Unrequited Love Song Ranking in Japanese Music [2026]

I love you.Inoue Sonoko36rank/position

Sonoko Inoue – I Love You.

“Daisuki,” Sonoko Inoue’s 2015 track that captures the real feelings of being in unrequited love, when your head is completely filled with thoughts of the person you like.

The poppy, bouncy melody conveys the giddy excitement of having a crush.

You’re thinking about that special someone all the time, no matter when or where, and your feelings just overflow and won’t stop! Of course there’s anxiety in unrequited love, but it’s also full of that fluttery, heart-throbbing thrill that’s different from being in a relationship.

Let this song, which sings about the same feelings you have when you’re crushing on someone, help you fall even more in love with the person you like.

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SAKI

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NAOHY37rank/position

SOLIDEMO / NAO（HY cover）

It’s a ballad that pierces the chest with the pain of unrequited love.

The song is included on HY’s 2006 album “Confidence,” by the Okinawa-born mix-genre band, and tells a story created by vocalist Izumi Nakasone based on a close friend’s real experience.

The piece vividly portrays the inner conflict of a woman who knows the person she likes has feelings for someone else and won’t return her affection, yet she just can’t give up.

The clear, airy vocals riding over the piano melody further highlight the sorrow of a love that won’t reach its destination.

It’s a must-listen for anyone who finds themselves empathizing with the urge to cling on, even as they sense the person they love slowly changing.

A Naked Heartaimyon38rank/position

Aimyon – Naked Heart [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

This ballad sung by Aimyon expresses the turmoil of love head-on with unadorned words.

The way overflowing feelings for someone you love intersect with the timid desire not to get hurt is exactly what the title “Naked Heart” conveys.

No matter how many times you fail at love, the earnest lyrics that still wish to love someone strike listeners deeply.

Released as a single in June 2020, it drew major attention as the theme song for the TBS drama “My Housekeeper Nagisa-san,” starring Mikako Tabe.

The song is also included on her third album, “Heard There’s Delicious Pasta.” If you listen to it on a night when unrequited love has worn you out, it will gently stay by your side and give you the courage to take a step forward again.

I want you to tell me you love me.Oku Hanako39rank/position

Hanako Oku – I Want You to Say You Love Me (Live ’08)

If I confess my feelings, we might not be able to stay together… In that case, I’d rather not become lovers.

Aren’t there many people struggling with this? In truth, we want to say “I love you,” and hear it said to us.

Okura Hanako expresses this wavering, heartrending love with her clear, translucent voice.

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sasashina

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MetronomeYonezu Kenshi40rank/position

Kenshi Yonezu – Metronome

A song by Kenshi Yonezu that portrays the ache of unrequited love and the pain of parting.

The protagonist’s feelings—still searching for their former lover even after the breakup—are expressed with delicate wording.

The lyrics, imbued with a strong desire to convey unwavering love to the one who left, captured the hearts of many.

Featured on the album “Bremen,” released in October 2015, this track is known as one of the works that marked a turning point in Yonezu’s musical career.

It’s a song that stands beside those bearing the pain of heartbreak or who have experienced a farewell with someone dear.

Listening to it might be a good chance to spend some time facing your own feelings.

The Story You Don’t Knowsupercell41rank/position

The Story You Don’t Know – supercell

A poignant song by supercell that captures the bittersweet feelings of a youthful unrequited love.

It begins with a scene of stargazing with friends and unfolds with the narrator’s secret feelings for the “you” beside them.

The stars forming the Summer Triangle symbolically reflect the protagonist’s loneliness and unattainable love, leaving a strong impression.

Released in August 2009, it was also used as the ending theme for the anime Bakemonogatari.

Highly recommended for those carrying complicated feelings for someone they like or struggling to express their emotions.

Give it a listen, and perhaps find the courage to take that first step forward.

SparkleIkuta Rira42rank/position

Rira Ikuta “Sparkle” Official Music Video

Released digitally in January 2022, it was selected as the theme song for ABEMA’s romance reality show “Kyou, Suki ni Narimashita.

Mikan Arc.” For this piece, the melody was crafted first, then carefully layered with the tones of an acoustic guitar to complete the track, and it looks back on an unrequited love.

The protagonist’s feelings—overcoming the pain of a love that never came true and trying to move forward into the future—resonate quietly alongside her clear, transparent vocals.

It’s a song that will stay by your side on a night just after heartbreak, when you wish to face forward once again.