What version of maimai added 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?

It was added in the maimai でらっくす BUDDiES PLUS update on June 21, 2024.

How do you unlock 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～' in maimai?

The song is unlocked as a 400 km challenge reward in Dragon Area 3 (ドラゴンちほー3), requiring players to accumulate distance within that area to reach the unlock threshold.

Who designed the Master chart for 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?

The Master chart was designed by Jack, with a difficulty constant of 13.3 and 795 total notes. The Expert chart was designed by はっぴー.

What is the meaning of the title 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?

The title translates to 'Shining Ray ~Our Bond~,' with 僕らの絆 (bokura no kizuna) meaning 'our bond' or 'our ties.' The theme of connection and helping others is reflected in the Dragon Area 3 story, where characters set aside personal conflicts to assist one another.

What story does 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～' tie into?

The song is part of the Dragon Area 3 narrative in maimai. The flavor text depicts Embra hesitantly offering to guide a boy named Asuka, who seeks passage to Asgard, toward an old elven checkpoint, while her partner Quelebre senses a familiar, powerful energy emanating from the boy's companion.

Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～ (Shining Ray ~Our Bond~), maimai DX BUDDiES Son...

All songs

Overview

"Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～" (Shining Ray ~Our Bond~) is an original song commissioned for maimai でらっくす BUDDiES PLUS, released on June 21, 2024. The track was produced by Kazuma Ito (伊藤和馬) of the music circle Arte Refact, with vocals by konoco. At 180 BPM, it carries an upbeat, driving energy typical of the circle's rhythm-game contributions, blending pop-rock sensibilities with a soaring chorus that mirrors the song's title and thematic focus on bonds and connection. Within maimai, the song appears as a 400 km challenge unlock in Dragon Area 3 (ドラゴンちほー3), the third installment of the game's long-running Dragon-themed story questline. Its accompanying flavor text narrates a scene where the characters Embra, a young boy named Asuka, the dragon Quelebre, and the elf Nire intersect, the boy seeks passage to Asgard (アースガルズ), and Embra hesitantly offers help despite herself, hinting at deeper ties between the party members. The song sits between two other area tracks, "Beginning together!" as the predecessor and "DEVOTION" as the follow-up, forming a narrative arc across the area's challenge songs. The chart roster includes an Expert layout by はっぴー and a Master chart by Jack. The Master chart, rated 13.3, leans on Slide-heavy phrasing and brisk note density (795 total notes) to complement the track's relentless 180 BPM drive.

Videos

Official PV

Open

Master chart

Open

Expert chart

Open

Charts

DX

BASIC

5(5)

214 notesDesigner: -|Tap 176Hold 13Slide 9Touch 12Break 4

YouTube

ADVANCED

7(7)

338 notesDesigner: -|Tap 279Hold 20Slide 6Touch 28Break 5

YouTube

EXPERT

10(10)

534 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 383Hold 69Slide 32Touch 26Break 24

YouTube

MASTER

13(13.3)

795 notesDesigner: Jack|Tap 587Hold 44Slide 101Touch 14Break 49

YouTube

Trivia

The song's Japanese subtitle 「僕らの絆」 translates to 'Our Bond,' directly reflecting the narrative theme of the Dragon Area 3 story, characters setting aside grudges to help one another.
Kazuma Ito (伊藤和馬) is a member of Arte Refact, a Japanese music production circle known for contributing original tracks to various rhythm game series including maimai, beatmania IIDX, and SOUND VOLTEX.
Vocalist konoco has appeared on multiple maimai original songs, collaborating with Arte Refact composers across several game versions.
The song was added in the BUDDiES PLUS update on June 21, 2024, and was unlocked by completing a 400 km distance challenge within Dragon Area 3, a recurring unlock mechanic for that area's hidden tracks.
In the Dragon Area 3 song sequence, 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～' is the middle challenge track, preceded by 'Beginning together!' and followed by 'DEVOTION.'
The flavor text references characters from earlier Dragon chapters: Embra, her dragon partner Quelebre, the elf Nire, and introduces a new boy named Asuka who seeks entry to the heavenly realm of Asgard.
Quelebre notices that the 'larva' (幼生) beside the boy possesses extraordinary power with a 'nostalgic' wavelength, a detail that connects back to earlier Dragon area lore about ancient beings.
The Master chart designer Jack is known in the maimai community for crafting high-density, Slide-heavy patterns that demand precise hand coordination at high BPM.
The Expert chart, designed by はっぴー, features a notably dense Tap-note count (383) for its level-10 rating, challenging players with fast stream patterns.

FAQ

Who composed 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?: The song was composed by Kazuma Ito (伊藤和馬) of the music circle Arte Refact, with vocals by konoco.
What version of maimai added 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?: It was added in the maimai でらっくす BUDDiES PLUS update on June 21, 2024.
How do you unlock 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～' in maimai?: The song is unlocked as a 400 km challenge reward in Dragon Area 3 (ドラゴンちほー3), requiring players to accumulate distance within that area to reach the unlock threshold.
Who designed the Master chart for 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?: The Master chart was designed by Jack, with a difficulty constant of 13.3 and 795 total notes. The Expert chart was designed by はっぴー.
What is the meaning of the title 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～'?: The title translates to 'Shining Ray ~Our Bond~,' with 僕らの絆 (bokura no kizuna) meaning 'our bond' or 'our ties.' The theme of connection and helping others is reflected in the Dragon Area 3 story, where characters set aside personal conflicts to assist one another.
What story does 'Shining Ray ～僕らの絆～' tie into?: The song is part of the Dragon Area 3 narrative in maimai. The flavor text depicts Embra hesitantly offering to guide a boy named Asuka, who seeks passage to Asgard, toward an old elven checkpoint, while her partner Quelebre senses a familiar, powerful energy emanating from the boy's companion.