One of the most important things in an anime is its soundtrack, responsible for giving life and emotion to the scenes. With that in mind, in this article we'll see the 10 best anime with the best soundtracks of all time.
Remember that we are talking about soundtracks and not openings and endings. Some soundtrack composers also do great openings and endings, but that's not always the case.
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The Best Anime Soundtrack Composers
Some anime on this list are composed by the same composer. There are some names of Japanese composers that are recognized around the world.
Among the most popular OST composers in the world are:
- Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan; Guilty Crown);
- Toshihiko Sahashi (Hunter x Hunter);
- Katsuo Ohno (Detective Conan);
- Yuki Kajiura (SAO);
- Yoko Kanno;
- Yuji Ohno;
- Joe Hisaishi;
- Kouhei Tanaka;
- Noriyasu Ageatsu;
- Shirou Sagisu;
The Best Anime with the Best OST Soundtracks
Listing the best anime with the best soundtracks below may be a little biased, but I'll try to be as unbiased as possible.
I just know that many of the anime on this list were only perfect because of the soundtrack. Without them, it probably wouldn't have the same popularity it has!
1 - Guilty Crown - Hiroyuki Sawano
This anime has the most impactful songs and the perfect soundtrack with a jaw-dropping animation, only its execution that came out a bit from the edges.
The anime tells the story of a Virus that has spread across Japan that is being controlled by GHQ. Our protagonist meets a famous singer and discovers special abilities that allow him to materialize a weapon from within someone else.
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 ever. Also composed by the famous Hiroyuki Sawano who finds perfect ways to fit futuristic music into the scene.
Aldnoah Zero tells the story of a war between people from Mars and Earth. The super smart protagonist needs to protect the princess from mars while trying to avoid an intergalactic war.
Both the opening and closing and background music are sensational and perfectly match the ambience. The anime is also quite frenetic and impactful.
See below some of the best Songs and Soundtrack from Aldnoah Zero:
3 - Sword Art Online - Yuki Kajiura
Without the composition of Yuki Kajiura in Sword Art Online I can't imagine what the anime would look like. Simply mandatory this soundtrack.
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's very famous, so it doesn't need comments.
Undoubtedly one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, especially the battle themes. Below is a video with the best:
4 - My Hero - Yûki Hayashi
His recent work on Boku no Hero also marked the anime's popularity with a great main theme which was also the basis 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 every population has an individuality. Young Deku dreams of being a Hero, but how is he going to do it without power?
Below is a compilation of the Boku no Hero soundtrack, the first two songs being my favorites, don't forget to listen to Might U too.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Akira Senju
Akira Senju is the composer behind the impactful soundtracks of one of the best anime of all time FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhoód.
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 for the best OST of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood:
6 - Steins;Gate - Takeshi Abo
This one ends up going unnoticed due to the origin of being a visual novel game, but Steins;Gate, besides being one of the best anime of all time, has a great soundtrack with good piano touches.
Steins;Gate tells the story of a crazy young man who finds a way to send messages to the past, but this ends up drawing the attention of a dangerous organization putting their lives at risk.
If you haven't had a chance to see this masterpiece, run right now! See some of their soundtrack below:
7 - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso - Various Composers
This anime has a soundtrack based on piano classics and also has 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 is traumatized from playing the piano. A young violinist ends up breaking this boy's trauma.
Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful OSTs of all time, especially for those who love piano and violin. The openings and closings are also wonderful.
8 - Ataque ao Titã - Hiroyuki Sawano
Another great work that increased the fame of the great 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 Paz, a titan destroys one of the walls causing despair to the population inside the wall.
Below is an official nZk Video and its compilation of the Shingeki no Kyoujin soundtrack:
9 - Parasite - Ken Arai
One of the most frenetic and impactful soundtracks that perfectly match the action of Anime Kiseijuu also known as Parasyte.
This anime tells the story of a young boy who has an arm dominated by a parasitic creature, he discovers that this creature has dominated people's brains and eating other humans.
I tried to put the entire anime soundtrack, but I couldn't, look on YouTube, there are some very frantic songs, but I'll put a SAD that is my favorite style:
10 - Hunter x Hunter - Yoshihisa Hirano and Toshihiko Sahashi
The Hunter x Hunter anime had two versions, the classic composed by Toshihiko Sahashi and the most recent one by Yoshihisa Hirano who also composes the great Death Note soundtrack.
The anime tells the story of a young boy named Gon who takes part in a deadly exam to become a hunter and has many perks in order to find his father.
I didn't have a chance to watch the classic anime so I can't comment on the first version, but I really like the soundtrack for the second one. Mainly from the instrumental versions of the anime's endings.
It is worth making an Honorable mention to the soundtrack of the Movie Kimi no na Wa which is also perfect! Here's the tip!
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Conclusion – What is the Best Anime OST of all time?
The best composer or best anime with a soundtrack will come from personal taste, but in my opinion it's Hiroyuki Sawano's Aldnoah Zero.
In my opinion, the best songwriter is also Hiroyuki Sawano, his style is original and unique, he also composes vocal songs with great vocalists like Mika Kobayashi.
Other favorite composers and their anime are Yuki Kaijura from Sword Art Online and Toshihiko Sahashi from Hunter x Hunter. It is worth mentioning that practically every anime composed by Hiroyuki Sawano and the others mentioned is usually good.
In your opinion? Who is the best anime music and soundtrack composer? Also read an article where I share my Japanese music playlist.
Challenge - Guess the Anime by OST
Finally, let's leave a video challenge, can you find out which anime the songs played on the piano are from?
