Summary

• Tales series opening themes set the stage for deeply affecting stories with dreamy dance tracks and powerful rock anthems.
• Each intro captures the essence of its respective game, from ethereal piano ballads to energetic power pop hits.
• Fans can choose their favorite between Western and Japanese versions of the opening songs, showcasing the series' versatility.

JRPGs are a wondrous blend of sprawling storylines, striking art styles and stirring soundtracks. Before you even reach the title screen, you're usually offered a distillation of these qualities in the form of an intro. And while Tales has established itself with fans as a more irreverent JRPG ♎series than most, it doesn't stray from traditi🎐on in this aspect.

There are lots of reasons to love Taleꦚs: the unique combat system, the charming cast, the humour, the skits. Yet among its dedicated fans, one of the most-often discussed parts of Tales is the opening themes. Here are some of the best ones.

10 Tales Of Graces - Mamoritai (White Wishes) ꧟

Tales of Graces enlisted the services of none other than the Queen of K-pop BoA herself for its opening. The result is🌳 a dreamy, evocative da🦩nce track that prepares fans for a deeply affecting story. Thanks to BoA's fluency in both English and Japanese, there are two versions of the song.

Mamoritai (White Wishes) isn't the most memorable🐼 song in Tales history, but it's the established curtain-raiser to a game that many series fans still cherish. Its lyrics, filled with yearning, offer an earnest summary of the game's central motifs.

9 Tal♕es Of Arise - Hibana

After five years without a new entry, the Tales series made a triumphant return with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tales of Arise. Th𒈔e opening theme, Hibana, welcomes fans back with rousing vocals set to a spiralling rock in🥀strumental.

Tales of Arise would go on to win Best RPG at The Game A൲wards 2021, solidifying fans' hopes that the series - and its brilliant opening themes - would be around for a long time to come. Kankaku Piero's contribution was so well-received, in fact, that they would return to perform the opening theme for the game's Beyond⛄ the Dawn expansion two years later.

8 🌺 Tales Of Eternia - Flying

Tales of Eternia's Western version boasts a suitably epic, orchestral opening that convey🍰s not only the adventurous themes of the game, but also the poignant nature of its plo꧅t.

However, you'd be dಌoing yourself a favour by seeking out the Japanese version of the intro, which is a splendid hard rock arrangement by the band Garnet Crow. The breezy guitar riffs and bo﷽uncing rhythm section underpin a soaring vocal performance that sets the pace for a fantastic quest between worlds. When they called the song Flying, they weren't lying.

7 🎐 Tales Of Legendia - Tao

Tales of Legendia is a solid contender for one of the most beautiful love stories in video games, and its Japanese intro, performed by Do As Infinity, conveys that perfectly with a tender, soothing piano ballad🌟. The song explores themes of heartache and separation, which threaten the game's lead couple throughout the story.

Tales of Legendia also marked the 🍸last time in the trend of the localized versions replacing the opening theme outright, and fans in the West are all the better off for i𓆏t.

6 Tales Of Phantasia🌌 - The Dream Will Not End ꩲ

When you boot up Tales of Phantasia, one of the first things you're met with is a beautiful cascade of city pop. Written by Toshiyuki Sekiguchi, this light, airy composition served for many fans as their first brush with this much-loved series. What makes it all thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe more m🦄agical is that it was one of the few pieces of SNES music to use a vocal track, featuring an elegant performance by Yukari Yoshida.

While it was unfortunately removed from the Western version's intro, snatches of the song can still be heard in-game... from a singing dog, barking out the individ𝔉ual notes.

5 Tales🧔 Of Berseria - Burn

Like its heroine, Tales of Berseria's opening theme is powerful and resolute. Symphonic strings are quickly overtaken by charging heavy metal, setting the tone for one of the more somber adventures in the seri💝es. The sheer electric energy of this track is sure to get you hyped for the game's free-flowing combat and exploration.

Burn was performed by Flow, a group best known for performing the opening themes to several popular anime. You caꦿn count on the guys who recorded Colors for Code Geass to deliver a memorable songဣ.

4 Tales Of Symphonia - Starry🔯 Heavens 🌞

For many, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Tales of Symphonia is the title where the series really came into its own, both from a storytelling and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a gameplay perspective. Accompanying this title are two different openings, both performed by Day After Tomorrow. The first one, Starry Heavens, is a hard-hitting, wistful piece, underlining the game's ability to tug at your heartstrings from the get-go. It also ends in a fade-out that's so chꩵaracteristic of classic anime that it's almost a surprise when an announcer doesn't start telling you about the program sponsors.

The o💯ther theme, With Everything I Can Do, plays second-favourite due to its guitar licks overriding much of the performance. However, it's inspiring in its own right, and still ends in that famous fade-out. Luckily for fans, both songs are included on all modern releases of the game.

3 Tales Of Vesperia - Ring A B🤡ell

Tales of Vesperia burst onto the scene in 2008 with a pounding piece of power pop. To the delight of many, this wa🐬s the first opening theme in the series to use a vocal track for the localised version. Its jangly chords set the backdrop for its lyrical ode to friendship, one of the core themes of the series.

Composed and performed by Bonnie Pink,🤪 the song was performed in both English and Japanese for its respective regions. With the Definitive Edition, fans can choose which version they want to hear using the game's language select menu.

2 🐻 𒆙 Tales Of Zestiria - White Light

There are only two appropriate responses to Tales of Zestiria's intro: goosebumps and chills. This ranks among the coolest opening themes to any JRPG, l💛et alone a Tales entry. Its hard rock beat and gleeful guitar instrumental make it an immediate success. It's hard not to headbang along.

White Light is such a great song,ꦯ in fact, that you have to earn it. The opening doesn't play until you clear the game's prologue. After that, congratulations: you'll be greeted with this upꩲlifting track every time you start up the game.

1 ♚ ꦐ Tales Of The Abyss - Karma

This is the one. Tales of the Ab𒊎yss, both the game and the intro, mark the peak of JRPG goodness. With its furious guitar licks and soul-baring ൩lyrics, Karma is the perfect accompaniment to the journey of its outwardly hard-edged, inwardly vulnerable protagonist.

You know a song is go🎃od when the game's climactic battle boasts an epic orchestral arrangement of th🥃e very same composition. Not only is Tales of the Abyss one of the most definitive entries in the JRPG genre, it also has the best opening theme in the entire series. We couldn't have asked for better.