Top 20 Greatest Anime Soundtracks

If a hero is as good as their theme music, then the young superheroes in this series are already amazing! The soundtrack by composer Yuki Hayashi manages to capture an incredible array of moods for every situation. Villain themes are moody and menacing, while the heroes’ themes are more energetic and hopeful. The famous “You Say Run” is a natural standout, since it goes with everything (and is so catchy you’ll never get it out of your head!). However, the soundtrack also features memorable vocal performance pieces, such as “Might” and “Hero too.” All in all, the soundtrack for “My Hero Academia” is bursting with music that will make your heart soar and have you believing you too can become a hero.

The tears never stop flowing in this epic anime tragedy, and the music only makes it that much more emotional. Kensuke Ushio’s powerful soundtrack features sweeping choral tracks that hit you in the feels as much as the events on screen. However, the intense action and atmospheric moments are brought to life with thumping rave tunes as well. Whether you’re banging your head to the beat or it feels like someone’s banging on your tear ducts, “Devilman Crybaby” brings a demonic heat with its impressive soundtrack.

It’s fairly unusual for a band to do an entire anime’s soundtrack, but “Fooly Cooly” is pretty weird in general! From its opening themes to its ending theme and everything in between, it’s all performed by the Japanese alternative rock group, The Pillows. The band’s exuberant, off-beat sound perfectly captures both the protagonist Naota’s growing pains as a preteen boy and the insanity that the bizarre alien girl Haruko brings to his life. While the world of “Fooly Cooly” may be anything but consistent, its soundtrack is great from beginning to “Ride on Shooting Star.”

Given how musically inspired the story is, with characters and abilities often taking inspiration from real world musicians, it’s no surprise that “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has one of anime’s greatest soundtracks! Composed primarily by Yugo Kanno, though with contributions from Hayato Matsuo and Taku Iwasaki as well, the “JoJo’s” OST is brimming with creativity and features a variety of genres. Each of the series’ JoJos has a theme that goes incredibly hard, with Jotaro’s horn-heavy fanfare and Giorno’s piano and saxophone-filled masterpiece being especially beloved. Even the villains’ songs hit different, with Kira’s theme being a full-on meme and the Pillar Men’s Aztec dubstep track being out of this world! The “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” soundtrack is as weird and wonderful as the show itself.

Yoko Kanno is among the most celebrated anime music composers. The first of her work we’ll be discussing is on this cyberpunk series. Kanno composed nearly every piece of music for “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.” While there are the expected techno tracks to match the futuristic setting, a large portion of the music features ethereal strings and vocals, which lends gravity and majesty to both the action and weighty topics examined in the show. The soundtrack lends the vulnerability and humanity to a world where being human is often tied to being a machine too.

Shirō Sagisu is another longtime anime composer, and he goes off with the “Bleach” soundtrack! Rock is the primary genre of most of this supernatural action series’ tracks, though even within that umbrella, the music can range from rapidfire hard rock, to eerie and unsettling. There are also plenty of other genres featured, from jazz to a heavy Spanish influence. In the case of the latter, the villains showing up is always a chance to vibe. While it may “feel like number one,” “Bleach” doesn’t top our list, unfortunately - though it still “shines out for all to see.”

Hiroyuki Sawano has composed some of the most memorable anime soundtracks of the last decade, and he absolutely kills the one for “Kill la Kill.” The music is every bit as grandiose and over-the-top as the clothing-based battle show deserves. While there are a few quieter tracks, for the most part, Sawano generally shoots for the moon with his compositions. The obvious standout is “Before my body is dry,” or “Don’t Lose Your Way,” with its powerful vocals and oh-so-catchy chorus. But no matter what craziness is happening on screen, the soundtrack is going to be just as insane!

The sheer variety of tracks Yoshihisa Hirano composed for “Hunter x Hunter” is truly impressive. The adventure series can often be lighthearted and comedic, and Hirano’s bouncy tunes fit those moments perfectly. But it can also feature tragic and mournful music, like the much meme’d “Kingdom of Predators,” and it’s also just right! The powerful action themes like “Emperor’s Time” or the always incredible “Hashire” also deliver whenever they come up! “Hunter x Hunter” is a show with hidden depths and its soundtrack takes even the most unlikely situations, like say a dodgeball match, and makes them epic!

The soundtrack for “Naruto” and its sequel series was crafted by a few composers and bands. The latter includes Yaiba and Musashi Project, while the former includes composers Toshio Masuda and Yasuharu Takanashi, who also composed “Fairy Tail” (which we regrettably couldn’t fit on our list). Music in “Naruto” is most notable for its mixture of traditional Japanese instruments and more modern music, particularly rock. Each song manages to stir emotions in the viewer, from the iconic “Sadness and Sorrow,” to more action-oriented tracks. The “Naruto” franchise’s music can give generations of anime fans the feels - or maybe there’s just ninjas cutting onions in our rooms…

This wild adult anime takes its cues from American cartoons, but its music is put together by a laundry list of Japanese musicians. These include Taku Takahashi and TeddyLoid, who are both notable DJs. The tunes generally fall into the electronic and dance categories. The soundtrack takes the show’s incredible zaniness and overt sexual energy to absurd new heights; perfectly complimenting the comedy and rare serious moments. We can only hope that the music team returns for the rumored season 2 and brings as much intensity as they did for the original!

Hiroyuki Sawano strikes again! And the composer goes for broke with this epic soundtrack! The grandiose and operatic orchestral music, as well as the vocally driven tracks, are larger than life, which fits the tone of the giant-focused dark fantasy series to a T. Battles swell with excitement and surging emotion, thanks to the incredible music. Meanwhile, each new twist or betrayal hits that much harder with the music going wild in the background! Despair, triumph, and joy - no matter the emotion, Sawano plays the audience like one of the instruments in his arsenal, and makes us feel exactly what the characters do in this legendary anime saga.

Unlike most of our entries, in this case, we’re talking about the “Beyblade” dub soundtrack. Performed by Lucas Rossi & Sick Kid, the soundtrack for the “Beyblade” dub is shockingly good for a show that’s basically about elaborate battles using spinning tops! Primarily made up of energetic rock songs, these tracks never fail to get you pumped up for a battle! Bangers like “Never Gonna Take Me Down” and “Rise Above the Storm” still get us hyped decades later! Whether you’re a veteran fan or just hearing them for the first time, it’s best to put this soundtrack on and “let it rip!”

There’s nothing quite like “Gurren Lagann,” and that extends to its soundtrack too! The impossibly optimistic mecha series sees its heroes shoot for the heavens with their drills and the music is every bit as outrageous as that premise. Triumphant action scenes are underscored by Taku Iwasaki’s compositions, which range from hopeful string pieces to the weird fusion of opera and rap that are the show’s signature pieces, “Libera Me From Hell” and “Rap is a Man’s Soul!” This soundtrack is as ridiculous and ridiculously awesome as the rest of “Gurren Lagann!” Anyone who experiences it will be ready to “do the impossible, see the invisible” and “fight the pow-a!”

When you think “supernatural crime thriller,” something dark and moody probably comes to mind. And, while composers Hideki Taniuchi and Yoshihisa Hirano do include moodier, subdued pieces throughout “Death Note,” their soundtrack for the series is perhaps best known for orchestral songs with over-the-top Latin chanting. These tracks in particular lend even the most mundane actions, like writing in the titular notebook (or eating potato chips) a sense of weight and import. The OST also features quieter, yet no less intriguing pieces, such as L’s famous theme, whose piano is instantly recognizable. “Death Note”’s music makes every twist and turn of this gripping story leap off the screen and get your heart racing - though hopefully not because of anyone writing your name down.

As one of the most famous and influential anime ever made, it’s fitting that “Evangelion” also has one of the best anime soundtracks. Composed by Shirō Sagisu, the soundtrack has drawn comparisons to everything from classical music to tokusatsu themes to The Beatles. It's this wide range of styles that has helped this OST become as beloved as its series. The music nearly always accentuates the characters and the events onscreen, with the many genres allowing for a diverse array of moods. Additionally, tracks like “The Beast” experimented with orchestra and guitar before it became popular to do so. Not everyone “gets” “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” but its soundtrack, at least, has a universal appeal.

For as much as many of us grew up watching and loving the scores in this show’s various dubs, we have to give it to the original “DBZ” soundtrack composed by Shinsuke Kikuchi. The prototypical Shounen soundtrack for the archetype of the genre, Kikuchi’s score hits all the right notes. Comedy scenes feel bouncy and upbeat. Villains’ themes are menacing and eerie. And Goku and company’s triumphs are made even more impactful by optimistic and hopeful tunes. And the epic orchestral fanfares that play during moments like the first Super Saiyan transformation are forever burned into our memories, right along with the imagery! Still, we’d argue that there may be one Shounen series whose soundtrack has surpassed it, and that’s-

In terms of sheer overwhelming volume of tracks, “One Piece” easily has the most soundtrack on our list! It’s also one of the best! Composers Kohei Tanaka and Shiro Hamaguchi have been delivering greatness for decades and they haven’t slowed down at all! In this epic pirate journey, every character, every location, every battle feels unique, distinct, and unforgettable thanks to the choice in musical style. And “One Piece” fans are devoted enough that we can all recognize certain old favorite tracks, such as “Overtaken,” immediately! Whether the scene calls for melancholy or hope and wonder, the “One Piece” OST always goes for broke!

It’s not often that an anime helps popularize an entire genre of music, but “Initial D” pulled it off! Composers Ryuichi Katsumata and Atsushi Umebori inject the series full of high-octane energy through their tracks that blend rock, techno, and dance music. Meanwhile, their work is supplemented by contributions from nearly every Eurobeat artist alive during the period the show was airing! Tracks like “Deja Vu” and “Running in the ‘90s” have become internet memes in themselves, and their use in “Initial D” turns drift races into pulse-pounding events that we can’t look away from! It’s not often that an anime helps popularize…wait - “Deja Vu!”

Music is baked into the DNA of this space western/noir anime - even the episode titles pay tribute to musical styles and songs! The “Cowboy Bebop” soundtrack is composed by Yoko Kanno and it’s arguably her most famous work. Although instrumental jazz is the predominant feature across the show, every single track is toe-tappingly, heart-pumpingly amazing! But there are plenty of vocal tracks as well, from the ending theme “Real Folk Blues,” to the beautiful and melancholy “Rain.” “Cowboy Bebop” is often called a masterpiece, and its soundtrack is a major reason why!

Composer Susumu Hirasawa has worked on every adaptation of “Berserk” (so far), but it’s his soundtrack for the original anime from the ‘90s that has won and/or broken our hearts for decades. While the number of tracks is comparatively few, every one of them feels rich and evocative, immersing you in the feelings of the characters and the world. Guts’s theme may be a meme, but its breathtaking beauty and tragedy are still incredibly moving. And every time “Forces” plays, even the most minor battle feels epic in scale. “Berserk”’s music stirs the soul and tears it apart, much like the dark fantasy series itself.



Is there an anime soundtrack you love that we forgot? Let us know in the comments!