Anime song

1930–1970: Early influences#

The Dull Sword (1917), by Jun’ichi Kōuchi, is regarded as the earliest surviving animated film in Japan. Noburō Ōfuji’s Kuroi Nyago (1929) is the first Japanese animated work to include music. The film includes characters dancing to a prerecorded song, retroactively seen as the prototype of anime songs. Following World War II, the 1950s and 1960s saw a revival in entertainment and cultural development. In 1963, Astro Boy premiered and subsequently, the theme song “Theme of Astro Boy” became well-known to the Japanese public due to it being used as the departure song at Takadanobaba Station. The song was also notable due to the lyrics being written by poet Shuntarō Tanikawa.

1970–1980: Growing popularity of anime songs#

Japan’s economic growth in the 1970s led to more cultural development, and people who exclusively sang theme songs for anime were known as “anime song singers.” At the same time, Mobile Suit Gundam voice actors Toshio Furukawa and Toru Furuya gained a large female fanbase with through Slapstick, a vocal unit consisting of voice actors from the show meant to its theme songs. While anime theme songs originally used the name and settings from the series of which they were based, this led to the lyrics of anime songs being centered on the characters’ thoughts and feelings for more universal appeal and allowing for context outside of the original animated work.

1980–1990: Mainstream recognition#

At the height of Japan’s bubble economy, in the 1980s, musicians outside of the anime industry began performing theme songs for anime. Furthermore, Cat’s Eye (1983) received widespread media attention for having Anri, a singer whose activities had no connection to the anime industry, perform its theme songs. Likewise, TM Network, a band who were active outside of the anime industry, received media attention when their 1987 song “Get Wild” was released as the ending song to City Hunter. As a result of the song’s popularity, TM Network were invited to the 72nd Kohaku Uta Gassen to perform it. From then on, mainstream artists releasing tie-in songs for anime became common.

1990–2000: In-house production and modernization#

Following the collapse of the bubble economy in Japan, labels exclusively dedicated to exclusively producing anime songs were formed, most notably King Records’ Starchild label.

2000–2019: Voice actor boom#

During the 2000s, alternative rock began making an entry into anime songs, with Asian Kung-Fu Generation named as an example. During the mid-2000s, there was a “voice actor boom”, The voice actor boom was attributed to Mizuki’s “Eternal Blaze” reaching #2 on the Oricon Weekly Single Charts in 2005, and the release of “Hare Hare Yukai” in 2006 shortly after. In the following years, idol-themed multimedia projects, such as Love Live!, The Idolmaster, and Uta no Prince-sama, became popular. Billboard Japan launched the Billboard Japan Hot Animation chart on December 1, 2010 exclusively for anime and video game music releases.

2020–present: Global expansion#

Since the 2020s, anime songs have experienced a rapid growth in global online popularity due to their widened availability on music streaming services like Spotify and promotion by fans and artists on social media. In 2020, “Homura”, a theme song for animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, rose to number eight on the Billboard Global 200. In 2023, the opening theme of the anime series Oshi no Ko, “Idol” by Yoasobi, topped the Billboard Global Excl. US, becoming the first Japanese song and anime song to do so, “Idol” also topped on the global charts of Apple Music and YouTube Music. In the same year, Kenshi Yonezu’s “Kick Back”, an opening theme for Chainsaw Man, became the first-ever song with Japanese lyrics to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2025, Yonezu’s “Iris Out” became the highest peak at number five on the Global 200.

Derivatives#

The anime song genre became the direct influence of genres such as denpa song and song.

Record labels#

The following record labels are exclusively for anime song music: * Animex * Flying Dog * King Amusement Creative (formerly Starchild) * Lantis * Mages (formerly 5pb Records) * Sacra Music * Toho Animation Record * Good Smile Records

Concerts#

• Animelo Summer Live
• (King Amusement Creative)

Performers#

This is a list of singers and bands who primarily perform anime songs, including groups created from media mix anime projects. This list does not count singers or bands who release incidental songs for the genre, nor group names that the voice actors are credited under solely for performing the theme songs in the anime they are starring in.

Soloists#

• Eir Aoi
• Shouta Aoi
• Kana Hanazawa
• Kanako Itō
• Yuma Uchida
• Zaq

Groups#

• Ali Project
• JAM Project
• Mia Regina
• Oldcodex
• TrySail
• Walkure

Composers#

This is a list of songwriters who primarily compose and produce anime songs. This list does not count composers who produce incidental releases for the genre. * Aki Hata * Arte Refact ** Noriyasu Agematsu * * Hidekazu Tanaka

See also#

• Animax Anison Grand Prix