Tear-jerking unrequited love songs that will break your heart: timeless classics about unattainable love

A world without youto shiki

A world without you

This is a work by Toshiki, a singer-songwriter from Hyogo Prefecture, singing about overflowing feelings for someone precious who has disappeared from right before your eyes.

Released in August 2022, the song spread on social media after a post sparked buzz as a “heart-wrenchingly divine track,” inspiring over 4,000 fan-made videos.

It depicts the painful realization, only after losing them, that the ordinary days spent with someone you can no longer meet were the true happiness.

Perhaps everyone has experienced the torment of secretly holding on to love—still being in love even after a breakup.

A masterful ballad sung from a male perspective that gently embraces such sentimental feelings.

Please take your time and listen closely to his warm yet heartrending voice.

usmilet

milet 'us' MUSIC VIDEO (Theme song for the Nippon TV Wednesday drama 'Gisou Furin' [Fake Affair])

A heartrending love song by milet that earnestly sings about cherishing the present moment, even while feeling anxious about possibly losing a relationship by confessing one’s feelings.

She conveys the interplay of courage and fear in taking a step forward through her signature husky voice.

Born from the album “us,” released in August 2019, this track also perfectly captures the world of the NTV Wednesday drama “Fake Affair,” for which it served as the theme song.

It gently accompanies those who struggle to express their feelings honestly to someone, or who hesitate out of a desire not to change a precious relationship.

Dried flowersNEW!Yuuri

Yuri “Dry Flower” Official Music Video - Director’s Cut ver. -

This ballad overlays feelings that don’t fade even after a breakup with the image of flowers that remain beautiful even when they wither.

Known as one of Yuuri’s signature songs, it is depicted as the after-story to the male-perspective heartbreak song “Kakurenbo.” The wavering emotions of a woman who tries—and fails—to grow to dislike her former partner press upon the heart along with the poignant melody.

Released for streaming in October 2020, it achieved the remarkable milestone of surpassing 1 billion domestic streams in July 2024.

It will be there for you on nights when memories of someone you loved make your chest tighten, or when you just need to have a good cry.

PrologueNEW!Uru

"Prologue" FULL ver.

A poignant ballad that portrays a love so strong it slips beyond one’s control—leaving you wondering how you could ever fall this hard.

Even knowing it’s hopeless, your eyes still follow the one you love; those wavering emotions surge through your chest alongside Uru’s crystal-clear voice.

Released as a single in December 2018, the song was chosen as the theme for the drama “Chugakusei Nikki” (Middle Schooler’s Diary), starring Kasumi Arimura.

It resonates with the story’s depiction of a forbidden relationship between teacher and student, and many likely found themselves in tears whenever it played at the drama’s climactic moments.

It was later included on the acclaimed album “Orion Blue.” For anyone spending nights on the verge of breaking, burdened by feelings that defy reason, this song will quietly stay by your side.

I became someone else’s girlfriend.wacci

wacci “I Became Someone Else’s Girlfriend” Music Video

A love song woven with a voice that leaves a bittersweet afterglow, capturing a form of love different from a simple unrequited crush.

The emotions of a woman swaying between reason and feeling are portrayed with delicate nuance.

Though she should be satisfied with her new relationship, the frustration of being unable to sever her feelings for her ex presses on her heart.

Released digitally by wacci in August 2018, the song gradually gained popularity through word of mouth on social media, reaching 100 million total streams in June 2021.

It has sparked a major response, with many artists covering it.

This is a track that deeply resonates with anyone who feels, “I should be happy, yet I’m not fulfilled,” and who carries such complex romantic emotions.

ContrastTOMOO

TOMOO – Contrast [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

A gem of a love song where longing for someone and bittersweet ache are exquisitely interwoven.

The feelings TOMOO weaves—wavering between the joy and loneliness of love—gently embrace emotions anyone can relate to.

That aching sense of being unable to close the emotional distance, even when the person is right in front of you.

Pure feelings that slip out despite putting on a brave face.

Carefully giving voice to the heart of someone in unrequited love, this song has been airing as the ending theme for cour 2 of the anime “Blue Box” since January 2024.

It’s a track we especially hope those “in the middle of love,” unable to be honest even with the person they like so close by, will listen to.

My name is Unrequited Loveindigo la End

indigo la End "The Name Is Unrequited Love"

This is a song by indigo la End that portrays a heartrending unrequited love beginning with love at first sight.

Set to a lively mid-tempo track crafted by Enon Kawatani in January 2023, it sings of the protagonist’s complex emotions after falling for someone of the same sex.

While feeling the pain of social prejudice and unspoken pressures, the story tightens the chest as the protagonist suppresses their own feelings for the sake of the other person’s happiness.

It’s a song that will resonate with those who, having fallen in love, lose sight of themselves yet can do nothing but carry those feelings, as well as those struggling with a love they can’t tell anyone about.