Red Zone

2009Music remix / MAD video / YTPMVclassic

Also known as: レッドゾーン · 【レッドゾーン】

RED ZONE is a Speed Rave/Euro Beat track from the rhythm arcade game beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED that became one of the most heavily remixed songs in MAD video and YouTube Poop Music Video (YTPMV) culture. The song exploded on Nico Nico Douga in early 2009 after a mashup video called "HON ZONE" kicked off a massive wave of remixes, eventually spreading to YouTube where it racked up tens of thousands of derivative videos.

Overview

RED ZONE is a high-energy Speed Rave/Euro Beat song written by Japanese composers Tatsuya Shimizu (known by his alias tatsh) and Naoki Maeda1. The track was designed as the lead song for beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, titled after the game's concept color "Red"3. In MAD and YTPMV culture, creators take the song's driving beat and layer it over heavily edited footage, often syncing characters, animations, or real-life clips to the rhythm in absurd and technically impressive ways. Videos typically feature the Japanese tag 【レッドゾーン】(RED ZONE written in Katakana) in their titles3.

The song itself debuted in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades on October 28, 20041. beatmania IIDX is a DJ-simulation rhythm game produced by Konami as part of its BEMANI line, where players hit seven buttons and spin a turntable in time with music2. RED ZONE quickly became a fan favorite within the BEMANI community. An edited version of the track later appeared in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2, released in August 20073.

Before the meme took off, the song had a few scattered appearances online. A YTMND page titled "SPEED RAVE" used the track as early as 20053. An Initial D parody featuring the anime/manga series Lucky Star was posted to Nico Nico Douga in 20073. Neither of these gained significant traction at the time.

Origin & Background

Platform
Nico Nico Douga (meme format), beatmania IIDX arcade (original song)
Key People
Unknown, tatsh, Naoki Maeda
Date
2009 (meme breakout; song released 2004)

The song itself debuted in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades on October 28, 20041. beatmania IIDX is a DJ-simulation rhythm game produced by Konami as part of its BEMANI line, where players hit seven buttons and spin a turntable in time with music2. RED ZONE quickly became a fan favorite within the BEMANI community. An edited version of the track later appeared in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2, released in August 20073.

Before the meme took off, the song had a few scattered appearances online. A YTMND page titled "SPEED RAVE" used the track as early as 20053. An Initial D parody featuring the anime/manga series Lucky Star was posted to Nico Nico Douga in 20073. Neither of these gained significant traction at the time.

How It Spread

The breakout moment came on January 3, 2009, when a video titled "HON ZONE" was posted to Nico Nico Douga3. This mashup combined the RED ZONE track with the Hissu Amoto San phenomenon, a popular Japanese internet meme at the time. The crossover appeal drew massive attention from NND users, and by early February 2009, MAD editors across the platform were creating their own RED ZONE videos at a rapid pace3.

The trend snowballed quickly. Over 2,400 videos tagged with RED ZONE were posted to Nico Nico Douga3. YouTube Poop creators discovered the song through videos reuploaded from NND and began incorporating it into their own YTPMVs, similar to how other MAD staples like Gourmet Race had crossed over before3. The YouTube RED ZONE library eventually grew to over 70,500 related videos3.

A notable sub-genre called "Shift Change RED ZONE" emerged on February 9, 2009, inspired by a MAD video featuring a person playing with a car's transmission gear while imitating engine noises3. This spawned a series of hand-drawn animated videos depicting various characters driving vehicles in exaggerated, over-the-top fashion while the original MAD mix audio played over them3.

The meme's popularity did eventually cool off. As with many YTPMV staples, RED ZONE became overused by creators who relied on tutorials rather than original editing skill, producing lower-quality remixes that lacked the creative spark of earlier entries3. The enthusiasm faded, though the song's legacy within MAD and YTPMV communities was already cemented.

How to Use This Meme

RED ZONE remixes typically follow a MAD/YTPMV format:

1

Take the RED ZONE audio track (usually a specific mix or the original)

2

Select source footage, whether anime clips, game footage, real-life videos, or hand-drawn animation

3

Edit the visuals to sync tightly with the beat, often cutting or distorting images on every hit

4

The more creative and technically polished the sync, the better the reception

Cultural Impact

RED ZONE occupies a significant place in the history of MAD videos and YTPMVs. It was part of a broader wave of BEMANI songs that crossed over from rhythm game fandom into general internet remix culture during the late 2000s3. The song's role as a gateway between Japanese NND culture and English-speaking YouTube Poop communities made it one of the key tracks bridging those two scenes.

The track's original home in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED and later inclusion in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2 kept it visible within the rhythm game community12. beatmania IIDX itself was developed by Konami's Bemani division, which pioneered the rhythm game genre in arcades starting in 19972.

Measuring the meme's impact through search data proved difficult due to the generic nature of "Red Zone" as a phrase, which overlaps with NFL coverage, university athletics, and consumer products3.

Fun Facts

The underscore in "RED_ZONE" is a common convention in NND video titles because Nico Nico Douga separates tags by spaces, so the underscore keeps it as a single tag3.

RED ZONE was the lead track of beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, named directly after the game's "Red" color theme3.

The song appeared on YTMND as early as 2005, a full four years before it became a meme phenomenon on NND3.

beatmania IIDX uses a seven-key controller with a turntable, making RED ZONE a technically demanding song to play in its original context2.

Despite over 70,500 RED ZONE videos on YouTube, many later entries were criticized for being low-effort copies that relied on tutorials rather than genuine editing skill3.

Derivatives & Variations

HON ZONE

— The January 2009 NND mashup combining RED ZONE with the Hissu Amoto San meme that launched the entire remix wave[3].

Shift Change RED ZONE

— A hand-drawn animation sub-genre originating February 9, 2009, featuring characters driving vehicles in exaggerated style synced to the music[3].

Lucky Star Initial D parody

— An early 2007 NND video combining the song with anime parody, predating the main meme wave[3].

Frequently Asked Questions

Red Zone

2009Music remix / MAD video / YTPMVclassic

Also known as: レッドゾーン · 【レッドゾーン】

RED ZONE is a Speed Rave/Euro Beat track from the rhythm arcade game beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED that became one of the most heavily remixed songs in MAD video and YouTube Poop Music Video (YTPMV) culture. The song exploded on Nico Nico Douga in early 2009 after a mashup video called "HON ZONE" kicked off a massive wave of remixes, eventually spreading to YouTube where it racked up tens of thousands of derivative videos.

Overview

RED ZONE is a high-energy Speed Rave/Euro Beat song written by Japanese composers Tatsuya Shimizu (known by his alias tatsh) and Naoki Maeda1. The track was designed as the lead song for beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, titled after the game's concept color "Red"3. In MAD and YTPMV culture, creators take the song's driving beat and layer it over heavily edited footage, often syncing characters, animations, or real-life clips to the rhythm in absurd and technically impressive ways. Videos typically feature the Japanese tag 【レッドゾーン】(RED ZONE written in Katakana) in their titles3.

The song itself debuted in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades on October 28, 20041. beatmania IIDX is a DJ-simulation rhythm game produced by Konami as part of its BEMANI line, where players hit seven buttons and spin a turntable in time with music2. RED ZONE quickly became a fan favorite within the BEMANI community. An edited version of the track later appeared in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2, released in August 20073.

Before the meme took off, the song had a few scattered appearances online. A YTMND page titled "SPEED RAVE" used the track as early as 20053. An Initial D parody featuring the anime/manga series Lucky Star was posted to Nico Nico Douga in 20073. Neither of these gained significant traction at the time.

Origin & Background

Platform
Nico Nico Douga (meme format), beatmania IIDX arcade (original song)
Key People
Unknown, tatsh, Naoki Maeda
Date
2009 (meme breakout; song released 2004)

The song itself debuted in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades on October 28, 20041. beatmania IIDX is a DJ-simulation rhythm game produced by Konami as part of its BEMANI line, where players hit seven buttons and spin a turntable in time with music2. RED ZONE quickly became a fan favorite within the BEMANI community. An edited version of the track later appeared in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2, released in August 20073.

Before the meme took off, the song had a few scattered appearances online. A YTMND page titled "SPEED RAVE" used the track as early as 20053. An Initial D parody featuring the anime/manga series Lucky Star was posted to Nico Nico Douga in 20073. Neither of these gained significant traction at the time.

How It Spread

The breakout moment came on January 3, 2009, when a video titled "HON ZONE" was posted to Nico Nico Douga3. This mashup combined the RED ZONE track with the Hissu Amoto San phenomenon, a popular Japanese internet meme at the time. The crossover appeal drew massive attention from NND users, and by early February 2009, MAD editors across the platform were creating their own RED ZONE videos at a rapid pace3.

The trend snowballed quickly. Over 2,400 videos tagged with RED ZONE were posted to Nico Nico Douga3. YouTube Poop creators discovered the song through videos reuploaded from NND and began incorporating it into their own YTPMVs, similar to how other MAD staples like Gourmet Race had crossed over before3. The YouTube RED ZONE library eventually grew to over 70,500 related videos3.

A notable sub-genre called "Shift Change RED ZONE" emerged on February 9, 2009, inspired by a MAD video featuring a person playing with a car's transmission gear while imitating engine noises3. This spawned a series of hand-drawn animated videos depicting various characters driving vehicles in exaggerated, over-the-top fashion while the original MAD mix audio played over them3.

The meme's popularity did eventually cool off. As with many YTPMV staples, RED ZONE became overused by creators who relied on tutorials rather than original editing skill, producing lower-quality remixes that lacked the creative spark of earlier entries3. The enthusiasm faded, though the song's legacy within MAD and YTPMV communities was already cemented.

How to Use This Meme

RED ZONE remixes typically follow a MAD/YTPMV format:

1

Take the RED ZONE audio track (usually a specific mix or the original)

2

Select source footage, whether anime clips, game footage, real-life videos, or hand-drawn animation

3

Edit the visuals to sync tightly with the beat, often cutting or distorting images on every hit

4

The more creative and technically polished the sync, the better the reception

Cultural Impact

RED ZONE occupies a significant place in the history of MAD videos and YTPMVs. It was part of a broader wave of BEMANI songs that crossed over from rhythm game fandom into general internet remix culture during the late 2000s3. The song's role as a gateway between Japanese NND culture and English-speaking YouTube Poop communities made it one of the key tracks bridging those two scenes.

The track's original home in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED and later inclusion in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2 kept it visible within the rhythm game community12. beatmania IIDX itself was developed by Konami's Bemani division, which pioneered the rhythm game genre in arcades starting in 19972.

Measuring the meme's impact through search data proved difficult due to the generic nature of "Red Zone" as a phrase, which overlaps with NFL coverage, university athletics, and consumer products3.

Fun Facts

The underscore in "RED_ZONE" is a common convention in NND video titles because Nico Nico Douga separates tags by spaces, so the underscore keeps it as a single tag3.

RED ZONE was the lead track of beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, named directly after the game's "Red" color theme3.

The song appeared on YTMND as early as 2005, a full four years before it became a meme phenomenon on NND3.

beatmania IIDX uses a seven-key controller with a turntable, making RED ZONE a technically demanding song to play in its original context2.

Despite over 70,500 RED ZONE videos on YouTube, many later entries were criticized for being low-effort copies that relied on tutorials rather than genuine editing skill3.

Derivatives & Variations

HON ZONE

— The January 2009 NND mashup combining RED ZONE with the Hissu Amoto San meme that launched the entire remix wave[3].

Shift Change RED ZONE

— A hand-drawn animation sub-genre originating February 9, 2009, featuring characters driving vehicles in exaggerated style synced to the music[3].

Lucky Star Initial D parody

— An early 2007 NND video combining the song with anime parody, predating the main meme wave[3].

Frequently Asked Questions