10 Anime Openings So Good You'll Never Want to Hit Skip

One of the best parts of any anime is always the opening theme song. As the name of the term implies, an opening theme is almost always the first thing a person sees as soon as they turn on an episode, and when done right, they’ll always succeed in getting someone ready for an episode with a combination of great visuals and even greater music.

Some people would rather skip opening themes to get straight to the actual anime, a practice that’s become effortless thanks to streaming sites using “Skip Intro” buttons. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with that, but it shouldn’t always be done, as plenty of anime have opening theme songs so good that it would be crazy to watch them play out with every episode, no matter how many times a person might have seen them. A few opening themes of that caliber especially stand out, and each one will surely be great to watch for old and new fans alike.

10 Specialz By King Gnu

Theme Song To MAPPA's Jujutsu Kaisen

“Specialz” by King Gnu is the second opening theme for MAPPA’s Jujutsu Kaisen season 2. The theme song was the main theme for the Shibuya Incident arc, which took up most of season 2’s runtime, and sure enough, most of the visuals are dedicated to showing off the various events that played out in the arc, although it’s kept largely spoiler-free for anyone who didn’t read the manga beforehand.

Jujutsu Kaisen is famous for its stunning visuals and animation, and sure enough, “Specialz” perfectly represents the visual aesthetic of Jujutsu Kaisen with its gorgeous visuals and direction that effortlessly play into the dark tone of the arc, all while being accompanied by a truly standout song from King Gnu. It was one of the best opening themes of 2023, and overall, it’s easy to see why.

9 Kiss Me By Nai Br.XX & Celeina Ann

Theme Song To Bones' Carole & Tuesday

“Kiss Me” is the first opening theme for Bones’ Carole & Tuesday, performed by the singing voices of the eponymous leads, Nai Br.XX and Celeina Ann. Rather than show off any specific details about the story, “Kiss Me” instead focuses on conveying the bond Carole and Tuesday share and their drive to chase their dreams through both the lyrics and the visuals.

Shinichiro Watanabe productions are known for having both great animation and even greater music, and sure enough, “Kiss Me” is an incredible opening theme for its gorgeous animation and paint-like artwork combined with the heartwarming lyrics centered around the dynamic between the two leads. It’s a rare opening that perfectly sells its story through visuals alone, and it’s a big part of why Carole & Tuesday has always been such an amazing anime to watch.

8 JoJo (Sono Chi no Sadame) By Hiroaki “Tommy” Tominaga

Theme Song To David Production's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

“JoJo (Sono Chi no Sadame)” by Hiroaki “Tommy” Tominaga is the first opening theme for David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The opening begins with a montage of manga panels featuring the Joestars in reverse order from Jolyne Kujo before transitioning into a 3D shot of Jonathan Joestar, all of which leads to a CGI rendering of key scenes in Phantom Blood ending with the climactic fight between Jonathan and Dio.

Not only were the 3D visuals surprisingly great for an anime, but the composition of the visuals for “JoJo (Sono Chi no Sadame)” combined with the incredible rock track of the song, itself, makes for an opening that never fails to convey the over-the-top, action-packed energy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. There was no better way to open the long-awaited JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime, and the opening still holds up phenomenally well after over a decade.

7 Pokémon Theme By Jason Paige

Theme Song To OLM, Inc.'s Pokémon

“Pokémon Theme” by Jason Paige, often called “Gotta Catch ’Em All”, is the original theme song for the English dub of OLM, Inc.’s Pokémon. While the Japanese equivalent was a standard anime theme song, albeit a good one, the dub opted for more of a cheesy pop rock song that played into the lighthearted and kid-friendly tone the English dub wanted to emphasize.

“Pokémon Theme” is as cheesy a song as one would expect from a 90s anime dub, but that’s not a bad thing, as the energetic sound and lyrics of “Pokémon Theme” make for a fantastic segway into the anime that works in large part because of how cheesy it is. It’s one of the most iconic anime theme songs of all time, and anytime Pokémon uses either the original version or a cover, it’s always a great bit of fanservice for old and new fans alike.

6 Smile Bomb By Sara White

Theme Song To Studio Pierrot's Yu Yu Hakusho

“Smile Bomb” by Sara White is the English dub of the theme song of the same name for Studio Pierrot’s Yu Yu Hakusho. Unlike other English dub themes, White sings a largely straightforward cover of “Smile Bomb”, with the music of the English version being completely identical to the Japanese and White’s tone being a near-perfect match to the original performance of Matsuko Mawatari.

The original “Smile Bomb” was already a great theme song, and sure enough, Sara White’s cover of “Smile Bomb” does a great job of translating things into English with its heartwarming and energetic lyrics. “Smile Bomb” is often regarded as one of the best English anime theme songs, if not the best, and after so many years, it’s still plenty easy to see why the song is held in such high regard.

5 A Cruel Angel’s Thesis By Yoko Takahashi

Theme Song To Studio Khara's Neon Genesis Evangelion

“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”by Yoko Takahashi is the iconic theme song to Studio Khara’s Neon Genesis Evangelion. While the imagery does correlate heavily to the plot and themes of the series, it’s famously constructed in an abstract way that makes it hard to figure out what it means on an initial viewing, with it usually taking most of the series to figure out the meaning behind everything shown in the opening.

Not only does the abstract imagery of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” do a great job of giving it a unique presentation without being too spoiler-heavy, but the incredible lyrics and sound of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” come together for an amazing melodramatic pop song that perfectly sells the atmosphere of Neon Genesis Evangelion at every turn. It’s one of the most iconic anime theme songs of all time, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

4 Tank! By Seatbelts

Theme Song To Sunrise's Cowboy Bebop

“Tank!” by Seatbelts is the theme song to Sunrise’s Cowboy Bebop. Visually, “Tank!” does what many anime theme songs do by portraying a lot of assorted imagery of the cast without any specific spoilers for the series, but what truly makes “Tank!” stand out is that there are no vocals beyond a brief introduction at the beginning of the song, with the song being almost entirely an instrumental big band jazz piece.

With a combination of gorgeous visuals and animation and an infectiously catchy jazz instrumental track, “Tank!”’s combination of music and visuals makes for an incredibly unique opening theme that perfectly sells the overall aesthetic of Cowboy Bebop. There’s never been an opening theme quite like “Tank!”, and it’s a big part of why Cowboy Bebop and Shinichiro Watanabe are both held in such high regard by anime fans worldwide.

3 Bling-Bang-Bang-Born By Creepy Nuts

Theme Song To A-1 Pictures' Mashle: Magic And Muscles

“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” by Creepy Nuts is the second theme song for A-1 Pictures’ Mashle: Magic and Muscles. The theme song showcased many of the new characters introduced in season 2’s Divine Visionary Candidate Exam arc, most notably Mash’s opponents in the tournament and the members of Innocent Zero, but the most iconic part of the theme song is when Mash and other characters start doing a dance that became a real-life meme for a time.

While the theme song for Mashle season 1 was a fairly standard anime theme song, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” was an amazing theme song thanks to its catchy music and lyrics and highly expressive artwork and animation that makes the original theme look boring by comparison. The breakout success of “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” helped take both Mashle and Creepy Nuts into the mainstream, and that level of success is plenty deserved.

2 Otonoke By Creepy Nuts

Theme Song To Science Saru's Dandadan

“Otonoke” by Creepy Nuts is the theme song to Science Saru’s Dandadan and Creepy Nuts’ second anime theme song of 2024. Much like “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”, “Otonoke” is an energetic hip hop song dedicated to showing off the cast and various scenes from the anime without being too spoiler-heavy, although with the nature of Dandadan’s story, the imagery tends to be far more abstract and surreal.

“Otonoke” became a massive viral hit thanks to its infectious lyrics and beats combined with the surreal imagery visuals that constantly go through different art and animation styles, and as is often the case, it undoubtedly played a big part in why Dandadan has been as successful as it is. By pure chance, Creepy Nuts made two of the best openings of 2024 for Mashle: Magic and Muscles and Dandadan, and both openings are virtually perfect in every regard.

1 Cha-La Head-Cha-La By Hironobu Kageyama

Theme Song To Toei Animation's Dragon Ball Z

“Cha-La Head-Cha-La” by Hironobu Kageyama is the first theme song for Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball Z. The theme song was used for every episode up until the Buu saga, and it primarily shows Goku and his friends going about their lives in the fantastical and dangerous world of Dragon Ball as they deal with new threats, with the visuals always changing to reflect the current story arc, as well.

Not only are the visuals the perfect embodiment of a classic anime theme, but “Cha-La Head-Cha-La”’s great music and lyrics perfectly capture the adventurous themes of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, making it great to watch, no matter how many times someone might have seen it. It’s one of the most iconic theme songs in the history of anime, and there are no better examples of an anime opening so good that you’d never want to skip it.