One of the best parts about anime is the music that accompanies it, with some of the best anime music artists being truly incredible. There’s just something about the strongest anime opening themes that gets fans hyped for the episode they’re about to watch. From original soundtracks to opening songs, anime is filled with many types of music, and as such, there are many artists who’ve found fame through the medium.

Making an anime requires expertise from many walks of life. Although the animation team is responsible for bringing the characters to life, the music artists take it to another level and imbue scenes with an emotional energy that’s difficult to match. Opening and ending songs enhance the watching experience if it’s well received but certainly won’t make an anime less good if the song is considered bad. The best anime music artists can make an already great scene truly groundbreaking.

10 King Gnu

Although their portfolio of hit anime songs isn’t as extensive as the others, King Gnu is becoming increasingly popular, with their most recent hit being the opening song for the Shibuya Incident Arc in Jujutsu Kaisen. The band has worked with Mappa previously on the Jujutsu Kaisen Movie: 0. They’ve also worked on Banana Fish and Ranking of Kings. With their new-found success in the recent openings they’ve performed, they will surely get offers to work on more anime in the future. King Gnu will hopefully continue to rise through the ranks of best anime artists and bless fans with great music.

9 CHiCO with HoneyWorks

It is unfortunate that the band CHiCO with HoneyWorks has disbanded temporarily, because they’re one of the greatest anime music artists of all time. The vocalist CHiCO wanted to take on more solo projects in order to improve her skills. When they’ll start working together again is unknown. Their run from 2014 to 2023 was incredible. They performed on some of the most famous anime out there, including hits like Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Haikyuu!!, Gintama and Rent A Girlfriend. Their songs have millions of views on YouTube and have earned them awards. Hopefully, once CHiCO is satisfied with her improved skills, she’ll come back to the band and they can pick up where they left off and produce more amazing music together.

8 Tatsuya Kitani

Possibly the generation’s most talented artist to work on anime, Tatsuya Kitani is not only a singer-songwriter, but also a bassist, composer, and arranger. His love for everything music is evident, and it is very obvious in his work. A graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo, Tatsuya has been in many bands in his younger years. He has performed the song Ao No Sumiko which was the opening song of the Gojo’s Past Arc of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. He’s also worked on Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War, cementing his Bleach opening as one of the best openings in a series full of amazing songs.

7 Eve

With about 4 million subscribers on YouTube and 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Eve got his start in the music industry making covers of popular songs. He has amassed a huge fanbase, with many wishing he would make an opening for their favorite anime series. He is mostly known for making the first opening song of Jujutsu Kaisen, titled “Kaikai Kitan” which garnered 320M views. He’s also performed an opening for My Hero Academia and an ending song on Chainsaw Man. Eve’s interests are far wide, as he’s produced a manga, opened an apparel store, and occasionally live streams.

6 Kenshi Yonezu

Like many other music artists, Kenshi Yonezu joined a band in his teenage years. A guitarist and a vocalist, He expressed himself through music as he found it hard to communicate with others. The talent behind the opening song of Chainsaw Man, Kenshi’s track record is impeccable. International audiences learned of him through My Hero Academia where he performed the opening of season 2, titled “Peace Sign”, with a whopping 275 million views on YouTube. He was a popular artist in Japan long before he went mainstream, and he has many awards and accolades under his belt.

5 ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

This is the band that inspired Tatsuya Kitani to take up music. They are one of the longest-active musicians producing music for anime. The group was formed in 1996 and have maintained the same line-up ever since. Their vast experience in the industry has allowed them to work on older anime such as Naruto, Bleach, and Fullmetal Alchemist. They’ve also worked on more recent anime such as Bocchi the Rock!. However, the song that they are most known for is “Re: Re”, the opening song of the thriller anime Erased.

4 Kana-Boon

Kana-Boon is one of the most popular rock bands in Japan. Officially formed in 2008, the group has had major success, with some of their albums reaching top ten on the Weekly Oricon Charts. They’ve worked together with ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION after winning a competition with 4000 competitors. Their most popular opening song is “Silhoutte” which was the sixteenth opening of Naruto Shippuden. They’ve also worked on Fire Force, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, My Hero Academia, and more recently on Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead. Their songs have been featured not just in anime, but also in commercials and games.

3 SID

SID became popular among international bands sooner than most bands when they performed at an anime convention in the US back in 2004. Their songs and albums have continuously appeared at the top of music charts in Japan. They have worked on very popular anime such as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, 7 Deadly Sins, and Bleach. Their songs are timeless and have earned them more than 800 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. They continue to produce great music on anime, and they will hopefully have another viral song in more great shows.

2 UVERworld

UVERworld has quite possibly the most noticeable style of music among anime music artists. They are loved both in Japan and outside, selling about 3 million records globally. The band’s most iconic anime song is probably “CORE PRIDE” which was the opening song for Blue Exorcist. They’ve also made popular openings for The Promised Neverland, My Hero Academia, Bleach, and The Seven Deadly Sins. The band is a household name among anime fans, and they deserve recognition for the great entertainment they’ve provided over the years.

1 LiSA

Possibly the most famous anime music artist, LiSA has worked her way up to the top despite going through many hurdles. She was originally part of a band but had to move to Japan after the band broke up. She got her first major breakthrough when she worked on the anime Angel Beats. She did great in that role and saw more work coming through. Her most popular anime songs were in Sword Art Online and Demon Slayer, where she was nominated for awards for performing “Homura” on the Demon Slayer movie. LiSA’s incredible talent and acclaim in the world of anime means she’s definitely an artist anime fans will be hearing again and again.

As the demand for anime rises, so will the need for musicians. There are new projects underway all year round and each of those requires the talents of artists. Fans are increasingly becoming more invested in the people who make the songs for their favorite anime. Although no list could contain every popular anime music artist, each one deserves recognition, and they will hopefully get it as they keep entertaining the anime community worldwide. The best anime music artists are truly talented musicians who deserve the respect and international acclaim they’ve received.