Unrequited Love Song Ranking in Japanese Music [2026]

Christmas songback number43rank/position

back number – “Christmas Song” Music Video

A medium-tempo number from back number that captures the wintry atmosphere and the bittersweetness of unrequited love.

Set against the festive glow of Christmas, budding feelings and the inner conflict of longing for someone are expressed through a beautiful melody.

Released in November 2015, the song was featured as the theme for Fuji TV’s Monday 9 p.m.

drama “5→9: From Five to Nine,” and it captured the hearts of many.

Beloved as a winter staple, this piece is a song that stands by those struggling with love.

Because I like you.Yuika44rank/position

Because I love you. / “Yuika” [MV]

This work, which portrays mutual unspoken crushes, evokes the bittersweet romance of youthful days.

Created by singer-songwriter Yuika, who is active mainly on video-sharing platforms, it was released in June 2021.

The perspective switches between a boy and a girl in the first and second halves, depicting a realistic relationship in which both have feelings for each other but struggle to put them into words.

Listen while thinking of that person you can’t help but follow with your eyes.

It might just give you the courage to confess your feelings.

Sniper.Yuika45rank/position

Sniper. / “Yuika” [MV]

This is a pop number by Yuika, who has been gaining buzz thanks to dance videos on TikTok.

The song comically portrays a one-sided-crush strategy, treating the person she likes as a “target” and aiming straight for their heart.

The play-by-play, live-broadcast-style lyrics are memorable, and listening to it really makes your heart flutter! Yuika wrote this track when she was a second-year high school student; it was released digitally in April 2024 and later included on the album “Longing for Navy.” With its up-tempo melody and the protagonist’s earnest feelings, it’s a song that sends emotions soaring.

If you’re in the middle of a crush, you might just find yourself unable to sit still when you listen!

First LoveUtada Hikaru46rank/position

Hikaru Utada – First Love

This song was released as a single from Hikaru Utada’s debut album First Love and was used as the theme for the drama Majo no Joken, starring Nanako Matsushima and Hideaki Takizawa.

Many people likely remember it vividly along with the drama’s iconic scenes.

The Netflix original drama First Love, starring Takeru Satoh and Hikari Mitsushima, which became a major hit in 2022, also drew inspiration from Utada’s work “Hatsukoi” (First Love), just like this song.

It’s a timeless, beloved love song that continues to be cherished across generations.

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yuri

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Love SongGO!GO!718847rank/position

GO!GO!7188 [Koi no Uta] with low-quality PV

Despite their short period of activity from 2000 to 2012, GO!GO!7188, a three-piece band that gained popularity for their distinctive musicality, released this as their third single.

It’s a track whose simple yet nostalgic sound resonates, featuring an impressive arrangement that begins with a chorus accompanied only by vocals and guitar.

The lyrics—conveying the bittersweet feeling of love that persists even if the person you like doesn’t look only at you—really come through.

Chosen as the AX POWER PLAY #005 theme song for the music program “AX MUSIC-FACTORY,” this song is a great pick for women’s karaoke, and among people of the same generation, the chorus is one you can sing together.

EsperanzaNishino Kana48rank/position

Kana Nishino “Esperanza” MV Full

A song by Kana Nishino that expresses the bittersweet feelings of a woman’s unrequited love through passionate Latin sounds.

Even though she knows the person she likes already has a partner, the woman’s complex emotions still resonate deeply.

The sound of Spanish guitar and the powerful vocals beautifully fuse heartache with a forward-looking spirit.

Released in May 2011, it was used as the theme song for Nippon TV’s “Sukkiri!!” and was included on the album “Thank you, Love.” It won the Excellence Award at the 53rd Japan Record Awards.

This is a song that stands by women troubled by unrequited love and gives them the courage to keep looking ahead without giving up.

Unrequited love.haji→49rank/position

Haji→ – “Unrequited Love.” MV

Hajime, who calls himself a singer-songwriter entertainer and works across multiple fields, brings us Kataomoi.

It was released in 2018 as his 11th single.

This is a bona fide unrequited love song that straightforwardly captures the honest feeling of being in love while simultaneously having to hold those feelings back.

Because the lyrics are written in plain, unadorned words, many listeners will find parts that overlap with their own experiences and emotions.

It’s a song I want you to listen to when your heart aches and you feel like crying.

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Kado(guchi) Shichigatsu

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