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]
J-Pop Depressing Songs Ranking [2026] (51–60)
Stalker’s Song: Third Block, Your HouseAbe Mao57rank/position
As the title suggests, it’s a disturbed love song in which the lyrics repeatedly depict stalker-like behavior.
It’s a track by singer-songwriter Mao Abe, included on her third album “Su,” released in 2011.
The contrast between the breezy rhythm, her bright vocals, and the song’s content is both fascinating and frightening.
Women looking for songs to perform solo with guitar should definitely give it a listen.
Sunflower That Wants to DieShinsei Kamattechan58rank/position
This song uses metaphor to express the anguish of living.
This work by Shinsei Kamattechan is included on the album “Danchi Thesis,” released in January 2025.
Its unique world blends a sense of collapse with inner screams, leaving a sharp impression.
The chaotic yet nostalgic sound arrangement lingers in your ears and mind.
Recommended for times when you want to face your inner self or let out unpleasant feelings.
It’s a track that lets you fully savor Shinsei Kamattechan’s musicality.
The Day the Curse Was LiftedTaito59rank/position
This song has a story: although Taku Takeru was bullied in junior high and closed himself off, he was able to regain his smile through encounters with fans and the people around him.
It’s a track that, while being a “dark” song, still inspires hope, making you think, “Let’s accept ourselves as we are, acknowledge ourselves, and keep moving forward.”
The holeKing Gnu60rank/position
A ballad that gently accompanies those carrying loneliness, loss, and wounded hearts.
It begins with a serene piano melody, then unfolds into a deeply poignant soundscape woven from strings and reverb-laden drums.
The lyrics, crafted by Daiki Tsuneta, express profound empathy for people bearing emotional scars and a powerful desire to protect the ones they love.
The music video, directed by filmmaker Takuya Uchiyama, beautifully portrays the shifting dynamics of a couple’s love.
When you want to take time alone to face yourself, or when your heart feels unsettled, this work offers quiet healing along with deep resonance.
J-Pop Yami Song Rankings [2026] (61–70)
shameless; indecentchanmina61rank/position
A track by Chanmina that portrays a destructive love driven purely by instinct.
Released digitally in September 2021, it drew attention as the title song of her third full-length album, Harenchi, which came out in October of the same year.
In March 2022, it was chosen as the theme song for ABEMA’s dating reality show The Grass Is Greener Next Door 3, becoming a long-running hit with over 200 million streams.
The lyrics, where wavering emotions, desire, and guilt intersect, vividly depict the peril of a love you know you shouldn’t pursue but can’t stop.
Those moments when you surrender to impulses you can’t even control yourself are sure to resonate with anyone who’s felt the same.
I thought about killing myselfNakajima Mika62rank/position
There are days when you don’t want to do anything or go to school, and your heart can feel lonely.
When upbeat music feels too hard to listen to, try giving “Boku ga Shino to Omotta no wa” a listen.
Mika Nakashima released it in 2013, and it also drew attention because Hiromu Akita from the rock band amazarashi produced it.
Life isn’t full of only good things, but its lyrics—ones that make you feel like you can try living a little more gently—speak to you softly, especially when you’re feeling lonely.
Please listen to this song at least once; it reminds you that it hurts precisely because you’re doing your best and living earnestly.
A Bouquet for YouUtada Hikaru63rank/position
A single released in 2016 as part of Hikaru Utada’s comeback project after pausing her music career.
It’s a song dedicated to her mother, the singer Keiko Fuji, who died suddenly by suicide, and it’s truly impossible to listen to without tears.
Even when there’s so much you want to say, there’s a loneliness in not being able to say it all—something everyone may experience.
And yet, when you close your eyes, a smiling face appears.
This song tells us that that alone is enough—an expansive hymn of love to a mother.
