Overview
Death Scythe is a hard-driving instrumental trance track composed by SHIKI, one of the early original songs commissioned for maimai. It debuted in maimai GreeN on September 19, 2013, and originally required 27,000 maimile to unlock before becoming available by default in maimai ORANGE. The song originated from SEGA's digital-reality attraction HALFPIPE TOKYO at the Tokyo Joypolis theme park, sharing its lineage with SHIKI's earlier Joypolis track LUCIA. True to its name, which translates to "death scythe", the composition is intentionally aggressive: a relentless BPM 182 beat punctuated by sharp, dramatic breaks that evoke old-school action-game and shoot-'em-up soundtracks. SHIKI has stated he was asked for something "high difficulty" and responded by writing a piece meant to feel punishing, naming it with the wish to "hunt and kill" players. The track has no lyrics, letting its melodic trance leads and hard-hitting rhythm carry the intensity. Over the years, Death Scythe has become a fixture of the maimai original song catalog, receiving a Standard Re:MASTER chart in 2020 as part of the maimai ALL PERFECT COLLECTiON celebration, and later crossing over into SEGA's オンゲキ (ONGEKI) rhythm game in 2023.
Videos
Charts
STD
BASIC
5(5)
182 notesDesigner: -|Tap 142Hold 21Slide 11Break 8
ADVANCED
8+(8.6)
282 notesDesigner: -|Tap 231Hold 22Slide 9Break 20
EXPERT
12(12.1)
546 notesDesigner: 某S氏|Tap 493Hold 15Slide 22Break 16
MASTER
13+(13.8)
763 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 630Hold 16Slide 101Break 16
Re:MASTER
14(14.2)
976 notesDesigner: 隅田川星人|Tap 811Hold 32Slide 89Break 44
Trivia
- Death Scythe originated from SEGA's HALFPIPE TOKYO, a digital-reality attraction at the Tokyo Joypolis theme park, before being brought into maimai as a playable song.
- The title Death Scythe (デスサイズ) literally means 'death scythe', the grim reaper's iconic weapon. SHIKI chose the name as a playful threat, saying he wanted to 'hunt and kill' players.
- SHIKI has a running joke about a hypothetical sequel titled Death Scythe Hell, though he has confirmed no such plans exist.
- The MASTER chart (designed by はっぴー/Happy) features a distinctive layout that spirals around the playfield from the A melody through to the B melody section, requiring players to sweep across the screen in a circular motion.
- Both the MASTER and Re:MASTER charts incorporate two SLIDE notes arranged to form the shape of a scythe, a visual gimmick that matches the song's theme.
- The Re:MASTER chart (designed by 隅田川星人/Sumidagawa Seijin, level 14, constant 14.2) was added much later on November 5, 2020, as part of maimai DX Splash, celebrating the release of the maimai ALL PERFECT COLLECTiON soundtrack album.
- The Expert chart was designed by 某S氏 (Bou S shi), a charter known for early maimai original song charts, and was originally a level 9 at launch, later climbing through multiple re-ratings to reach its current level 12.
- Death Scythe appears as a crossover song in オンゲキ bright MEMORY (added August 24, 2023), where it received its own chart and a character-battle opponent, 高瀬 梨緒 Lv.49.
- A sequel-like track titled Death Doll (also by SHIKI) appears in オンゲキ PLUS. SHIKI described it as 'a song that feels like a sequel but not quite'.
- The song's movie/background video was created by Taiyo Yamamoto, whose visuals accompany the high-speed trance beats.
- A long version of Death Scythe is included on SHIKI's album LuciaRize, as well as on the maimai ALL PERFECT COLLECTiON soundtrack.
- The song underwent numerous difficulty re-ratings over maimai versions: its Expert chart alone moved through levels 9, 10, 11, and 12 across the series' history, reflecting both community skill progression and SEGA's evolving difficulty calibration.
FAQ
- Who composed Death Scythe?
- Death Scythe was composed and arranged by SHIKI, a Japanese electronic music producer known for his melodic trance and hard-instrumental style. SHIKI also contributed other tracks to SEGA's rhythm game ecosystem, including LUCIA and the related Death Doll.
- What does the title Death Scythe mean?
- Death Scythe translates directly to 'death scythe', the large bladed weapon associated with the Grim Reaper. Composer SHIKI chose the name to reflect the song's punishing difficulty, joking that he wanted to 'hunt and kill' players who attempted it.
- When was Death Scythe added to maimai?
- Death Scythe debuted in maimai GreeN on September 19, 2013. It originally required 27,000 maimile to unlock, but became available by default starting with maimai ORANGE (September 18, 2014).
- Does Death Scythe have lyrics?
- No, Death Scythe is an entirely instrumental track. Its intensity comes from SHIKI's hard trance composition, melodic synth leads, aggressive drum patterns, and frequent, dramatic breaks.
- Who designed the charts for Death Scythe?
- The Expert chart was designed by 某S氏 (Bou S shi), the Master chart by はっぴー (Happy), and the Re:Master chart by 隅田川星人 (Sumidagawa Seijin). The Basic and Advanced charts do not have credited designers.
- What is the connection between Death Scythe and Death Doll?
- Death Doll is a later track by SHIKI that appears in SEGA's オンゲキ PLUS. SHIKI described it on his website as 'a song that feels like a sequel but not quite' to Death Scythe, sharing a similar aggressive trance style and weapon-themed naming.
- What makes the Death Scythe charts notable?
- The Master and Re:Master charts are known for two SLIDE notes arranged into a scythe shape matching the song's theme, and the Master chart features a circular/spiral layout across the playfield. The song also has one of the most extensive level-revision histories in maimai, with its Expert chart having been re-rated through levels 9, 10, 11, and 12 across different versions.
- Where did Death Scythe originally come from?
- Death Scythe originated from SEGA's HALFPIPE TOKYO, a digital-reality snowboarding attraction at the Tokyo Joypolis theme park. It was brought into maimai as an original commissioned track for GreeN.
External Links
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