"Uragirimono no Requiem" (裏切り者のレクイエム, Uragirimono no Rekuiemu, lit. "Traitor's Requiem") is the second opening theme song of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind and the ninth overall opening theme of the series' TV anime adaptation. It is performed by Daisuke Hasegawa, with lyrics by Shoko Fujibayashi and composition/arrangement by Yugo Kanno.
A version of the song with English lyrics is also available on the single, with lyrics translated by Karen Aoki. The single was released in Japan on March 27, 2019.[1] The English edition was made available for early streaming on March 15, 2019.[2] The two alternate versions of the opening used near the end of the season ("Uragirimono no Requiem Diavolo Ver." and "Uragirimono no Requiem Giorno Ver.") were released as part of the third volume of the Golden Wind OST.
The animation opens on a shot of a closed window, followed by an underling kissing his master's hand and then scenery of Venice in which the title fades in as the sun begins shining through the clouds in the background.
The animation cuts to a scene of Bucciarati in the elevator with the level indicator translucent in the center of the frame and a zipper unzipping over Bucciarati to change him to a different color palette. Bucciarati's hand is shown holding Trish Una's as her own hand is severed off-screen, before cutting to Bucciarati's face twisted in anger as he lets out a scream of rage, as the camera fades into a wide shot of the San Giorgio Maggiore belfry seen from the clouds. We then see a leg shot of Team Bucciarati at the docks outside the church, each member walking toward the boat to openly rebel against Passione in the order of Giorno at the front, then Abbacchio, Mista, and Bucciarati. Narancia briefly hesitates before running after them, and Fugo takes a single step forward before stopping completely.
On top of an abstract 3D-rendered background, Bucciarati demonstrates Sticky Fingers' prowess, which then is replaced with Giorno posing with Gold Experience before Moody Blues transformed as Abbacchio's partner appears from the background, drawing a gun before getting shot as Abbacchio himself moves out from behind. Narancia enters and leads shot from Aerosmith before Mista appears to fire his gun, Sex Pistols riding the bullets then jumping off, and Trish summons her Stand Spice Girl, which begins to throw several punches towards the left. Trish's face then closes and centers to occupy the whole screen while turning before she falls away, revealing the whole team falling from the sky while posing.
Vinegar Doppio appears, seeing a vision of Risotto Nero in his hair created by Epitaph. He then hears a call from the Boss before getting a headache and covering his face in pain. The camera zooms back into him, and Doppio's face becomes worried yet entranced as the camera enters his eye to reveal a Sardinian beach turning upside down and fading into shadows.
Giorno's hand is shown bleeding drops of blood, the drops staining the ground until time is erased and more traces of blood suddenly appear. The Boss then appears, his entire body hidden in the shadows, who sends his King Crimson to attack Giorno, which obscures him from the audience's view. Giorno then turns around, seeing the Boss and his Stand, and summons his Gold Experience which launches a flurry of punches. An Arrow with a special beetle design is seen rotating in the sky, before the animation cuts to Giorno kneeling in the middle of a thick cloud, a determined look on his face. He lifts his arm to reveal said arrow and holds it high in the air while summoning Gold Experience, then dramatically pulls it in. The camera focuses on Giorno and Gold Experience's faces as they are engulfed in a bright golden light from below.
The arrow falls down into a red jewel, before several shots flash in rapid succession: the word "JoJo's" in front of a ladybug background, "Bizarre Adventure" framed in an elaborate oval frame with a checkered background, "Golden Wind" in a blue space filled with pink flowers. The opening animation ends on a zooming out shot of the show title in a blue and slightly cloudy sky.
Second Version [Diavolo ver.]
Doppio shifting into Diavolo
From GW Episode 34 onwards, a second version of the opening is used.
Doppio's section is now laced by flashes of King Crimson, with Doppio actually transforming into Diavolo after getting his headache, his face looking determined before changing to fear at the last second.
This scene is immediately followed by the shot of blood dripping onto the floor, which is modified to show the time erasure and Diavolo positioning himself behind Giorno and summoning King Crimson. He then uses Epitaph to foresee the future shot of Gold Experience attacking him. As this plays out a voice speaks in Italian, saying:
Japanese Kanji
English Translation (JP)
Italian Dialogue
Literal Translation (IT)
選ばれた運命からは誰も逃れることはできない
No one can escape the fate that was chosen for them
The opening then plays like normal, except Diavolo is fully revealed (although he is still obscured by King Crimson) and the chorus is backed by a choir.
In GW Episode 37, this version plays with sound effects playing over moments such as Stand attacks, much like previous openings in the final episodes of their respective parts.
Third Version [Giorno ver.]
Camera continuing to zoom into Diavolo's eye
A third and final version of the opening is used starting from GW Episode 38.
It starts off the same as the Diavolo version, but the time erasure is cut short and reversed as the power of Gold Experience Requiem activates. The camera zooms into Diavolo's eye in a loop (a grand total of four times) before we see him staring at a never-ending line of different versions of himself. The blood reverses back into Giorno's hand before he does a pose similar to DIO's in Part 3 (when he was hidden by shadows), with a shadowy version of Gold Experience appearing behind him mid-transformation. The opening then reuses shots, but rearranges them to tell a different story. Giorno grabs the arrow and stabs his Stand. Diavolo sees Gold Experience collapsing and sends his Stand to kill Giorno, but the arrow travels up Gold Experience's arm and its skin shatters revealing the newly evolved Gold Experience Requiem which unleashes a barrage of attacks as Giorno looks on stoically.
In GW Episode 39, this version plays with sound effects playing over moments of Gold Experience Requiem's ability activating, as well as it forming and attacking.
Lyrics
JapaneseEnglish Ver.
Japanese Kanji
Japanese Rōmaji
English Translation
神の運命にさえ
叛旗を翻す…Gangster
Kami no sadame ni sae
hanki o hirugaesu... Gangster
Even against God and His Fate,
fly a flag of rebellion, gangster
畏れという 感情を
掻き消す魂 神に背くと 誓った日から
Osore toiu kanjou o
Kakikesu Rage
Akuma ni somuku to chikatta hi kara
My feelings of fear have been
drowned out by my rage
From this day on, I turn my back on the devil
報復とは 終末か?
未来を乞う
生き方を捨てて 挑む者Stay Gold
Houfuku to wa shuumatsu ka?
Mirai o kou
Ikikata o sutete idomu mono Stay Gold
Will it all end in retribution?
I beg of the future
May us challengers who throw away
our way of life Stay Gold
そうさ 目には目を…
裏切り者には レクイエムを…Wow
Sou sa me ni wa me o…
Uragirimono ni wa rekuiemu o…Wow
Yes, it's an eye for an eye...
And a requiem for a traitor, whoa-oh
絶望が手招く
世界に立ち向かう
Don't care 慈悲などいらないさ
Zetsubou ga temaneku
Sekai ni tachimukau
Don't care jihi nado iranai sa
Despair is beckoning to you
Make a stand against the world
Don't care! There's no such thing as mercy
身体滅びる時
祈りも消え果てる?Hell No
始まりのGolden Wind
Karada horobiru toki
Inori mo kiehateru? Hell No
Hajimari no Golden Wind
When the body gives in,
does its wish disappear as well?
Hell no! It's the start of a Golden Wind
失うもの何もない
火が付く魂
戻る道さえも 焼き尽くしたさ
Ushinau mono nani mo nai
Hi ga tsuku soul
Modoru michi sae mo yakitsukushita sa
I have nothing left to lose
We were on the way back, but even then
a soul ignited and burned to nothing
支配という 安息に
溺れたまま
時貪るより 革命起こせ
Shihai toiu ansoku ni
Oboreta mama
Toki musaboru yori kakumei okose
We are tired of wasting time
drowning in the comforts of power
We raise our revolution
誇り高き
裏切り者には レクイエムを…Wow
Hokori takaki
Uragirimono ni wa rekuiemu o…Wow
Proud as one might be
It's a requiem for a traitor, whoa-oh
怒り胸を叩き
鼓動 叫ぶままに
Don't care 真実へと向かう
Ikari mune o tataki
Kodou sakebu mama ni
Don't care shinjitsu e to mukau
My heart is pounding with rage
Even as its beats are screaming out
Don't care! We head straight for the truth
何かを得た者が
真の勝者なのか?Hell No
裁くのはGolden Wind
Nanika o eta mono ga
Shin no shousha na no ka? Hell No
Sabaku no wa Golden Wind
Is true victory decided by
getting your hands on this or that?
Hell no! The only judge is Golden Wind
(Woah woah, we're Golden Wind)
(Woah woah, we're Golden Wind)
(Woah woah, we're Golden Wind)
絶望が手招く
世界に立ち向かう
Don't care 慈悲などいらないさ
Zetsubou ga temaneku
Sekai ni tachimukau
Don't care jihi nado iranai sa
Despair is beckoning to you
Make a stand against the world
Don't care! There's no such thing as mercy
身体滅びる時
祈りも消え果てる?Hell No
始まりのGolden Wind
(Yeah yeah yeah)
Karada horobiru toki
Inori mo kiehateru? Hell No
Hajimari no Golden Wind
(Yeah yeah yeah)
When the body gives in
Does its wish disappear as well?
Hell no! It's the start of a Golden Wind
(Yeah yeah yeah)
Official English Version
Faith is just another worthless sign
I will live my life as godless soul, Gangster
My fear is gone, it is all gone
Only a rage is left in my faithless world
Since I have betrayed my god
All is gone, now revenge
This fate is mine
I will survive on my own
This is my way to Stay Gold
Oh yes, it's eye for an eye
for the betrayer and thief
Requiem, woah-oh
Fight with me, there is no hope but try
Won't give up, it's my destiny
Don't care! Don't you ever give me mercy
When my life is gone with the wind
Will a prayer vanish into dust?
Hell no! Starting over, Golden Wind
Nothing more to lose, there's no more
Fiery soul burned every road to past
Days have gone by so fast
Don't let your soul
Draw into the power of repose
Stand up and incite yourself
Make your own story
Oh yes, show some pride
for the betrayer and thief
Requiem, woah-oh
Fight with me, with those raging fists
Let your soul burn into screaming pain
Don't care! I'm on my way to the truth
So, will I fight for some prize and fame?
Do I need to cast another spell?
Hell no! It all begins with Golden Wind
(Woah woah, we're Golden Wind)
Fight with me, there is no hope but try
Won't give up, it's my destiny
Don't care! Don't you ever give me mercy
When my life is gone with the wind
Will a prayer vanish into dust?
Hell no! Starting over, Golden Wind
(Yeah yeah yeah)
During the orchestral portion of the song's bridge, a variation of Bruno Bucciarati's motif can be heard.
The voiced lines in the Diavolo version were voiced by a native Italian.[3]Diavolo's motif can also be heard during this dialogue. In the 2020 Anime Expo interview, Hiroyuki Omori (producer for the anime) explains that he wrote the lines in Japanese, talked it over then had them translated in Italian. The production team asked the man to say the lines "as a Boss would" to show the opening was in Diavolo's world.
The kanji tamashī (魂), read as "rage", normally means "soul".
The kanji kami (神), read as "akuma" (あくま), normally means "god", while "akuma" is normally the reading of the kanji meaning "devil" (悪魔).
In the 2020 Anime Expo interview, Hiroyuki Omori (producer for the anime) explains how the theme song was particularly difficult to make. After feeling that Fighting Gold was a great success, the production team didn't know how to live up to the first opening. Omori apparently requested to make a "regular opening" but Naokatsu Tsuda objected, stating that the audience would expect some changes in the opening. Omori and director Yasuhiro Kimura came up with "Traitor's Requiem" and let Yugo Kanno handle the composition. Apparently, Kanno's demo track was rejected three times.