Overview
"STEEL TRANSONIC" is a blistering original composition created for the maimai rhythm game series, arriving in maimai でらっくす PLUS on March 19, 2020. The track was produced as a collaboration between two veteran rhythm-game composers, BlackY and WAiKURO, and its title fuses the imagery of steel (metal, machinery, industrial weight) with transonic (approaching the speed of sound), a pairing that accurately telegraphs the song's aggressive, high-velocity character. Clocking in at 236 BPM with no lyrical content, the piece relies entirely on its instrumental density: pounding kick drums, searing synth leads, and rapid-fire arpeggios that push the upper limit of what a player's hands (and the maimai touchscreen) can process.
Despite the "vs." artist credit on the song select screen, the jacket artwork and music video present the name in a.k.a. style, treating the collaboration more as an alter-ego convergence than a competitive face-off. WAiKURO had already contributed to the maimai series twice before, "AMAZING MIGHTYYYY!!!!" (PiNK) and "Alea jacta est!" (FiNALE), making this their third appearance and first collaboration with BlackY under the maimai banner. The song was originally locked behind area progression in the Metropolis Area 2: Yeesh Attacks event, requiring players to travel 120 meters on the area map to unlock it, and later became freely available to all players from the launch of maimai でらっくす Splash PLUS onward.
Chart-wise, "STEEL TRANSONIC" is best known for its Expert and Master difficulties. The Expert chart, designed by シチミヘルツ (Shichimi hertz), has undergone notable level changes across maimai DX versions, starting at 11+ during the でらっくす PLUS era, rising to 12 during Splash PLUS through UNiVERSE PLUS, and finally settling at 13 from FESTiVAL onward as the game's difficulty-curve recalibration settled. The Master chart, laid out by 小鳥遊さん (Takanashi-san), clocks over 1,000 total notes at level 14.3, making it a benchmark endurance test among its contemporaries in the DX PLUS era.
Videos
Charts
DX
BASIC
6(6)
222 notesDesigner: -|Tap 188Hold 7Slide 7Touch 9Break 11
ADVANCED
8+(8.6)
411 notesDesigner: -|Tap 310Hold 38Slide 17Touch 32Break 14
EXPERT
13(13)
704 notesDesigner: シチミヘルツ|Tap 548Hold 88Slide 32Touch 3Break 33
MASTER
14(14.3)
1003 notesDesigner: 小鳥遊さん|Tap 687Hold 97Slide 85Touch 77Break 57
Trivia
- Despite the 'vs.' in the artist credit ('BlackY vs. WAiKURO'), the jacket art and music video display the name in a.k.a. notation rather than a direct versus format.
- WAiKURO's prior maimai contributions were 'AMAZING MIGHTYYYY!!!!' (added in PiNK) and 'Alea jacta est!' (added in FiNALE), making STEEL TRANSONIC the composer's third maimai appearance and their first collaboration with BlackY on the series.
- The song has no lyrics, its 2 minute 16 second runtime is purely instrumental.
- STEEL TRANSONIC was originally unlockable in maimai でらっくす PLUS via the Metropolis Area 2: Yeesh Attacks by reaching a cumulative distance of 120 m on the area map.
- A general unlock for all players arrived on March 18, 2021, coinciding with the launch of maimai でらっくす Splash PLUS.
- In the Asian version of maimai DX, the song became unlockable from August 14, 2020.
- In the Chinese version (舞萌DX 2021), it was unlockable from April 28, 2021 and became available by default starting with 舞萌DX 2022.
- The Expert chart has been re-leveled three times across DX versions: 11+ (でらっくす PLUS through Splash), 12 (Splash PLUS through UNiVERSE PLUS), and finally 13 from FESTiVAL onward, reflecting maimai's ongoing difficulty-curve adjustments.
- The Master chart totals 1,003 notes across all five DX note types, with an unusually high Touch-note count of 77 and Break-note count of 57 for its era.
- Both the Japanese and English community wikis note that the chart difficulty constants (定数) were originally crowd-sourced via the CiRCLE community survey group.
FAQ
- Who composed STEEL TRANSONIC?
- STEEL TRANSONIC was composed by BlackY vs. WAiKURO. On the song select screen it appears as a collaboration (vs.) credit, but the jacket and music video use an a.k.a. notation. Both composers are well-known figures in the rhythm-game doujin scene.
- When was STEEL TRANSONIC added to maimai?
- STEEL TRANSONIC was added to maimai でらっくす PLUS on March 19, 2020. It originally required clearing Metropolis Area 2: Yeesh Attacks progress, then became available to all players from the launch of maimai でらっくす Splash PLUS on March 18, 2021.
- What BPM is STEEL TRANSONIC?
- STEEL TRANSONIC runs at 236 BPM, making it one of the faster original tracks in the maimai DX library.
- Who designed the charts for STEEL TRANSONIC?
- The Expert chart was designed by シチミヘルツ (Shichimi hertz), and the Master chart was designed by 小鳥遊さん (Takanashi-san). The Basic and Advanced charts have no credited designer.
- Does STEEL TRANSONIC have lyrics?
- No. STEEL TRANSONIC is a purely instrumental track with a runtime of approximately 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
- What difficulty level is STEEL TRANSONIC on Expert and Master?
- As of the FESTiVAL version and later, Expert is level 13 with a constant of 13.0, and Master is level 14 with a constant of 14.3. The Expert chart was originally lower (level 11+ on release) and was raised twice across version updates.
- Is STEEL TRANSONIC available in all maimai regions?
- Yes. STEEL TRANSONIC is available in the Japanese, International (INTL), USA, and Chinese versions of maimai DX. The unlock timing differed by region: Japan got it March 2020, Asia August 2020, and China April 2021.
- What is the total note count for STEEL TRANSONIC's Master chart?
- The Master chart has 1,003 notes total, broken down as 687 Tap, 97 Hold, 85 Slide, 77 Touch, and 57 Break notes.
