Pokemon fans divided over iconic Hoenn surf theme’s classical music origins

Kurt Perry
Protagonist May surfing in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Twenty years after the release of the Gen 3 games Pokemon fans have discovered similarities between Hoenn’s surf theme from Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald and Tchaikovsky’s classical music, but not everyone agrees.

Video games often take inspiration from classical music, especially retro games that tend to utilize a lot of simple melodies in their soundtracks.

Some examples of this include the Tetris theme being based on Russian folk song Korobeiniki, Peggle’s use of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, and Earthworm Jim 2 having a chiptune rendition of Piano Sonata No. 14.

Now Pokemon fans are discovering that the games that defined their childhood might feature themes inspired by great classical music too.

Pokemon Gen 3 surf theme inspired by Tchaikovsky motif

The surf theme from Pokemon’s Hoenn games has been recognized as potentially being based on famous classic Russian musician Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ‘Valse Sentimentale’.

This was spotted by an attentive player and the discovery has amazed Pokemon fans most of which had no idea about the theme’s potential origins.

“Wow! I love classical music, but I never knew this, thanks!”

“When I first listened to Tchaikovsky I instantly liked it, but damn a decade later I come to realize that I’d been manipulated by Pokemon into liking his work.”

However, not everyone was convinced by the similarities with some responses questioning if the two themes are related at all.

“Instrumentation is similar, and both songs use a “dotted quarter, eighth, quarter” rhythm (which not all waltzes do), but the melody and chords are different. Pokémon probably took inspiration from the other song, but the two are quite a bit different overall.”

“Is this confirmed? Because I’d say everything but the structure of that little pattern is quite different, the main melody, the instrumentation, even the notes in that pattern. But if it is true, that’s pretty cool.”

Although we don’t know if the Surf theme from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald is based on Tchaikovsky, it wouldn’t be the first time Pokemon seemingly took inspiration from older music.

One of the earliest themes in the series, Pokemon Red and Blue’s Route 1 music, has frequently been compared to the folk song Polly Wolly Doodle.

In fact, this isn’t even the first time that Tchaikovsky’s music has been linked to Pokemon. Professor Oak’s music from Red & Blue and later Radio Oak’s Pokemon Talk theme in Gold & Silver is similar to Chinese Dance from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

Related Topics

About The Author

Kurt Perry is a British games writer who started at Dexerto in April 2023. He graduated from Staffordshire University in 2019 with a BA in Games Journalism and PR. Prior to joining Dexerto, Kurt contributed 900 articles for PC Invasion including over 350 guides. He's an all-rounder that is particularly knowledgeable about Call of Duty, Destiny, and Pokemon.