Korean artists have been trying to break into the lucrative Japanese market for a long time. One of the most effective avenues they've found is through anime soundtracks, lending their voices to anime openings and endings, and through them, capturing the hearts of fans all over the world.
K-Pop artists have contributed to several OSTs, from classics like Detective Conan and One Piece to newer series like Tower of God and Blue Exorcist. As the music genre expands and reaches new heights, Korean artists will continue to feature in more anime with their iconic songs.
10 The God Of High School — "Win" By CIX
K-Pop group CIX sings "Win," the ending theme for the thirteen-episode anime adaptation of The God of High School, a Korean webtoon that follows Jin Mori's martial-arts-meets-the-supernatural journey. The anime premiered on Crunchyroll in mid-2020 and was animated by MAPPA, the studio behind Yuri!!! on Ice and Jujutsu Kaisen.
CIX debuted in 2019 as a five-member group with the single "Movie Star" from their first EP, Hello Chapter 1: Hello Stranger. Since then, the group has released four successful EPs—each selling over fifty thousand copies in Korea alone—with their fourth release, Hello Chapter Ø: Hello, Strange Dream peaking at number one on the Gaon Chart.
9 Detective Conan — "Hitomi No Melody" By Boyfriend
Detective Conan is an anime classic. The animated adaptation of the eponymous manga is one of the longest-running anime of all time, with over a thousand episodes released since 1996. Korean boy group Boyfriend provided their third Japanese single, "Hitomi no Melody" as the show's forty-fourth ending theme in early 2013.
The song was a success for the six-member group, reaching number two on Japan's Oricon Chart, their highest peak in the country. Boyfriend debuted in 2011 and released four studio albums and six EPs over their eight-year career together. They disbanded in mid-2019, celebrating their tenth anniversary earlier this year with the track "Ending Credit".
8 Naruto SD: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals — "Twinkle, Twinkle" By SECRET
After the success of Naruto, Studio Pierrot hurried to produce an anime adaptation of the comedy spin-off Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals. Supporting character Rock Lee takes the lead as the audience follows his adventures to become the greatest ninja in Konoha. In 2012, girl group SECRET's third Japanese single "Twinkle, Twinkle" was used as the show's ending theme song.
SECRET was formed as a four-member group under TS Entertainment, debuting with "I Want You Back" in late 2009. A year later they would release their hit song "Madonna," which topped the Korean charts and earned them several awards including Bonsang at the Seoul Music Awards. SECRET was known for its retro sound and aesthetics and remains one of the best-selling girl groups of the second generation of K-Pop.
7 Tower Of God — "Slump" By Stray Kids
Korean webtoon Tower Of God received its own anime adaptation in 2020, a thirteen-episode Crunchyroll Original developed by Telecom Animation Film. The series follows Twenty-Fifth Bam as he fights his way up a mysterious tower in search of his friend Rachel, meeting various powerful characters along the way.
Aside from performing the anime's opening theme, Stray Kids also provided the ending song "Slump". The eight-member boy group debuted in 2017 after featuring in a reality show of the same name and has become a major asset for their company, JYP Entertainment. As of mid-2021, Stray Kids have released two full albums and eight mini-albums, all of which have sold over a hundred thousand copies.
6 Noblesse — "Étoile" By Oh My Girl
Oh My Girl has become one of the biggest third-generation girl groups over the years, constantly ranking high in popularity and on the Korean charts. The seven-member group debuted in 2015 with an eponymous EP and has released seven others since then. Their 2020 B-side track "Dolphin" from their seventh mini-album Nonstop became a viral hit upon release, earning them over twenty million views on the song's music video.
Later that same year, Oh My Girl lent their voices to the ending song of Noblesse, "Étoile". The dark fantasy anime tells the story of Raizel, a long-lived noble who has awoken after eight hundred years, and is an adaptation of the popular Korean webtoon of the same name.
5 Blue Exorcist — "Take Off" By 2PM
Blue Exorcist follows twin brothers Rin and Yukio after they discover their identities as the sons of Satan. The ongoing manga has been compiled into twenty-seven volumes as of 2021 and has been adapted into an anime series and a film. In 2011, Korean group 2PM provided vocals for Blue Exorcist's first ending song, "Take Off", which doubled as the boy band's first Japanese single.
2PM debuted in 2008 under JYP Entertainment with the single "10 Out Of 10" as an acrobatic hip-hop group. The six-member group has won multiple awards, including Artist of the Year at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, and has released a whopping twelve studio albums in Korean and Japanese. 2PM went on hiatus while the members served in the military and reunited in 2021 to release Must, their seventh Korean album.
4 One Piece — "Asu Wa Kuru Kara" By TVXQ
In 2006, K-Pop juggernaut TVXQ released their fourth single "Asu Wa Kuru Kara," which would become long-running anime series One Piece's seventeenth and penultimate ending. Pairing such high-profile entertainment powerhouses was a success, as TVXQ would return to sing "Share The World!", the fan-favorite One Piece opening theme.
Despite losing members over the years, TVXQ is still incredibly popular in Korea and Japan. They remain one of the best-selling groups in both countries and contributed greatly to the growth of the Korean Wave in Japan. They have released nineteen full-length albums, two EPs, and several live albums that have landed them top spots in various music charts around the world.
3 Bleach — "Houkiboushi" By Younha
A beloved shonen series, Bleach follows student Ichigo Kurosaki as he obtains the power of the Shinigami and must fight evil spirits and demons. "Houkiboshi" served as Korean soloist Younha's second Japanese single and earned her commercial success in the country after it was featured as the supernatural anime's third ending.
Younha started her career in Japan before transitioning to Korea with The Perfect Day To Say I Love You, her first Korean album. Since then, she has released eleven studio albums, seven in Korean and four in Japanese, and five mini-albums. Her 2020 EP Unstable Mindset includes the single "Winter Flower," which features rapper RM, a member and leader of pop supergroup BTS.
2 Blue Dragon — "Kokoro" By SS501
Originally a video game, the Blue Dragon anime adaptation was designed by none other than Akira Toriyama, creator of the Dragon Ball series. It ran for fifty-one episodes and follows Shu and his friends as they gain powers that allow them to transform their shadows into monsters. Five-member boy-band SS501 performed "Kokoro," the ending song of the show and their first Japanese single.
The group was active for five years, releasing over ten albums and EPs between 2005 and 2010. They reached even bigger popularity when member Hyunjoong was cast in one of the most popular Korean dramas of all time, Boys Over Flowers. SS501 contributed to the soundtrack of the show, which earned them various awards in the OST category.
1 Inuyasha — "Every Heart" By BoA
Queen of K-Pop BoA debuted in the year 2000 when she was just fourteen years old, quickly rising to prominence in both the Korean and Japanese markets. She has released twenty studio albums—ten in Korean, nine in Japanese, and one in English—and is an icon in the entirety of East Asia. In 2002, her song "Every Heart: Minna No Kimochi" was used as the fourth ending of Inuyasha.
A creation of veteran mangaka Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha is a favorite of many anime fans worldwide. The adventure-fantasy story stars Kagome Higurashi, a seemingly regular student that ends up traveling to feudal Japan and meeting a half-demon, half-human man named Inuyasha.