Grim's Top 20 Favorite Anime Openings

[Grimoire Lenin]

Honorable Mentions:

We've reached the top 10, but let's take the time to have a good look at the best of the rest, the 5 honorable mentions for this list that unfortunately just missed the list.

1.
Onegai Muscle - Hibiki Sakura & Naruzou Machio
Danberu Nan-Kiro Moteru?
(How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?)



Fun song, hilariously apt, tell you that you gotta want it badly to have a good body, and of course it has big manly bodies. Cannot say it isn't a good time, all things considered.

2.
Lum No Love Song - Matsutani Yuko
Urusei Yatsura



The manga and show that originally made the author of Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 famous, this honestly very weird track was considered the starting point for pop songs in anime. It's a weird opening but oddly very entertaining. Especially considering it's 1981.

3.
God Only Knows - Oratorio
The World God Only Knows



Weird show, iconic opening, if nothing else. Was one of the most popular anime of the Fall 2010 block. Great theme and very techie opening, I suppose.

4.
Sakura Kiss - Chieko Ochi
Ouran High School Host Club



Yeah, yeah, shut up. It's a good theme, and a good opening. The show also has good writing too so I'd say definitely check it out at some point.

5.
Abadana Necromancy - Franchouchou
Zombie Land Saga



Might be the oddest choice of these honorable mentions, but god damn is the show just weird and funny and entertaining overall. Definitely worth checking out in my opinion.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

10.
Cha-La Head Cha-La - Hironobu Kageyama
Dragon Ball Z



Coming in at #10 is the legendary opening for Akira Toriyama's seminal work Dragon Ball Z. Rocking and rolling, I imagine everyone who's watched DBZ is a massive fan of the song since it fits the theme of the show entirely.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

9.
Ai Wo Torimodose - Crystal King
Hokuto No Ken
(Fist of the North Star)



Man, Fist of the North Star's opening is literally so 80's it's awesome. Incredible hard rock song, pulse-pounding action oriented opening, full on blood and guts and exploding body parts galore. It genuinely is one of my favorite anime openings of all time.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

8.
Tank! - Seatbelts
Cowboy Bebop



#8 is one of the most iconic anime openings of all-time, and is well considered as the gateway for American fans into the wide world of the animation culture. It's kicking free-jazz style with incredible beats and bombastic brass leaves little to the imagination of a hard-nosed series developed with the intention of being as awesome as possible. I highly recommend, if you've never seen anime before, you check out Cowboy Bebop; it is truly considered the seminal anime introduction.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

7.
FLYING IN THE SKY - Yoshifumi Ushima
Mobile Fighter G-Gundam



Will not be the last Gundam theme on our list, but it's definitely one of the more upbeat ones. Backed with a very 80's J-Rock theme, the visuals are bombastic and set the story right here: Giant robots fighting each other in a world-wide wrestling match. It's got everything you'd want in an awesome story.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

6.
Tomorrow's Joe - 尾藤イサオ
Ashita No Joe
(Tomorrow's Joe)



One of the oldest members of our esteemed list, Ashita No Joe was an anime that first aired in 1970, and is considered my many members of the anime community to be the most influential sports-related anime of all-time. The story centers around a young delinquent, Yabuki Joe, and his dramatic journey towards becoming a professional and renowned boxer after going to juvenile prison for some time. The drama drips from the slow, rolling vocals, tension in the brass brings forth a tinge of intensity. Ashita No Joe is definitely worth a watch if one can get past the dated visuals. Also, Rikiishi Tohru is one of the greatest characters ever written, throwing that out there.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

5.
Paper Moon - Tommy Heavenly6
Soul Eater



It's the top 5, and rounding out the list is the 2nd opening of the anime Soul Eater. I like the music, I like the vocals, I enjoy the visuals. Soul Eater is very much a great anime though some may call it an acquired taste. The opening is a great indicator that the show has some dark themes mixed within its great action.​

 

[Kim Jong Umb]

Papermoon was high on my list too love that

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

4.
Little Busters! - Rita
Little Busters!



One of my favorite anime of all time, the opening to Little Busters is one of my favorite for how simple it is. It is incredibly understated with it's cheery overtone and mysterious undertones. The song itself is a personal favorite of mine, and I enjoy the absolute hell out of the show itself. The first season of Little Busters isn't much to write home about, but it has just in my opinion one of the best anime openings ever.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

3.
Zeta's Pulse - Shigeaki Saegusa
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam



An orchestral masterpiece for the English release version of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. The entire theme is magnificent, and co-opted with the opening, gives a grand, epic, and atmospheric tinge to the entire affair. Zeta is probably my favorite Gundam show, and it is in large part to this theme. It's all about the aftermath of the One Year War and the themes that are in this opening are fairly apparent. It's just one of those great anime openings I absolutely love.​

 

[Grimoire Lenin]

2.
Toki Wo Kizamu Uta - Lia
CLANNAD ~ After Story



Another incredible opening from probably my 2nd favorite anime of all time. CLANNAD ~ After Story is perhaps one of the greatest slice of life anime of all time and it has some massive twists and turns to it after the "okay" season one of CLANNAD. The theme perhaps best demonstrates all of that within it's minute and a half timescale. It's a great pop-song, deep lyrically, and some beautiful visuals that makes it one of Key's best IP's.​