[2026] Uplifting Songs for Graduation: J-POP Graduation Songs and Anthems
After graduation, many of you may find yourselves living apart from the friends you’ve spent so much time with and the family who has supported you, as you move on to higher education or start working.
Perhaps excitement about taking your first steps toward your dream coexists in your heart with the anxiety of wondering if things will go well.
At times like these, when you might be feeling a little discouraged, you want to listen to uplifting songs that cheer you on, don’t you?
We’ve gathered songs filled with warm encouragement to give a gentle push to you, who are setting off at graduation, and to your dear friends.
Tune in to these tracks that will give you courage as you take your next step forward!
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[2026] Cheer songs you want to hear at graduation. J-pop graduation songs and anthems (121–130)
The First Steprakkuraifu
The light rhythm and pop sound evoke a countdown to a bright future.
“Hajimari no Ippo” (The First Step) is an up-tempo number that sends off everyone embarking on a new chapter with warmth.
Released by Luck Life in 2016, it was used as the theme song for the anime Cheer Boys!!.
Graduation often brings a sense of poignancy and the sadness of parting, doesn’t it? Listening to this song gives you courage and hope for the new places you’re heading.
If you want to face graduation with a bright heart, be sure to give it a listen!
Until graduationBoku ga mitakatta aozora
The second single by Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora is a song that portrays the feelings of a student on the verge of graduation.
Yasushi Akimoto’s lyrics delicately capture the pain of unrequited love and the fleeting nature of youth.
The protagonist’s complex emotions, unable to confess their feelings, resonate deeply with listeners.
Released in January 2024, the song also drew attention for its music video set in a melancholy fishing port.
It’s a recommended track for students approaching graduation and for anyone who recalls a love that never came true.
Listening to this piece will surely prompt anyone to look back on their own youth.
GRADUATIONSBACK-ON
This is a song that gently encourages you as you say goodbye to close friends and take a step onto a new path.
Holding the memories of precious friends you spent time with, it captures the wavering feelings of young people heading toward their respective futures through an emotional melody and powerful guitar sound.
The track serves as the theme song for “Kamen Rider Gotchard GRADUATIONS,” released by BACK-ON in February 2025, and stands as a supportive anthem that stays close to the major life turning point of graduation.
It blends seamlessly with the worldview of the V-Cinext production, further heightening the work’s emotional impact.
It’s a perfect song for the grand finale of a school or cultural festival and for making memories with friends.
While feeling the importance of friendship and bonds, this song gives you the courage to take your first steps toward the future.
GraduationZONE
This is a song by the girls’ band ZONE set on the day of the graduation ceremony.
The guitar phrase in the interlude uses a scale based on the school chime, giving it a nostalgic feel.
Sing your loneliness with aching tenderness, and then take a strong step forward.
[2026] Cheer songs to listen to at graduation. J-POP graduation songs and fight songs (131–140)
Words of FarewellGReeeeN
A perfect GReeeeN song to listen to during graduation season.
Released as a single in October 2018, it was also chosen as the theme song for the film “Run! T School Basketball Club.” The gentle piano melody and the four-part harmonies bring back memories of the days we spent together.
It beautifully captures a page of youth—like “the days we dreamed and talked about our hopes,” and “gratitude to friends with whom we shared frustration and joy.” While it lingers on the sorrow of parting, the lyrics also inspire hope for a new beginning, making it ideal for graduation ceremonies or retiring from a school club.
It’s a song that helps you reaffirm your bonds with friends and gives you the courage to take a step into the future.
We againSG
SG’s song, themed around parting and reunion, is a perfect coming-of-age track for graduation ceremonies.
Memories with friends, the loneliness of separation, and hope for a new path are conveyed through gentle vocals.
Released in April 2021, the song gained strong support, particularly on social media.
It has been especially popular among students on TikTok.
Set to a soft R&B beat, the lyrics will resonate deeply not only with those about to graduate, but with anyone facing a turning point in life.
It’s a song that gives you the courage to take a new step forward.
SAKURAikimonogakari
A heartwarming song that gently portrays the season when cherry blossoms dance in the air.
Its refreshing, springlike melody is beautifully layered with Kiyoe Yoshioka’s clear, transparent vocals from Ikimonogakari, resonating deeply with the listener.
While carefully depicting the scenes of a season filled with meetings and farewells, it serves as an encouraging anthem that gives you the courage to take the next step.
Released in March 2006 as their major-label debut, it was also used in an NTT East Japan commercial.
It has often been broadcast to coincide with the school graduation season and continues to be cherished as a song of memories.
It’s recommended for those who, in the spring season of partings, want to face forward and start walking, or are about to take a new step.