Akira Ifukube Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Godzilla’s ThemeIfukube Akira1rank/position

Godzilla's Theme

This is a commercial that only announces the date and time when details will be revealed for the collaboration between Kodawari Sakaba’s Tako-Highball and Godzilla.

With Godzilla’s roar echoing in the background, it simply shows the Tako-Highball shaking, heightening the sense of anticipation about what’s going to happen.

It’s Godzilla’s Theme that truly stokes that mix of excitement and anxiety that something might be coming.

The powerful sound feels like a firm, forceful step forward, and its expansive resonance conveys the emergence of something enormous.

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kappamaki

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SF Symphony Fantasy No. 1Ifukube Akira2rank/position

Akira Ifukube Symphonic Fantasia No. 1 [Akira Ifukube SF Symphonic Fantasia No. 1]

Akira Ifukube, a native of Hokkaido, is one of Japan’s leading composers, active in both classical and film music.

His works are characterized by a unique style that fuses Japanese folk music with Western orchestration.

This piece is a concert orchestral work that reconstructs music Ifukube composed for Toho’s special effects films, distilling scores from movies such as Godzilla.

Powerful rhythms, memorable melodies, and distinctive performance techniques are interwoven to brilliantly capture the world of kaiju cinema.

It’s a highly recommended piece not only for fans of tokusatsu films, but also for classical music enthusiasts.

Godzilla vs. Mothra Theme SongIfukube Akira3rank/position

Godzilla vs. Mothra Theme Song

This is the main theme song from the 1992 film Godzilla vs.

Mothra.

The series in which Mothra appears has a somewhat melancholy atmosphere, unlike the others.

Personally, I liked Mothra, so I always hoped Godzilla would refrain from his usual rampaging.

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en

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Godzilla – Title / “Godzilla” / Finale Part 1Ifukube Akira4rank/position

Akira Ifukube – Godzilla (1954)

It’s a masterpiece by Akira Ifukube that has been used consistently as Godzilla’s theme from the first film in 1954 all the way to the latest installments.

If you’re Japanese, you’ve almost certainly heard this melody at least once.

The way the arrangement skillfully employs irregular time signatures to enhance Godzilla’s eeriness—while still making the shifting rhythms feel completely natural—really makes you think, “as expected of the master!” I’d venture that it’s one of the pieces that had a major influence on musicians in what later came to be called progressive rock.

I’ll admit, I’m actually one of those people myself!

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Kei Takahata

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Symphony TapkaraIfukube Akira5rank/position

Akira Ifukube: Sinfonia Tapkaara

Akira Ifukube was the composer who wrote the theme for Godzilla, the special-effects monster film released by Toho in 1954, and he is truly one of Japan’s most representative composers—known even by people who aren’t familiar with classical music.

Motivated by empathy and nostalgia for the Ainu with whom he interacted in his youth, the piece was composed in three movements.

It opens with a weighty sonority, and since “Tapkara” means “to stand and dance” in the Ainu language, the work as a whole features a dynamic, dance-like vitality with rich textures and folk-inspired melodies.

It is also one of the most popular pieces among Akira Ifukube’s fans.

Symphonia Tapkaara, Movement III: VivaceIfukube Akira6rank/position

Symphonia Tapkaara, Movement III: Vivace

This is a powerful orchestral work by Akira Ifukube, who left an important mark on the Japanese music scene.

Inspired by Ainu culture, it was composed in 1954 and premiered by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in January 1955.

Characterized by pulsating rhythms and bold use of percussion, it evokes scenes of Ainu dances and festivals.

The vividly performed music by the entire orchestra has an intensity reminiscent of a film battle scene.

Recommended for those seeking a fresh breath in classical music or interested in the fusion of Japanese tradition and Western music.

Piano Suite: No. 2 TanabataIfukube Akira7rank/position

Akira Ifukube: Piano Suite

Akira Ifukube is a great figure whom Japan proudly presents to the world: a master composer whose achievements span classical music, countless masterpieces that illuminate the history of Japanese cinema, and film scores including the famous Godzilla series—far too extensive to encapsulate in a short paragraph.

The piece featured here, Tanabata, is one movement from the Piano Suite, a solo piano work Ifukube composed at the young age of 19.

Its main melody—evocative of traditional Japanese scenery and reminiscent in some ways of a children’s song—returns in varied forms throughout, instilling a curious sense of nostalgia as you listen.

If your image of Ifukube is limited to weighty film music, you may be surprised to discover a work like this.

Savor the crystalline beauty and cool clarity of this Tanabata, and revel in the essence of a Japanese summer.

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KOH-1

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