Popular Anime Openings of 2024
In 2024, Japanese music found great success on the global stage—with anime’s popularity playing an important role in its international reach.
Discover the popular anime openings of the 2024 seasons, curated using publicly available streaming data from Spotify and YouTube Music.
2024 Popular Anime Openings*
*Disclaimers:
- Curation Process: This collection of popular anime openings was curated using public data from streaming platforms, music charts, and other resources. As a result, not all fan favorites may be included. Learn about the selection process.
Bling-Bang-Bang-Born – From Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Artist: Creepy Nuts
Season: Winter 2024
2024 has been the year of Creepy Nuts. This powerhouse duo made up of rapper R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga skyrocketed to worldwide fame with their popular anime opening “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.”
RELATED: Every anime song by Creepy Nuts.
The season 2 Mashle opener (and originator of the viral #BBBBdance) dominated every major Japanese digital and streaming chart, and reached #8 on the Billboard’s Global 200. This spell-binding track has transformed into one of 2024’s top anime openings.
Lilac – From Oblivion Battery
Artist: Mrs. GREEN APPLE
Season: Spring 2024
Mrs. GREEN APPLE is one of today’s most popular J-pop bands, as the mid-year charts indicate. Their music has especially resonated with the country’s younger generations and stepped up to the plate with “Lilac,” the vibrant opening for the high school sports anime, Oblivion Battery.
RELATED: Every anime song by Mrs. GREEN APPLE.
“Lilac” is Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s first anime OP after their hiatus, following the globally successful Fire Force predecessor, “Inferno”. The popular anime opening became one of Japan’s biggest hits of 2024, dominating the country’s music charts for several months.
Otonoke – From Dandadan
Artist: Creepy Nuts
Season: Fall 2024
Creepy Nuts’ dominance of 2024 did not end with “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” The duo continued their musical reign with “Otonoke,” the electrifying opener for the highly anticipated Dandadan.
Indeed, the hype surrounding Dandadan was massive—and the opening getting leaked prior to its official release, only added fuel to the fire.
Yet, the anticipation paid off, as the catchy track instantly shot to the top of the music charts, becoming one of this year’s biggest anime openings. It has since become a treasure trove of easter eggs, for fans to discover.
Fatale – From Oshi no Ko
Artist: GEMN (Tatsuya Kitani X Kento Nakajima)
Season: Summer 2024
Who is GEMN? That was the question on everyone’s mind when the promotional campaign for the Oshi no Ko Season 2 launched. The mysterious countdown on their official website intensified anticipation and speculation.
RELATED: Every anime song by Tatsuya Kitani
The special project was finally unveiled to be Tatsuya Kitani (“Where Our Blue Is”) alongside actor and singer Kento Nakajima, forging a new path after departing the former boy group Sexy Zone (Timelesz) earlier in the year. Learn more about “Fatale.”
Sunny – From Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Artist: Yorushika
Season: Winter 2024 (second cour)
The enigmatic duo of suis and n-buna shine in Yorushika’s “Sunny,” the second opening theme for Frieren. Created to inspire hope in each character’s journey, n-buna describes it as “wishing for sunny days when the conditions are not sunny.”
RELATED: Every anime song by Yorushika
“Sunny” has enjoyed great longevity on Japanese music charts–a testament to Frieren’s widespread appeal, amplified by its anime adaptation. The popular anime opening’s impact is evident in hundreds of stunning covers online, including K-pop stars Yves (formerly of LOONA) and HARAM (Billlie).
Mugen – From Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Artist: MY FIRST STORY × HYDE
Season: Spring 2024
Mugen is the electrifying opening theme for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc, the fourth season of the globally acclaimed series.
This powerful collaboration unites rock band MY FIRST STORY with HYDE, vocalist of the legendary L’Arc-en-Ciel, to deliver the OP and ED for this season. Following popular anime openings by LiSA, Aimer, and milet × MAN WITH A MISSION, “Mugen” solidified its status in the series’ iconic musical legacy.
Absolute Zero – From WINDBREAKER
Artist: natori
Season: Spring 2024
Singer-songwriter natori first made waves in Japan’s music scene through TikTok, where his catchy songs catapulted him into viral stardom. Now, he’s become one of J-pop’s rising stars, collaborating with other hit artists like Ado, Tatsuya Kitani, and imase.
RELATED: Every anime song by natori
His breakout anime opening, “Absolute Zero,” for the action-packed series WINDBREAK, marked his first-ever anime collaboration. It’ll be exciting to see what popular anime openings natori will continue to work on next!
ABYSS – From Kaiju No. 8
Artist: Yungblud
Season: Spring 2024
English singer-songwriter Yungblud created Kaiju No. 8’s opener “ABYSS.” Co-written with Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons), it made new as an anime song composed by a major Western artist. Despite some initial mixed reactions, “ABYSS” won over many skeptics, with streaming data highlighting its success.
Yungblud shared his inspiration: “I think there are times when we feel that the world is cruel and not necessarily made for us. That’s expressed very beautifully in the story, and it’s really in line with what I’m trying to achieve myself: to find my place in the world, to find my friends.”
Curtain Call – From My Hero Academia
Artist: Yuuri
Season: Summer 2024
Best known internationally for his 2021 hit “Dry Flower,” singer-songwriter Yuuri delivered his first-ever anime opening theme in 2024 with “Curtain Call.” The second anime opening for My Hero Academia’s seventh season has been in the Hot Animation chart since summer.
In his official comment, Yuuri believes that heroes and villains both face similar struggles, truths, and emotions yet choose different paths in life: “In another world, they might have understood each other. That hope is what inspired ‘Curtain Call.’”
Shikairo Days – From My Deer Friend Nokotan
Artist: Shika Club Noko Shikanoko (CV: Megumi Han), Torako Koshi (CV: Saki Fujita), Anko Koshi (CV: Rui Tanabe), and Meme Bashame (CV: Fuka Izumi)
Season: Summer 2024
If there were ever a category for meme-worthy anime ops, this song would be the one leading the charge in 2024. The combination of its ridiculous catchiness and great love from the internet turned My Deer Friend Nokotan into an instant hit.
Performed by the anime’s Deer Club, this group of talented voice actors stampeded to the top of the Heatseeker Songs chart. The music creators even spilled some behind-the-scenes tea on crafting this highly addictive track (summarized in this English post).
Same Blue – From Blue Box
Artist: OFFICIAL HIGE DANdism (Higedan)
Season: Fall 2024
From SPY x FAMILY to Tokyo Revengers, Higedan has a knack for creating popular anime openings. Their 2024 smash hit, “Same Blue,” is the OP for the sports-meets-romance Blue Box, which shot to #2 on the Hot Animations chart.
RELATED: Every anime song by OFFICIAL HIGE DANdism
The stunning opening sequence echoes Satoshi Fujihara’s admiration for the series’ depiction of the “vivid colors of youth.”
Despite the adolescent undertones, Fujihara crafted this track without targeting a specific age; in a behind-the-scenes video, he shares, “I do recall memories from the past, but I’m really happy that it has become a song that can also be properly reflected in my life now.”
Ambivalent – From The Apothecary Diaries
Artist: Uru
Season: Winter 2024 (second cour)
Building on the success of Ryokuoushoku Shakai’s hit OP, “Ambivalent” was the iconic second opening song for the second cour of The Apothecary Diaries.
The talented singer-songwriter Uru, who first gained recognition on YouTube, has previously contributed to anime works like Mobile Suit Gundam and Hell’s Paradise.
Drawing inspiration from the protagonist, Maomao, Uru wrote the lyrics hoping to “remind listeners of someone they admire in their everyday lives.”
LEvel – From Solo Leveling
Artist: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]: TOMORROW X TOGETHER
Season: Winter 2024
Renowned composer Hiroyuki Sawano’s collaborative project teamed up with the globally celebrated K-pop group TXT for the anime adaptation of Solo Leveling, the hit South Korean web novel and manhwa series.
Described by TXT as “a dark and heavy track that expresses the protagonist’s strength,” “LEvel” was an exciting crossover that thrilled both K-pop and J-pop fans. Sawano praised TXT’s artistic charm and unique vocals, commenting that they “expanded the groove and sharpened the track’s edge” of this now-popular anime opening.
Chained (Iranai Mono) – From Rurouni Kenshin
Artist: Tatsuya Kitani × natori
Season: Fall 2024
Closing this 2024 popular anime openings collection is a return by both Tatsuya Kitani and natori—this time collaborating on “Chained,” or “Iranai Mono” (いらないもの), the opening theme for Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance.
In an interview, Kitani noted that he and natori tend to “dwell on darker thoughts,” and aren’t exactly the type to pursue pop music. “Even so, choosing this path is a strange thing we have in common,” he added.
Popular Anime Openings 2024 Playlist
Check out this playlist of 2024’s popular anime openings mentioned above.
Curating 2024’s Popular Anime Openings List
The process below was used to gather and select the popular anime openings in this collection.
Disclaimer: This collection is based on public data, which comes with limitations. The concept of “popularity” is also subjective and can vary by country, platform, artist, and other factors. While this approach strives for inclusivity, not all songs will be represented. Additionally, no song rankings are provided for this reason. Feedback is always welcome!
Initial Collection: The anime openings were gathered from various sources:
- Music Rankings: Billboard JAPAN (Japan Hot 100, Hot Animation, Global Japan Songs (Excl. Japan), Heatseekers Songs), Spotify (Anime Hits, Top 50 – Japan), Apple Music (Top 100: Japan), and Karaoke Rankings (Joysound, DAM)
- Anime Resources: Anime Corner rankings, anime subreddits, JP/EN articles, and more.
Selection Process: Publicly available data from the two major available sources—Spotify and YouTube Music—were combined to create this list.
The following metrics were collected in early November:
- Total Streams: Combined cumulative streams from Spotify and YouTube Music.
- Average Daily Streams: Total streams divided by days since digital release
Popular anime openings were ranked based on both metrics and weighted equally, balancing older songs’ longevity and newer songs’ recency. The highest-ranked song was chosen, removed, and the list re-ranked until at least 3 songs per season were selected.