Brain Age (universe)

The Brain Age universe (, Brain Training) is a series of educational puzzle games for the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and Switch.

Franchise Description
Ryuta Kawashima is a real-world neuroscientist who teaches different exercises for training and maintaining one's brain (or improving one's "Brain Age", as the series is named for). He is best known for being the author of the 2003 book . Dr. Kawashima partnered with Nintendo to adapt this book into a video game format, which eventually resulted in May of 2005 with Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!. In December of that year, a sequel titled Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!. Both titles became massively successful due to attracting an older demographic that never considered video games can be so beneficial to their health.

Another sequel, titled Brain Age: Concentration Training released in 2012 for 3DS. After a minor hiatus, the series returned in 2019 on Nintendo Switch with Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch.

Dr. Kawashima has also been featured in games without the involvement of Nintendo that are not officially part of the Brain Age franchise, such as Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima for iOS in 2009, Train your Brain with Dr. Kawashima for PC also in 2009, and Body and Brain Connection for Kinect on Xbox 360.

Music

 * "": A medley including the title screen themes sourced from ' and ', as well as the menu theme sourced from the first game. It appears as a My Music track for PictoChat.

Assist Trophy

 * Dr. Kawashima: The doctor appears in Super Smash Bros. 4 as an Assist Trophy. When summoned in battle, Dr. Kawashima fires various numbers throughout the battlefield. When these numbers collide, they are added together. If the sum equals ten or above, they will explode, with the explosion being larger should the number equal ten exactly.

Source Tracks

 * "": The medley returns from Brawl, plays on the Wii Fit Studio stage.
 * "": Directly sourced from Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!, it's this game's main menu theme, also plays on Wii Fit Studio.

Assist Trophy

 * Dr. Kawashima: The doctor reprises his role as an Assist Trophy in Ultimate, though the background changes to a white graph-like texture when summoned.

Source Tracks

 * "": The medley returns from Brawl.
 * "": The theme returns from Smash 4.

Spirits
The following characters from the series are spirits.

/ Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?

 * Assist Trophy:
 * Dr. Kawashima appears as an Assist Trophy.
 * Spirits:
 * Dr. Kawashima appears as a spirit.
 * Music:
 * "": Medley of tracks featured in this game and its sequel.
 * "": The menu theme, sourced from Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!.

/ More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain?

 * Music:
 * "": Medley of tracks featured in this game and Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!.
 * "": This game's main menu theme, sourced directly from this game.

/ Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can you stay focused?

 * Spirits:
 * Dr. Kawashima in his devil form from this game appears as a spirit.

Trivia

 * Brain Age is the only universe in the entire Super Smash Bros. series to have a real life person directly make an appearance in the series.

Brain Age (universo)