Airship Theme

The "Airship Theme" is an musical theme commonly associated with airships in the Super Mario franchise. It was originally composed by Koji Kondo for airship and tank levels in Super Mario Bros. 3. The theme begins with a triplet-based rhythm evoking a military march, which plays throughout the rest of the theme. It is loosely based on "Mars, the Bringer of War", the first movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets.

Composition
As Super Mario Bros. 3 is for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Family Computer, the theme is orchestrated as with a   sample. The original Airship Theme is short, lasting 30 seconds, though later arrangements would go on to extend the theme. It has been reused in Super Mario Maker (as well as its Nintendo 3DS port) and Super Mario Maker 2 in airship levels of the Super Mario Bros. 3 style.

In the Japanese and American versions of Super Mario Bros. 3, the first part of the theme plays the PCM sample slightly after the other channels by about a twelfth note, leading to slight desynchronization and the percussion being cut off early as the second part begins. This is corrected in the European version, but retained in Super Mario Maker.

The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, an arrangement of the "Airship Theme" plays in scenes relating to King Koopa's Doom Ship and Doom Sub.

Super Mario All-Stars
As Super Mario All-Stars features a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, the "Airship Theme" was given an updated, 16-bit arrangement on brass and timpani. This version skips the 2-bar timpani solo after the track loops. This arrangement is also included in the game's Wii port Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, as well as Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
The "Airship Theme" also received an updated arrangement in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. In the opening cutscene, the first half of the "Airship Theme" plays before transitioning to an original piece.

Super Mario Galaxy
A fully orchestrated arrangement of the "Airship Theme" titled "Attack of the Airships" is featured in the opening of Super Mario Galaxy, arranged by Mahito Yokota. A variation of this arrangement, titled "Airship Armada", plays in Bowser Jr.'s Airship Armada. "Airship Armada" has a shorter introduction than "Attack of the Airships" and it loops instead of ending.

"Attack of the Airships" can be heard in Bowser Jr.'s newcomer video for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U when the Koopalings appear. "Airship Armada" is reused in the opening of Super Mario Galaxy 2 when Bowser appears. It also returns in Super Mario 3D Land and can be heard in airship levels, though it is compressed and played on synthesized instruments. "Attack of the Airships" and "Airship Armada" both return along with Super Mario Galaxy in Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a mostly faithful arrangement plays in airship levels. The melody is played by an organ instead of brass and a countermelody has been added before the piece loops. If the player runs short on time, string accents are added to the arrangement along with the tempo increase. In the room before a boss fight, only the percussion plays. The arrangement is reused in airship levels in New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (all three of which also reuse the pre-boss variation), Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition, Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario Maker 2, and Super Mario Run.

Sheet music for this arrangement is featured in New Super Mario Bros. Wii Intermediate / Advanced Piano Solos.

Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, when editing an Airship course in the Course Maker, a more ambient arrangement of the corresponding Airship Theme plays, using multiple tracks that fade in and out randomly to create a dynamic mix. This arrangement returns in Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS and Super Mario Maker 2.

Super Mario Odyssey
The opening cutscene of Super Mario Odyssey features an arrangement of the theme from Super Mario Bros.-style airship levels in Super Mario Maker titled 「オープニング ～ピーチ城上空～」(Ōpuningu ~Pīchi-jō Jōkū~) (meaning "Opening ~Above Peach's Castle~"), and a section of the arrangement includes a part of the "Airship Theme".

Super Mario Maker 2
In Super Mario Maker 2, there are music box arrangements that play in the "Airship Theme" at night in the Super Mario Bros. 3 and New Super Mario Bros. U styles.

Paper Mario
The first arrangement of the "Airship Theme" outside of Super Mario Bros. 3 and its remakes and adaptations is featured in Paper Mario, which plays when the Koopa Bros. fire Bullet Bills at Mario when he reaches the Koopa Bros. Fortress's rooftop. It was arranged by Yuka Tsujiyoko and is titled "Bill Blaster! Go Faster!".

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, an arrangement of the "Airship Theme" plays in Bowser Jr.'s Flotilla. This version uses the saxophone as its main instrument (an instrument common in the game's music) and is based on Super Mario Galaxy's arrangement.

An excerpt from this arrangement is used in Bowser Jr.'s newcomer video for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U during the clips of gameplay after his splash screen introduction. This arrangement is also incorporated into the "Paper Mario Medley" arrangement from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, an arrangement played on a French horn titled "Bowser's Airship Aloft" plays outside the Crimson Tower when the giant bucket of paint is carried up by the airship, but stops abruptly when it is held down by an anchor. After Mario frees the anchor from Bowser Tape, the music continues playing when he boards the airship himself.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, an arrangement of the "Airship Theme", titled 「飛空艇登場のテーマ」(Hikūtei Tōjō no Tēma) (meaning "Airship Appearance Theme") in the official soundtrack, plays in the cutscene where Ninja steals the Rainbow Tourney trophy.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, an orchestral arrangement of the "Airship Theme" titled "Airship Theme (Super Mario Bros. 3)" was arranged by Mario Tennis and Mario Golf composer Motoi Sakuraba. The "Hurry Up" tune from Super Mario Bros. is also incorporated in the middle of the song. The arrangement can be played on the Luigi's Mansion stage and can be heard in the Subspace Emissary while fighting Petey Piranha, during cutscenes involving Bowser, and during fights against False Bowser, False Diddy Kong, and Wario.

The arrangement can be heard at the beginning of Bowser Jr.'s newcomer video for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

The arrangement returns in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U where it can be played on the Luigi's Mansion stage and the Super Mario Maker stage, and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate where it can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series or Super Mario-series stage. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the arrangement is retitled "Airship Theme - Super Mario Bros. 3".

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
The arrangement "Paper Mario Medley" in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS adds an electric guitar to Paper Mario: Sticker Star's arrangement of the "Airship Theme" and incorporates it into a medley of other themes from the Paper Mario series. The arrangement can be played on the Paper Mario stage. The arrangement is also included in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS' sister game, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, where it can be played on Woolly World.

The arrangement returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and can be played on any Super Smash Bros.-series or Super Mario-series stage.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, an arrangement of the "Airship Theme" is incorporated into the theme "Double Bowsers!", which plays during the final battle with Bowser and Paper Bowser.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie
In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, scored by Brian Tyler, the first half of the "Airship Theme" is arranged for the beginning of the track "King of the Koopas", which plays when Bowser arrives at the Snow Kingdom, while the second half is arranged for the track "Fighting Tooth and Veil" after Peach rejects Bowser and uses the Ice Flower.

Other arrangements
The "Airship Theme" was one of the songs performed in the Super Mario Bros. medley in the Super Mario Orchestra Concert in 2018.