Besides the recognizable art style and amazing storylines, anime is also known for their theme songs! They tend to change every season, and below are a few of my favorites that never get old.
Quick note: Each anime title links over to our catalog where you can put the anime or manga on hold to enjoy for yourself!
Classic Anime (2000s and older)
1. Naruto (2002–2007)
Even though I was never a huge Naruto fan growing up, I love, love, love the second season theme song: Haruka Kanata by Asian Kung Fu Generation. It gets you hooked right away and keeps you wanting more long after it’s ended!
2. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003–2004)
Then there’s Fullmetal Alchemist, which has TWO of my favorite theme songs: Ready Steady Go by L’arc~en~Ciel (below) and Rewrite by Asian Kung Fu Generation. (Yes, I do love this band! Can you tell???)
If I had to choose between the two, Ready Steady Go wins. It’s just such a good theme and immediately gets you in the mood for Edward and Alphonse’s adventures. It’s an awesome workout song to boot!
3. InuYasha (2000–2004, 2009–2010)
Next in the world of classic, unforgettable theme songs is InuYasha! I love pretty much ALL the ending and opening themes for this show, so it’s super hard to choose, but let’s go with Fukai Mori by Do As Infinity. It’s a slow, wind-down to what’s usually an intense, action-packed episode. It’s perfect for watching right before bed (which is what I used to do when it was on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim). This song is especially memorable for me because my mom loved to sing it improperly. So Fukai Mori wins best InuYasha theme song for me, on account of nostalgia.
Current Anime (2010s and newer)
4. My Hero Academia (2016–present)
Moving to the modern era…
Another theme song I love to workout to is My Hero Academia’s third season opening theme! Odd Future by UVERworld. It’s super upbeat, and I can picture the opening in my head with my eyes closed. Just listening to it now makes me want to watch more My Hero Academia instead of writing this post!
5. Overlord (2015–2018)
Continuing with my theme of three, Overlord has a great third season opening as well! This one is a bit of a departure in style from all my other favorites. Voracity by Myth & Roid is a bit creepy and more metal-esque. But there’s something about it I absolutely adore, and it fits all the characters of Overlord as well. (As creatures of the undead, they are a bit creepy!)
6. Dr. Stone (2019–present)
Last but not least…there’s Dr. Stone! I love everything about this show, the world, the characters and (of course) the theme music! Good Morning World by the Burnout Syndromes perfectly matches with Senku’s ideals to save all of civilization with its hopeful feel.
I hope you enjoyed my favorite themes as much as I have! This short list barely scrapes the surface of theme songs I enjoy, but if I kept going we’d be here all day! I wanted this to be a blog post, not a blog dissertation! Please remember, these are just my favorite themes, and I don’t discount anything you consider your favorite. We can all have music we love, even if we don’t agree! ❤️
I’d love to hear what your bae themes are at our monthly Anime Nights! Our next date is February 3 at 5 p.m.! Join us to stream Dr. Stone, My Hero Academia and more on Crunchyroll! I do take suggestions.