I apologize for this being off topic from collecting/ the TCG in general, but what is your single favorite song from any of the Pokemon game/movie/anime OSTs?
I am trying to compile a list of Pokemon OST highlights for work because I’m starting to get tired of the ones on YouTube, and I would love some input from you all!
Mine is Relic Forest from the Pokemon Colosseum and XD Gale of Darkness OSTs. so nostalgic and beautiful
My favourite piece of music they have ever done for a Pokemon game:
Nostalgia overload:
Yeah yeah nostalgia is nice and all but let’s be real the best soundtracks come from the newer games.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIn8_Q27WFY
The soundtrack of the older games is significantly better, in my opinion.
I haven’t played Gen 5 yet, so I can’t speak on it, but Gen 6’s music was trash. Gen 7’s was decent.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AegLCRZZvU
@basedboy, Nice topic! I remember that Relic song from Pokemon Colosseum!
Serious answer, Pallet Town is absolute nostalgia. Honestly hard even listening to it as it hits home too hard:
Yes, seriously. There are probably only a few other tracks that are as notorious as this one.
Why would this subject be assumed as off topic?
As much praise Lavender has, these two places turn the Lavender tone into upaced action. Bonus points how the Mansion is creepy in itself as a peculiar place in the game. Later how the Rocket’s vibe follows as the Dungeon’s tune as if there was a subtle, mysterous plot tension canon to the Mew/human hybrid across the games span.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kiKM2f2j_o
Newer tracks for me work best as soundscapes. Pokémon going O))). The modern battle tunes are upbeat for the sake of it resulting in umemorable blandness. Thrifty Megamart sounds like having absinthe in Pére Lachaise and Sky Pillar 2 is leagues ahead for setting anticipation compared to the original.
In similar situation above with Raekwon and Mewthree, Tin Tower for some doom. Perhaps there most simplistic tracks proves to be most effective, the tension into acceptance from Pokémons gods.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aV_amzcQLM
Lastly with what started it all, the image of Onix chasing the gang. I feel Mario influenced this since I don’t think it is an in game remake.
From the games: too many great ones to count, and never really considered a “favorite” until now. Still can’t do it even after thinking hard about it haha. But I did notice that despite Red/Blue/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal being my favorites, I kept thinking of music from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald as the absolute best bangers the series has to offer. Here’s three of them:
~
From the anime: Tears After the Cloudy Weather overwhelms me every time. I don’t even like listening to it that much because I don’t think such a powerful, emotional tune should be heard all too often as to not take away from the singularity of the moment in its context in the anime’s first episode, which is still artistically the best episode ever produced for the series even to this day.
I hope it’s not nostalgia talking when I say the Pokemon anime has a truly incredible score. All the tunes I heard on the show as a child have been plastered into my brain for decades and will never ever leave. Knowing the moments that coincide with the melodies makes them that much more captivating
this too is a gem from gen 3, i did a transcription of it to turn it into a jazz sheet. havent gotten the chance to practice it yet, id need a bassist to back me. amazing use of diminished chords, which is perfect for the battle pike concept.
The BEST
I probably have some unpopular ones. the dark theme that played in Ilex forest always brings back memories from gen 2. It seemed to fit so well and it created this super creepy/suspenseful feeling when exploring and learning about Celebi and trying to figure out how to capture it as an 8 year old. The amount of hours I wasted only to figure out that you can’t legitimately catch celebi still haunt me to this day… It also plays when exploring the strange ruins of alph and in the whirlpool islands when catching lugia which was one of my biggest personal accomplishments as a youngster!
Literally every track from red/blue hit me right in the feels. Cerulean city is probably my favorite but I actually really enjoy the cycling theme. After I finally got my bike when I first played blue I spent most of my time on it. So that song is just embedded into my childhood memories.
Wow thanks so much for the responses and stories! Its extremely moving to see how much Pokemon OST means to everyone in such different ways. 
Once I get some free time I’ll compile all the tracks into a YouTube playlist and post it here so everyone can listen!
Cycling theme is my favorite, too! Such a happy song 
The entire first English album ‘Pokémon 2.B.A. Master’ is worth a listen. Such a 90s nostalgia trip for most of us.
It’s still getting played a lot in our car to this day, with my wife and 2 year old daughter singing along.
So many memories in the 20 years I’ve been listening to that cd; It’s awesome.
Too many to pick…
I’m a big fan of gen 2,3,4 music