Kara Dennison
October 19, 2024 
Just about every streaming platform now gives you the option of skipping openings, endings, and credits. But you won’t catch us doing that for these new fall anime openings!
From utaite and pop groups to a returning act that’s making waves in the anime community, join us as we rock out to this season’s hottest new music. Which openings are your favorites?
“Same Blue” – Official HIGE DANdism
Japanese pop-rock band Official HIGE DANdism will be familiar to fans of series including SPY x FAMILY and Tokyo Revengers. This season, they perform the opening theme for coming-of-age sports anime Blue Box. “Same Blue” makes our list of awesome fall anime openings not just because it’s a great listen, but because it embodies the spirit of Kouji Miura’s beloved manga series.
The lyrics to this soaring love song make reference to being both “close and far away” from the singer’s loved one—an apt description of Taiki and Chinatsu’s situation in the series. Moreover, the song dwells on becoming a different, better version of oneself. That ambition is what drives Blue Box, as Taiki finds ambition to succeed at badminton so as not to be left behind by his crush.
“Odd Number” – Yoshino
Utaite Yoshino has a twofer this season. In addition to singing the ending theme for Yakuza Fiancé, she also performs the next in our list of great fall anime openings. Loner Life in Another World kicks off each episode with “ODD NUMBER,” which touches on the two main aspects of Haruka’s isekai life: his isolation and his last-pick powers.
As the lyrics indicate, what’s left behind isn’t necessarily worth throwing away. Haruka manages to turn his picked-over power set into a fairly impressive set of abilities. Whether or not you’re paying attention to the lyrics, though, this opening is a bop. Loner Life in Another World may have its dramatic moments, but it is first and foremost pretty funny. Usually at Haruka’s expense.
“Otonoke” – Creepy Nuts
After breaking the anison seal with the opening and ending of Call of the Night, Creepy Nuts wowed anime fans with their opening for Mashle Season 2. And they’ve followed up with our favorite (so far) of the fall anime openings: DAN DA DAN‘s “Otonoke.” Besides showing off the duo’s signature wild style, this opening is packed with references. The lyrics alone make repeated callbacks to major Shonen Jump titles, Japanese urban legends, and M. Night Shyamalan. There’s even a call-out to “Sada-chan” and “Kaya-chan”—a.k.a. horror icons Sadako and Kayako, whose team-up movie was a major inspiration for Yukinobu Tatsu’s original manga.
Of course, the visuals themselves are packed with references, from Kamen Rider to American sitcoms. How many can you pick out?
