

The character might also have their leitmotif as their own ringtone, for a subtler joke see also Left the Background Music On.

(To which the character will almost always reply, "What theme music?") Can become a Theme Song Reveal for audiences if (or after) they recognize the theme. If a character with a distinctive-sounding Leitmotif is in a production or episode with No Fourth Wall (or at least some Medium Awareness), one of their fellows may lampshade how loud and annoying their theme music is. This is different from an Image Song in that Image Songs exist only outside of the scope of the show that produced them.

They often make up the bulk of movie and anime soundtracks, and a fair chunk of video game soundtracks as well. Leitmotifs are often named simply "'s Theme" or " Motif." note Though the name alone is not enough to establish it as a motif. In his later operas, not only would every character have their own musical theme, but so did many objects, places, and even abstract ideas. The leitmotif technique was codified by opera composer Richard Wagner in the second half of the 19th Century. This is a well-established technique used in almost every medium that involves music and story. Tom Servo, Mystery Science Theater 3000, " The Hellcats"Ī leitmotif (pronounced "Light-motif") is a recurring piece of music (or at least melody) that represents a character, action, or theme.
