By Toby Fox tobyfox Bandcamp tobyfox Twitter toby.fangamer.com Other fwugradiation Tumblr ← Crustacean Previous track by this artist → mIrAcLeS Next track by this artist.
Cover art by sicklydoodles sicklydoodles Tumblr → Dreamers and The Dead Next track art by this artist.
Released 7/18/2010.
Art released 10/25/2017.
Duration: 1:43.

Listen on Bandcamp or YouTube.

Download sheet music files.
Download MIDI/project files.
Read artist commentary.

Tracks that reference Showdown:

From Official Discography:

• Gaia Queen by Toby Fox
• Stride by Kalibration

From Fandom:

• rose pragnant by Toby Fox
• Downtime by Thomas Ibarra
• MeGaDanceVaNia by Catboss
• 25x SHOWDOWN COMBO by Discfortune
• The Not-Fuckass Not-Waltz by cookiefonster
• Showup by loading
• Creata (Cool and New Synth Mix) by cookiefonster
• Resend by Noisemaker
• 1x SHOWDOWN COMBO by Discfortune
• DUNGENESS SHOWDOWN by CALIKID
• Bloody Beatdown by dbnet18
• Rangoon by WHATISLOSTINTHEMINES
• Space Denizen STRIFE! by Nicholas Nakano
• Threxecute by Rainy
• A 6elief in S9mething Higher by Beau Brian
• 🎼 Fraymotif ! by Tee-vee
• Eternal Pulse by Jebb

Tracks that sample Showdown:

From Official Discography:

• Stride by Kalibration

From Fandom:

• Eternal Pulse by Jebb

Flashes & games that feature Showdown:

• [S???] ======>

Print or download sheet music files:

• Sheet music by Gamehunter

  • Showdown - Gamehunter.pdf (72.4 kB)

Download MIDI/project files:

• MIDI by MrCheeze

  • Showdown - MrCheeze.mid (14.2 kB)
• MIDI by MrSkullium

  • Showdown - MrSkullium.mid (31.4 kB)

Artist commentary:

Toby Fox: (booklet commentary)

(CG Battle Theme)

John's battle theme is simple with a heroic theme. It's catchy and brilliantly written.

Karkat's battle theme is almost needlessly complicated with sometimes obnoxious rhythms.

There's some contrast here. In fact, when I was paralleling the original albums, Alex Rosetti (Albatross Soup) told me that it didn't work as a parallel because it was a little bit too... all-over-the-place. But in the end I feel like this works for Karkat. After all, he's a ride, indifferent guy, and wouldn't settle for any song that he couldn't firmly rage to.

Interestingly, the melody was created by just stringing notes together until they made an interesting rhythmic and melodic arrangement. Then I added harmony and a disturbing amount of manual vibrato. When I was making it I was worried that the melody would sound too forced or forgettable (especially given the way I created it), but in the end it turned out alright.

This is a good time to note that I use a VST to emulate the sounds of the Nintendo, not Famitracker (which gives real NES sounds). When I tried to change the pulse mid-note on my VST to get some Virt-esque instrumentation, it kept giving me this static clicking sound. BARF! So that's why the instruments stay the same throughout. I aplogize if the homogeneity bothers you but I figured that the melody was badass enough that its unchanging pulse width is irrelevant.

One last note: At the time of writing this (July 17th) I'm still not credited for this in the comic. Are you reading this, Andrew? Did you forget something????????????

??????????????????????????????????????

no wait let me count these out

????????

ok that's better. now I am the biggest jerk.

Homestuck: (original track art)