Theme Music Withholding

You're worried they would pull some Theme Music Abandonment, and it made you mad. You're resigned to the fact that They Changed It, Now It Sucks!, but then the theme comes roaring back at just the right moment. Sometimes it's just Pandering to the Base, but usually it's withheld to create a massive Moment of Awesome at just the right moment. The practice of holding back some familiar theme music is often done in reboots or somewhat distant sequels. The familiar theme music once commonplace is played now only at the end.

A variation of this is for the work to play the real theme music regularly, but to withhold a more popular song that is accepted by most as the de facto theme of the series, for example the level 1 or world map music from some games.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• The final episode of Lucky Star lacks the intro song and dance, before it turns out that the characters do the dance in-universe as their final performance at the school.
• Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars replaces the previous (and only other) opening theme, "Moonlight Densetsu", with "Sailor Star Song". "Moonlight Densetsu" makes its first appearance since Super S and only appearance in Sailor Stars at the end of the final episode. Combined with Usagi's monologue it serves as bookends back to the very first season as well.

Films — Live-Action

• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Brad Fiedel's theme is heard only in the end credits.
• Casino Royale (2006):
  • A Triumphant Reprise of the James Bond theme by Monty Norman and John Barry plays in full over the ending and credits. In previous Bond films, a snippet of the theme was played in the famous "gunbarrel" opening sequence, then usually a variation of it featured at least once in the movie itself during an action sequence. As Casino Royale was a reboot, it was decided to withhold the use of the theme until the very end. This is done again in Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, which also restore the full gunbarrel sequence, though only at the end of the films. Spectre brings both back to the film's opening, ditto No Time to Die.
  • The use of the film's opening titles song as an instrumental secondary theme is withheld in Skyfall and Spectre, where the theme is only played once. Adele's "Skyfall" can be heard when Bond is entering the Macau casino, while Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" is heard when Bond and Madeleine kiss on the train.
  • On most Bond films, the ostinato of the Bond theme (da-da-DA-da) is used as a leitmotif. Casino Royale uses this to play a trick on the audience: the first two chords of the chorus from "You Know My Name" are more or less the same as the Bond theme's ostinato, so you hear those first two notes, and you're "primed" to finish it off in your head with the last two notes, but the score keeps going for "You Know My Name" until the end.
• Star Trek (2009): A souped-up version of Alexander Courage's theme, courtesy of Michael Giacchino, plays in full over the final sequence and in the ending credits. This is repeated in Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, with subtle variations in the instrumentation used.
• Sukiyaki Western Django: A cover of Franco Migliacci's Django theme appears in the final scene.
• Halloween II (2009): The theme is heard only in the end, and only in the theatrical cut.
• The first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film uses the old 1960s animated TV show theme song in the end credits. Spider-Man 2 does the same with a modern cover of the song. Spider-Man: Homecoming goes one step further and averts the trope by having a fully orchestrated version of the theme play over the Marvel Studios logo at the beginning.
• For Marvel Studios, The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame were all scored by Alan Silvestri, while Avengers: Age of Ultron was scored by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman, and Captain America: Civil War was scored by Henry Jackman. Despite including nearly all the Avengers and having its plot centered around the Avengers as a team splintering, the music in Captain America: Civil War doesn't contain the Avengers theme, and Avengers: Age of Ultron has it rejigged, but not included in its original arrangement until the end credits. It wasn't until Avengers: Infinity War that it was heard in its full glory during the actual film.
• The 2011 film adaptation of The Green Hornet only uses the classic theme in its final scenes.
• The final Harry Potter film takes its time in introducing the iconic theme. Drawn out, minor chord snippets appear here and there, showcasing how Darker and Edgier the film is. The full, normal version is finally played in all its glory when Headmaster Snape is thwarted, and all of Hogwarts bands together to stand against the Death Eaters. The torches in the previously unlit main hall are also lit at that time, to give a sense of hope to the scene.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) swapped out the traditional "Journey of the Sorcerer" with a new, original song based around the dolphins leaving Earth for the credits ("So Long and Thanks for All the Fish"). "Sorcerer", however, is used as fanfare to lead into the narrator introducing the Guide itself in a sequence that could be considered a second opening for the film.
• "The Ballad Of Serenity", the theme song to the television series Firefly, is absent throughout Serenity. A quiet, single guitar, lyric-free version can be heard at the very end of the closing credits.
• The classic intro theme for Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers can be finally heard for a few seconds at the start of the climax of the 2017 film adaptation, when the Rangers start using their Zords.
• For Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Jurassic Park theme music is played in its full glory only during the ending credits. Throughout the movie, only a couple of brief cues are heard referencing the theme.
• Star Wars: Rogue One: A full-blown and triumphant reprise of the Imperial March is saved for the very end of the Final Battle, when Darth Vader sees the Rebel ship that carries the plans of the Death Star escaping right under his nose. It's swiftly followed by the Force theme when Princess Leia makes her cameo, which leads into the end credits with their classic music playing in full.
• Ray Parker Jr.'s iconic Ghostbusters theme song isn't heard in Ghostbusters: Afterlife until the ending credits.
• In Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, the main theme for the Rurouni Kenshin film series does not play until the very end, when Kenshin burns down the house he and Tomoe lived in. It's meant to represent the beginning of Kenshin's journey to atone for his killings.

Live Action TV

• Star Trek: Enterprise: The Alexander Courage theme is used in the ending sequence of the final episode.
• Battlestar Galactica: The original series theme is used sparingly. Once in a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo during the miniseries, once as a full-blown orchestral arrangement in the episode "Final Cut" (that was arranged with the input of original series composer Stu Phillips), once during the flashback battle in the film Razor (a purely Bear McCreary arrangement), and one last time during the final scene featuring Galactica.
• Law & Order: LA: The theme is not used till after the Retool.
• Smallville: John Williams' iconic Superman March plays in full during the last moments of the final episode, pleasing the Unpleasable Fanbase and saving the world!
• Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: A significant number of episodes have a Title-Only Opening, instead saving the theme song at dramatically appropriate moments, usually near the end of the episode; this lead to fans jokingly declaring "Ex-Aid has no opening."
• One Piece (2023) held off on playing the anime's iconic first opening "We Are" until halfway through the first season when the Straw Hats finally set sail on the Going Merry for the first time.

Video Games

• Castlevania:
  • Castlevania: Lament of Innocence only features the classic theme "Vampire Killer" during the end credits.
  • Castlevania: Circle of the Moon doesn't play "Vampire Killer" until the very last area.
  • Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow features an area called the Silenced Ruin that appear past the halfway point. It is a throwback to the first level room the first Castlevania game, complete with a remix of that level's theme "Vampire Killer."
  • Super Castlevania IV goes the extra mile and waits until the last three levels to play "Bloody Tears", "Vampire Killer", and "Beginning" in that order.
• Cuphead: When you download the Delicious Last Course, the title theme changes from "Don't Deal With the Devil" to "Overture (The Delicious Last Course)". However, the former song gets a Triumphant Reprise and new lyrics at the start of the DLC's credits theme, "The Key Ingredients".
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution waits until after the end credits to play the classic title screen theme from the first two games.
• Final Fantasy V, VI, VII, and VIII all save the eponymous theme of the series until after the final boss.
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has the iconic Fire Emblem Main Theme only featured at the final battle results, after the end credits.
• The Kirby series likes withholding the fight themes of recurring bosses (particularly fan-favorite ones) until they turn red:
  • Galacta Knight in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby: Planet Robobot.
  • Masked Dedede in Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
  • The Dedede Clones in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
• The Legend of Zelda has withheld the series' main theme on numerous occasions:
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, despite being one of the most well-known entries in the franchise, never had the series' main theme in its original release. It would only be added thirteen years later, when made part of the end credits for the Nintendo 3DS remake.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess offers a small sample of it in the overworld theme, then interweaves it with the main Twilight Princess theme in a brief jingle after Link inherits the Master Sword. A triumphant, full reprisal of it appears in the end credits.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword withholds the series' main theme until it is revealed that the "Song of the Hero" that you are compiling from the dragons is a variation of it once it is complete. Furthermore, Zelda's Lullaby doesn't get used for Zelda's scenes until a late-game cutscene involving her.
• Mass Effect 3: The main theme of the first game only appears once during the final mission, and it is epic.
• Ostensibly due to plagiarism, the Theme to Metal Gear Solid (and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty) was not present at the start of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. However, it comes back gloriously orchestrated for the Twist Ending, right at the most powerful part.
• Perfect Dark Zero pays homage to its 64-bit roots with a triumphant return of the Carrington Institute/Perfect Dark Theme in the final boss battle against dataDyne founder Zhang Li as heard (here). The theme can heard making a brief appearance at the beginning of the tune at 0:04 seconds, only to reappear in its full glory at 1:50.
• At first, it seems Persona 3 Reload had done away with the original game's opening theme, "Burn My Dread", as it had been replaced with a new opening song, "Full Moon, Full Life." That said, the original song is still referenced within said song, and a re-arranged version of "Burn My Dread" was released as a bonus track as a part of Reload's official soundtrack. In-game however, it's not until the very end of Reload during the Post-Final Boss against Nyx Core that the song makes its return with "Burn My Dread -Last Battle Reload-", with a new set of melancholy, yet heartfelt and defiant lyrics that reflect the protagonist's perspective of his oncoming sacrifice for his friends in the face of death.
• The Champion theme in Pokémon Sun and Moon takes its opening riff from the opening of the original opening theme of Pokémon Red and Blue, as a nod to the franchise's 20th anniversary. Made all the more powerful when you realize this is the player's theme song: you're already the Champion, and this is actually your first title defense match.
• Just before the True Final Boss battle in Raiden IV, a remix of the second game's first stage theme plays.
• Streets of Rage 2: "S.O.R. Super Mix", the final stage theme, is a remix of the previous game's intro.
• Super Mario World: The iconic series theme that first played in the original Super Mario Bros. appears to be absent in this game (and there is the precedent of it being absent in Super Mario Bros. 3, despite being present in Lost Levels and the Subspace areas of 2). But when you go to the very last world (Special Zone), that music begins playing after you stay idle in the map for two minutes.

Western Animation

• The main theme of Avatar: The Last Airbender (outside of a moment in a flashback) doesn't show up in sequel series Legend of Korra until Korra unlocks the Avatar State in the season one finale.
• In the penultimate episode of Castlevania (2017)'s second season, "Bloody Tears" (the most well-known song from the original games) starts playing when the trio of heroes show up to the titular castle and have an incredible fight with the vampire generals.
• The first installments of long-running franchises can come across as this in retrospect, as the song associated with that original entry may not have been introduced until later in its run.
  • The Flintstones: While the instrumental is present for the first two seasons, the lyrical version of "Meet the Flintstones" didn't exist until Season 3.
  • Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'s first episode used one of the show's most-well known leitmotifs (the title card music) and Shaggy's voice intoning "Scooby-Doo, where are you?" for its opening sequence. The now familiar theme song by Ben Raleigh and Ralph Mook wouldn't make its appearance for another two episodes.
  • Similarly, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop had a rinky-tink piano and a slapstick "Perils of Pauline" type instrumental in its first installment ("Jungle Jeopardy") which was replaced afterwards by the instrumental used in the closing credits. Boomerang airings and the DVD release have all seventeen episodes save for one with the "Jungle Jeopardy" instrumentals in their openings.

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