[March] Carefully selected popular songs recommended for entrance and exit at sports days and athletic festivals!
The parade of classes and groups that kicks off sports days and athletic festivals.
In the past, classical pieces were the mainstay, but in recent years you often see entrance scenes on social media set to a wide range of music—from classic marches to popular J-pop.
In this article, we’ll introduce famous pieces originally composed as marches, as well as J-pop and anime songs arranged for marching.
If you can hum the melody but can’t recall the title, this might be your solution!
We hope you find the perfect track to energize those entrance and exit marches.
- [Sports Day] Entrance songs that will hype the crowd! A comprehensive roundup from classics to the latest hits
- [March] A curated selection of classic marches and dazzling crowd-pleasers for concerts!
- Recommended exit songs for sports day: A collection of tracks that are perfect for a brisk, quick-march exit.
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- [2026] Curated J-POP to Energize Sports Days and Athletic Festivals! Also Great as Entrance Music
- [Sports Day] Songs for footraces: tracks that make kids want to run [classics & J-pop]
- [March, Foot Races, Dance] Energetic songs and the latest hits to liven up a sports day
- Songs that hype up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals: Japanese Music / J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026]
- [Sports Day] A roundup of exhilarating, fast-paced tracks perfect for relay race BGM!
- Recommended for older kindergarteners! A collection of dance songs perfect for sports day
- Perfect for sports day parachute routines! Recommended J-pop songs
- [To All Athletes] Inspirational Sports Anthems & Empowering Theme Songs
- [Kids’ Cheer Song] Uplifting Positive Songs & Message Songs
[Marches] Carefully selected popular songs recommended for entry and exit at sports days and athletic festivals! (41–50)
100% CourageMakaino Kōji
A popular song that has been loved since the anime Nintama Rantarō began airing on NHK in 1993, where it serves as the theme song.
The original version was performed by Hikaru GENJI, and later by Hikaru GENJI SUPER 5 and Hey! Say! JUMP.
It’s a song that both adults and children commonly know, so it seems perfect for getting everyone excited together!
ultra soulB’z
Released in March 2001, this is B’z’s 31st single, depicting a brilliant story of passion and challenge.
With its powerful sound and intensely passionate vocals, it’s cherished as a moving masterpiece packed with the courage to believe in your own potential.
It drew attention as the official theme song for TV Asahi’s “FINA World Championships Fukuoka 2001,” and has since been used at numerous sporting events.
Tak Matsumoto’s razor-sharp guitar work and Koshi Inaba’s soul-stirring vocals boost students’ morale during entrances and exits at school sports days and athletic festivals!
Combat MarchMiki Yūjirō
Just by listening to this piece, most people will think of baseball.
Its history is shorter than you might expect: it was reportedly composed in 1965 by the Waseda University cheer squad band for the university’s baseball team.
It’s interesting that a song written by college students has remained famous for so long.
The composer, Yujiro Miki, said the piece became so famous that people wouldn’t believe he had written it.
He later registered the copyright at the suggestion of Hachidai Nakamura.
During baseball cheering, chants for the players are inserted between sections of this piece.
SPECIALZKing Gnu
A stunning work that fuses energetic sound with a dark, weighty atmosphere! Emphasizing living true to your emotions, it portrays the journey of confronting life’s complexity and uncertainty while discovering a bond with someone special.
Showcasing King Gnu’s multifaceted musicality to the fullest, this piece was released in September 2023 as the opening theme for MBS/TBS’s anime Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2: Shibuya Incident, surpassing 100 million cumulative streams on Billboard Japan.
With its powerful rhythm and rapid, driving melody, it will make the entering athletes shine even brighter and fill the entire venue with electrifying excitement.
Warship MarchSetoguchi Fujikichi
This is a march composed in 1900 by Tokichi Setoguchi, based on a song originally written in 1893 as a military song.
Also known affectionately as the “Warship March,” it was widely known before the war and remains one of the pieces frequently performed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force today.
As a work derived from a military song, it features a boldly dignified melody and crisp, march-like accompaniment—plenty of highlights to enjoy.
It conveys a refined atmosphere that suits not only use as a march for events like sports days but also concert performances.
Marine CorpsJames Fulton
The quarter notes are emphasized, making it a march that seems very easy to walk to! The light, buoyant atmosphere throughout the piece is perfect for an upcoming sports festival.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-walk march, this one is especially recommended, though the piece itself is on the short side, so I think it’s best to play it repeatedly.
When the Saints Go Marching In
This tune is also a familiar one, but you might be surprised when you learn its roots.
It is one of the African American spirituals and was originally played at funerals in the United States.
At these funerals, a brass band would join the procession as the so-called second line, playing dark and solemn music on the way to the service and bright music on the way back.
The brightness of the return music is said to express a celebration of the soul’s release and its journey to heaven.
Today, it is often used as a sports cheer song as well.