Summary
- Anime intros, such as those in Gintama and Naruto Shippuden, captivate audiences with unique videos and incredible songs that leave a lasting impression.
- The opening themes of Mob Psycho 100 and Tokyo Ghoul, like "99" and "Unravel," respectively, showcase the power of music in creating an immersive experience for viewers.
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood also deliver iconic openings, with their songs and visuals perfectly capturing the essence of the anime's unique worlds.
The anime industry has something unique to offer to everyone and the animation medium continues to take exciting steps forward. Anime have become particularly ambitious and fearless with the genres of storytelling that they take on and there are many anime narratives that seem as if they'd be impossible anywhere else. Audiences are drawn into anime for its story, characters, and visuals, but music is also a very important part of the experience. In fact, the best anime openings leave a lasting impression on fans.
Anime intros are an introduction to these incredible worlds. They best anime intros often feature unique videos and incredible songs that linger long after the episode is over. There are a lot of expectations regarding what an anime opening needs to convey, and there's definitely an art to the most effective and memorable sequences from over the years.
Updated July 28, 2023 by Casey Coates & Jennifer Melzer: This list has been updated to reflect CBR's current publishing style, to include videos for the most iconic anime opening themes and bring five more iconic openings into the mix.
15 "Tougenkyou Alien" (Serial TV Drama)
Gintama, Season 9
Gintama is a totemic series with more than 350 episodes, three feature films, and a recently announced spin-off in the works. However, it's oddly a blind spot for a lot of anime fans. There are nearly two-dozen different opening songs that occur throughout Gintama's run. None of them are ineffective, but the series' ninth opening, "Tougenkyou Alien," is an excellent execution of the action series' hilarious and manic interests, as well as its huge cast of characters. "Tougenkyou Alien" by Serial TV Drama is an entertaining song and the non-stop chase that consumes the opening is pure Gintama.
14 *"Silhoutte" (KANA-BOON)
Naruto Shippuden, Opening 16
When it comes to Naruto, so many opening and closing songs and sequences are catchy, memorable and jam-packed with unique imagery and animation. There are none more iconic, however than Shippuden's Opening 16, which featured KANA-BOON's "Silhouette" and saw the titular character as a sad child before he took off running in classic Naruto ninja style. It also aged villainous characters like Madara Uchiha and Obito Uchiha from youth through their current age, giving them a brief sense of humanity that almost made them seem defeatable. The animation in this opener is a colorful as the song is catchy, making it the most iconic Naruto opening of them all.
13 "99" (Mob Choir)
Mob Psycho 100
Rhythmically counting from one to one hundred shouldn't be the backbone to an exceptional opening number, but it's amazing how effective of a device it is for the opening theme song to Mob Psycho 100, "99" by Mob Choir. "99" bombards the audience with overwhelming and stunning visuals that only get increasingly ridiculous.
"99" is a song that demands to be listened to on repeat and there's always something new to discover on a rewatch. It's a testament to the anime's musical abilities that the theme song for Mob Psycho 100 II, "99.9" is just as satisfying of an introduction to each episode.
12 "Unravel" (Toro Kitajima)
Tokyo Ghoul Opening
The misguided execution of Tokyo Ghoul's later seasons remains one of anime's bigger missed opportunities. The series ends on a sour note, but there's so much promise in the initial season of Tokyo Ghoul, which also contains a phenomenal opening that continues to resonate years later. "Unravel" by Toru Kitajima begins with elegant, restrained vocals, which gradually explode with passion in the song's final verse in a transformation that mirrors Ken Kaneki's own dichotomy. The colorful visuals that adorn the end of the opening are also striking and the song's lyrics encapsulate the fears that slowly consume Kaneki.
11 "Great Days" (Karen Aoki and Daisuke Hasegawa)
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Opening
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an incredibly unique shonen series. Music is deeply woven into its DNA and many characters and Stands are named after musical groups. Every opening song for JoJo's is beautiful in its own way and none of them would be out of place here, but "Great Days" from Diamond is Unbreakable shows off Morioh in all of its weird glory. Additionally, several JoJo's openings have alternate versions where the villain and their Stand interfere with the proceedings. This concept is best executed with "Great Days," where Kira plays through the whole theme in reverse. It's still a banger, even in reverse.
10 "Again" (YUI)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Opening 1
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is a strong mix of fantasy, action, and family values that have connected with a very large audience over the years. The anime's first opening, "Again" by Yui, isn't necessarily anything fancy, but it's still an engaging piece of music that feels appropriate for the epic journey that lies ahead.
"Again" is also set to exciting visuals that celebrate the intense action that fills the anime. After the unsuccessful previous anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist, "Again" is such a triumphant note to begin the new series that instantly assured audiences that the story would be in safe hands this time around.
9 *"Flyer" (BRAIDO)
Death Parade
Death Parade is one of those dark anime with a heavy theme that's bound to get gears turning as the episode progresses. Fortunately, it launches with one of the catchiest and quirkiest tunes to get viewers in a dancing mood before settling into the more serious stuff. BRAIDO's "Flyer" launches with an almost discotheque vibe that even gets the more stoic characters dancing. It's all but impossible to keep still during this intro, making in one of the most iconic openers out there.
8 *The Hero (JAM Project)
One-Punch Man, Opening 1
One of the things that makes One-Punch Man's Season 1 opener so iconic is that when combined with the flashing title and animation, it has a classic 1980's cartoon vibe. JAM Project's vocals are reminiscent of the heavy metal era, adding an epic ambiance to the action-packed intro. The flashiness is so unlike Saitama as an everyday guy that the music and animation quickly become the perfect introduction to his incredible, superhuman punch.
7 *Kaikai Kitan (Eve)
Jujutsu Kaisen, Opening 1
Jujutsu Kaisen launched into its first season with an action-packed opening carried along on an incredibly catchy song. The animation features the magical lines all throughout the city, while the characters follow these energy trails. Main character Yuji Itadori's ride on the subway is coupled with disturbing images and memories of his grandfather, offering a glimpse at the darkness to come. "Kakai Kitan" by Eve gets fans excited to launch into each episode, which is exactly what a good opener should do.
6 "Guren No Yumiya" (Linked Horizon)
Attack on Titan, Opening 1
Attack on Titan has grown into one of the decade's most talked-about anime series thanks to its brutal action sequences and unpredictable plot twists. Attack on Titan's music has become a major part of the fandom and there are full concerts of devotees passionately belting out theme song lyrics while dressed as members of the Survey Corps.
Every Attack on Titan theme feels like the best one at the moment and the latest efforts, "My War" and "The Rumbling," are major changes of pace. However, it's hard to say that any of these are more iconic than Linked Horizon's "Guren no Yumiya," Attack on Titan's first opening theme.
5 "Gotta Catch 'em All!" (Jason Paige)
Original Pokémon Theme
A compelling debate continues to rage on between the original subtitled versions of anime series and their dubbed counterparts. It's important for anime dubs to maintain the integrity of their source material, but there are many instances where new theme songs for dubbed anime are quite embarrassing. Written by John Siegler and John Loeffler and performed by Jason Paige, the original "Pokémon Theme" for the original Pokémon adventures has oddly become iconic in its own right and conjures considerably more nostalgia than the show's first Japanese opening number. "Pokémon Theme" is practically emblematic of the franchise and still receives a lot of love.
4 *Moonlight Densestsu (DALI)
Sailor Moon Super S, Opening 1
Sailor Moon fans recognize a good opener when they hear it, thanks to DALI's "Moonlight Densetsu." There's something nostalgic about this opener. It speaks of intrigue and adventure, and as the Sailor Senshi fly up toward the moon, armoring themselves as they go, fans of this beloved franchise are fully prepared to settle in and relive a classic.
3 "The WORLD" (Nightmare)
Death Note, Opening 1
Death Note's grim premise and heightened, yet brilliant, characters have helped the anime become a favorite among many. Death Note is a difficult tightrope to walk in tone and an opening theme song can be a very helpful way to properly prepare the audience for what's to come. Nightmare's "The WORLD" is a moody number that echoes Death Note's dark themes but doesn't get too lost in aggressive vocalizations. It undersells the anime's complexity, but it's still a very entertaining piece of music independent of Death Note.
2 "Tank!" (Seatbelts)
Cowboy Bebop Opening
Shinichiro Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop is one of the director's most beloved anime contributions. The '90s science fiction series experiments with multiple genres as its team of scrappy bounty hunters travel through space. Music is deeply important to Cowboy Bebop and the work that Yoko Kanno and her group Seatbelts create for the series is on a whole other level. Every track bursts with style, but this is truest for the anime's bombastic opening theme, "Tank!" It's a sublime jazz number that conveys the staccato, improvisational vibe to Cowboy Bebop's storytelling. The music and stylized visuals make sure that the exclamation point at the end of "Tank!" is felt.
1 "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (Toko Takahashi)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Opening
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the biggest and most inscrutable anime series of all time. The anime remains one of the most challenging and artistic expressions of depression and Armageddon. Evangelion's use of "Fly Me to the Moon" for its end credit music is iconic in its own right. However, the show's opening number, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis," is largely regarded as one of the best anime theme songs ever made and is extremely popular in Japan's karaoke circuit. Performed by Yoko Takahashi, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" incorporates heavenly vocals and aggressive tempos that reflect the anime's contrasting sensibilities. More than anything else, it's infinitely catchy.