AKB48 Graduation Songs, Entrance Ceremony Songs, and Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

I wanted to see you.AKB4811rank/position

HD AKB48 Aitakatta

A massively popular song by AKB48, now a national idol group known by everyone.

As a signature track of AKB48, it’s hugely beloved.

It’s so cute it blows away the sadness of goodbyes—let’s all dance together and get hyped!

Feathers of the UniformAKB4812rank/position

[MV full] The Wings of the Uniform / AKB48 [Official]

You can almost picture that bittersweet scene of a secret crush: watching you run across the schoolyard from the classroom window.

This song, which sings of the hope and heartache of sprouting invisible wings on your uniformed back and taking flight toward the future, will make listeners’ hearts skip a beat.

Included on the single “Kibouteki Refrain Type D,” released in November 2014, this track is a special one for Team 8—their very first music video was made for it! When graduation approaches and you feel anxious about becoming an adult, doesn’t this song gently nudge you forward with a reassuring “It’s going to be okay”?

I only look forward.AKB4813rank/position

[MV full] We Only Look Forward / AKB48 [Official]

A graduation song by AKB48 released in 2014.

It was also the last track Yuko Oshima took part in before her graduation! The song features an upbeat, bright rock sound.

Its straightforward, forward-looking lyrics—written with a slightly mischievous tone—blow away the sadness of graduation and the anxiety of entering a new environment, giving you the courage to move ahead with strength.

It’s a highly recommended track where you can enjoy empowering lyrics wrapped in a very bright and catchy vibe.

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Hane Keisuke

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I can only face forwardAKB4814rank/position

AKB48 / We Only Look Forward

It was released as AKB48’s 35th major single.

It also drew attention as Yuko Oshima’s last song before her graduation.

Although it’s a graduation song, the lyrics make it a very cool track that’s perfect for a fresh start after entering school.

It encourages you to face forward and keep moving ahead.

You are the melody.AKB4815rank/position

[MV full] Kimi wa Melody / AKB48 [Official]

An anniversary song that can truly be called monumental, created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of AKB48’s formation.

Amid a dazzling sound that evokes the arrival of spring, a bittersweet melody tinged with nostalgia intertwines—doesn’t it make your heart flutter every time you listen? Released in March 2016 as their 43rd single, this track drew major attention for featuring legendary graduates like Atsuko Maeda and Yuko Oshima.

The vividly colored music video, directed by Mika Ninagawa and inspired by “Ōoku,” is striking, and the song was also widely known as the theme for GYAO! commercials.

Why not pick it for karaoke with friends reuniting after a while, or when you want to bask in fond memories?

Be My Baby on the LipsAKB4816rank/position

[MV] Be My Baby on My Lips Short ver. / AKB48 [Official]

A very fast-paced, powerful melody, and a bittersweet love song about someone who can’t quite find the courage to take a step forward.

Strictly speaking, it’s not a song about graduation, but since it was Minami Takahashi’s graduation single—she had supported AKB48 for many years—it can be considered a major milestone track.

Fortune Cookie in LoveAKB4817rank/position

I LOVE U @ Airi - Fortune Cookie in Love [Practice / Mirrored]

As soon as this song starts playing, even people who don’t know AKB48 will feel like getting up and dancing—such a catchy hit number, “Koisuru Fortune Cookie.” AKB48 is a female idol group that began at a theater in Akihabara, and today they’ve released numerous hits as a nationally beloved idol group.

Among their hit songs, “Koisuru Fortune Cookie” is their 32nd single, with Rino Sashihara as the center.

Its dance sound, reminiscent of classic disco soul, makes it perfect as dance music.

Learn the choreography and try dancing to it at events and parties!

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nikki

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Graduation of Unrequited LoveAKB4818rank/position

Unrequited Love Graduation (Team K Ver.)

Let me introduce an AKB48 number that marks the passage of time at graduation and portrays an unspoken one-sided love.

Released in March 2007 as part of Team K’s 3rd Stage “Nounai Paradise,” it’s a song that has been passed down in theater performances.

You can laugh within your circle of friends, yet say nothing in front of the person you like as graduation day draws near.

Those bittersweet feelings are carefully spun over a gentle, mid-tempo melody.

Rather than flashy production, the arrangement treasures the afterglow of the words, quietly seeping into the listener’s heart.

This work captures a moment of youth swaying between the fear that love might end unfulfilled and the desire to express your feelings anyway.

It’s a number we recommend not only to those about to graduate, but also to anyone who wants to remember who they were back then.