A Look Back at Heisei-Era Friendship Songs Through the Hit Tracks of the 2026s: A Collection of Classics to Sing with Friends
Many of the hit songs from the 2000s that colored the Heisei era are timeless anthems celebrating the bonds of friendship.
These tracks, which rose to popularity alongside the culture of the time, still make our hearts swell today.
For many, they may bring back memories of humming along with friends during school days.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of friendship songs that resonate with the generation that lived through the Heisei era.
Why not take a moment to reminisce and bask in the nostalgia?
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A Collection of Heisei-Era Friendship Songs Revisited Through the Hit Tracks of the 2026s: Timeless Tunes to Sing with Friends (1–10)
Until the day we meet againyuzu
This is a Yuzu number where friends can say “See you again” with a smile.
Released as a single in October 2002, it became widely beloved as the ending theme for the TV anime Doraemon.
It’s also included on the album Sumire and is a song that gets crowds excited at live shows.
Yujin Kitagawa wrote the lyrics by weaving together words with children during a camping trip, infusing the song with unpretentious feelings.
Its positive theme—that parting is a promise for what comes next—gently gives listeners a supportive push forward.
FlenjerOtsuka Ai
It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when you want to cheer up a friend who’s feeling down, or when you want to cut loose together and laugh it off.
It was released in April 2006 as the 11th single.
Since it was used as the CM song for Toshiba mobile phones and as the theme song for Nippon TV’s “Sports Urugusu,” many people probably heard it often at the time.
The title is a unique coined word that combines “friend” and “sentai hero.” It’s a track packed with Ai Otsuka’s signature wordplay and a passionate embrace of friendship.
My dear best friendShonan no Kaze
Do you ever find yourself suddenly picturing the faces of friends you once messed around with and laughed together? Released as a single in February 2009, this song is widely known as the theme for the film Drop, directed by Hiroshi Shinagawa.
It portrays a real kind of friendship—one that embraces not just the beautiful parts, but also feelings of inferiority and frustration.
The words, filled with the anxious rush of chasing after a friend who’s one step ahead and a vow to an unchanging bond, are deeply moving.
It’s a fight song that gives you courage when you’re about to take a new step.
sunflowerYūsuke
It’s a support song that delivers straightforward gratitude wrapped in a warm rap.
Released in March 2009 as the debut single under the name Yusuke, this work comes from Yusuke Kamiji, who is also active as an actor and TV personality.
It was also chosen as the theme song for “Yusuke Kamiji Himawari Monogatari,” a drama based on Kamiji’s essays.
The lyrics, written in unpretentious language, overflow with thanks to those who have supported him and cheers for those about to take a new step forward.
Perfect for the season of graduations and new departures.
Words of FarewellFLOW
Okuru Kotoba, a bold cover of Kaientai’s classic, reimagined with a driving, youthfully charged punk sound.
Released as an indie single in January 2003 by the five-piece mixture rock band FLOW, the track garnered explosive support, especially among young listeners of the time.
Its energetic performance and fiery call-and-response between the twin vocalists blow away the sorrow of parting.
It was also selected as the ending theme for TBS’s COUNT DOWN TV, becoming widely beloved.