In Pokémon Go, the piece exists as well for both the cases of evolution and Egg hatch, though the piece is arranged slightly differently, likewise for the accompanying "success" sound. One of the ways that it is so is that it is missing the four-note introduction, though the rest of the piece is quite similar, and there are practically no circumstances where the piece needs to continue to loop at the end. Its arrangement in a trade is also slightly different during Pokémon selection. The existence of the piece in all its similarity shows the intent to maintain some commonality with the main series games, from which much of Pokémon Go is based on.

Beyond games, the piece is applicable in much of the same contexts, particularly evolution. Over three months ago, in a highlight of YouTube videos on Pokémon animation, I highlighted poopooghost and the Pokémon evolution animations of the creator. The music is indeed used in that very context; early on, the utilized form was its original 8-bit rendition in the very first games with some arrangement liberty, while more recently, very different arrangements have been used, including a recorder vs. guitar version for the evolution of both forms of Zigzagoon. In a way, the distinction of the piece is maintained through these creations.

As a distinct piece, it's hard to not argue that the piece for evolution, Egg hatch, and trade is very much indicative of that. It's been kept that way in the main series of Pokémon games, and beyond those games, the piece remains connected to all those situations, preserving the distinction. It wouldn't be a stretch, therefore, that if the piece is heard, even as little as its introduction, one should know that the events are about to happen. It's a testament to how much distinction a particular piece can carry, and this one has much of that.

One year ago: Pokémon Go: A Colossal Discovery

Two years ago: Balance of Topics

Three years ago: Kids (...or Trainers, Fans) These Days