Kimchi Fingers

Kimchi Fingers arrived in Pump It Up XX as a spiritual successor to Monkey Fingers, part of a small lineage that runs from Monkey Fingers through Monkey Fingers 2 and lands here. Unlike the original and its sequel, the recurring subject is kimchi, a twist offbeat enough to leave players stunned during the field test. The FUNKOT arrangement gives the song an identity quite distinct from its predecessors, with a fast, danceable pulse at 190 BPM.

The official BGA was created by MiLa, blending real photographs with an oddball sensibility, including a memorable shot of a man eating kimchi with his bare hands. Opinions were divided, but many hailed it as one of MiLa's better efforts after a string of quality complaints. On January 7, Vincent Kim released an original BGA that never made it into the game, though Andamiro reportedly allowed the upload. That version doubles down on Monkey Fingers callbacks and packs in Pump It Up references such as Vook, Move That Body!, Blazing, Beethoven Virus, Mr.Larpus, and the seagull from Jonathan's Dream, closing with the pierced man who symbolizes Monkey Fingers.

The S14 is dominated by drills, including sideruns, which are tricky to slide through at 190 BPM. The S17 is a lower chart that reuses the longjap pattern from Monkey Fingers' S15, while the S20 carries on that legacy with a roughly eleven-second 2-note rush that many find hard for the level, though mileage varies by player. On the Double side, the D17 (listed as D16 in XX and bumped to 17 in PHOENIX) is a high-BPM 8th-note chart that often gets underrated, and the D21 spreads the S20 out into an even more punishing 2-note rush. The two-player Co-op was added in version XX 2.03. As a footnote, player FEFEMZ* once tackled the jump section using 16th-note bursts.