A compilation of jazz insert songs and covers from anime
Looking for anime songs you can enjoy in a jazz style?
Theme songs, insert songs, and ending themes from Japanese anime have now established themselves as a major genre known worldwide as “anisong.”
At first glance, anime and jazz might not seem like they go together.
But once you listen, you’ll find that many famous anime tracks actually have a strong jazz flavor.
For those who love both anime and jazz, here are some songs you should definitely hear, including notable cover versions.
Give them a listen!
- Special Feature: Iconic Songs from Anime | Packed with Great Tracks!
- [Collection of Epic Songs] A compilation of cool anime songs chosen by anime fans
- Recommended anime songs for people in their 50s. Classic and popular anime theme songs.
- Popular anime songs you often hear on YouTube Shorts
- Including global smash hits! Anime songs recommended for Gen Z
- Listen More! A Collection of Hidden Gems in Anime Songs
- Summary of theme songs and insert songs from HUNTER×HUNTER
- That popular voice actor is doing that song!? A roundup of cover songs by voice actors
- Today's Anime Songs: Carefully selected anison masterpieces that will fill you with courage when you listen!
- Iconic scenes overlap! Anime songs recommended for the yutori generation
- [Anison × Rock] A compilation of anime songs performed by rock bands
- Moving and iconic anime songs, popular tracks
- Pick up famous and popular anime songs! Along with piano solo
Anime Jazz Insert Songs and Covers Compilation (1–10)
Yokai Human BemHoney Knights
A classic TV anime that aired from October 7, 1968, to March 31, 1969.
The Japanese male chorus group Honey Knights performed the theme song, “Yokai Ningen Bem.” The story follows three artificial beings—Bem, Bera, and Bero—created by a scientist who were unable to become human, as they defeat monsters and evildoers in the name of justice.
The original, rather than an arrangement, has a jazz style, so many people think of this song when it comes to jazz in anime.
If you know the song, you’ll likely find yourself wanting to say the line along with it: “I want to become human soon!”
The Galaxy Express 999Platina Jazz
If you’re an adult in Japan, you’ve probably seen Galaxy Express 999 at least once, right? This video features a jazz arrangement of the theme song from the film Galaxy Express 999, originally by Godiego.
It’s amazing how simply changing the rhythm and harmony can turn it into such a stylish jazz piece.
It’s a different song from the TV anime version—the TV version had a very Showa-era kayōkyoku feel, while the movie version is a bright tune about traveling through space, which likely resonated with modern audiences and made it famous.
Listening to the swing jazz version makes me want to drink wine on a train.
Fly Me to the MoonBart Howard
When you hear “Fly Me to the Moon,” you think of a classic jazz standard.
It’s also widely known as the ending theme of the TV anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, but it wasn’t written as an anime song—it was first recorded by American singer Felicia Sanders.
The original title was “In Other Words,” and it was a gentle waltz in 3/4 time rather than in 4/4.
It became famous after composer-arranger Joe Harnell gave it a bossa nova-style arrangement in 1962, which boosted its popularity.
Incidentally, for the Evangelion ending theme, the piano is performed by Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Kuriya.
Be sure to compare it with the original as well.
Anime Jazz: Insert Songs and Covers Collection (11–20)
Cutie HoneyTakeo Watanabe
Cutie Honey is a popular series that aired as a TV anime in the 1970s and has since been remade and adapted into live-action many times.
This is a jazz arrangement of that famous theme song, performed by a piano trio of piano, bass, and drums.
Even in a jazz setting, the drive of that intro is still very much alive.
The ad-lib solos in the middle are super cool and stylish—something that would fit right into a jazz bar—and the arrangement is one you’ll want to listen to over and over again.
Over the LimitROUTE85
This is a captivating track with a driving rock sound filled with passion.
It brilliantly captures the world of the anime Yowamushi Pedal: GLORY LINE, weaving the characters’ growth and inner struggles into the lyrics.
Released in May 2018, it was used as the ending theme for the anime’s second cour.
Performed by ROUTE85, a unit of six voice actors, the song also comes with individual character versions, making it irresistible for fans.
Listening to it while picturing the youths devoted to competitive cycling makes it resonate even more deeply.
Lupin the Third 'Theme of Love'Yuji Ohno
This theme song that you hear casually when you enter the shop is a masterpiece created by Yuji Ohno.
The intro begins with an elegant atmosphere infused with jazz elements and unfolds into a ballad marked by a wistful melody.
Used as the ending theme for an anime that aired starting in 1977, it became a piece that remained in the hearts of many.
Ohno’s distinctive sound, influenced by jazz and fusion, exudes a sophisticated vibe.
The work portrays a powerful longing for a loved one far away, and its lyrics are characterized by a sense of nostalgia and poignancy.
Moonlight LegendAnime That Jazz II
This track is included on Anime That Jazz II, an album that arranges classic anime songs into jazz.
All That Jazz sets the original—an anthem about the love and fate of a magical girl heroine—to a swinging rhythm, giving it a distinctly jazz sound.
While preserving the poppy spirit of the original, the piano melodies and smooth rhythms create a more mature atmosphere.
Released in October 2010, the album also features songs from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Dragon Ball Z.
Highly recommended for fans of both jazz and anime songs.
Listening to this record will make you feel both nostalgic and refreshed.