Popular “yami” songs: Japanese music / J‑Pop artist rankings [2026]
When you’re feeling down, entrust those feelings to songs that sing about the same emotions.
This time, we’ll introduce Japanese artists who specialize in “dark/healing songs,” ranked in order.
Before long, you’re sure to feel better.
- Popular Depressive Songs Ranking [2026]
- Ranking of Dark/Jaded Japanese Songs [2026]
- Popular Japanese Music / J-POP Artist Rankings [2026]
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- Popular R&B. Japanese Artist Rankings [2026]
- Popular Unrequited Love Song Rankings [2026]
- Yami songs recommended for women
- [Relatable Lyrics] Emo songs to listen to when you're stuck after a breakup or relationship troubles
- Ranking of Sad Songs by Japanese Pop Artists: Popular Tracks [2026]
Popular “Yami” Songs: Japanese Music/J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026] (71–80)
studio (apartment)Novelbright71rank/position
With its beautiful piano performance and grand sound that gently envelops a aching heart, “One Room” is a song you’ll want to listen to on lonely nights alone.
Released by Novelbright in 2021, its lyrics, which candidly sing of bittersweet love, pierce the heart.
In school life, there are times when you become separated from someone you were romantically involved with, or a loved one graduates and moves on.
Rather than leaving that sadness as it is, letting the song stay close to you can give you the courage to move forward, little by little.
The BeginningONE OK ROCK72rank/position
A song you’ll want to listen to when you’re wrapped in the anxiety of an uncertain future.
It was also used as a movie theme, so many of you may know it.
It’s a well-crafted hard rock track.
Give it a spin when you wake up earlier than usual before dawn and need one last push.
Echoes of a rainy voiceOrangestar73rank/position
This is a song I want to listen to when things aren’t going well.
Orangestar’s characteristically straightforward lyrics seep into a wounded heart.
The title “Amekigoe” (rain-cry/cry in the rain) gives the sense of desperately shouting for help in the rain, and I feel like the song speaks on behalf of painful feelings.
DownerPolyphonicBranch74rank/position
As the title suggests, it’s a very downer-style Vocaloid song.
It’s a track by PolyphonicBranch, a Vocaloid producer who has even made a major debut, released in 2020.
From the intro, a dark atmosphere starts to seep in.
However, the chorus is incredibly catchy, and you can really get into it.
The choice of words in the lyrics has a great sound to them, making you want to sing it yourself—that’s another charm.
The lyrics dwell on negative emotions, but I can’t help empathizing with these feelings.
collapse; fainting spell (colloquial/slang)iyowa75rank/position
It pierces me with the sadness behind its poppiness.
It’s a track by multi-creator Iyowa, who also handles the illustrations and video, released in 2021.
The ever-rolling, never-stopping progression is striking.
The bouncy piano sticks in your ears—a cute sound arrangement.
The catchy melody pairs perfectly with KAF’s adorable vocals…
but when you parse the lyrics, you start to see the feelings at the moment of parting with someone you love.
My heart is in shambles at the protagonist’s realization that the end is near.
Nokemono Neverlandoku no hosomichi76rank/position
The distorted vocal work is really cool! It’s a track by the Vocaloid producer Okuno Hosomichi—also known as the creator of “A Suicide Applicant’s Longing Seen 191 Seconds Before Death”—released in 2020.
The sound is heavy yet rhythmic, and it really gets you pumped.
It matches perfectly with the lyrics, “I don’t want to live in such a ridiculous world!” The stylish scat section that appears in the latter half is a must-hear.
Be sure to listen to the end.
Wolverine Nenzutto mayonaka de ii no ni.77rank/position
A piercing song that captures feelings of loneliness and self-denial.
It’s a track by the band ZUTOMAYO (Zutto Mayonaka de Iinoni), centered around the vocalist ACA-ne.
It’s included on the mini-album “Koke no Ichinen Kaiba ni Takusu,” released in October 2024.
The pain of emotional repression is conveyed through ACA-Ne’s transparent vocals and a funky guitar sound.
It’s a song that will resonate with teens and people in their twenties struggling with relationships.
The track “TAIDADA,” also included on the same album, was used as the ending theme for the anime Dandadan.
Letter ~Dear Fifteen-Year-Old Me~Anjura Aki78rank/position
A heartwarming ballad that gently embraces the worries and uncertainties of adolescence.
Angela Aki’s clear, translucent voice and piano melody offer comfort to the anxiety we all carry.
Released in 2008, the song drew significant attention as the compulsory piece for the NHK National School Music Competition’s junior high division and as an insert song in the film “Shodo Girls!! Our Koshien.” Its appeal also lies in the grand arrangement that begins with simple piano accompaniment and gradually adds strings and chorus.
It’s a song that resonates in the heart—an anthem that gives you the courage to believe in yourself when you stand at a crossroads in life.
oni; demon; ogre; spirit (depending on context)kuriipuhaipe79rank/position
This song by the four-piece rock band CreepHyp was used as the theme song for the TV drama “And Then, There Were None.” The high-pitched vocals of Seikakan Ozaki, the singer and guitarist, are particularly distinctive.
The lyrics are striking: worn out by everyday life, losing sight of who you are, and escaping from reality… yet deep down, still yearning for her.
The sound is addictive—you can’t help but listen to it over and over.
in my placeHiguchi Ai80rank/position
A song that embraces the parts of yourself that feel incapable and lights the courage to keep moving forward.
It’s the second installment of Ai Higuchi’s “Soliloquy Trilogy,” released digitally in August 2025.
The expansive sound and gentle vocals are a perfect match.
The lyrics depict the feelings of repeatedly grappling with self-loathing while taking one step at a time.
Try listening on a quiet night or on a heavy-footed morning on your way to class.
It will bring your heart’s pace back to your own stride.