WiKirby:April Fools/2023/The Synth

	Notice: This article was written as a joke for April Fools' Day of 2023.
	As such, information in this article should not be taken at face value, nor should the article be edited except to fix mechanical issues such as spelling or formatting.

The Synth in its pure, raw form.

The Synth, also known as That Synth, The Kirby Synth, The Kirby Voice Synth, Ishikawa Synth, or oOo, is a very cool sounding synth that is frequently used in Kirby music. It is a very unique sound, and often sounds very different from the other instruments in the song, especially in later games. If you have no clue what that is about, you need to listen to some clips and you will understand. You know it. It's that synth.

Overview

Jun Ishikawa, the primary user of The Synth. It is often used by him to give songs a unique, happy energy to it.

Every song that uses The Synth is either unattributed or composed by Jun Ishikawa, so it seems safe to assume he is the primary composer to use this sound. The only game that has songs with The Synth that didn't have Ishikawa as a composer is Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, although apparently he was involved with the music of that game in some way perhaps.

The true identity of The Synth is a Fairlight CMI sample called SARARR or ARR1. It's certainly not unique to Kirby: it was pretty common in pop music from the 80s (a few examples of well-known tracks that use it include Jean-Michel Jarre's "Zoolook", Tears For Fears's "Shout", and Art of Noise's "Moments in Love".), and it was used in other games, notably Alcahest, that had Jun Ishikawa as its composer.

Its distinct "airy" feel to it, that sounds like a voice but not quite, makes it a memorable sample, and due to its large usage in Kirby music made it a mark in songs of the games. However, in recent years, usage of The Synth has dropped significantly, mostly due to the usage of more "realistic" samples. Despite this, The Synth still saw lots of usage in modern Kirby games.

Game appearances

It should be noted compiling every single use of The Synth is a feat no mortal has yet achieved; as such, this section will attempt to list major uses but isn't exhaustive by any means. If it was, we would have had already solved Kirby lore by now.

Kirby Super Star

Kirby Super Star marks the first usage of The Synth, where it's notably used in tracks such as "Peanut Plains", "Cave Stage", "Gourmet Race: Intro", and "Milky Way Wishes: Staff Credits". While Jun Ishikawa is not the only composer for this game, since no one knows what Dan Miyakawa did of sound in this game, as there is less info about him than there is about Shinichi Shimomura, it's assumed it was Ishikawa's decision to use it in all those songs.

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby Super Star
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Dyna Blade: Title		A classic example of using The Synth to make a song sound soooo happy.
Peanut Plains		This section with The Synth sounds so good it's used twice in the whole song.
Cave Stage		A classic use of The Synth which makes the song sound so good. I mean, just listen to it.
Gourmet Race: Intro		This whole song IS The Synth. Praise it.
VS. Meta Knight		The Synth can be used in battle themes too!
Milky Way Wishes: Map		If you ever wanted a 7/8 backbeat made of The Synth, this song got you covered.
Vs. Marx		Just before looping, The Synth quickly appears to remind you that, no matter how much you run, The Synth will always be there.
Milky Way Wishes: Staff Credits		...Yeah, remember how The Synth will always be there? It's even in the credits theme.

Kirby's Dream Land 3

Believe it or not, this is the real deal.

There used a lot of debate on whether or not The Synth appears in Kirby's Dream Land 3. It was assumed it was in Grass Land (3), but it was hard to tell if it's that or the evil Fake Synth that later would appear in other games. People thought they would never know unless we asked Ishikawa himself, but then Kirby sample expert Pinci came to our rescue and confirmed The Synth is there AND also in Ripple Field (3), which in retrospect sounds a bit obvious. Also, interestingly, other tracks load it into the audio RAM, but don't use it; was Ishikawa too afraid to unleash its full power in this game?

Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)

Kirby's Star Stacker for the Super Famicom has a very evil soundfont where many samples sound like The Synth, so it's hard to tell for sure which songs use it, but it's for sure there in songs such as "Story Mode Intro", "VS. Chef Kawasaki", and "VS. Gryll". While most songs of this game don't have a confirmed composer, a couple that use The Synth are confirmed to be by Ishikawa, so here is his doing once again. (I bet Ando was too busy doing music for Super Smash Bros. anyway)

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)
Song	Sample(s)	Description
"Story Mode Intro"		Want The Synth as the backbeat of a whole song? This got you covered.
"VS. Chef Kawasaki"		Don't let the main melody distract you from the fact that The Synth is playing in the background.
"VS. Gryll"		Despite usually being used as way to make the song more cheerful, The Synth is also capable of giving a more "serious" aura to a song, as shown here.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Jun Ishikawa did the majority of music for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Ando was once again busy with Smash Bros. music), and he went all out on this one, putting The Synth everywhere, notably in "Inside the Castle" (for half of the whole song, because I mean why not), "Rock Star", "Aqua Star", and "Studying the Factory". The Synth is even in a bunch of unused songs of the game (perhaps Shinichi Shimomura thought the game already had too much of The Synth and cut these songs).

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Planet Popstar		The Synth is in this game ever since the beginning.
Inside the Castle		The first time The Synth is used for half of a song, and at the time was the longest used of The Synth to date. And yet it sounds so good you want even more of it.
Rock Star		The Synth just rocks here.
Aqua Star		No matter how many planets you visit, The Synth will always be there.
Studying the Factory		The Synth can sound sinister too.
Kirby Dance		What would had been the first use of The Synth for the Kirby Dance, hadn't it been unused. Probably was too powerful for its time.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

The Synth is notably not in many songs of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, even though apparently Ishikawa did the majority of music for it. Or, at least, that's what is assumed, due to the heavy use of what is usually called the Fake Synth, which is probably The Synth but compressed twice for some reason. It sounds like it, but you ask yourself if it's really The Synth. The Fake Synth is present in songs such as "Vegetable Valley" and "Ice Cream Island", and once again we will never know if it's the real deal unless we go ask the man himself. Anyway, The Synth is still present in this game, in "Level 6 Map Select", "Kirby's Air Grind", and "Ending Demo"

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Level 6 Map Select		The Synth here is hidden in the background of the song, helping making it feel all cozy.
Kirby's Air Grind		Don't let Green Greens distract you from the fact that The Synth is playing in the background.
Ending Demo		Barely being used in this game, The Synth decided to make its biggest appearance in the ending of the game.

Kirby Air Ride

This is a remix of "Cave Stage", it needed The Synth

The Synth is not in many Kirby Air Ride songs, as Jun Ishikawa was instead too busy using Delay Lama in "Air Ride: Machine Passage", but he still put it in "Top Ride: METAL" and "Rock Star", although the latter is basically an uncompressed version of the original 64 song (still, we appreciate to see The Synth with less compression, of course).

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror

If it wasn't for Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, everyone could simply say "yeah The Synth is only an Ishikawa thing" and we could live happily ever after, but no, we have a game with The Synth everywhere for which Ishikawa didn't compose music for. However, the pamphlet for the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert claims that Ishikawa worked on this game, but it doesn't go more specific than that, so perhaps he supervised the music for the game and told the composers to put The Synth everywhere. Anyway, in this game, notable songs that use The Synth include "Space Area", "Dark Meta Knight", "Boss Battle Theme", and "Last Boss / Second Form".

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Start Stage		The Synth here is hidden in the background of the song, helping making it feel all cozy. (Wait, why does this sound familiar?)
Space Area		Listening to The Synth certainly makes you feel like you're in space.
Dark Meta Knight		No matter how edgy you may be, The Synth may be there with you.
Boss Battle Theme		If there is anything this game liked to do, it was to put The Synth in battle themes.
Last Boss / Second Form		While Ishikawa has historically been afraid to put The Synth in final boss themes, here it was used in moderation for impact just before this song loops.

Kirby: Canvas Curse

Kirby: Canvas Curse is yet another game with The Synth everywhere, and while Ishikawa wasn't the sole composer here once again, many of the songs with The Synth are confirmed to be by him. Examples include "Training", "Contrast Cave", "Drawcia Soul", and "Ending Cinema" (which has the longest use of The Synth by far).

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby: Canvas Curse
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Training		Honoring The Synth's legacy from Kirby Super Star, it is here in all its glory.
Mag Mount		This top tier remix of "Castle Lololo" peaks during this section with The Synth.
Contrast Cave		The perfect 4/4 remix of "Grape Garden" just NEEDS The Synth.
Drawcia Soul		Ishikawa put The Synth in not only two, but THREE different sections of this song, each one using The Synth in a different one. Definitively a work of art.
"Ending Cinema"		The longest use of The Synth to this date, used for basically all of this cutscene theme. Ishikawa wanted to end the game with a bang.

Kirby: Squeak Squad

Ishikawa didn't find it enough to use The Synth in Canvas Curse, so it's also everywhere in Kirby: Squeak Squad. While this game has four composers, it appears that Ishikawa did the majority of the music, so it's no wonder. Notable examples of The Synth in this game include "Smash Ride", "Level Entrance", "Ice Island", and "Vocal Volcano". This one is yet another game to feature the Fake Synth, mostly due to the songs it carried from Nightmare in Dream Land, that the soundfont quality update didn't really help people identify if they are the real deal or not.

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby: Squeak Squad
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Smash Ride		THE SYNTH IS SO FAST IN THE BACKGROUND HERE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Level Entrance		This whole song is The Synth. Praise it. It's so cozy. Like, seriously.
Ice Island		The use of The Synth here as so good, so effective, that to contain its power this song was only used literally once in the game. What a shame.
Kirby Dance		Finally, The Synth was used in a Kirby Dance theme without going unused!
Squeak Squad Appears!		Daroach liked The Synth so much he asked the Squeaks to steal it for their theme song.
Vocal Volcano		The Synth goes all out here to sound sinister. Epic.
Ending		The Synth follows you until the end of this game.

Kirby Super Star Ultra

Kirby Super Star was the first Kirby game to use The Synth, so naturally Kirby Super Star Ultra reprised its many uses, adding a couple new songs that use it, such as "Kirby on the Draw", "Flying Fortress Kabula", and "Special-Edition Blooper Reel".

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby Super Star Ultra
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Kirby on the Draw		The Synth on the Draw
Flying Fortress Kabula		Kabula came to this game bringing The Synth with her
"Marx Soul Appears"		You are at the end of The True Arena and you are heading to the last battle, and your last opponent is... The Synth.
Special-Edition Blooper Reel		Essentially a slower version of "Gourmet Race: Intro", it of course had to use The Synth. It does sound very comical, you gotta admit.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Fastly sneaking in

You would think that in Kirby's Epic Yarn, a game mostly made of acoustic music, you wouldn't get The Synth, but Ishikawa didn't care, and still put it a little bit in both of Yin-Yarn's battle themes, because he can.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land

The magnum opus of The Synth, Kirby's Return to Dream Land. A compilation of 11 years of work of Ishikawa as he put The Synth in one million songs. So many songs use it, but some notable uses include "Another Dimension", "Sandy Wilds", "Vestiges of the Ancients", "Onion Ocean", "Nutty Noon", and "Time for a Challenge!".

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Planet Popstar		The Synth is here at the background for the whole song. Foreshadowing for all of The Synth anyone playing Return to Dream Land will experience.
Another Dimension		Another sinister use of The Synth. I guess they put this song to play in Another Dimension instead of "Into the Underground Waterway" like they originally planned because a song with The Synth is clearly superior.
Beyond the Hill		Beyond The Synth
Sandy Wilds		The Synth here is pretty wild.
Vestiges of the Ancients		Using The Synth in a song about the ancients... Hmm...
Onion Ocean		Cozy, water theme using The Synth? This got you covered.
A Stroll on the Ocean Floor		The Synth is just so happy here :D
Kirby Dance (Long) - After Boss		Ando did the other Kirby Dance arrangements, but Ishikawa just HAD to have one with The Synth. (Well, to be fair, it's probably from the third cancelled Kirby game)
On the Path of Frosty Roadblocks		Honestly this example is only here because Ishikawa hid The Synth right at the start of this song and that's it, it's not anywhere else in the song. Why? No clue, but it sounds cool I will admit.
Tumbling Ice		Who would have thought one of the most Ishikawa songs of the game would have The Synth? Pretend to be surprised.
Nutty Noon		The best use of The Synth in the game, it perfectly sets the mood of Nutty Noon.
Explanations		Pay attention to the explanations now. The Synth will help you concentrate.
Time for a Challenge!		While you go for those Platinum Medals, The Synth is here taunting you.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Usage of The Synth significantly dropped in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, due to the game primarily using more "realistic" samples, but it was still used in some tracks, all by Ishikawa, such as "Keychain Collection", "Mountains in an Angry Sky", and "Moonlight Capital".

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Floral Fields		Once again, The Synth is here for the beginning of the adventure.
Keychain Collection		The Synth is here to give you a cozy feeling to this bossa nova like song.
Mountains in an Angry Sky		Here The Synth is used as the cherry on top for this epic song, because the dubstep and the orchestra weren't enough to make it epic.
Moonlight Capital		Even Queen Sectonia likes The Synth, so it plays in Royal Road. I mean, I don't blame her, do you?

Kirby: Planet Robobot

Unlike the previous game, the music in Kirby: Planet Robobot used more synths, and as such usage of The Synth was a bit bigger here. Notable examples include "Submarine Suburbs", "Dried-up Sea, and "Loud Locomotive".

Notable uses of The Synth in Kirby: Planet Robobot
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Bountiful Star		If "Aqua Star" had The Synth, it's only fitting this one has as well.
Submarine Suburbs		There is no way for The Synth to feel cozier than this. Using its power to make you feel like you are underwater. So effective here Ishikawa used it twice for double the effect.
Dried-up Sea		Desert themes by Ishikawa kinda have to have The Synth most of the time, and here it's used just before the climax of the song as usual.
Studying the Power Plant		Ishikawa put The Synth really for only three notes in this song, but I mean, I don't blame him, he broke his reading glasses while composing this song.
Loud Locomotive		The weak people that cannot listen to this song due to the loud start will never know what kind of incredible usage of The Synth they are missing.
Pristine Office March		Before you drop the bass, you GOTTA use The Synth.

Kirby's Blowout Blast

Was this foreshadowing for the future of The Synth...?

Ishikawa couldn't make many songs for Kirby's Blowout Blast because Ando finished most of them in two days, but he still did the Game Over theme of the game, that uses The Synth... and that's it for this game.

Kirby Star Allies

You can barely tell it's there, but it is.

Kirby Star Allies marked a revolution for usage of The Synth: while it had been used in every mainline Kirby in multiple tracks ever since Kirby 64, The Synth was only used in two tracks of the game: "Nature's Navel", where it's sneakily hidden behind a violin for a couple notes, and "Game Over" from Blowout Blast is reused. Star Allies pushed for even more "realistic" samples, so it's (sadly) no wonder why The Synth had to hide behind a violin to be in a new song for this game.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Officially, The Synth is not present in any songs in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, marking the first time in over 20 years that it's not present in a mainline Kirby game. Kirby music fans, however, in denial, constantly debate if three songs have it.

Suspected uses of The Synth in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Song	Sample(s)	Description
Fast-Flowing Waterworks		Some Kirby fans argue The Synth is present at a single section of this song, as, I mean, it does sound like it. However, some fans argue that it's simply the same flute from previous phrases, just an octave lower, and the "airy" feel of it makes it sound like The Synth. If this is somehow The Synth, this would mean Yuki Shimooka really is a wild card and can do literally any kind of music, so powerful.
Invasion at the House of Horrors		Part of this song uses a synth with an airy feel to it, which sounds like The Synth, but also doesn't. What makes many people believe this is secretly The Synth is that said section just feels like a section Ishikawa would use The Synth for. However, some argue that this is actually proof that The Synth isn't in this game: after all, if this is a perfect section for Ishikawa to use it, why did he not use it? Well, if you believe this is not The Synth... It just has to be, right?
Burning, Churning Power Plant		Behind all those dubstep sounds at the beginning, there is a synth in the background that sometimes sounds like The Synth... (I mean, that third note of it is HMMM) but sometimes it doesn't. Is it really it? Did Ishikawa hide it like he did in Star Allies?

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, The Synth reprised its role from the original name, but because Ando and Shimooka were having a race to see who would compose songs the fastest, Ishikawa only had the opportunity to create one new song for the remake, that is so sinister that if The Synth was used there people would faint if they listened to it. As such, no new songs of this game have The Synth, sadly.

Other appearances

The Synth appears twice in "Boss Battle Medley / Electronic ver." of Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe Original Sound Track, in the "VS. Meta Knight" and "Vs. Marx" sections, like they appear in the original songs. In addition, Ishikawa even managed to make The Synth play in Kirby Café, as he put it in "Eating a Meal and Having a Dream / Milky Way Wishes: Staff Credits" of The Sound of Kirby Café.

• Boss Battle Medley / Electronic ver. - VS. Meta Knight & The Synth

• Boss Battle Medley / Electronic ver. - Vs. Marx & The Synth

• Eating a Meal and Listening to The Synth

• Eating a Meal and Listening to The Synth 2

Trivia

• Because The Synth is used in nearly every Kirby game, some have compared it to Those Things. They also have similar Japanese names... Coincidence?
• It appears that the third cancelled Kirby GCN title was going to heavily use The Synth, going by unused tracks found in the files of Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Some fans speculate every track in the game was going to to use The Synth in some form, and some also believe it was was game's final boss.
• Due to its use in "Vestiges of the Ancients", it's very likely that The Synth is one of the many creations of the ancients, which would explain why it's so mystical.
• Despite being the most Ishikawa song ever, "Welcome Your New Overlord" doesn't feature The Synth. According to a Nintendo Dream interview from 2011 no English speaking fan has ever managed to find and read before but thankfully was mentioned in the Japanese Kirby wiki, Shinya Kumazaki asked Jun Ishikawa to not use The Synth in the song, in fear that it would make the song have too much Ishikawa energy and anyone who listened to it would collapse, not being able to handle it.
• Kumazaki asked Ando to add The Synth to Zan Percussion's battle theme, but he forgot.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	「アレ」 Are	That Not to be confused with Those Things.