The Tales of Arise opening theme song follows the long-running series trend of making the game’s cinematic introduction almost impossible to skip. I can’t be the only one who watched it literally every time I booted up the game, reveling in the scenes playing out after witnessing them during the story. If you liked the music anywhere near as much as me, you might be interested in some further information about the Tales of Arise intro song ‘Hibana’ along with its full English lyrics.
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Who sings the Tales of Arise intro song Hibana?
The superb Tales of Arise intro song is performed by Kankaku Piero, an indie J-rock band founded in Osaka in 2013.
This is the first time they’ve been involved in the Tales series, but in gaming and anime circles they are otherwise best known for the song ‘Haruka Mirai’, the opening to the anime adaptation of Black Clover. They performed a further song called ‘Rakugaki Page’ later in the same show.
If ‘Hibana’ is anything to go by, hopefully it’s not the last we hear of them in the JRPG sphere.
English lyrics for Tales of Arise intro song Hibana
You may be forgiven for initially wondering about the song’s language, but the Western version of the Tales of Arise intro song is fully performed in English. Like many vocalised JRPG songs, the pronunciations sometimes sound a little unusual, but that’s all part of the charm.
The Tales of Arise opening is here, and the full English lyrics of ‘Hibana’ are as follows:
I want to feel your heart right now
You are the place my only hope
(Whoa, oh)
(Whoa, oh)
Yeah, just like the flowers that bloom and fall
Repeat over and over again
Oh I’m barely breathing and beaten to the ground
But each and every time
We all stand up (stand up)
Stop lying to yourself and be true to yourself and then maybe
We both can exceed destiny
So let’s shout it out (Whoa, oh)
You might feel alone
But I’m right by your side
Yeah, just like the flowers that bloom and fall
Repeat over and over again
Keep the flame alive!
I want to feel your heart right now
You are the place my only hope
I know, I know, I know
Yeah, we can one day
We spark like flowers in the sky
No matter where I’m by your side
I know, I know, I know
You and I
Let’s grind our souls and wield together
Can you feel my heartbeat?
So take my hand to new tomorrow
Don’t hold back and let it be
You give me strength and keep me brave
To dive in darkness
Let’s burn yeah light it up
Sparks just like Hibana
My love for Hibana
What is the meaning of the word “Hibana”?
The song’s title is referenced twice in the final lines of the lyrics. “Hibana” is a hybrid Japanese word in kanji that combines two meanings along the lines of “Fire” and “Flower”. It can also be used as a girl’s name.
In the context of Tales of Arise, these meanings make perfect sense. Fire is the core element of Alphen and Shionne, who utilise the power of the fire master core to summon and wield the Blazing Sword. Shionne’s Thorns give off sparks when she is touched and thorns are of course closely associated with roses. “Hibana” is therefore a word that particularly describes Shionne’s character but can also be interpreted as a portrayal of her relationship with Alphen in general.
How do you switch intros in Tales of Arise?
Without spoiling anything, at a certain point in the game the original intro changes to a different one, complete with a new song.
From this point onwards, the second opening cinematic will play as the game’s default intro. If you prefer the ‘Hibana’ intro, unfortunately it does not appear there is any way of programming Tales of Arise to revert to it as a default selection.
Instead, if you quickly skip the new intro and wait on the title screen for a few seconds, the first opening will play again. The two cinematics will simply alternate if the game is left untouched.
Is there a Japanese version of Hibana?
The Japanese Tales of Arise opening still contains a lot of the same English lyrics, but the verses are sung in Japanese.
The official Tales series YouTube channel has the Japanese version uploaded, which you can check out here.
There’s also a full, five-minute version of ‘Hibana’ here, complete with the official music video.
Hibana Japanese version lyrics
If you prefer the Japanese version of Hibana, here are the full lyrics with the relevant Japanese sections included alongside the English ones. Note this is for the shortened version that plays during the Tales of Arise intro cinematic, rather than the full five-minute version of the song:
I want to feel your heart right now
You are the place my only hope
(Whoa, oh)
(Whoa, oh)
Yeah, just like the flowers that bloom and fall
Repeat over and over again
Kizutsuite kizutsukete kurikaeshi
Soredemo bokura stand up (stand up)
Kamen goshi ni mamotten no ishin denshin hakatten no
Unmei wo ima koete kou
Sakende mite (Whoa, oh)
Bokura hitori janai kara
Yeah, just like the flowers that bloom and fall
Repeat over and over again
Keep the flame alive!
I want to feel your heart right now
You are the place my only hope
I know, I know, I know
Bokura itsuka
We spark like flowers in the sky
No matter where I’m by your side
I know, I know, I know
Kimi to
Kezuriai kasaneau shoudou
Kono te ni
Saki chiri yuku ima
Wo mirai ni kaete
Hitori ja okori enai
Kiseki mitai ni
Bokura wa marude
Mabataku Hibana
Bokura no Hibana
That’s everything you need to know about the Tales of Arise intro song ‘Hibana’. Check out some of our best tips for Tales of Arise below.
