[For Graduates] Graduation Songs and Cheer Anthems to Convey Gratitude and Support

paprikaYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Paprika

With its warm melody and hope-filled lyrics, this piece gently gives graduates a supportive push forward.

Released by Kenshi Yonezu in August 2020, it also drew attention as NHK’s support song for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

Centered on a dialogue between one’s pure childhood self and one’s grown-up self, it’s a song that gives you the courage to face forward even in difficult times.

It’s a track we want to send not only to graduates taking a new step, but also to those seeing them off.

A heartwarming anthem that teaches the importance of finding small joys in everyday life.

pupilŌhara Sakurako

Sakurako Ohara “Hitomi” (Music Video Full ver.)

This is a song released in 2015 that was chosen as the cheering anthem for the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament.

Since it’s a support song for a high school competition, the youthfully spirited lyrics are incredibly appealing, and it’s also perfect as a song to send off graduates during the graduation season! In particular, it’s a song you’ll want to dedicate to senior club members with whom you worked hard and honed your skills together toward your dreams.

In the lyrics, it looks back on the efforts and memories up to now and sends encouragement for the road ahead—messages that are sure to empower graduates! It’s a message song that conveys not only encouragement, but also gratitude and respect.

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Hane Keisuke

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classmateKALMA

KALMA – Classmate (Music Video)

It’s a song that gently wraps up the end of youth and the start of a new chapter ahead.

Released by KALMA as a digital-only single in February 2019, this piece truly resonates as a cheer song dedicated to graduates.

Its sweet melodic lines and energetic performance are striking, and it’s sure to light up graduation concerts and farewell parties.

The lyrics look back on memories from school days and time spent with classmates, capturing the mix of anxiety and hope for the future—perfectly voicing the feelings of those about to graduate.

Its message of embracing a new self with positivity will surely give a gentle push to anyone facing farewells and change.

It’s okayji ma ma

jimama “It’s Okay”

This song, immensely popular as a graduation anthem, is one of the signature tracks from jimama, the solo project of Terumi Miyahira.

A slow ballad with a simple piano accompaniment, it showcases Miyahira’s gentle vocals, making the message embedded in the lyrics resonate even more deeply.

Graduating from the environment you’ve known and setting off on separate new paths with your friends naturally brings anxiety.

The word “Daijōbu” (It’s going to be okay), which also appears in the title and lyrics, gently eases the worries graduates carry as they listen.

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Hane Keisuke

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spring songamasaki annainin

Amesaki Annainin “Haru no Uta” (Spring Song) [Official Music Video]

This work by Ame-saki Annainin, which evokes the arrival of spring, is filled with gratitude and cheers for those graduating.

Set in the season of swirling cherry blossoms, its warm melody gently encourages people as they take their first steps toward their dreams.

Released in February 2023, the song was the band’s first single after restarting their activities.

The music video, filmed in a wooden school building, is beautifully crafted to evoke both nostalgia and fresh hope.

It’s perfect not only as BGM for graduation ceremonies and farewell parties, but also as a song to give you a gentle push before diving into a new environment.