Fortress BGM

This article is about the musical theme from Super Mario Bros. 3. For the theme from New Super Mario Bros. also known as the "Fortress Theme", see Tower Theme.

Not to be confused with Fortress Boss.

"Fortress BGM"
"Fortress BGM" in Super Mario Bros. 3
Image from Nintendo Music
Composed by: Koji Kondo
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Latest appearance	Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2025)

"Fortress BGM"^[1] is a musical theme composed by Koji Kondo for Super Mario Bros. 3, where it plays in fortress levels.

History[edit]

Super Mario series[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

Super Mario Bros. 3 marks the first appearance of "Fortress BGM".

Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World / Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition[edit]

In the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 in Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, and Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, an arrangement of "Fortress BGM" plays for the same purpose as in the original game.

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Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3[edit]

The Game Boy Advance remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, features an arrangement of "Fortress BGM", adapted from the one from Super Mario All-Stars to fit the console's inferior sound hardware, that plays in most fortress levels, just like in the original game.

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Super Mario Maker series[edit]

Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, and Super Mario Maker 2 feature several apperances of "Fortress BGM".

"Fortress BGM" plays when playing in castle-themed courses in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style.

An ambient arrangement of the theme using six tracks that fade in and out randomly to create a dynamic mix plays while editing Super Mario Bros. 3-style castle-themed courses in the Course Maker.

Exclusively in Super Mario Maker 2, a music box arrangement of "Fortress BGM" plays during the nighttime version of castle-themed levels in the Super Mario Bros. 3 style.

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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door[edit]

In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, themes associated with Bowser, including his battle theme in the Palace of Shadow, sample "Fortress BGM" in their openings.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first notes of "Fortress BGM" are arranged in the track "The Darklands". This arrangement plays when Luigi bounces off a branch and accidentally destroys the Dry Bones that was chasing him.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership[edit]

In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, an arrangement of "Fortress BGM" is incorporated into the theme that plays in Wayaway Island, arranged by Hideki Sakamoto.

Multimedia[edit]

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Gallery[edit]

• 

  Image for the "Hurry Up!" variant on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for "In Bowser's Castle" from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for "Make Way for Bowser!" from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for the "Tower Theme" from New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for "In Bowser's Castle" from the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for "Make Way for Bowser!" from the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music

• 

  Image for "Bowser's Malaise" from the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Music

List of Super Mario appearances[edit]

Games[edit]

Work	System	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Super Mario Bros. 3	Nintendo Entertainment System	1988	Original	"Fortress BGM"[1]	Koji Kondo
Super Mario All-Stars	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	1993	Arrangement		Soyo Oka
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World		1994	Past arrangement (Super Mario All-Stars)
Paper Mario	Nintendo 64	2000	Arrangement		Yuka Tsujiyoko
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3	Game Boy Advance	2003	Arrangement		Taiju Suzuki
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door	Nintendo GameCube	2004	Arrangement	"In Bowser's Castle"[1]
New Super Mario Bros.	Nintendo DS	2006	Arrangement	"Tower Theme"[1]
WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase	Wii	2009	Arrangement
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition		2010	Past arrangement (Super Mario All-Stars)		Soyo Oka
Super Mario Maker	Wii U	2015	Original		Koji Kondo
			Arrangement
Paper Mario: Color Splash		2016	Original		Koji Kondo
			Remix
Super Mario Maker 2	Nintendo Switch	2019	Original		Koji Kondo
			Past arrangement (Super Mario Maker)
			Arrangement
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door		2024	Arrangement	"In Bowser's Castle"[1]
			Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)	"In Bowser's Castle"[2]
Mario & Luigi: Brothership			Arrangement

Film and television[edit]

Work	Year	Type	Title	Credits
The Super Mario Bros. Movie	2023	Arrangement	"The Darklands"[3]	Brian Tyler

Albums[edit]

Work	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus	1988	Arrangement	"Boss"	Koji Kondo
Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, Hop! Step! Jump!	1989		"Super Mario Bros. 3 -Nonstop Special Dance Version-"	Ikuro Fujiwara
Super Mario World	1991	Original	「砦BGM」(Toride BGM)	Koji Kondo
Game Sound Museum: Super Mario Bros. 3	2004
Famicom Sound History Series: Mario the Music
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)	2023	Past arrangement (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)	"The Darklands"	Brian Tyler

Other media[edit]

Work	Year	Type	Title	Credits
Nintendo Music	2025[a]	Original	"Fortress BGM"	Koji Kondo
	2025[b]	Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)	"In Bowser's Castle"
		Past arrangement (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch))	"In Bowser's Castle"

Names in other languages[edit]

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	砦BGM[4][5][6][1] Toride BGM	Fortress BGM

References[edit]

[Edit] Recurring themes
Donkey Kong franchise	Donkey Kong	"Game Start" • "Hammer BGM" • "Round 1 BGM" • "Round Start BGM"
	Donkey Kong Jr.	"Game Start" • "Round 1 BGM" • "Title BGM"
	Donkey Kong (NES)	"Title BGM"
	Donkey Kong Country	"Aquatic Ambiance" • "Bonus Room Blitz" • "Cave Dweller Concert" • "Cranky's Theme" • "The Credits Concerto" • "DK Island Swing" • "Fear Factory" • "Forest Frenzy" • "Funky's Fugue" • "Gang-Plank Galleon" • "Ice Cave Chant" • "Life in the Mines" • "Lost a Balloon" • "Mine Cart Madness" • "Northern Hemispheres" • "Simian Segue" • "Treetop Rock" • "Voices of the Temple" • "Well Done"
	Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest	"Crocodile Cacophony (K. Rool's Theme)" • "Lockjaw's Saga (Lockjaw's Locker)" • "Run, Rambi! Run! (Parrot Chute Panic)" • "Snakey Chantey (Rattle Battle)" • "Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast)"
	Donkey Kong 64	"DK Rap"
	Donkey Kong Country Returns	"Mine Menace"
Mario Bros. series	Mario Bros.	"Game Start"
	Mario Bros. (NES)	"Title BGM"
Wrecking Crew series	Wrecking Crew	"Bonus Phase" • "Golden Hammer" • "Phase BGM"
Super Mario series	Super Mario Bros.	"Castle BGM" • "Course Clear" • "Ending" • "Ground BGM" ("Game Over" · "Player Down") • "Invincibility BGM" • "Timer Warning" • "Underground BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "World Clear"
	VS. Super Mario Bros.	"Gyōmu-yō Mario Namae-ire"
	Super Mario Bros. 2	"Boss BGM" • "Final Boss BGM" • "Ground BGM" • "Please Select Player" • "Underground BGM"
	Super Mario Bros. 3	"Airship BGM" • "Athletic BGM" ("Course Clear") • "Bros. Battle" • "Ending" • "Fireworks" • "Fortress BGM" • "Fortress Boss" • "Game Over" • "Ground BGM" • "King of the Koopas" • "Music Box" • "P Switch BGM / Toad's House" • "Player Down" • "Slot Game BGM / Memory Game BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "Warp Zone" • "World 1 Map (Grass Land)" • "World 2 Map (Desert Land)" • "World 3 Map (Water Land)" • "World 4 Map (Giant Land)" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - On the Ground" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - In the Sky" • "World 6 Map (Ice Land)" • "World 7 Map (Pipe Land)" • "World 8 Map (Dark Land)" • "World Clear"
	Super Mario Land	"Birabuto Kingdom BGM" • "Chai Kingdom BGM" • "Easton Kingdom BGM"
	Super Mario World	"Bowser BGM" • "Donut Plains (Map Screen)" • "Ending" • "Forest of Illusion (Map Screen)" • "Ground BGM" ("Athletic BGM" · "Bonus Game BGM" · "Castle BGM" · "Course Clear" · "Ghost House BGM" · "Underground BGM" · "Underwater BGM") • "Koopalings BGM" • "P Switch BGM" • "Special World (Map Screen)" • "Star World (Map Screen)" • "Title BGM" • "Vanilla Dome (Map Screen)" • "Yoshi's Island (Map Screen)"
	Super Mario 64	"Big Boo's Haunt" • "Bowser's Road" • "Bowser's Theme" • "Dire, Dire Docks" • "File Select" • "The Final Battle" • "Hazy Maze Cave" • "Lethal Lava Land" • "Main Theme" ("Cool, Cool Mountain" · "Course Clear" · "Opening" · "Slider") • "The Merry-Go-Round" • "Metal Mario" • "Peach's Castle" • "Piranha Plant's Lullaby" • "Staff Roll" • "Stage Boss" • "Star Catch Fanfare" • "Title Theme" • "Toad's Message"
	Super Mario Sunshine	"Isle Delfino" ("Ricco Harbor") • "Secret Course"
	New Super Mario Bros.	"Castle Theme" • "Course Clear" • "Ground Theme" ("Athletic Theme") • "Mega Mario" • "Switch On!" • "Tower Theme"
	Super Mario Galaxy	"Buoy Base Galaxy" • "Egg Planet" • "Enter Bowser Jr.!" • "Final Battle with Bowser" • "Gusty Garden Galaxy" • "Ice Mario" • "Luma" • "Overture" • "Purple Comet" • "Rosalina in the Observatory" • "Space Junk Road" • "The Toad Brigade" • "Waltz of the Boos"
	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	"Bonus Area" • "Castle Theme" • "Coast Theme" • "Desert Theme" • "Forest Theme" • "Ghost House Theme" • "Lava Cave / Underground Ruins Theme" • "Lava Theme" • "Title Theme" ("Game Over") • "Toad House Minigame" • "Underwater Theme"
	Super Mario Galaxy 2	"Bowser's Galaxy Generator" • "Melty Monster Galaxy" • "Puzzle Plank Galaxy" • "Slimy Spring Galaxy" • "Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer Theme" • "Teleporter Melody"
	Super Mario 3D Land	"Beach Theme" • "Castle Theme" • "Main Theme" • "Snow Course" • "Victory Parade"
	New Super Mario Bros. U	"Ground Theme" ("Athletic Theme")
	Super Mario 3D World	"A Boss Approaches" • "Chainlink Charge" • "Piranha Creeper Creek" • "Super Bell Hill"
	Super Mario Maker	"Title Theme"
	Super Mario Odyssey	"Fossil Falls" • "Jump Up, Super Star!"
Dr. Mario series	Dr. Mario	"Chill" • "Fever" • "Game Over" • "Selection Screen" • "Title Screen" • "Vs. Game Over"
Mario Kart series	Super Mario Kart	"Awards Ceremony (1st – 3rd Place)" • "Donut Plains" • "Ghost Valley" • "Mario Circuit" • "Rainbow Road" • "Super Mario Kart Title Screen"
	Mario Kart 64	"Battle Arenas" • "Choco Mountain" • "D.K.'s Jungle Parkway" • "Frappe Snowland" • "Kalimari Desert" • "Koopa Troopa Beach" • "Luigi Raceway" • "Mario Kart 64 Title Screen" • "Moo Moo Farm" • "Rainbow Road" • "Results (1st − 4th Place)" • "Staff Credits" • "Starting Grid (Time Trials / Battle)" • "Toad's Turnpike"
	Mario Kart: Super Circuit	"Bowser Castle" • "Peach Circuit"
	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	"Baby Park" • "Mario Bros. Circuits" • "Peach Beach"
	Mario Kart DS	"Cheep Cheep Beach" • "Luigi's Mansion" • "Peach Gardens" • "Waluigi Pinball"
	Mario Kart Wii	"Coconut Mall" • "Luigi Circuit" • "Maple Treeway" • "Moo Moo Meadows" • "Mushroom Gorge" • "Rainbow Road" • "Wario's Gold Mine"
	Mario Kart 7	"Neo Bowser City" • "Piranha Plant Slide" • "Rainbow Road" • "Toad Circuit"
	Mario Kart 8	"Cloudtop Cruise" • "Mario Circuit" ("Mario Kart Stadium") • "Mario Kart 8 Title Screen"
Yoshi franchise	Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island	"Athletic BGM" • "Bowser" • "Flower Field BGM" • "Goal!" • "Opening Melody" • "Powerful Mario" • "Stage Start" • "Yoshi's Island"
	Yoshi's Story	"Yoshi's Song" ("Yoshis on the Beach") • "Yoshi's Story!" • "Yoshi's Tale"
Luigi's Mansion series	Luigi's Mansion	"Title Theme (Humming)"
Wario franchise	WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!	"Drifting Away" • "Pyoro" • "Title Theme" ("Dr. Crygor")
	WarioWare: Twisted!	"Mona Pizza"
	WarioWare: Touched!	"Ashley's Theme"
Mario vs. Donkey Kong series	Mario vs. Donkey Kong	"Mini Mario Stage"
Super Smash Bros. series	Super Smash Bros. Melee	"Rainbow Cruise"
Other	The Legend of Zelda	"Important Item Acquired" • "Magic Whistle Melody" • "Overworld Theme"
	Mario Paint	"Drawing Board 1" • "Gnat Attack: Level 1" • "Save & Load"
	Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	"Beware of Forest Mushrooms" • "Hello, Happy Kingdom"
	Miscellaneous	"Galop infernal" • "Mute City" • "Title BGM (Excitebike)" • "Totakeke's theme"

[Edit] Super Mario Bros. 3 / Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Protagonists		Mario • Luigi • Princess Toadstool • Toads • Kings
Bosses		Boom Boom • Big Booa • Fake Bowsera • Koopalings (Larry Koopa · Morton Koopa Jr. · Wendy O. Koopa · Iggy Koopa · Roy Koopa · Lemmy Koopa · Ludwig von Koopa) • Bowser
Items		1-Up Mushroom • 3-Up Moona • Advance Coina • Anchor • Blue Coin • Boomeranga • Cape Feathera • Card • Coin • e-Coina • Fire Flower • Frog Suit • Goomba's Shoe • Hammer • Hammer Suit • Lakitu's Cloud • Magic ball • Magic Wand • Magic Whistle • Music Box • P-Wing • Poison Mushrooma • Starman • Super Leaf • Super Mushroom • Tanooki Suit • Vegetablea
Objects	Main game	? Block • Beanstalk • Big Block • Bolt Lift • Brick Block • Brick floor • Bridge • Buzzy Beetle Shell • Canoe • Cloud Block • Cloud Lift • Coin Block • Coral • Directional Lift • Donut Lift • Drawbridge • Elevator block • Empty Block • Flimsy Lift • Floor • Frozen Coin • Giant Shell • Goal • Green Shell • Gun barrel • Hidden Block • Ice • Ice Block • Island • Jump Block • Lift • Locked Door • Magic Door • Magic Note Block • Magical ball • Mega ? Block • Mushroom Coina • P Warp Door • Quicksand • Red Shell • Rock • Rotary Lift • Semisolid Platform • Spiny Shell • Switch Block • Track • Treasure box • Warp Door • Warp Pipe • Waterfall • White Block • White Block (platform) • Wood Block
	World-ea	!-Switch • Axe • Balance Lift • Bubble • Control Coin • Dotted-Line Block • Goal Pole • Flipper • Giant Gate • Grass • Jumping Board • Key • Key Door • Power Meter Block • Rock Block • Rotating Block • Roulette Block • Seesaw • Snake platform • Soft sand • Stretch Block • Triangular Block • Vanishing Block
Forms		Small Mario • Super Mario • Fire Mario • Raccoon Mario • Frog Mario • Tanooki Mario (Statue Mario) • Hammer Mario • Invincible Mario • Caped Marioa
Switch Cardsa		1UP Kinoko ga 3UP Moon ni kawaru! • Blue Green Switch • Luigi Power Up!! • Orange Switch • Sugu ni mantan! Power Meter!! • Teki Power Up! Tokuten x2!! • Timer yukkuri!
Worlds		Grass Land • Desert Land • Water Land • Giant Land • Sky Land • Ice Land • Pipe Land • Dark Land • Warp Zone • World-ea
Locations		e-Coin Castlea • Enemy Course • Panel (N-Mark Spade Panel · Spade Panel · Start Panel) • Toad's House • Treasure Ship
Enemies	Main game	Angry Sun • Baby Cheep • Big Bertha • Bloober • Bloober baby • Bloober with kids • Bob-omb • "Boo" Diddly • Boomerang Brother • Boss Bass • Bullet Bill • Buster Beetle • Buzzy Beetle • Chain Chomp • Cheep-Cheep • Colossal Koopa Paratroopa • Dry Bones • Fiery Walking Piranha • Fire Brother • Fire Chomp • Firesnake • Giant Koopa • Goomba • Grand Goomba • Hammer Brother • Hot Foot • Jelectro • Koopa Paratroopa • Koopa Troopa • Kuribo's Goomba • Lakitu • Lava Lotus • Micro-Goomba • Missile Bill • Muncher • Para-Beetle • Para-Goomba • Pile Driver Micro-Goomba • Piranha Plant • Piranhacus Giganticus • Podoboo • Ptooie • Rocky Wrench • Roto-Disc • Scattering Bloober • Sledge Brother • Spike • Spiny Cheep-Cheep • Spiny • Spiny Egg • Stretch • Thwomp • Venus Fire Trap • Walking Piranha
	World-ea	Amazing Flyin' Hammer Brother • Big Boo • Bony Beetle • Bowser Statue (Super Mario World) • Bumpty • Chargin' Chuck • Flurry • Goomba (Super Mario World) • Hoopster • Hothead • Jumping Piranha Plant • Lil Sparky • Magikoopa • Monty Mole • Para-Goomba (Super Mario World) • Porcupo • Rip Van Fish • Spike Top • Thwimp • Wiggler
Obstacles		Big gun • Bowser Statue • Candy ring • Cannon • Cannonball • Diagonal cannon • Falling spikea • Fire-Bara • Giant cannonball • Lava • Pit • Quartet-cannon • Rocket Engine • Shifting wall • Spike • Tornado • Turtle Cannon
World-e mini-gamesa		Blue Mushroom House • Orange Mushroom House • Red Mushroom House
Music		"Airship BGM" • "Athletic BGM" • "Bros. Battle" • "Ending" • "Fireworks" • "Fortress BGM" • "Fortress Boss" • "Game Over" • "Ground BGM" • "King of the Koopas" • "Music Box" • "P Switch BGM / Toad's House" • "Player Down" • "Slot Game BGM / Memory Game BGM" • "Underwater BGM" • "World 1 Map (Grass Land)" • "World 2 Map (Desert Land)" • "World 3 Map (Water Land)" • "World 4 Map (Giant Land)" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - In the Sky" • "World 5 Map (Sky Land) - On the Ground" • "World 6 Map (Ice Land)" • "World 8 Map (Dark Land)"
Miscellaneous		Game Over • Extra life • P-Meter • Time Limit
Further info		39 Super Mario Bros. 3 Valentines • BS Super Mario Collection • Completion • e-Readera • e-Reader cardsa • Fantasic World of Super Mario Bros. 3 • Gallery (Super Mario Advance 4) • Game Sound Museum: Super Mario Bros. 3 • Glitches (Super Mario Advance 4) • Multimedia • Nintendo Music (soundtrack) • Pre-release and unused content (Super Mario Advance 4) • Quick Poll • Quotes • Staff (Super Mario Advance 4) • Super Mario All-Stars (+ Super Mario World · Limited Edition) • Super Mario All Stars Video • Super Mario Bros. 3 (pachinko machine) • Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3, Hop! Step! Jump! • Super Mario Bros. 3 ~ Akihabara Electric Circus • Super Mario Embroidery World • Super Mario World • The Music Man
Adaptations		Super Mario (Manga Super Mario Bros. 3 Kanzen Kōryakuhon) • Super Mario 4koma Manga Theater (books: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 10) • Super Mario Bros. 3 (Gakushū Yōchien) • Super Mario Bros. 3 (Wanpakku Comic) • Super Mario Bros. Monogatari • Super Mario-kun (Volumes: 3 · 5 · 30) • The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
a Exclusive to Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3