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Top Anime Theme Songs – A Journey Across Decades

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Top Anime Theme Songs – A Journey Across Decades

Anime has always understood something about television that Western shows took decades to grasp: the theme song matters.

Most viewers skip them. Who can blame them? Three episodes into a late-night binge, you want plot, not a ninety-second distraction.

Then Cowboy Bebop comes along. “Tank!” bursts through the speakers with that manic jazz energy and suddenly skipping feels wrong. You let it play. Then you replay it. Some openings work like that.

Take Linked Horizon. Before Attack on Titan, they were a niche act with a devoted following. “Guren no Yumiya” changed that overnight.

Or consider TRUE’s “Sincerely” for Violet Evergarden. The song carries as much emotional weight as the anime itself, maybe more.

A great theme does strange things. It can define how you remember an entire series, even if the show itself was middling.

It can make you nostalgic for a story you’ve never watched. Some hit like caffeine. Others take their time, burrowing deeper with each episode until it becomes a thing you can’t do without.

What follows covers thirty-odd years of anime music. The cel-animated classics. The early digital era. The streaming explosion. The experimental present. These are the ones that lasted.

1990s–2000s: The Foundation

Saturday mornings. VHS tapes. These songs played before the episodes started and changed what people expected from anime music.

“Tank!” — The Seatbelts, Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Still untouchable. Yoko Kanno’s jazz-fusion opener puts you in a trench coat, hands you a cigarette and sends you off to solve an intergalactic crime. Every second screams style.

“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” — Yoko Takahashi, Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)

Cultural immortality, earned. Overused in memes, impossible to skip. Yoko Takahashi took biblical symbolism and psychological trauma and made it danceable. Leaves you hyped and confused in equal measure.

“Fly Me to the Moon” — Various Artists, Evangelion ending (1995–2007)

“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” gets most of the attention, but this lounge-style ending does something different. Each episode lands softer because of it. Different character voice actors perform the song across the series, adding weight you don’t expect.

“Colors” — FLOW, Code Geass (2006)

Rebellion in audio form. The song starts deceptively upbeat before bursting with FLOW’s energy. Its infectious rhythm complements protagonist Lelouch’s revolutionary ambition. Code Geass wouldn’t feel the same without it.

“Again” — YUI, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

YUI wrote a pop-rock song about wanting to fix things and start over. If you’ve ever wanted to rebuild something you broke, the lyrics will find you.

“Blue Bird” — Ikimono Gakari, Naruto Shippuden (2008)

Gentle yet fierce. One of the most-covered anime songs on YouTube. Those soaring vocals evoke bittersweet optimism and always spark a nostalgic ache.

“Ride on Shooting Star” — the pillows, FLCL (2000)

Peak alt-anime energy. This lo-fi rock theme matches FLCL‘s chaotic coming-of-age story perfectly. Messy, moody and everything, just like the show’s experimental tone.

2010s: Emotional Depth

The 2010s brought a shift. Anime music got messier, more complex. These tracks stuck around because they earned it.

“Silhouette” — KANA-BOON, Naruto Shippuden (2014)

The moment the guitar hits, you’re transported. Melodic rock vibes capture Naruto Shippuden‘s emotional evolution. Hopeful, raw and bittersweet.

“Gurenge” — LiSA, Demon Slayer (2019)

This explosive track launched LiSA into J-pop legend status. It combines grief, determination and sword-fighting spirit. Made viewers believe they could learn Total Concentration Breathing.

“unravel” — TK from Ling Tosite Sigure, Tokyo Ghoul (2014)

Starts soft before TK’s falsetto shreds your soul. The blueprint for the “I’m not okay, but make it aesthetic” genre. Many fans kept watching Tokyo Ghoul just to hear this song.

“Abyss” — Yungblud, Kaiju No. 8 (2024)

Ranked fourth in Crunchyroll’s fan-voted 2024 opening poll. A Western artist backing an anime opening gave the sci-fi action series unique energy.

“Sunny” — Yorushika, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2024)

This 2024 opening put a bright melody against a story about living forever and losing everything. Captured 7% of votes.

“LEveL” — Hiroyuki Sawano feat. TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Solo Leveling (2024)

Hiroyuki Sawano worked with K-pop group TXT on this one. Landed in the top five openings of 2024. A Korean pop group meeting Sawano’s dramatic wall of sound. It clicked immediately.

2020s: Global Domination

Streaming platforms turned anime music into a global phenomenon. These songs didn’t just accompany shows. They topped charts and became viral dance trends.

Record-Breaking Phenomena

“Idol” — YOASOBI, Oshi no Ko (2023)

A global sensation. The fastest song in Oricon history to pass 400 million streams. The first song to have more than 10 million streams over 19 consecutive weeks.

By August 2023 it had racked up 403 million streams and sat at number one in Japan for 19 weeks straight. Hit 100 million streams faster than any song before it. Then 200 million. Then 300 million. Pulled the anime into the spotlight worldwide.

“Shukufuku” (“The Blessing”) — YOASOBI, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022)

Crossed 400 million streams according to Billboard Japan. Based on the novel Yurikago no Hoshi. Dropped digitally in October 2022. The music video pulled 155 million views by mid-2025.

“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” — Creepy Nuts, Mashle: Magic and Muscles (2024)

The most-played song on Spotify Japan in 2024. No Japanese artist had ever hit 100 million streams this fast. Or 200 million. Or 300 million. Held the number one spot on Spotify Japan’s daily charts for 125 days without breaking. Most-played track by a Japanese artist overseas that year, climbing to number 52 globally.

“Otonoke” — Creepy Nuts, DAN DA DAN (2024)

Won Crunchyroll’s fan vote for best anime opening of 2024 with 38% of the vote. The playful rhythm and dance routine launched thousands of online covers.

Other Notable 2020s Themes

“more than words” — Hitsujibungaku, Jujutsu Kaisen ending (2023)

A quiet ending that gives the chaos room to breathe. Like drowning in feelings you can’t name. The vocals ache. The guitars shimmer.

“U” — millennium parade × Kaho Nakamura, BELLE (2021)

A digital-age anthem blending slick production with soaring vocals to represent the dual identities of the film’s protagonist.

“One Last Kiss” — Hikaru Utada, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)

Hikaru Utada closed out Evangelion with this ballad. Gentle and heartbreaking. Wraps up 26 years of the franchise with sincerity.

“Shōnen Shōjo” — GING NANG BOYZ, Sonny Boy (2021)

Punk energy meeting existential confusion. Perfect for Sonny Boy.

“ODDTAXI” — スカート & PUNPEE, Odd Taxi (2021)

Jazz meets hip-hop in a noir package. Sounds like a night drive through conspiracy theories.

“Plazma” — Kenshi Yonezu, Mobile Suit Gundam G (2025)

Gundam always asks big questions about war and survival. This song keeps asking them. Captures what it means to fight for a future you might never see.

“Kaiju” — SAKANACTION, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (2025)

A seismic blend of electronic pulse and organic instrumentation. Builds layer by layer until you’re engulfed. Mirrors the show’s surreal sci-fi atmosphere.

2025 Discovery: To Be Hero X — A Hidden Gem

The opening theme “INERTIA” is more than a catchy tune. The song’s lyrics reflect character arcs, hide narrative details and convey the show’s philosophy about what defines a true hero.

That perfect sync between lyrics and narrative makes it a brilliant showcase of storytelling from the very beginning. The kind of attention to detail that demands repeat listens.

The series premiered on 6 April 2025 on Fuji TV and bilibili, with episodes simulcast on Crunchyroll each Sunday. It ran for 24 episodes and finished its first season on 14 September 2025. All 24 episodes are now streaming.

Set in a world where public faith bestows heroes with powers and trust rankings determine who becomes “X”, the show blends 2D and 3D animation and offers meta-commentary on social media and hero worship. A co-production between bilibili, Aniplex and studio BeDream.

The Music: “INERTIA” and “KONTINUUM”

Hiroyuki Sawano and lyricist Benjamin built two songs that tell parts of the story alongside the show. “INERTIA”, performed by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Rei, mixes electronic beats with rap and massive vocals. Thirteenth single in Sawano’s [nZk] series. Dropped 11 June 2025. The CD+DVD edition includes the anime’s non-credit opening sequence.

“KONTINUUM” marks SennaRin’s third single. Also released 11 June, regular and limited editions. Her husky voice pulls the opposite direction from the show’s intensity.

The series wrapped its 24-episode run in September. Story goes deep, songs go deeper. To Be Hero X flew under most radars this year, but it shouldn’t have.

These songs shape how you remember entire shows. “Tank!” from Cowboy Bebop still has that swagger. “Colors” from Code Geass carried rebellion in every note.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” went global and dragged anime music with it. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” topped charts worldwide. “INERTIA” and “KONTINUUM” from To Be Hero X proved there’s still room to experiment.

The classics matter. The new stuff matters too. Anime themes work as a soundtrack across decades and borders.

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