No anime would be complete without its soundtrack. Even if the anime may end up a cult classic instead of an immortal game-changer, a good song used at the right moment can help it find an audience after the fact.
It's come to the point that some anime songs are so good that they actually transcend the show they were in. For one reason or another, these songs became more famous than the anime they were played in.
10 'Nippon Egao Hyakkei' Is Better Remembered For A Nichijou Meme Than Joshiraku
Joshiraku was destined to be a niche hit. Not only did it focus on the oratory art of rakugo, but it's difficult to localize due to its use of Japanese colloquialisms and wordplay. Most anime fans are only aware of Joshiraku thanks to Momoiro Clover Z's ending song, which was made memorable by the chibified characters dancing to its tune.
"Nippon Egao Hyakkei" saw a resurgence in relevance when, earlier this year, animator PEAR哥 recreated Joshiraku's ending credits, but with the cast of Nichijou dancing to the tune instead. The 20-second short "Procrastination" quickly racked up more than five million views, with many newcomers assuming that it was just a Nichijou meme and not a crossover.
9 'Colors Of The Heart' Saw A Resurgence Thanks To Spongebob Squarepants
Blood+ is one of those gory horror anime from the 2000s that's sadly been forgotten to time. Outside of anime veterans, the only way anyone is even vaguely aware of Saya's fight against the Chiropterans is thanks to, of all things, a Spongebob Squarepants parody. Specifically, it's a parody that reimagined the hit Nickelodeon show as a generic anime.
In 2016, animator Namrak uploaded "The SpongeBob SquarePants Anime - OP 1" to YouTube, where it accumulated more than 18 million views. The video featured Spongebob and friends redrawn as edgy anime characters who then fought to the tune of UVERworld's "Colors Of The Heart," the third Blood+ opening.
8 'Guren No Yumiya' Is Now Synonymous To Anything Epic
In 2013, Attack On Titan made one of the biggest debuts ever seen in pop culture, and its opening song "Guren No Yumiya" (performed by Linked Horizon) played a part in sealing its popularity. The song has been read as mankind's defiant declaration of war against the Titans, and countless fan edits borrowed this powerful emotion for their own ends.
Thanks to fan edits, "Guren No Yumiya" became more associated with anything comically epic (like the music video of the Bollywood song "Thaliya Thaliya") more than the Survey Corps' desperate struggle. Not helping were the song's German and Japanese lyrics, which were memed endlessly with deliberately bad misreadings and subtitles.
7 'Lost In Paradise' Became The Anime Dance Trend Of 2020
Every now and then, an anime's song will become a dance trend. This is exactly what happened to Jujutsu Kaisen's first ending song "Lost In Paradise," performed by ALI and AKLO. The song played over a montage of the main characters dancing or just vibing to its lively beat. The song was an instant hit, and many fans recreated it in their own ways.
From fan-made animations starring other anime characters bopping to the song or cosplayers' recreations of the credits, "Lost In Paradise" quickly became its own trend independent of the Sorcerers' and Curses' war. Even after ALI had to take an indefinite hiatus in light of their drummer's criminal acts, the song remained as popular as ever.
6 'Platinum Disco' Was Too Cute To Forget
Nisemonogatari is the third part of the sprawling Bakemonogatari story and, like its main franchise, it's a niche title that experienced anime fans only recommend to select people. Its third opening song was "Platinum Disco," sang by Yuka Iguchi (Tsukihi Aragai's voice actress), and it's better remembered than anything that happened in Nisemonogatari.
Helping "Platinum Disco" was its well-animated dance, which many fans have since recreated. In the years after Nisemonogatari's end, the platinum happy song continued to capture people's hearts. It even ended up in many fan edits like RazQ's "Platinum Spice," which combined "Platinum Disco" with Terry Crews' over-the-top Old Spice ads.
5 'Unravel' Revived The Anime Community's Emo Phase
Tokyo Ghoul has become something of a joke among anime fans because of how much it resembled the 2000s' emo craze. Nowhere was this feeling better summarized than the opening song "unravel," performed by TK from Ling tosite sigure - especially the opening lines and chords, which have inspired countless memes.
"unravel" is better known as the "oshiete meme" or, more recently, "Donny's Theme," which stems from iFunny user Donny's overdramatic reaction to getting catfished. Whenever someone has an overly angsty online reaction to a relatively small problem, expect a link to "unravel" to appear in the comments along with a certain manga panel of Ken Kaneki (right).
4 'God Knows...' Outlived Haruhi Suzumiya's Popularity
One of the most beloved moments from The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya was Haruhi singing "God Knows..." (sang by Haruhi's voice actress, Aya Hirano) in the Cultural Festival. ENOZ's performance left such a mark that even after the anime fell from grace, "God Knows..." lived on as one of the most beloved songs ever heard in an anime.
Regardless of what has already been said about Haruhi's botched second season, the impact she left on anime is impossible to deny, and the undying love for "God Knows..." is proof of this. The song was even covered by Nanako Kogure in Remake Our Life!, much to the delighted surprise and nostalgic tears of anime veterans around the world.
3 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' Is The Most Ethereal Anime OP Ever Heard
Neon Genesis Evangelion is known for a lot of things, including its soundtrack. The one song that sticks out the most is the opening "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," performed by Yoko Takahashi. Not only has this unique blend of choir and J-Pop come to represent all of Evangelion, but it became one of the most popular anime songs of all time.
Whether it was done as a parody or as a sincere tribute, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" has been endlessly covered and edited more so than anything from the actual anime. Even anime newcomers who have yet to watch anything from Evangelion are already familiar with its opening because of its undying online presence.
2 'Pokémon Theme' Is The Only Pokémon Song People Remember
To date, Pokémon has nearly 1,200 episodes. Despite having many opening and ending songs, the only one fans seem to remember and love is the classic "Pokémon Theme," or "Gotta Catch 'Em All!" The song, performed by Jason Paige, was made specifically for the anime's English-language dub, and it's become a franchise mainstay ever since.
Along with the original 150 Pokémon and some memorable scenes, "Pokémon Theme" is better remembered than the anime's first season that it was attached to. The song has since come to represent the entire franchise among English-speaking fans, and it always gets an uptick in views and hits whenever a big Pokémon game or anime is made.
1 'Renai Circulation' Became The Unofficial Theme Song Of The Internet
While Bakemonogatari continues to be recommended within the anime community the same way one would suggest a cult movie, its fourth opening song - "Renai Circulation," sang by Kana Hanazawa - transcended its anime and got immortalized online with the remix "Everybody's Circulation," created by TMABird.
"Everybody's Circulation" is a fan edit that spliced many popular meme songs like Smash Mouth's "All Star" and Psy's "Gangnam Style" to the catchy opening song's beat. Years after its debut on YouTube (plus countless copyright takedowns), many people still consider "Everybody's Circulation" to be the anime community's anthem.