Ranking of Dark/Jaded Japanese Songs [2026]
We’re showcasing the monthly top 100 “yami” J-pop songs ranked by view count, all in one place.
When you’re feeling down, upbeat or empowering tracks can help—but sometimes you need songs that gently sit with your pain and offer sympathy.
The playlist is updated weekly.
- Popular Depressive Songs Ranking [2026]
- Popular “yami” songs: Japanese music / J‑Pop artist rankings [2026]
- Sad Song Rankings [2026]
- Lonely Song Rankings [2026]
- Popular Heartbreak Song Rankings [2026]
- [Songs to Listen to When You Want to Die] I want to disappear... A song to support you who feel that way
- Popular Tearjerker Song Rankings [2026]
- [Dark Songs] A carefully curated selection of deeply dark tracks and heartbreaking songs that accompany you in tough times
- Saddest Songs Ranking [2026]
- [Trash Songs] A carefully curated selection of tracks about the lowest, worst kind of loser—and hidden gems!
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- [Support for the Heart] Songs That Give You Courage When Times Are Tough
- Ranking of Tear-Jerking Japanese Songs [2026]
Japanese Sad Songs Ranking [2026] (71–80)
The Howling of the Lost OneNeru71rank/position
Even if you can solve math equations, you can’t solve that kid’s heart? Even if you can read kanji, you can’t read that kid’s heart? It’s a song about struggling, not knowing what to do.
By the way, singing it when you feel like screaming is really cathartic! However, since it’s very high-pitched, I recommend lowering the key.
seems like (just) my imaginationmaji musume72rank/position
It’s a song I want to listen to when I’m tired of everything.
When you can’t trust anyone and you’re in a tough situation, listening to it will make your heart feel a little lighter.
The cry-like vocals really pierce the heart… Many singers have covered it, and it’s a highly acclaimed song.
GibbsShiina Ringo73rank/position
If someone asks “What’s the quintessential ‘dark/sick’ song?”, a lot of people would probably name this one.
It’s one of the signature tracks by Ringo Sheena, a singer-songwriter known for her wide-ranging musicality spanning rock, jazz, and more.
Released in 2000, it became a major hit, winning her countless devoted fans.
The contrast between the heartfelt lyrics addressed to a special person and her strained, wrung-out vocals is utterly disarming.
Echoes of a rainy voiceOrangestar74rank/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.
Only on nights when I want to dieAina ji Endo75rank/position
This is a heartwarming song that delicately portrays how the smile of someone precious comes to mind in moments when your heart feels like it might break amid an unremarkably passing everyday life.
Aina the End wrote and composed the song, with production by Shingo Sekiguchi of Ovall.
Her quietly companionable husky voice blends exquisitely with the warm acoustic sound.
Written in February 2020 as the ending theme for the MBS/TBS drama “Shinitai Yoru ni Kagitte” (“Only on the Nights I Want to Die”), Aina the End—who was a fan of the original work—carefully captured the story’s worldview.
It’s a song you’ll want to listen to when you feel lonely, hopeless, or on the verge of breaking.
The presence of someone dear, and the warmth of shared memories, will surely become a source of support for your heart.
It’s not that I want to die.Asanomachi76rank/position
A song whose fleeting, translucent vocals almost bring you to tears.
Its lyrics—like the soft words that slip out in the stillness before sleep—gently embrace a lonely heart.
Asanomachii’s delicate production and KAFU’s crystal-clear voice blend beautifully, creating a work that deeply moves its listeners.
Released in August 2024 and included on the album “Yoi no Machi,” this track quietly stays close to those who feel life is hard or who struggle to find where they belong, and to those whose hearts are worn out by modern society.
It’s a song to lean on when you don’t want to force yourself to look ahead, but instead wish to face your feelings just as they are.
ETERNAL BLUEMinami77rank/position
This is a song by Minami that portrays the pain of being hurt by the cold, harsh words that overflow in the world and a rebellious spirit toward a difficult-to-live-in society.
From the quiet sound centered on the acoustic guitar, you can feel the instability of a heart where suffering keeps piling up.
Her uniquely deep, resonant voice overlaps with the sorrowful sound, powerfully expressing the tormenting desire to disappear from this place.
Many listeners will likely relate to the anguish of being tossed around by others’ words and the gradual loss of one’s true self.
