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Anime openings are usually a way for studios to present their work, their characters, and sometimes the style of the story before you watch a second of the show. There are often exceptions where the opening may want to make the viewer believe that the anime will be very cute or friendly, but it is quite the opposite. Our favorite trend is when recognized artists lend themselves to voicing the central theme of a series and attracting more fans. This has been the case with artists like YOASOBI, ADO, and KANA-BOON, who appear among the best anime openings of 2023.
Best Anime Openings of 2023
Many anime TV series, specials, movies, OVAs, and ONAs are released yearly. Between January 1 and December 31, 2023, there were approximately 100 releases, and these are the top 10 anime openings.
10 Kizuna no Kiseki – MAN WITH A MISSION x Milet from Kimetsu no Yaiba
Kimetsu no Yaiba is always a guarantee of top-quality openings. The fast and dynamic J-Pop that most of their songs have makes them as memorable and explosive as their story. Plus, the animation accompanying these musical pieces is epic, thanks to Ufotable. No matter what season, Kimetsu no Yaiba always impresses with its openings, even if you are not a fan of this anime.
9. Kura Kura – Ado from Spy x Family Season 2
Ado is another sensation of the moment; she already has a long career supporting her talent, but One Piece Film: Red shot her fame even more. So combining Ado’s iconic voice and the best family of spies was a great move by Wit Studio. The opening animation is fun and cartoonish, but Ado’s voice complements the unexpected changes the anime’s protagonists have in the video. Ado is simply a musical genius, and Kura Kurano is the exception.
8. Work – Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade from Hell’s Paradise
This very dynamic song stands out for the contrast of calmer parts with rap and rock. The opening is dramatic, like its story, but the song is more peaceful and softer every time the video shows the island’s most “beautiful” parts. But when the tone is more erratic, the footage becomes more bizarre. Work is an opening that everyone can enjoy, even if Hell’s Paradise isn’t their favorite anime.
7. Innocent Arrogance – BiSH from Tengoku Daimakyou
Due to the platforms where it was released, many might have missed Tengoku Daimakyou or Heavenly Delusion. Still, more than a few might have listened to its opening already. What makes it fantastic, besides the music, is the animation that takes inspiration from classic Naruto openings. Also, it paints a fantastic picture of the post-apocalyptic world in which the characters live and contrasts it with the childish innocence of the protagonists.
6. Yuusha – YOASOBI from Frieren
This opening received a lot of hate from the same YOASOBI fans when the anime debuted. This song is indeed a very different work than what YOASOBI is used to. But Frieren‘s theme song combines better with the story’s plot, a more nostalgic journey between the past, the present, and the future seen from the eyes of someone with such a long life. It’s as if the song wants to share what Frieren gains as ephemeral, but what he loses lasts an eternity.
5. Song of the Dead – KANA-BOON from Zom 100
The anime with which BUGFILMS debuted epically with its dissonant, colorful, and optimistic story despite the zombies. Besides the song by KANA-BOON, who has created themes such as Silhouette from Naruto Shippuden. So it’s no surprise that this song is so catchy that fans even recreated the dance from the opening. Also, many fans hope to enjoy more of this opening song in the last episodes of Zom 100, which will premiere in December.
4. Spiral – LONGMAN from Mushoku Tensei Season 2
This opening tells precisely the spiral of emotions Rudeus goes through after returning to Eris’ kingdom, and she disappears after their first night together. Here, the song talks about the depression of how Rudeus and his past self finally knew what it is to really live, only to have it all fall apart in an instant. He goes through the journey to regain his confidence, himself, and his loved ones.
3. SPECIALZ – King Gnu from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
The song and the video are highly linked in an ominous parade across Torii Gates, symbolizing the border between the profane and the sacred toward the battle. Its deep sounds refer us to the state of consciousness before such a big fight as the Shibuya Arch. The abstract colors and sounds also speak of the change in mentality that Itadori suffers. This opening should cause a great contrast to the one that appears in the first part of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2.
2. Ao no Sumika – Tatsuya Kitani from Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
This is the first opening of Season 2, where the main characters are young and are living the summer of their lives. The tone is more fun and carefree, where everyone lives and relaxes without the anxieties of adulthood. Here, for Geto and Gojo, there is not yet the dark side of society, what it means to be sorcerers, and what this will imply in the future of each one. This song represents the youth well and what it feels like to be a teenager with high emotions.
1. Idol – YOASOBI from Oshi no Ko
This opening broke Oricon and Billboard Japan records as the fastest song to reach 100 million plays in five weeks. It reached the #1 spot for anime fans, and even those who are not fans of anything related to Japan liked it. Idol is a song with contrasting rhythms of fast and upbeat J-Pop, with deeper Rap that starts slow and combines more tones. This opening is undoubtedly the song of the year for anime, YOASOBI, and us.
This year is ending, and a new anime season is coming in 2024, which means we’ll get several new anime openings, and you bet we’ll do a list of the best ones next year. For now, let’s look fondly at everything that transpired in the anime landscape this year and hope for another 12 months packed with high-quality content.
