Popular Unrequited Love Songs: Japanese Music/J-Pop Artist Rankings [2026]

I tried falling in love with you.chay85rank/position

chay "I Tried Falling in Love with You" (short ver.)

The sixth single released in February 2015 by chay, who is active as both a model and a singer-songwriter, became popular as the theme song for the Monday 9 p.m.

drama “Date—What Is Love Like?” starring Anne.

The song is packed with the pure feelings of a protagonist who’s clumsy in love.

Its retro, pop sound reminiscent of the ’60s, complemented by lush strings, perfectly captures the giddy excitement of the moment a romance begins.

The lyrics portray that magical, empowering feeling that makes you think you can do anything just because there’s someone you like—something many listeners can relate to.

It’s a bright, pop number you’ll want to play to lift your spirits, like right before meeting someone special.

AiHata Motohiro86rank/position

Moto Hiro Hata – “Ai” Music Video

This is a moving ballad where you can fully savor Motohiro Hata’s delicate, heart‑stirring voice.

It portrays a protagonist who had been timid about love, now savoring the joy of meeting someone precious.

The expression that one second feels longer than eternity perfectly captures the feeling of being in love.

It overlaps with the pounding heart and bittersweetness of unrequited love, stirring deep emotion.

Released in January 2010 as his ninth single, the song is also included on the album “Documentary,” and was used as the ending theme for a TV Miyazaki program.

When your heart is full of feelings for someone you love, listening to this will gently embrace that pure emotion.

My name is Unrequited Loveindigo la End87rank/position

indigo la End "The Name Is Unrequited Love"

A bittersweet, frustrating crush sung over a light, stylish sound.

This song portrays a one-sided love stuck in that ambiguous space of more than friends, not quite lovers—a situation that breeds frustration.

You want to say you like them, but you’re afraid of breaking the comfortable rhythm you already share.

Many listeners will likely relate to those conflicted feelings.

This track is by Indigo la End, the band led by Enon Kawatani.

It was first performed at their Nippon Budokan show in November 2022, and fans have been eagerly awaiting its release.

If you’re struggling with the distance between you and the one you like, this song will gently embrace your heart.

I long to see you now.MISIA88rank/position

MISIA – Aitakute Ima (Official HD Music Video)

“Aitakute Ima” is MISIA’s 23rd single, released in 2009.

It was written as the theme song for TBS’s Sunday drama “JIN,” and it reached No.

9 on the Oricon singles chart.

In writing the lyrics, MISIA visited the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots in Kagoshima, where she read letters from soldiers heading to the front, addressed to their families and loved ones.

Reaffirming the weight of life and the depth of human bonds, she penned the lyrics.

If there is someone you feel that strongly about, please listen to “Aitakute Ima.”

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Hamada Takuya

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A Song for Youerica89rank/position

erica – A Song for You

A heartrending unrequited-love song that pours indescribably strong affection into its melody.

It conveys deep compassion for someone special and a wish for those feelings to be accepted.

The lyric about wanting to double the joy and halve the sorrow expresses a pure, selfless devotion.

With Erica’s down-to-earth words resonating strongly with junior high, high school, and college girls troubled by love, the song even drew attention as a real-life communication tool, being used in “LINE Lyric Pranks.” It’s a must-listen for anyone who struggles to honestly express their feelings in love.

someone I likeUeno Yūka90rank/position

Yuka Ueno “Suki na Hito” Music Video

It’s not just something that happens in anime or dramas—some of you might have actually fallen for the same person as a friend, told them you’d support them while hiding your own feelings.

When it’s sprung on you suddenly, it’s understandable to feel unable to confess, yet you also can’t bring yourself to tell your friend or your crush how you feel.

It’s a helpless, brooding emotion, but here it’s expressed with truly straightforward, pure sincerity.

It’s a song that will resonate with anyone who’s had the same experience.

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utatane

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Song of the Eternal NightKami wa saikoro o furanai91rank/position

God Does Not Play Dice “Yoru-Naga Uta” [Official Lyric Video]

‘Yona Uta’ is a song that portrays the aching feeling of shedding tears whenever you recall an unforgettable love.

The melody alone can move you to tears, but the lyrics—expressing the longing to touch the person you love once more—are truly painful and heartrending.

There are many ways to interpret how the lovers part, so it will likely resonate with many people currently experiencing unrequited love.

Although it’s a heartbreak song because it suggests you can no longer meet the one you love, it’s also a track I recommend to anyone who can’t give up on their feelings.

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sasashina

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