Many aspects allow anime to make a significant impact on the fan base and leave a lasting impression to become a renowned success. While the stars don’t always have to align for an anime to be a hit, there are several different key components that an anime can have in any combination to receive a sizable amount of popularity.
One of those components is their soundtrack. Music can turn an otherwise bland anime into a joyful, mesmerizing must-watch. There's nothing like an anime OST that hits all the right marks with tunes that allow fans to jam out while working on a project or studying for a mid-term. There's nothing quite like music, it is an essential factor of motivation as it can make a long workday into a short workday and increase focus. Here are some of the best anime soundtracks to listen to while studying.
9 Inuyasha
Inuyasha is a classic anime with a classic soundtrack. Many anime fans have woken up to the dulcet tones of CHANGE THE WORLD by V6 or My Will by Dream. The blueprint and peak of 90s anime, Inuyasha's soundtrack was filled with fantastic pop ballads that invoked the hearts of all who heard them.
The anime’s soundtrack was composed by Kaoru Wada, a seasoned arranger that had worked on other series like Ninja Scroll and Harlock Saga. Wada recently reprised his position and joined the team of the spin-off of Inuyasha, Yahshahime: Princess Half Demon.
8 Attack On Titan
Attack on Titan is riding on top of the popularity train as of late, with the series coming to an end beginning in 2023. Over the anime’s four seasons, it has provided incredible songs and musical pieces. The most recent opening, the rumbling by SiM, has reached the number one spot on Billboards' hard rock chart.
The series' entire soundtrack is a suspenseful ride of tension and orchestral-level melodies. Hiroyuki Sawano is the composer of the series and has had an extensive career, having worked in multiple fields, including film and live television; his fingerprints are also on other fan-favorite anime series like Kill La Kill, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, and Seven Deadly Sins.
7 Cowboy Bebop
Arguably one of the most astounding scores in anime, the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is as diverse as its characters being a mix of smooth jazz, heavy funk, and soft rock. The score was composed with a combined effort from Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts; Kanno is a veteran musician, composer, and songwriter who, even before working on Cowboy Bebop, had arranged the soundtracks of several other anime such as Macross and Escaflowne.
Cowboy Bebop’s soundtrack contains a laundry list of songs that are like honey for the ears, from the series opener “Tank!”, a big-band piece that gets the heart racing, to “sora wo torimodoshita hi” which eases the mind and increases focus with a smooth mix of hip-hop and jazz.
6 Samurai Champloo
The music of Samurai Champloo was masterful, a work of art from beginning to end. The score was put together by several artists who were heavily influenced by the hip-hop sound, created in the Bronx, New York, and pioneered by several African American musicians.
Shinji "Tsutchie" Tsuchida, Jon “Fat Jon” Marshall, June “Nujabes” Seba, and Force of Nature contoured the sound of Samurai Champloo with precision and created a tracklist that merged cultures. Samurai Champloo’s soundtrack is a beautiful mix of hip-hop and pop, sure to invoke the good vibes needed for a healthy mental grind.
5 Death Note
The Death Note soundtrack is a rollercoaster ride of heavy metal and crescendoed piano tones. Death Note is filled with high tension and mystique, and the soundtrack does a beautiful job of accompanying it and elevating the series theme to another level. The composers for the anime are Hideki Taniuchi and composer Yoshihisa Hirano, both of whom have over three decades of history to their names.
The harmonies that rang through as Light Yagami and L engaged in intellectual combat with one another added a thick layer of intensity to the mental exchanges between the two adversaries and provides a great atmosphere to focus on studies and boost mental performance.
4 Beck
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad is a music anime that centers around a young boy named Yukio Tanaka who is thrust into the world of Rock’ N Roll and sent on a journey as he joins a band and becomes the lead guitarist and vocalist. The music of Beck is heavily influenced by the many different genres of Rock, Blues, and Pop and was produced by musicians who had a strong behind-the-scenes presence.
The music of the series was heavily composed by the Japanese Pop band Beat Crusaders, who performed all the songs with help from the animes’ voice actors. Dual soundtracks were released, with one version being the Beat Crusaders' exclusive performances of the songs and the other being direct copies that were featured in the anime.
3 Full Metal Alchemist
Full Metal Alchemist is the story of two brothers who lose their bodies in an attempt to create life and bring their mother back to life; this highly taboo act sends them on a journey to find a way to restore themselves and dive into the true origins of Alchemy and its dark necessities.
Accompanying the story is the sound design, which attaches itself to the series like a well-made quilt. The entire tracklist complements the story in such a way that is not common by any means. Akira Senju was the composer for this series, bringing his masterful craft in musicianship that he has brought to other series like Mobile Suit Gundam Victory and Red Garden.
2 Naruto
There is nothing quite like the songs and inserts of Naruto; every die-hard anime fan has more than a few of the openings and endings of this series tucked away in a playlist. The tale of a knuckleheaded ninja with a heart of gold striving to be the Hokage has a fantastic assortment of music that aligns with the many themes of the series.
Yasuharu Takanashi is the composer for Naurto’s soundtrack and brings so many different styles of music to the complex composition of Naruto that the meld of sound and visual entertainment is nearly seamless.
1 NANA
NANA is another musically centered anime that thrives in the hard rock and metal genre. The story follows two girls blessed with the same name who go on an extensive journey of love, loss, and self-discovery. One of the women, Nana Osaki, is a talented vocalist and the lead singer of her band, Blast.
The story is packed full of high-energy Rock and Pop songs that are impossible not to vibe along with. The soundtrack was composed by various talented artists such as Ayumi Miyazaki, Tomoji Sogawa, and Rie Eto, to name a few.