# Red Zone 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. ## Origin The song itself debuted in beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades on October 28, 2004[1]. 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 music[2]. 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 2007[3]. 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 2005[3]. An Initial D parody featuring the anime/manga series Lucky Star was posted to Nico Nico Douga in 2007[3]. Neither of these gained significant traction at the time. - **Platform:** Nico Nico Douga (meme format), beatmania IIDX arcade (original song) - **Creator:** Unknown (HON ZONE video creator), tatsh (Tatsuya Shimizu, composer), Naoki Maeda (composer) - **Date:** 2009 (meme breakout; song released 2004) ## 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 Maeda[1]. 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 titles[3]. ## How It Spread The breakout moment came on January 3, 2009, when a video titled "HON ZONE" was posted to Nico Nico Douga[3]. 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 pace[3]. The trend snowballed quickly. Over 2,400 videos tagged with RED ZONE were posted to Nico Nico Douga[3]. 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 before[3]. The YouTube RED ZONE library eventually grew to over 70,500 related videos[3]. 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 noises[3]. 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 them[3]. 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 entries[3]. The enthusiasm faded, though the song's legacy within MAD and YTPMV communities was already cemented. ## How to Use 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 2000s[3]. 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 community[1][2]. beatmania IIDX itself was developed by Konami's Bemani division, which pioneered the rhythm game genre in arcades starting in 1997[2]. 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 products[3]. ## 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 tag[3]. - RED ZONE was the lead track of beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, named directly after the game's "Red" color theme[3]. - The song appeared on YTMND as early as 2005, a full four years before it became a meme phenomenon on NND[3]. - beatmania IIDX uses a seven-key controller with a turntable, making RED ZONE a technically demanding song to play in its original context[2]. - 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 skill[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is RED ZONE? RED ZONE is a Speed Rave/Euro Beat song from the rhythm game beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED that became a massively popular source track for MAD videos and YouTube Poop Music Videos starting in 2009[3]. ### Where did the RED ZONE meme come from? The meme originated on Nico Nico Douga on January 3, 2009, when a mashup video called "HON ZONE" combined the track with the Hissu Amoto San meme and went viral on the platform[3]. ### What does the RED ZONE meme mean? RED ZONE remixes don't carry a specific message. They're creative exercises in syncing visuals to the song's intense beat, with the humor and appeal coming from the editing skill and choice of source material[3]. ### How do you use RED ZONE? Creators take the RED ZONE audio and edit video footage to sync with its rhythm, often using anime clips, game footage, or hand-drawn animation. Videos are typically tagged with 【レッドゾーン】[3]. ### Is RED ZONE still popular? The meme's peak was in 2009-2010. While new remixes are less common now and enthusiasm waned due to oversaturation, RED ZONE is a recognized classic within MAD and YTPMV communities with over 70,500 related YouTube videos[3]. ### Who composed RED ZONE? The song was composed by Tatsuya Shimizu (tatsh) and Naoki Maeda for Konami's beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, released in Japanese arcades in October 2004[1]. ### What is Shift Change RED ZONE? A sub-genre of hand-drawn animated RED ZONE videos that originated on February 9, 2009 on NND, depicting characters driving vehicles in exaggerated fashion while the music plays[3]. ### What game is RED ZONE from? RED ZONE is from beatmania IIDX 11: IIDXRED, a rhythm arcade game by Konami. It was also later included in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2[1][2]. ### Why is there an underscore in RED_ZONE? Nico Nico Douga separates tags by spaces, so creators use an underscore between RED and ZONE to keep it as a single searchable tag[3]. ## References 1. [Undefined Fantastic Object - Touhou Wiki - Characters, games, locations, and more]() 2. [List by Song/Undefined Fantastic Object - Touhou Wiki - Characters, games, locations, and more]() 3. [Minamitsu Murasa - Touhou Wiki - Characters, games, locations, and more]() 4. [RED ZONE - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Capture of Saddam Hussein]() 6. [RED ZONE - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Nebraska Cornhuskers]() 8. [Georgia Bulldogs]() 9. [NFL Network]() 10. [Old Spice]() 11. [beatmania IIDX - Wikipedia]() 12. [Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova - Wikipedia]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/red-zone Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library