Great anime songs that colored the Heisei era

Butter-FlyWada Kōji

Butterfly Full Version-Digimon Adventure Opening

As the opening theme of the anime Digimon Adventure, this song is beloved as a piece that symbolizes the Digimon series.

It continues to be cherished from many angles—as an anison with a band sound and as one of Kouji Wada’s signature tracks.

Although it doesn’t directly use words related to the work itself, its message of moving forward evokes the strong, determined figures of the characters in the story.

With a straightforward, high-energy band sound and an appealing sense of leaping into the unknown, it’s a song that makes you feel the courage to keep moving ahead just by listening to it.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

kappamaki

Report a problem

Until the world ends…WANDS

WANDS “Until the World Ends… [WANDS 5th Generation ver.]” MV

This is WANDS’ eighth single, which was used as the second ending theme for the 1994 TV anime Slam Dunk.

It played alongside Mitsui Hisashi’s comeback arc, topped the Oricon weekly chart for two consecutive weeks, and became a million seller.

Show Uesugi’s impassioned vocals and Tetsurō Oda’s masterful composition lyrically portray the sense of loss after heartbreak and the turbulence of shifting emotions, building gradually from the first verse and bursting open in the chorus—thrilling whether you sing it or listen to it.

Also included on the album PIECE OF MY SOUL, it remains an immortal classic loved across generations, continually covered by the reactivated fifth-generation WANDS since 2019 and by Show Uesugi himself.

Crimson Lotus FlowerLiSA

LiSA “Gurenge” -MUSiC CLiP- (Anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” Tanjiro Kamado: Unwavering Resolve Arc Opening Theme)

This is a song by LiSA, a leading singer in the anison world, chosen as the opening theme for the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

With powerful rock sounds and piercing high vocals, it expresses the indomitable spirit of the protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, as he faces adversity.

Released in 2019, the song achieved the remarkable feat of topping the Oricon charts as both the “last No.

1 of the Heisei era” and the “first No.

1 of the Reiwa era.” In 2020, LiSA also performed at NHK’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen, and the song became a social phenomenon that transcended the anison genre.

It’s a track that gives courage to everyone striving to move forward without being defeated by hardship.

Listen to it on your way to school, and it’s sure to lift your spirits!

peace signYonezu Kenshi

Kenshi Yonezu – Peace Sign

The single released by Kenshi Yonezu in 2017 is the opening theme for the first cour of season 2 of the anime My Hero Academia.

The song captures the protagonist’s determination to grow stronger in order to protect those he cares about, even while facing his own weakness.

Its exhilarating guitar-rock sound and powerful message of charging toward the future are truly stirring.

It’s the perfect track for times when you want to keep moving forward despite setbacks, or when you feel like doing your best for someone else.

There’s also an anecdote that Yonezu created it with the Digimon Adventure theme song in mind—perhaps another reason it’s loved across generations.

The music video surpassed 300 million views on YouTube in October 2024 and continues to inspire courage in many people.

I’m a popular kid.nohara shinnosuke

Crayon Shin-chan Theme Song OP3: I’m a Popular Guy (Ora wa Ninkimono)

The voice actor for the protagonist Shinnosuke, Akiko Yajima, sings this song.

It was included on her debut single released in July 1993 and was used as the third opening theme for the TV anime.

With bold lyrics proclaiming herself a star, it feels like the song perfectly captures Shin-chan’s relentlessly cheerful personality.

Just listening to it brings to mind Shin-chan’s powerful, laid-back daily life.

This track became the first character-name single to break into the Oricon Top 10.

Give it a listen when you want to lift your mood, or when you want to feel energized without sweating the small stuff—just like Shin-chan.

It might also be fun to sing along together as a parent and child.

Odoru Pompoko RinB.B. Kuīnzu

Chibi Maruko-chan First Ending Theme: “Odoru Pompokorin”

Released in 1990, this was B.B.

Queens’ debut single that sparked a massive craze.

As the ending theme for the anime Chibi Maruko-chan, it played in households across Japan and became a national hit that everyone—from kids to adults—could sing and dance to.

It also drew attention for having lyrics written by the original creator, Momoko Sakura.

In fact, the group was a masked super-unit planned by Being, packed with top-tier talent; the outstanding performances by artists like Fusanosuke Kondo and Yuko Tsubokura underpin the irresistibly upbeat sound.

Its mysterious, whimsical phrases stick in your head after just one listen.

The moment you hear the intro, the excitement of those days comes rushing back—a song that truly defines its era.

BelieveTamaki Nami

Nami Tamaki “Believe” Music Video

This is the memorable debut single by Nami Tamaki, who made her debut in 2003 at the young age of 15.

The song was selected as the opening theme for the third cour of the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and made a striking debut by reaching as high as No.

5 on the Oricon Weekly Chart.

Its fast-paced, trance-influenced J-pop sound blends perfectly with Tamaki’s powerful vocals, and as an anthem about maintaining hope even in the midst of battle, it has continued to be beloved by many fans.

It’s a song that gives you a push forward when you need the courage to believe in yourself and move ahead.