Airship Fortress (theme)

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"Airship Fortress"
"Airship Fortress" in Mario Kart DS
DS Airship Fortress
Composed by:
Shinobu Nagata
Genre Country rock
Key A minor
BPM 148
Time signature Common time
First appearance Mario Kart DS (2005)
Latest appearance Mario Kart World (2025)
Quotes from
"Bowser Castle"[conjectural] (Mario Kart DS)

"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.

Composition[edit]

"Airship Fortress" features lead choir and harmonica instrumentation accompanied by drums, bass, trumpets, an electric organ, and acoustic steel guitars. The theme also utilizes call and response between the lead and the electric organ. This theme quotes the Bowser Castle theme from the same game approximately 37 seconds in.

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.

Icon of an audio speaker. DS Airship Fortress - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 7
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Icon of an audio speaker. DS Airship Fortress (Frontrunning) - The remix heard in Mario Kart 7
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0:30
Help:Media fileHaving trouble playing?

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. In the A section, the choir has been replaced with an electric guitar, and a trumpet mirroring the backing string melody now takes the place of the electric organ in the call and response. In the B section, the electric organ phrase is replaced by strings. The backing acoustic guitar melody, which is now played on the right channel and has been made quieter, is now accompanied by strings and occasionally brass. In Knockout Tour, approaching the next checkpoint causes the theme to transition into a coda.

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.

The theme that plays during the intro cutscene for the Flower Cup quotes "Airship Fortress", when the course is being shown. It is titled "Opening (Flower Cup)" in the Nintendo Music app.

Icon of an audio speaker. Airship Fortress (Intro) - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart World
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0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Airship Fortress (Intro) (Knockout Tour) - The remix heard in Mario Kart World
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0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Airship Fortress - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart World
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0:30
Icon of an audio speaker. Airship Fortress (Outro 2) - The coda that plays from around 0:11 to 0:37.
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0:06
Icon of an audio speaker. Airship Fortress (Outro 5) - The coda that plays at the very end of the theme.
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0:06
Icon of an audio speaker. Opening (Flower Cup) - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart World
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0:30
Help:Media fileHaving trouble playing?

Gallery[edit]

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 "Airship Fortress (Intro)"[1]
 
"Airship Fortress"[1]
"Opening (Flower Cup)"[1]
  1. ^ Added in the Pirate Tour on August 11, 2020

Albums[edit]

Work Year Type Title Credits
Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo Music) 2025 Past arrangement (Mario Kart 7) "DS Airship Fortress"
Mario Kart World (Nintendo Music) 2026 Past arrangement (Mario Kart World) "Airship Fortress (Intro)"
"Airship Fortress"
"Opening (Flower Cup)"

Names in other languages[edit]

"Airship Fortress"[edit]

LanguageNameMeaningNote(s)Ref.
Japaneseキラーシップ
Kirā Shippu
Bullet Bill Ship[1]
Chinese (Simplified)炮弹刺客飞船
Pàodàncìkè Fēichuán (Mandarin)
Paaudáanchi'haak Fēisyùhn (Cantonese)
Bullet Bill Airship[1]
Chinese (Traditional)炮彈刺客飛船
Pàodàncìkè Fēichuán (Mandarin)
Paaudáanchi'haak Fēisyùhn (Cantonese)
Bullet Bill Airship[1]
DutchVliegende VestingFlying Fortress[1]
FrenchBateau volantFlying boat[1]
GermanFliegende FestungFlying Fortress[1]
ItalianFortezza VolanteFlying Fortress[1]
Korean킬러 해적선
Killeo Haejeokseon
Bullet Bill Pirate Ship[1]
PolishPodniebna FortecaAirborne Fortress[3]
PortugueseFortaleza VoadoraFlying Fortress[1]
RussianКорабельная крепость
Korabelnaya krepost
Ship Fortress[1]
SpanishFortaleza AéreaAerial Fortress[1]
Thaiปราการเรือเหาะ
Bpraagaan Rʉʉahɔ̀
Airship Fortress[3]

"Airship Fortress (Intro)"[edit]

LanguageNameMeaningNote(s)Ref.
Japaneseキラーシップ(イントロ)
Kirā Shippu (Intoro)
Bullet Bill Ship (Intro)[1]
Chinese (Simplified)炮弹刺客飞船(序曲)
Pàodàncìkè Fēichuán (Xùqǔ) (Mandarin)
Paaudáanchi'haak Fēisyùhn (Jeuihkūk) (Cantonese)
Bullet Bill Airship (Overture)[1]
Chinese (Traditional)炮彈刺客飛船(前奏)
Pàodàncìkè Fēichuán (Qiánzòu) (Mandarin)
Paaudáanchi'haak Fēisyùhn (Chìhnjau) (Cantonese)
Bullet Bill Airship (Prelude)[1]
DutchVliegende Vesting (intro)Flying Fortress (intro)[1]
FrenchBateau volant (intro)Flying boat (intro)[1]
GermanFliegende Festung (Intro)Flying Fortress (Intro)[1]
ItalianFortezza Volante (intro)Flying Fortress (intro)[1]
Korean킬러 해적선 (인트로)
Killeo Haejeokseon (Inteuro)
Bullet Bill Pirate Ship (Intro)[1]
PortugueseFortaleza Voadora (Introdução)Flying Fortress (Introduction)[1]
RussianКорабельная крепость (вступление)
Korabelnaya krepost (vstupleniye)
Ship Fortress (introduction)[1]
SpanishFortaleza Aérea (introducción)Aerial Fortress (introduction)[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Mario Kart World (Nintendo Music)
  2. ^ Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo Music)
  3. ^ a b Mario Kart World pause menu (Ver. 1.5.0, 1.7.0)