Anime songs that were hits in the 1990s. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks.
Back in the 1990s, it still wasn’t the age of the internet.
These days, late-night anime and VOD subscriptions are the norm, but when you think of 90s anime, it was all about those early evening broadcasts.
Many of you probably spent your grade-school days rushing home after classes and turning on the TV right away.
This time, we’re featuring anime songs from that nostalgic 90s era!
Be sure to look for tracks from the shows you were obsessed with.
They’re great picks to keep in mind for karaoke, too!
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- Including global smash hits! Anime songs recommended for Gen Z
- [Nostalgic & Latest] A Special Feature on Anime Songs Recommended for People in Their 20s
- 1990s J-Pop to listen to in summer: classic and hit summer songs
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Anime songs that were hits in the 1990s: recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (81–90)
Passage of Early SpringTanaka Yoko
Yoko Tanaka debuted in 1990 and was an idol who won various awards, including the Best New Artist Award at the Megalopolis Song Festival.
The anime created in collaboration with her is Idol Angel Welcome Yoko, and this song is its theme song.
Ore TarurutoTARAKO
This is a classic, orthodox anime song whose title directly uses the name of the anime’s protagonist.
It served as the theme song for the TV anime “Magical Taluluto-kun,” which aired from 1990 to 1992, and the protagonist Taluluto’s voice actor, TARAKO, also performed the vocals.
Many people likely remember the cute singing voice.
It’s an anime song notable in several ways: the original creator, Tatsuya Egawa, took part in writing the lyrics, and the composition was handled by Godiego’s Yukihide Takakawa.
I don’t need promises.Sakamoto Maaya
A gentle piece that evokes the flow of precious, radiant moments.
Its dreamy, tender sound fits perfectly with the anime scenes of The Vision of Escaflowne.
This was voice actor Maaya Sakamoto’s debut as a singer, and it became a popular work alongside the anime.
Released in April 1996.
In the anime, Maaya Sakamoto plays the protagonist, Hitomi Kanzaki.
Boomerang of ?Tokugaki Tomoko
When Osamu Tezuka’s manga The Three-Eyed One was adapted into a TV anime, the theme song was sung by Tomoko Tokugaki, who is also active as a musical theater actress.
The opening lyrics are quite catchy, aren’t they? The lyrics were written by Kumiko Aoki, and the music was composed by Yasuo Kosugi.
N’baba Love SongTOME
Papuwa-kun, the Island Boy was the flagship series of Monthly Shonen Gangan, a manga magazine launched in 1991.
It was adapted into an anime in 1992, and the contrast between its eccentric gag characters and serious plot developments proved popular.
The opening theme, N’baba Love Song, was composed by Yasuo Kosugi—known for many children’s shows and anime tracks—and its distinctive melody is one that sticks in your head.