Airship Fortress (theme)
| "Airship Fortress" | |
|---|---|
| "Airship Fortress" in Mario Kart DS | |
| |
| Composed by: Shinobu Nagata | |
| Time signature | 4 4 |
| 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.
 DS Airship Fortress - The arrangement heard in Mario Kart 7 | File info 0:30 |
| DS Airship Fortress (Frontrunning) - The remix heard in Mario Kart 7 | File info 0:30 |
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
In Mario Kart Tour, the Mario Kart 7 version of "Airship Fortress" plays in DS Airship Fortress, which was first added in the Pirate Tour.
Mario Kart World[edit]
In Mario Kart World, an arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays when racing in Airship Fortress. The choir has been entirely replaced with the harmonica, and the call-and-response with the electric piano has been removed.
When approaching Airship Fortress from a route before reaching the course's finish line, a simple transitional arrangement of "Airship Fortress" plays. When beginning the Cloud Rally with a rolling start exiting Airship Fortress, a version of this arrangement without the lead instruments plays.
| Airship Fortress - The race arrangement heard in Mario Kart World | File info 0:30 |
| Airship Fortress - The route arrangement heard in Mario Kart World | File info 0:30 |
| Airship Fortress - The rolling start arrangement heard in Mario Kart World | File info 0:30 |
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"[1] |
- ^ 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" |
- ^ Added on April 30, 2025
Gallery[edit]
Image for "DS Airship Fortress" from Mario Kart 7 on Nintendo Music
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キラーシップ[1] Kirā Shippu |
Bullet Bill Ship |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Mario Kart World pause menu
- ^ Nintendo Music
