The Superb Song (絶唱 Zesshō?) is a song sung by a Symphogear user that unleashes the full power of the Symphogear into a massive attack unique to the gear.
Overview[]
Tsubasa bleeding after singing her superb song
The superb song is the Symphogear system's strongest, most explosive attack, it is normally used while the user is in a critical situation. The Symphogear is not enough to reduce the backfire or load on the body, even if the body has been enhanced. It is a trump card, a double-edged sword. However, because of the large amounts of phonic gain, any disharmony between the Symphogear and its user will result in damage to their body, and potentially the destruction of the Symphogear itself if their compatibility is low enough. Kanade Amou died due to having low compatibility and from not taking LiNKER the day of the concert for various reasons involving the Nehushtan Armor experiment. Serena Cadenzavna Eve died from using the superb song incorrectly as Tsubasa had, and getting crushed by rubble. In all likeliness if she hadn't been crushed by rubble she would have survived as Tsubasa did if she got taken care of.
The damage inflicted by the superb song is determined by the compatibility coefficients, if the coefficient of compatibility is high, less damage will be done. Even though Chris Yukine and Tsubasa Kazanari are recognized as compatible with their relics, it is not possible to negate all the damage done by the superb song; it depends on the body, it also depends on if they use it correctly. Hibiki Tachibana can completely nullify the damage from another Symphogear's Superb Song by channeling it through her S2CA Tri Burst technique, shouldering the burden on herself due to her extreme compatibility making it much easier for her to bear. This can also be used when fighting other gears by absorbing the energy from their Superb Song when they attempt to use it against her. An overdose of LiNKER can be used to mitigate the damage from a superb song by temporarily raising compatibility rate to a high enough value that the damage is minimal, although this is not a perfect solution, as the overdose of LiNKER itself does damage to the body.
Originally, the superb song is supposed to be emitted through the armed gear to enhance the operational efficiency of energy and negate the damage done by the superb song. Furthermore, there is a characteristic of each Symphogear's superb song, that needs the user to use an extended armed gear.
Lyrics[]
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal
Emustolronzen Finé el balal zizzl
Gatrandis babel ziggurat edenal
Emustolronzen Finé el zizzl
In the song Xtreme Vibes, Japanese lyrics are laid over the superb song lyrics in furigana. However, it is unknown if these lyrics apply to the superb song across the series, or are only a one-time instance for this song. One point against the former is that the Japanese given does not match up to identifiable words in the superb song, such as babel, ziggurat, Finé.
Shūen no merodi ga
Zankyō ni kawaru sono toki
Senki no uta wa maku wo toji
Tabidachi e to kieru
終焉のメロディが
残響に変わるその時
戦姫の歌は幕を閉じ
旅立ちへと消える
When the melody of cessation
Transforms into a reverberation
The curtains close on the song of the valkyries
And disappears as we depart from here
Audio[]
| No. | Songs | Duration | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Superb Song (Hibiki) | 0:44 | |
| 02 | Superb Song (Tsubasa) | 0:42 | |
| 03 | Superb Song (Chris) | 0:42 | |
| 04 | Superb Song (Maria)[1] | 0:38 | |
| 05 | Superb Song (Shirabe)[1] | 0:39 | |
| 06 | Superb Song (Kirika) | 0:50 | |
| 07 | Superb Song (Kanade) | 0:42 | |
| 08 | Superb Song (Miku)[1] | 0:41 | |
| 09 | Superb Song (Serena) | 0:44 |
| No. | Songs | Duration | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Superb Song (Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris) | 0:47 | |
| 02 | Superb Song (Shirabe and Kirika) | 0:44 | |
| 03 | Superb Song (Hibiki, Tsubasa, Chris, Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika) | 0:45 |
Name Variants[]
Despite the official name revealed in episode 2 of G, as well as the G keywords[2], there have been several other terms used for the superb song:
- Swan Song — a mistranslation used by fansubs and Discotek's subtitles.[Notes 1]
- Ultimate Song — used by Funimation's subtitles.
- Climax Song — used by Crunchyroll's subtitles.
It should also be noted that "a superb song (or poem)" is the definition of the term zesshō as given by Japanese dictionaries.[3]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The superb songs are all composed and arranged by Noriyasu Agematsu, who also wrote their lyrics.
- All superb songs used in the anime are available in the various soundtrack albums.
- Kanade's superb song is titled Takaku Kanaderu Asu no Shirabe (高く奏でる明日の調べ? "Tomorrow's Tune Plays Loudly"). It is found on the first soundtrack CD for season 1.
- Tsubasa's superb song is titled Senjō ni Hana Saki Hokoru (戦場に刃鳴裂き誇る? "My Blade Proudly Cries as It Cleaves the Battlefield").[Notes 2] It is found on the first soundtrack CD for season 1.
- Chris' superb song is titled Tsuki no Shita, Inochi wa Awaku Yuki no Yō ni (月の下、命は淡く雪のように? "Under the Moon, Life is as Fleeting as Snow"). It is found on the third soundtrack CD for season 1.
- Hibiki's superb song is titled Mune ni Hibiki, Itsuka Sekai ni Michiru Made (胸に響き、いつか世界に満ちるまで? "Until the Day the Sound in My Heart Fills the World"). It is found on the third soundtrack CD for season 1.
- Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris' triple superb song is titled Senki Zesshō (Ver.Tri-Burst) (戦姫絶唱 Ver.Tri-Burst? "Superb Song of the Valkyries (Tri-Burst Ver.)"). It is found on the first soundtrack CD for G.
- Serena's superb song is titled Hito no Yume, Shōyakyoku wa Hoshi no Matataki (ヒトの夢、小夜曲は星の瞬き? "Peoples' Dreams are a Serenade of Twinkling Stars"). It is found on the third soundtrack CD for G.
- Shirabe and Kirika's dual superb song is titled Watashi no Zenbu, Kimi ni Sasagete Shirabe Utau (ワタシの全部、キミに捧げて調べ歌う? "I Sing a Melody Dedicated to You, My Everything"). It is found on the fourth soundtrack CD for G.
- The superb song for all six Symphogear users is titled Senjō no Himemiko, Taezu Inochi wo Utai Ageru (戦場の姫巫女、絶えず命を唱いあげる? "The Royal Maidens on the Battlefield Sing of Continual Life"). It is found on the solo soundtrack CD for GX.
- Kirika's solo superb song is titled Setsunaru Omoi wo Kakugo to Seō (切なる想いを覚悟と背負う? "I Carry My Earnest Emotions With Resolve"). It is found on the solo soundtrack CD for AXZ.
- Senki Zesshō Symphogear XD Unlimited features new superb songs that weren't or couldn't be used in the anime.
- Miku receives a superb song in the event Kageri Saku Senkō, titled Kageri Saku Senkō (翳り裂く閃光? "The Shadow-Cutting Flash").[citation needed]
- Maria receives a superb song as an attack, titled "Naibu, Akaruku Tsuyoi Gaibu, Shimai".[citation needed]
- Shirabe receives a superb song as an attack, titled "Marude Tsuki to Shite, Kanojo no Yō ni Akarui".[citation needed]
- All nine Symphogear users receive a group superb song.[citation needed]
- Maria and Serena receive a duet superb song.[citation needed]
- Finé's name appears in the lyrics, probably because she is the creator of the Symphogear. The lyrics also mention 'balal', the Hebrew word for 'confusion', and 'ziggurat', an ancient Mesopotamian word for a large built structure, one of which was the Tower of Babel. It can be inferred from this that the superb song's lyrics are likely talking about how Finé believed she'd brought about the Curse of Balal.
- The superb song's melody is used in several group songs:
- Zesshō is read the same as 絶勝, a word meaning "splendor" or "superb view".
- Hibiki's, Tsubasa's, and Chris' triple superb song from G is a separate recording to their individual superb songs from S1. It was most likely re-recorded because the individual superb songs from S1 do not sync together when played at once; it was likely also re-recorded for the same reason Hibiki's, Tsubasa's, and Chris' holy chants were redone between seasons.
References and Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 This Superb Song is only used in XDU
- ↑ Symphogear G Keyword #25: S2CA
- ↑ Definition of 絶唱 on Jisho.org
- ↑ Japanese has completely different words that mean "swan song" specifically: 白鳥の歌 hakuchō no uta and 最後の舞台 saigo no butai. However, Symphogear does not use either of these terms when referring to the superb song in any case.
- ↑ "Senjō ni Hana Saki Hokoru" could be alternatively read as "戦場に花咲き誇る", which translates to "Flowers Blossom Fully Across the Battlefield".