One of the most important things in an anime is its soundtrack, responsible for bringing life and emotion to the scenes. With that in mind, in this article we will see the 10 best animes with the best soundtracks of all time.
It’s worth remembering that we are talking about soundtracks and not openings and endings. Some soundtrack composers also tend to make great openings and endings, but that is not always the case.
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Where to listen to anime soundtracks?
The complete soundtracks of some animes in this article are available on YouTube. You can listen to them or even download them with some converter of YouTube videos to MP3.
In Japan, artists famous for composing soundtracks also release CDs and even Blu-Rays of their music. You can find them for purchase on sites like Japanese Amazon.
Another way to listen to anime soundtracks is through music streaming subscriptions like Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube Music.
The Best Anime Soundtrack Composers
Some animes on this list are composed by the same composer. There are some names of Japanese composers who are recognized all over the world.
Among the most popular OST composers in the world are:
- Hiroyuki Sawano (SNK; Guilty Crown);
- Toshihiko Sahashi (Hunter x Hunter);
- Katsuo Ohno (Detective Conan);
- Yuki Kajiura (SAO);
- Yoko Kanno;
- Yuji Ohno;
- Joe Hisaishi;
- Kouhei Tanaka;
- Noriyasu Agematsu;
- Shirou Sagisu;
The Best Animes with the Best OST Soundtracks
Listing below the best animes with the best soundtracks can be a bit biased, but I will try to be as impartial as possible.
All I know is that many of the animes on this list only became perfect because of the soundtrack. Without them, they probably wouldn’t have the same popularity they do!
1 – Guilty Crown – Hiroyuki Sawano
This anime has the most impactful music and the perfect soundtrack with jaw-dropping animation, only its execution was a bit off.
The anime tells the story of a virus that spread throughout Japan and is being controlled by the GHQ. Our protagonist meets a famous singer and discovers special abilities that allow him to materialize a weapon from within another person.
See below some of the best songs and soundtrack from Guilty Crown:
2 – Aldnoah Zero – Hiroyuki Sawano
Another anime that in my opinion has the best soundtrack of all time. Also composed by the famous Hiroyuki Sawano who finds perfect ways to fit futuristic music into the setting.
Aldnoah Zero tells the story of a war between people from Mars and Earth. The super intelligent protagonist must protect the Martian princess while trying to avoid an intergalactic war.
Both the opening and ending, as well as the background music, are sensational and perfectly match the environment. The anime is also quite frantic and impactful.
See below some of the best songs and soundtrack from Aldnoah Zero:
3 – Sword Art Online – Yuki Kajiura
Without Yuki Kajiura’s composition in Sword Art Online, I can’t imagine how the anime would be. This soundtrack is simply a must.
Sword Art Online is a very famous anime that tells the story of a young man named Kirito who enters a deadly virtual reality game. It is very famous, so it needs no further comments.
Without a doubt, one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, especially the battle themes. Below is a video with the best:
4 – Boku no Hero – Yûki Hayashi
His recent work in Boku no Hero also marked the popularity of the anime with a great main theme that also laid the foundation for the beautiful song Might U by Makayla Philips.
Boku no Hero tells the story of a young man who was born without powers in a world where almost the entire population has an individuality. The young Deku dreams of being a Hero, but how will he do that without power?
Below we have a compilation of the Boku no Hero soundtrack, with the first two songs being my favorites, don’t forget to listen to Might U as well.
5 – Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Akira Senju
Akira Senju is the composer behind the impactful soundtracks of one of the best animes of all time, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
The classic anime tells the story of two brothers who lost their mother and try to resurrect her through alchemy, but this results in the loss of their bodies, so Edward, without an arm and leg, and Alphonse, with his soul fixed in an armor, set out in search of the philosopher’s stone to recover their bodies.
See below the best OSTs of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood:
6 – Steins;Gate – Takeshi Abo
This one often goes unnoticed because it originates from a visual novel game, but Steins;Gate, besides being one of the best animes of all time, has a great soundtrack with good piano touches.
Steins;Gate tells the story of a crazy young man who discovers a way to send messages to the past, but this ends up attracting the attention of a dangerous organization, putting their lives at risk.
If you haven’t had the chance to watch this masterpiece yet, hurry up! See a bit of its soundtrack below:
7 – Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – Various Composers
This anime has a soundtrack based on piano classics and also features exciting original compositions by various artists such as Tomoki Sakata, Yuna Shinohara, and Eriko Kawachi.
This sad anime tells the story of a young pianist who lost his mother to an illness and becomes traumatized from playing the piano. A young violinist ends up breaking this boy’s trauma.
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful OSTs of all time, especially for those who love piano and violin. The openings and endings are also wonderful.
8 – Attack on Titan – Hiroyuki Sawano
Another great work that increased the fame of the grand composer Hiroyuki Sawano, or is it the other way around? Shingeki wouldn’t be the same without nZk.
The anime tells the story of young people who live trapped in a wall surrounded by man-eating Titans. After hundreds of years in peace, a Titan destroys one of the walls, causing despair to the population inside the wall.
Below is an official video of nZk and its compilation of the soundtrack of Shingeki no Kyoujin:
9 – Kiseijuu – Ken Arai
One of the most frantic and impactful soundtracks that perfectly match the action of the anime Kiseijuu, also known as Parasyte.
This anime tells the story of a young man whose arm is dominated by a parasitic creature; he discovers that this creature has been taking over people’s brains and eating other humans.
I tried to include the entire soundtrack of the anime, but I couldn’t; search on YouTube, there are some really frantic songs, but I will include a SAD one that is my favorite style:
10 – Hunter x Hunter – Yoshihisa Hirano and Toshihiko Sahashi
The anime Hunter x Hunter had two versions, with the classic composed by Toshihiko Sahashi and the more recent one by Yoshihisa Hirano, who also composed the great soundtrack of Death Note.
The anime tells the story of a young boy named Gon who participates in a deadly exam to become a hunter and gain many privileges in order to find his father.
I haven’t had the chance to watch the classic anime, so I can’t comment on the first version, but I really like the soundtrack of the second one. Especially the instrumental versions of the anime’s endings.
It’s worth mentioning the soundtrack of the movie Kimi no na Wa, which is also perfect! Just a tip!
Conclusion – What is the Best OST of All Time Animes?
The best composer or the best anime with a soundtrack depends on personal taste, but in my opinion, it is Aldnoah Zero by Hiroyuki Sawano.
In my opinion, the best composer is also Hiroyuki Sawano; his style is original and unique, and he also composes vocal music with great vocalists like Mika Kobayashi.
Another favorite composer and his animes are Yuki Kajiura from Sword Art Online and Toshihiko Sahashi from Hunter x Hunter. It is worth mentioning that almost every anime composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and the others mentioned tends to be good.
What about you? Who do you think is the best composer of anime music and soundtracks? Also, read an article where I share my Japanese music playlist.
Challenge – Guess the Anime by the OST
To finish, let’s leave a video challenge; can you guess which anime the piano music is from?
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