There are two kinds of anime fans: people who watch the opening every episode, and people who press “skip intro” and should probably be studied in a laboratory. Okay, fine. Sometimes you are eight episodes deep at 1:30 in the morning and the next episode button is glowing like a sacred artifact. I understand. But the very best anime songs are different. They become part of the show itself. A few notes can instantly drag you back to a character, an arc, a heartbreak, or one extremely irresponsible weekend binge. So here is my attempt at the dangerous task of ranking the best anime songs of all time . I am judging the whole package: how good the song is, how perfectly it fits the anime, how memorable it became, and whether it still hits years later. Naturally, everyone will agree with every placement and nobody will be mad. Absolutely nobody. 12. “Otonoke” — Creepy Nuts, Dandadan Dandadan feels like somebody threw aliens, ghosts, romance, puberty, conspiracy theories, and three energy drinks into a blender. “Otonoke” hears that description and says, “Yeah, I can work with that.” Creepy Nuts make it twitchy, supernatural, funny, and slightly unhinged. The rhythm keeps moving under your feet while the vocals bounce between menace and playfulness. It is newer than most songs here, but it already feels welded to Dandadan’s identity. 11. “Blue Bird” — Ikimono gakari, Naruto: Shippuden You can measure an anime fan’s age by how violently they react when “Blue Bird” starts. Naruto had an absurd number of great openings, but this is the one that escaped the series and became general anime fan vocabulary. It has that soaring, bittersweet quality Naruto does so well: hopeful enough to make you sprint toward the horizon, emotional enough to remind you that half the cast desperately needs therapy. 10. “Moonlight Densetsu” — DALI, Sailor Moon “Moonlight Densetsu” is practically part of the musical DNA of magical girl anime. It sounds romantic, heroic, dreamy, and instantly recognizable without needing to shout for attention. There is an old school sweetness to the melody, but also enough drama underneath to stop it from becoming pure sugar. Plenty of anime songs are nostalgic. This one feels like nostalgia itself learned how to sing. 9. “Again” — YUI, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Starting Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood with “Again” was borderline unfair. YUI’s voice carries the same restless energy as Edward and Alphonse charging forward while hauling around an unreasonable amount of emotional baggage. The song is fast without being empty, uplifting without pretending everything is okay, and emotional without begging you to cry. There are openings that introduce a show. “Again” launches one. 8. “Unravel” — TK from Ling tosite sigure, Tokyo Ghoul You do not need to defend every season of Tokyo Ghoul to admit that “Unravel” is ridiculous. The fragile opening vocals, explosive guitars, and TK sounding about three seconds from an emotional collapse make the song feel intensely personal. It does not merely suggest that Kaneki is having a rough time. It sounds like somebody plugged his entire psyche into an amplifier. Hear it once and you know exactly which anime owns it. 7. “Guren no Yumiya” — Linked Horizon, Attack on Titan Some anime openings invite you into the story. “Guren no Yumiya” recruits you into the military. The first Attack on Titan opening is so committed to grandeur that resistance is useless. Choirs, pounding drums, martial energy, huge vocals—it sounds less like a TV opening and more like humanity is preparing to fistfight the apocalypse before breakfast. By the title card, you are ready to personally defend Wall Maria despite having absolutely no qualifications. 6. “Tank!” — The Seatbelts, Cowboy Bebop Three words: “Okay, three, two, one.” That is basically all it takes. “Tank!” remains one of anime’s greatest flexes because it never sounds like an opening trying to be cool. It simply is cool . Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts blast through a brass heavy jazz piece that turns every Cowboy Bebop episode into the beginning of the smoothest heist movie ever made. It also proves how broad anime music can be. Anisong does not need one sound, and Cowboy Bebop kicked that door open wearing sunglasses. 5. “Bling Bang Bang Born” — Creepy Nuts, Mashle: Magic and Muscles This song had no business being this catchy. Actually, scratch that. Creepy Nuts knew exactly what they were doing. “Bling Bang Bang Born” takes Mashle’s central joke—a magical world being terrorized by one extremely muscular deadpan idiot—and turns it into a track that struts around like it already won the argument. The beat is addictive, the delivery is ridiculous, and pairing it with Mash’s dancing made the whole thing impossible to ignore. It is goofy without being disposable, which is much harder than it looks. 4. “Gurenge” — LiSA, Demon Slayer Demon Slayer did not need help looking dramatic, but “Gurenge” arrived anyway and poured gasoline on the fire. LiSA gives the song enormous power without losing the emotional core underneath it. That balance fits Tanjiro perfectly. Demon Slayer has spectacular sword fights, but underneath all the flames and water effects is a story about grief, family, and refusing to let suffering erase your compassion. “Gurenge” is a battle anthem with a heart. 3. “Idol” — YOASOBI, Oshi no Ko “Idol” might be one of the cleverest anime openings ever made because it is simultaneously an absolute banger and a tiny musical nervous breakdown. On the surface, it is glossy, hyperactive J pop designed to overwhelm you. Underneath, it keeps shifting tone, delivery, and intensity in ways that mirror Oshi no Ko’s obsession with performance, celebrity, contradiction, and the gap between a public persona and the human being underneath. The first time you hear it: “Wow, this goes hard.” After you understand the series: “Oh. Oh no.” Perfect. 2. “Butter Fly” — Koji Wada, Digimon Adventure “Butter Fly” can turn grown adults into emotional wreckage with alarming efficiency. It has everything a great adventure theme needs: momentum, optimism, a little melancholy, and the feeling that something enormous waits beyond the next hill. For longtime Digimon fans, Koji Wada’s voice is inseparable from the franchise. The important part is that it still works even after childhood nostalgia is removed from the equation. The melody is genuinely fantastic, and its hopeful energy captures exactly why Digimon Adventure mattered. Sometimes friendship really can save the digital world. Please do not fact check that. 1. “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” — Yoko Takahashi, Neon Genesis Evangelion There was never going to be another number one. “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” is the anime opening. It may not be everyone’s personal favorite, but it feels permanently carved into the foundation of anime culture. The best part is the contrast. The song is bright, energetic, catchy, and almost triumphant. Neon Genesis Evangelion is… well, Neon Genesis Evangelion. You go in expecting cool robots and a heroic coming of age story, and eventually you are staring at the ceiling wondering whether the human condition was a mistake. The opening never stops sounding exciting. If anything, it becomes stranger and more meaningful as the series goes on. That unforgettable melody, perfect connection to its anime, and ridiculous staying power put it at number one. The Skip Button Has Been Defeated The greatest anime songs do something normal TV themes rarely manage: they become memories. You remember “Again” before another Brotherhood episode. You remember “Guren no Yumiya” making you absurdly confident about fighting a Titan. You remember “Idol” making Oshi no Ko feel dangerous before you could explain why. Then there are “Butter Fly” and “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” songs that have outlived entire eras of anime fandom and somehow still hit. That is the magic of a great anisong. It gets maybe ninety seconds at the beginning of an episode, and if everything goes right, it stays with you for the next twenty years. Now excuse me while I replay all twelve and accomplish nothing productive for the rest of the night.