The franchises people love most (films, series, games, and anime) are remembered for their stories and their characters. Many are remembered just as much for a musical theme you can never forget. The Lord of the Rings, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Attack on Titan, Naruto, Pokémon: you can hum every one of those themes on the spot. Hear one, and the whole experience comes back with it.

For Final Bosu, we knew from the very beginning that we needed a powerful main theme. Music is one of the strongest ways to draw people into our world, and a theme has to reach you on an emotional level from the first notes. Ours had to be hopeful and instantly recognizable, a piece that carries what Final Bosu is about: resilience, growth, and fighting against all odds.

Our connection with Siddhartha Barnhoorn goes way back. We first met in 2004, instantly bonding over a shared love for music and cinema. Even then, we knew that if we were ever to work on something truly big, our paths would cross again. And so we turned to him, and he delivered. After countless iterations, there came that moment where everything fell into place. The piece you hear now defines the sound of Final Bosu.

Creator’s Notes

I had worked with the Mustaman brothers before, a very long time ago, and to my surprise, they remembered me from back then. They reached out about Final Bosu, and when they showed me what they were working on, I was immediately intrigued. They asked if I could compose some melodies and themes for the project, and I gladly accepted.

Writing the main theme for Final Bosu was a bit of a puzzle at first. I started by sketching out several thematic ideas on the piano, one of which eventually became the main theme. I actually started with the riff it begins with. There was no planned structure, as I mostly composed it on instinct and intuition. Once I had that riff going, the melody/theme quickly formed on top of that. I got a feel for its potential, so I began experimenting more with the melody, chord structure, and rhythm. Not long after, the sketch was finished and ready to become something more.

Some of my biggest inspirations have always been the film music of John Williams, James Horner, and Jerry Goldsmith. So when the team told me they really liked that piano sketch for the main theme, and wanted an orchestral version, I was thrilled to dive in. Of course, taking a bare piano sketch and turning it into a full orchestral piece is a completely new challenge altogether. They gave me some references to draw inspiration from, mainly Star Wars music but also elements of the trap genre, something I had never heard of before. I did some research, experimented, and after five versions, we finally arrived at the theme as it exists today.

• Siddhartha Barnhoorn

The main theme of Final Bosu is also available on Spotify.