There are several distinguising features in each of the Butou songs: for starters, the song title is always a Japanese idiom made up of four kanji characters, and the song theme is always Japanese traditional music, without vocals. All songs share the same root for their SongID ('butou') and there's always a forked-path gimmick on Oni difficulty with Normal, Advanced and Master courses
Unlike regular forked-path songs, the playing path doesn't change for the entirety of the song as the one and only note set that will be played is determined by a small drumroll that is displayed before the actual song begins: 2 or more hits gets you to Master, 1 hit gets you to Advanced, and ignoring it will let you continue on Normal. There is never any huge difficulty difference between the three paths, however, there will always be one path that will have a higher total score than the other two; this is referred to as the 'score route' (スコアルート). Due to the scarcity of long drumrolls in Butou songs, this is very tough to manipulate.
The arcade tradition up until the third generation ('Taiko 0' firmwares) is to include the two latest songs from Butou songs, and when a third one is made for the next arcade version, the older of the two is discarded and replaced with the new one. With the pace of arcade Taiko right now, this tradition is obsolete. The entire Butou song series is composed by Kakumi Nishigomi (西込加久見), with the shout samples being provided by Yajuru Miyajima (ヤジュール宮嶋君). The notecharts for all modes and branches are almost single-handedly done by former Taiko Team leader Takahashi, up until Hyakki Yakou.
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 -Butou series- | ||
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Garyoutensei (画竜点睛)| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko PS2 5, PSP1, 2 | x5 (153) | x6 (294) | x6 (471) | x9 (583, 608, 562) |
| Taiko 7-14, all other consoles, PS2 5 (2P) | x5 (153) | x6 (294) | x6 (471) | x9 (608, 583, 562) |
| Taiko 0 | x5 (153) | x6 (294) | x6 (471) | x8 (608, 583, 562) |
Taiko 7, 8, 12.5, 13, Taiko 0, Taiko PS2 5, Taiko PSP 1, 2, Taiko Wii 4, Taiko +, CD 2008
134
none
butouAdvanced notes
Normal notes
Started it all off. The idiom is of Chinese origin, which is used to describe something that is just a smidge away from absolute perfection, usually an essay or painting, or it could mean adding a finishing touch to a perfect masterpiece. The story behind the saying involved a painter who was so skilled and accurate with his work, that when he drew a dragon, he left out dotting its two eyes, for fear it might come alive and fly away. No one believed it till he drew in the eyes, and true enough, the dragon came to life.
The Master and Advanced paths have switched once, and so does the score route, which changes from Advanced to Master. However, Taiko PS2 5, the debut game for Garyoutensei, is the only one which has both the path switches, with one variant being used for multiplayer only. Whether that is a glitch is not known.
Though Garyoutensei is generally easier than its successors, several 1/24 clusters and handswitch streams make this song an annoying one to Full Combo, especially the blue notes right at the very end of the song which messes up your tempo more often than not. Garyoutensei has been revived several times, with the latest being on Taiko 0 and there it became the second song in the series to hit 8* Oni.
Shin Garyoutensei (真・画竜点睛)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (169) | x5 (227) | x6 (376) | x9 (585, 588, 567) |
| All (2P) | x4 (169) | x5 (227) | x6 (376) | x9 (481, 566, 512) |
Taiko 8, 9, Taiko PS2 6, Taiko PSP 2, Taiko Wii U 3, CD 2008 135 none butou2Advanced notes
Normal notes
2P Play
An upgrade of Garyoutensei, like Kita Saitama 2000 was to Saitama 2000 with the word 'true' added to the front, but is an entirely different song. It is the lost sibling of the series, having never been revived once in any arcade or console after its two generation tenure was up, not even in the giant compilations of Taiko Wii 4 and PSP DX.
It is slightly tougher than Garyoutensei, but still remaining within the 9* range, and features more 1/24 clusters and mixed streams. Shin Garyoutensei is the only one in the series to have clearly defined differences on both single and multiplayer mode, and each has its own 3 paths, making 2x3 = six patterns of notes in all.
On the third Wii U Taiko game, Shin Garyoutensei's 2-player patterns are slotted separately into the song's very own Ura Oni mode, with no actual unique 1P Ura Oni backing them.
Gekkabijin (月下美人)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko 9, 10, 14 PS2 7, Wii 3, iOS | x4 (164) | x6 (287) | x7 (483) | x9 (832, 790, 765) |
| Taiko 0 Murasaki | x4 (164) | x6 (287) | x7 (483) | x8 (832, 790, 765) |
Taiko 9, 10, 14, Taiko 0 Murasaki, Taiko PS2 7, Taiko Wii 3, Taiko +, Taiko PS Vita CD 2008 150 none butou3The third, most memorable and most popular song in the series, and one of the five songs to be revived for Taiko 14. Gekkabijin (Queen of the Night) is the name coined by Japanese people to a species of night-blooming cactus flower, Selenicereus grandiflorus, which evokes the image of a beautiful woman, gazing at the moonlight. It blooms and withers extremely fast, and is a very fragile, graceful flower, thus the name.
Song-wise, Gekkabijin has none of the fragility as its namesake. It is filled with powerful, intense beats. Most of the song is actually two red and two blue notes alternating between one another, only split up at different parts to create the illusion of having more varied beats. And it's really not easy, with the two-by-two arrangement creating things like different 3 note clusters put together, or confusing series of four and two note clusters, and even some long streams.
Without any significant notechart differences, Master Notes is the highest scoring route for this song.
Gekkabijin returned to the HD Taiko scene for one day only on April 1 2015, together with the usual Kidaruma 2000, with a newly cut 8★ Oni to reflect the more contemporary rating landscape. Always in the same year, the song was also featured in the Taiko-themed dungeon for the Chain Chronicle collaboration event.
Kurofune Raikou (黒船来航)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko 10, 11, 11 Asia | x3 (134) | x4 (183) | x4 (300) | x9 (661, 649, 604) |
| Taiko DS 1, Taiko Wii 4, Taiko + | x4 (134) | x5 (183) | x7 (300) | x9 (661, 649, 604) |
Taiko 10, 11, Taiko 14, Taiko DS 1, Taiko Wii 4, Taiko +, CD 2008 136 none butou4Advanced notes
Normal notes
'Kurofune Raikou' comes from a piece of Japanese history. It means 'Black ships come to port' which refers to Western vessels landing in Japan between the 15th and 19th centuries, under the command of US Commodore Matthew Perry (link to Wikipedia article). They were called 'black' simply because ships in the olden days were black in color.
The starting drumroll is a large one and punctuated by the sound of a foghorn. Kurofune Raikou isn't particularly hard on all three paths, and can be cleared quite easily, as compared to Gekkabijin. Although the Advanced route has less notes it is the highest scoring route due to the massive number of big notes in it, and it is more difficult too due to the 6 note clusters which require the player to get used to handswitching before being able to clear it properly.. There is a huge gap in difficult star rating for the Muzukashii chart, and though it is more of a 7*, it was put as 4* in Taiko 10, 11 and 11 Asia which is extremely underrated.
Hyakka Ryouran (百花繚乱)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko 11 to 14, Taiko DS 2, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 4, Taiko + | x3 (144) | x4 (225) | x4 (423) | x9 (777, 743, 719) |
| Taiko 0, Taiko 3DS 2 | x3 (144) | x4 (225) | x5 (423) | x8 (777, 743, 719) |
Taiko 11 to 12.5, 14, Taiko 0, Taiko DS 2, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 4, Taiko 3DS 2, Taiko +, CD 2008 148 none butou5Advanced notes
Normal notes
Literally, Hyakka Ryouran means 'hundreds of flowers blooming in profusion', but figuratively it can mean 'lots of beautiful women appearing at once' and/or 'lots of talent/achievements emerging'. It's the second real idiomatic phrase to be used in the Butou songs. Has a more Chinese feel to it than the rest of the songs.
A suitably flowery, graceful melody accompanies the title, and quite a challenge compared to easy Kurofune Raikou, with long deathstreams awaiting everyone no matter which route they choose, though arguably the ones in Advanced route are the toughest as they have multiple handswitching areas. The score route is Master, as usual.
Hyakka Ryouran is a relatively more popular song in this series and as such it has been used in more than two arcades and as a component for the fusion song Yozakura Shanikusai. The Taiko PSP DX version is special in that it features Taiko 10th Anniversary ambassador/promoter Rina Koike (小池里奈) in chibi form as the central dancer because of a TV commercial for the same game featuring both Koike and Hyakka Ryouran playing as background music. The song and chart remains the same otherwise.
Sengoku Sangen (戦国三弦)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (143) | x5 (215) | x6 (361) | x9 (678, 663, 617) |
Taiko 12 to 13, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 1, Taiko +, CD Donderful 144 none butou6Sengoku Sangen doesn't have much depth to its meaning, when translated the title just means "warring states, three strings", nodding to the period of warring states both present separately in Japan and China with sound effects of war horns and the like. 'Sangen' is also another name for the Japanese instrument, the shamisen, which is used as the main instrument throughout the song.
As a Taiko song, Sengoku Sangen is also one of the hardest in the series, and in Master Notes, continues the idea that Gekkabijin started, except this time it's three red notes and three blue notes alternating between each other instead of two. The odd number of alternating notes basically begs for the chart to be filled with 3 by 3 handswitches and deathstreams, the bane of 9* Oni. Note also that the requirements to get to Master Notes is slightly different here than in the rest of the Butou songs. The drumroll has to be hit 3 or more times (1 and 2 gets you to Advanced). It isn't a mistake, it's the song's theme of having lots of threes.
Fuun Shishi (風雲志士)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (135) | x5 (200) | x7 (378) | x8 (651, 636, 565) |
Taiko 13, Taiko Wii 2, Taiko 3DS 3, CD Donderful 135 none butou7Advanced notes (Baizoku)
Normal notes
As with Sengoku Sangen, Fuun Shishi has no deep, hidden meaning behind its title, when translated it just means 'Patriots of the wind and clouds'.
It breaks one of Butou tracks's long-standing traditions; instead of being 9* on Oni, it begins at 8*. The reduced difficulty star number doesn't lie- Fuun Shishi is the easiest song to clear in the entire series. It's also painfully derivative, sounding like a cross between the original Garyoutensei and Sengoku Sangen. Not one of Taiko's finest moments. Because of its relative unpopularity it was immediately disposed of after Taiko 13, only present in a single generation of Taiko and subsequently unheard of. Who knows when it will be reivved?
Fuun Shishi was used in the boss battle with Tantaru (Tantalum), the powerful mecha, on Taiko Wii 2's story mode. Later on, it was also used as the BGM for a Taiko-themed minigame in the twin Yokai Watch 3 games.
Hyakki Yakou (百鬼夜行)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x5 (140) | x6 (195) | x8 (413) | x9 (711, 711, 711) |
Taiko 14, Taiko DS 3, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 4, CD Donderful 145 none butou8Advanced notes
Normal notes
Hyakki Yakou is literally, 'Parade of a hundred demons in the night'. The expression is based on an old Japanese belief that demons and ghosts and other supernatural things will roam streets on summer nights and kill anyone who comes across their procession unless protected by a Buddhist sutra. The ghost procession thing was quite popular in traditional art.
And with Taiko DS3 based on exactly the same theme, who could resist the opportunity? It almost seems like Hyakki Yakou (the song) was composed with Taiko DS3 in mind. The song is a return to form, giving the Butou series another 9* song, and interestingly enough, the Normal notes is the one that gives the highest score due to it having 107 big notes, all placed in confusing points throughout the song to make score exploitation that much harder. Think 1/16 spaced notes with big notes in between are easy? Think again!
Its Oni chart has 711 notes no matter which route is picked, a first for the series, and unlike all the other songs which were all made by just Takahashi, three people were involved. Etou made the Normal chart, Takahashi made the Master chart, and the Advanced chart was handled by some alias '譜面リーダー' (fumen leader).
Hyakki Yakou was used in the boss battle with the Kyuubi Kitsune (nine-tailed fox) in Taiko DS3.
Ouka Ranman (桜花爛漫)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (140) | x6 (195) | x7 (413) | x8 (759, 777, 722) |
Taiko 0 Y 170 none ???Advanced notes
Normal notes
Almost 7 years after Hyakki Yakou's release, projects for a new song in the Butou family of tunes were made public, as well as the fulcrum of fan-driven polls! With the song being made behind the scenes, the spectators of the Taiko Team livestreams on Nicovideo have had the opportunity to vote for both the song's name and three among all the still-active Notecharter Sentai contributors to chart one of its Oni mode's routes each! After a couple of livestream polls, the song title was settled to something resembling the (at the time of its first release) approaching Spring season (with Ouka Ranman being the direct JP name for cherry blossoms, which bloom during Spring), while for the charting task of its Normal, Advanced and Master routes were respectively chosen Masubu・Chuji (マスブ・チュジー, pen name for Yuji Masubuchi), Dark Attribute (闇属性) and Takemoto (タケモト), each opting for a different charting style.
Sporting the highest BPM value in a Butou song to date, Ouka Ranman offers three different Oni challenges that are driven by different charting motifs eack; starting with the normal route, its main intent is to make an overall-manageable song save for one busy cluster section in the middle, against the Advanced route's way to offere an almost-uninterrupted sequence of notes'n clusters to hits, calling back to many Taiko V Versions-produced notecharts. Finally, the Master route's main aim was to simply follow the shamisen accompainment all throughout the song, making for the most drumroll-filled trial among the trio.
Isseifuubi (一世風靡) Taiko de Time Travel/Kakumi Nishigori (太鼓 de タイムトラベル江戸 / 西込加久見)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (192) | x5 (284) | x6 (438) | x8 (867, 665, 657) |
Taiko Nijiiro 137-210 none ???Advanced notes
Normal notes
For the 10th song in this series, we've had to wait up until another decade-measured milestone: the Taiko no Tatsujin franchise's 20th anniversary! Based around the concept of "BOOM, momentum that spreads with the blink of an eye", the background theme chosen for this one song was the Edo period for the second time after Kurofune Raikou, whereas while the latter referenced its ending the most, this one focuses on its 'golden years' during the extravagant Genryoku period instead.
Muck like for Ouka Ranman, three different charters have been picked up for its Taiko-playable transition: Synchronica veteran SueP (すえP) for both the KFM set and the Oni mode's Normal route, Chuji/Yuji Masubuchi (チュジー) for the Oni Advanced Route and Kijikiji (キジキジ) for its Master route instead. Be it for a musical-notation-friendly chart a-la Off Rock renewal, an experimental charting style almost as note-heavy to mimick a young Edokko's carefree skip-and-a-jump attitude or a less forgiving 1/24-enriched gauntlet which has now the highest Max Combo among current Butou songs... as usual, whatever you pick is your choice to make with the beginning drumroll!
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