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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- A coming-of-age song that was a hit in the ’90s. A classic and popular track in Japanese music.
- [Nostalgic] A special feature on legendary anime theme songs: revisiting those classic tracks
- [Top 20] Anime Song Sales Ranking of the Heisei 30 Years!
- [Nostalgic Songs] A compilation of classic anime themes that hit home for those born in the Showa and Heisei eras
- 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
- [Hot & Cool] Up-tempo, hype-inducing anime song
Anime songs that were hits in the 1990s. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (41–50)
Unwavering WishTamura Naomi
Aired in 1994, Magic Knight Rayearth is a TV anime based on a popular shoujo manga serialized in Nakayoshi.
It became hugely popular for its RPG-like storyline and unexpectedly serious developments that belied its art style.
The opening theme Yuzurenai Negai, sung by Naomi Tamura, was a massive hit, selling over one million copies, and earned her a spot in the 1995 Kohaku Uta Gassen.
Get alongHayashibara Megumi, Okui Masami
It’s the opening theme of the first anime adaptation of Hajime Kanzaka’s popular light novel series Slayers, sung by Megumi Hayashibara, who voices the protagonist Lina Inverse, and singer-songwriter Masami Okui.
It peaked at number 36 on the Oricon weekly chart.
ETERNAL WIND ~A Smile in the Shining Wind~Moriguchi Hiroko
This piece is the song performed by Hiroko Moriguchi as the theme for the film Mobile Suit Gundam F91.
It became her first entry into the top 10 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, peaking at No.
9, and ranked No.
47 on the year-end chart.
Befitting a grand anime set in space, the lyrics carry prayers for peace and a message of hope, also giving it an anti-war dimension.
Though a mid-tempo ballad, its sweeping choruses and strings create a sense of scale that offers a powerful comfort to people living with the anxieties of the times.
It’s an iconic 1990s anime song that makes you want to overlay feelings of parting and reunion with loved ones, and thoughts about the future.
Feelings in your colorSMAP / Sawada Shoko
Broadcast in 1994, Red Riding Hood Chacha is a TV anime based on a girls’ manga serialized in Ribon.
Its opening theme was SMAP’s Kimi Iro Omoi.
The song is very popular—it was even included in a best-of album selected by SMAP fan votes—but when the anime was released on home video, rights issues arose, so the song was replaced with a cover version sung by Seiko Sawada instead of SMAP.
I want to see your smileHamada Rie
Marmalade Boy, a shoujo manga serialized in Ribon, was a huge hit in the 1990s.
It remains a beloved work, even getting a live-action film adaptation in 2018.
For the 1994 anime adaptation, the theme song chosen was Rie Hamada’s “Egao ni Aitai.” In fact, beyond anime, she has written and composed numerous songs for children’s programs on NHK Educational TV (E-Tele).
Warrior, rise!Endō Masaaki
This is the theme song from when Masō Kishin Cybaster, which appears in the Super Robot Wars series, was adapted into an anime.
It seems opinions are divided, partly because the anime differed too much from the original, but Masaaki Endoh’s opening theme is undeniably cool.
WILLYonekura Chihiro
Houshin Engi, which also received a remake anime adaptation.
This song was the theme for Senkaiden Houshin Engi, the first TV anime series produced in 1999.
Created by singer-songwriter Chihiro Yonekura, who is known for performing many anime theme songs, this track is truly wonderful.
Its refreshing sound, clear and powerful vocals, unforgettable chorus, and positive lyrics make it a masterpiece—not only as an anime song, but also as excellent J-pop.
