Since the Kingdom Hearts series debuted in 2002, Yoko Shimomura has been creating wonderfully unique and unorthodox musical pieces for the series. They have created some of the most iconic themes to ever appear in a JRPG, and while each song is amazing in its own way, some have managed to stand out thanks to how great they are.
Many regard the musical score of a Kingdom Hearts game to be its best feature, and it makes sense why they would feel this way. While it's easy to get lost in its story from time to time, and sometimes the bosses can pose too much of a challenge, the music never fails to impress. There are some truly amazing battle themes in Kingdom Hearts, but some are more iconic than others.
7 Scherzo Di Notte - Kingdom Hearts 1
"Scherzo di Notte" first plays during Sora's first battle in Hollow Bastion, the first original world that poses any real danger in Kingdom Hearts 1. While the "Hollow Bastion" field theme will be heard much more often, "Scherzo di Notte" quickly became one of the best battle themes in all of Kingdom Hearts thanks to the tone it managed to convey through its infectious melody.
The battle themes from the other original Kingdom Hearts worlds were effective in encouraging players to fight, but there's something unsettling about how "Scherzo di Notte" sounds. Players will hear this track for the first time while facing the most challenging enemies available at that point in the game, so most will likely come to associate the theme with danger. It's a chilling addition to the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, and it succeeds in portraying Hollow Bastion as a dangerous place.
6 Sinister Sundown - Kingdom Hearts 2
Though "Sinister Sundown" made its debut in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, it is mostly associated with Roxas' tutorial segment in Kingdom Hearts 2. As the battle theme of Twilight Town, players will regularly hear this track whenever they engage in combat there, but it's hard to forget the theme's use at the beginning of the game.
As a hub world, Twilight Town seldom poses any real danger to Sora, Donald, or Goofy. That said, Heartless and Nobodies can be found lurking throughout each area of the town, so players should expect to get familiar with the track if they enjoy spending time there. "Sinister Sundown" is possibly the most endearing battle theme in Kingdom Hearts 2, which is saying a lot, seeing as it has sturdy competition.
5 Wave Of Darkness - Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage
The Demon Tide boss was first introduced in Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage, wherein it pursued Aqua during her search for a way out of The Realm of Darkness. Aqua was forced to face it several times on her journey, but the final battle against it proved to be the most noteworthy.
The "Wave of Darkness" battle theme plays for the first time during this battle, and also marks the first new battle theme to be implemented into the series since the original release of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance on the Nintendo DS. What makes this battle theme, so great is how refreshing it sounds. Purely driven by piano, it spends most of the battle building up until it eventually becomes a full-fledged symphony during the battle's latter half. Though it doesn't play too much during the games it appears in, it still remains one of the most innovative tracks to come out of the series.
4 The 13th Struggle - Kingdom Hearts 2
"The 13th Struggle" is one of the most iconic battle themes in the Kingdom Hearts series. First heard in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, the track has gone on to become a theme largely associated with the infamous Organization 13.
In Kingdom Hearts 2, "The 13th Struggle" plays mostly during battles against members of Organization 13, but there are a few exceptions throughout the story. In Kingdom Hearts 3, two new versions of the track were implemented in the Re Mind DLC to complement the battles against Luxord and Larxene. "The 13th Struggle" is one of the most hectic battle themes in Kingdom Hearts, but it's also one of the most memorable.
3 Unbreakable Chains - Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
"Unbreakable Chains" proved to be one of the most memorable themes to come from Aqua, Ventus, Terra's first adventure. It only ever plays when the protagonists are forced to face Vanitas in combat, and since this foe tends to show up quite frequently, players can expect to hear it a lot.
Unlike most battle themes in Kingdom Hearts, "Unbreakable Chains" features a much darker tone. It sounds unlike any other battle themes in Kingdom Hearts:Birth by Sleep, which probably helps it remain so memorable. And seeing that Vanitas is often incredibly hard to defeat, the unsettling feeling the track provided feels justified.
2 Oscurita Di Xehanort (Forza Finale) - Kingdom Hearts 3
Toward the climax of Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora must face three of his most iconic enemies to date at the same time. Defeating them is not an easy task, but the battle rarely feels stale thanks to Yoko Shimomura's reworking of three already iconic boss themes.
"Oscurita di Xehanort (Forza Finale)" is a mix of Xemnas' "Darkness of the Unknown," Ansem's "Forze del Male," and Young Xehanort's "L'impito Oscuro." As such, the battle theme tends to feel like a nostalgia trip, especially while fighting the boss associated with the theme currently playing. "Oscurita di Xehanort (Forza Finale)" is nothing short of a masterpiece, which is a shame considering it only plays once during a Kingdom Hearts 3 playthrough.
1 Vector To The Heavens - Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
"Vector to the Heavens" is one of the most emotionally compelling pieces of music in all the Kingdom Hearts series. Primarily associated with Xion, it serves as her battle theme; its slightly slower version, "Musique pour la Tristesse de Xion", acts as her character theme.
"Vector to the Heavens" manages to capture the sadness Xion feels, all while enhancing how much of a spectacle the battle against her can be. Since its debut in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, it has been reworked into "Hearts as One," a mix of both Xion and Roxas' themes. It was also given a much heavier guitar-led upgrade in the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re Mind DLC during the Data Battle against her.