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Karaoke might seem intimidating to some, especially if you have to go up in front of a bunch of strangers. But it’s a different experience when you gather friends and sing your favorite anime songs together. Sometimes, though, it’s always the same songs—not that there’s anything wrong with that!—and maybe you just want to try expanding your anisong repertoire. So we’ve compiled some of the most popular anisongs from the 1980s all the way to modern day hits that you can add to your karaoke playlist.
NOTE: Most Japanese karaoke systems require kana input (i.e. hiragana and/or katakana) unless they are originally romanized. For songs with commonly known English titles, we’ll refer to them using their English titles with their Japanese counterparts (e.g. YOASOBI’s “Idol” アイドル).
80's
Just because the group likes anime doesn’t mean you have to stick to the latest shows. Include retro touch to the lineup to switch it up and give ‘80s pop a shot with these songs:
“Get Wild” from action-comedy City Hunter has a synth track that reflects the era’s pop sound perfectly.
“Touch” (タッチ) from the legendary baseball anime Touch is one of the most well-known anisongs from the 80s. In fact, it’s so popular that it still shows up on year-end karaoke rankings in Japan.
But if you want to take a break from upbeat tunes, try these other options:
“Ai Oboetemasuka” from Macross is an emotional synth-pop ballad that fits right in with the show’s vibe.
Similarly, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam’s “Mizu no Hoshi e Ai wo Komete” is another moving piece and one of the anime franchise’s most beloved theme songs.
And for our ‘80s wildcard:
“Anpanman no March” (アンパンマンのマーチ) from Anpanman
This might seem like a strange choice. But in the event that you’re at a karaoke party with some Japanese friends or coworkers who aren’t into anime, it’s still likely that they would know it.
90's
Now let’s jump over to the ‘90s. Neon Genesis Evangelion’s “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” (残酷な天使のテーゼ) is the obvious top contender as it remains high up on karaoke charts no matter the year. Sailor Moon’s “Moonlight Densetsu” (ムーンライト伝説) is also another popular song from this decade, and some karaoke places even have the English version overseas fans grew up with. But here are a few other anime songs to consider:
If you watched the Yu Yu Hakusho dub, you’d know the English version of this song. But we recommend learning the original Japanese version, too, titled “Hohoemi no Bakudan.”
For rock ballad lovers, Slam Dunk’s “Sekai ga Owaru Made wa” will be an instant karaoke hit with its iconic guitar intro and emotive vocals.
Even casual anime fans have probably heard Dragon Ball Z’s “Cha-la Head-Cha-La” and can sing along to the chorus. Don’t be afraid to stand up and rock out when this comes up!
Digimon’s “Butter-fly” is another recognizable opening for ‘90s anime fans. It’s a great choice when you want to stick to upbeat songs.
Our wild card for the ‘90s:
“Driver’s High” from Great Teacher Onizuka
This might not be a popular anisong as much as the others. However, it’s one of the highest ranked L’Arc En Ciel songs for karaoke with its high-octane spirit.
2000's
When it’s time to relive the 2000s in karaoke, you can’t go wrong with FLOW’s “GO!!!” or Ikimono-gakari’s “Blue Bird” (ブルーバード), both from Naruto. They’re songs that anime fans would’ve heard even in passing due to the series’s popularity. Other familiar picks from this decade are:
Show off your rock vocals with UVERworld’s first single “D-TecnoLife” which was used as the second opening for Bleach.
Some Fullmetal Alchemist fans might not have seen the first anime that came out in 2003, but it had a lot of karaoke-worthy songs like Asian Kung-fu Generation’s “Rewrite” (リライト).
K-On’s opening theme “Cagayake!GIRLS” has the perfectly cute vibe for an anime karaoke party. The show also has a lot of other great songs to choose from, like many other band anime with awesome soundtracks.
Almost everyone who went to an anime con in the 2000s knew “God Knows…” from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, so it’s a good choice when you want a throwback.
The 2000s wild card:
Ride on shooting star／the pillows
“Ride on shooting star” by the pillows is another solid rock tune at karaoke, especially for anime fans who watched the surrealist sci-fi series FLCL back in the day.
2010's
Moving to the 2010s, of course someone has to queue up Tokyo Ghoul’s “unravel” and Attack on Titan’s “Guren no Yumiya” for whoever is up to the challenge. Other popular alternatives include:
LiSA’s “Gurenge” topped Japan’s karaoke charts when it came out in 2019 up until 2020 and for good reason. The powerful vocals and the dynamic composition coupled with Demon Slayer’s story themes—it’s just perfect for karaoke.
Although RADWIMPS was already pretty popular in Japan, their music on Your Name introduced them to more anime fans overseas. And long time listeners and new fans helped make “Zenzenzense” one of the highest ranked karaoke songs of 2017.
Blood Blockade Battlefront’s first season ending animation introduced viewers to Unison Square Garden’s funky rock song “Sugar Song to Bitter Step” (シュガーソングとビーターステップ), and it became one of the most widely known anisongs from the 2010s.
Be sure to take a break from all the high tempo numbers with something like “Himawari no Yakusoku” from the film Stand by Me Doraemon. It’s one of those songs that everyone has probably heard of since the movie was such a box-office success in Japan.
Our wild card choice for the 2010s:
We’re bending the rules of the timeline with this one. ZONE originally released “Secret Base -Kimi ga Kureta Mono-” back in the early 2000s, but gained the attention of anime fans when it was used as the ending theme for Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day in 2011.
2020's
We’re a little over halfway through the 2020s now, and the anisong selections have only grown. We hear a lot of Yonezu’s “KICK BACK” and “IRIS OUT” karaoke parties overseas, and some groups love to take turns with YOASOBI’s “Idol” (アイドル). For that reason, some of Japan’s anisong picks might come as a surprise:
“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” from Mashle is one of those songs that will easily get stuck in your head. And the best remedy for that is to sing it at karaoke with a friend or get the whole group to do the backup “bling bling!”
“Kaiju” is a relatively recent release coming from Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. This song by alt-rock band Sakanaction is another fun way to get everyone involved by clapping along to the beat or joining in with backing vocals.
Mrs. Green Apple’s “Lilac” (ライラック) came out in 2024 as the opening for Oblivion Battery. But the song’s popularity has grown so much it took the number one spot in 2025’s karaoke rankings.
“Be a Flower” (花になって), the memorable opening for The Apothecary Diaries, has such a catchy beat to really hype up the party. You just can’t help but belt out the first line of the chorus.
The last wild card for this list:
Any song from One Piece Film: Red, actually. When the film came out, six out of the eight songs on the soundtrack—all sung by Ado—got into the year’s top ten anisong rankings. The film showcased all kinds of music genres and styles, so the choice is up to you.
These are just a few of our suggestions here at TOM. A lot of karaoke systems will also let you pick from their own anisong rankings if you want to stay up to date, or you can put on medleys from shows with extremely popular theme songs. Many anisong lists will also have tons of choices from idol anime if that’s the kind of music you prefer.
What’s your favorite anime song to sing at karaoke? Tag us with your usual playlist!
Written by Alon Bramble for TOM News
