Exciting Japanese karaoke hits: Latest rankings [2025]

One Night CarnivalKishidan36rank/position

Kishidan – One Night Carnival

The major-label debut from Kishidan, a rock band hailing from Chiba, fuses a fiery heartbeat with a catchy pop melody line.

With their unique style of school uniforms and pompadours, and high-energy tunes packed with passionate messages, they powerfully express the rebellious spirit of youth and a yearning for freedom.

Originally released independently in June 2001, the work sold 80,000 copies, and its major-label edition in May 2002 reached No.

7 on the Oricon chart.

With relatable, down-to-earth lyrics and an exhilarating sound, it’s perfect for when you need a boost or a refreshing change of pace.

Until the world ends...WANDS37rank/position

[Parody Song] Until the World Ends, Only Corporate Drones Will Understand... / WANDS

This is a parody song with lyrics imbued with sorrow that evoke self-deprecating laughter.

Even if your situation is a bit tough, sometimes laughing it off can give you energy, right? And simply sharing a sense of “we’re all like this” can make you feel better too.

Karaoke is a perfect place for that kind of mutual encouragement.

The key with this song is to sing it earnestly to build a sense of shared empathy.

Laugh together and belt it out—“Yep, that’s exactly how companies are!”—and turn it into positive energy to say, “Let’s keep doing our best starting tomorrow!”

Yes, with pleasure.Kent on this side38rank/position

Sure thing / Kocchino Kento MV

Elementary school students often use devices with various restrictions, but isn’t it likely that most of them still use TikTok regularly? With that in mind, I recommend “Hai Yorokonde.” The chorus features an octave-up harmony, so the overall vocal range is fairly wide, but if you sing an octave lower, even elementary schoolers—whose voices can be unstable—should be able to handle it.

The flow is a bit complex, but its recognition and popularity are top-notch, so definitely consider adding it to your repertoire.

Odoru-LoopFrederick39rank/position

Frederic “Oddloop” Music Video | Frederic “oddloop”

Frederic is a rock band that delivers its own unique songs incorporating rock and dance music.

Known as one of their signature tracks and a staple at live shows and music festivals, “Oddloop” drew attention thanks to its music video featuring an expressionless woman dancing.

The choreography—swaying the body while swinging the arms in the same direction to the band’s rhythmic performance—is delightfully addictive.

Because the simple moves repeat, even beginners can enjoy the dance.

Try showcasing a unified dance in sync with the energetic vocals.

Deer-Colored DaysDeer Club40rank/position

TV Anime “Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan” Non-Credit Opening Video ‘Shika-iro Days’

It’s an outrageously cheerful, happy song! It’s performed by Shika-bu, a unit made up of the voice actors who play the main characters in the TV anime “Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan.” The repeated phrase of the title is irresistible once you hear it even once! It’s bursting with an overwhelmingly positive energy that lifts your spirits just by listening.

The song was released for streaming in July 2024 and came out as a CD single in August of the same year.

Perfect for when you want to go all-out at karaoke or for lively moments of laughter with friends!

Goodbye ElegyMasaki Suda41rank/position

Masaki Suda “Sayonara Elegy”

This is one of Masaki Suda’s signature rock songs, written and composed by Huwie Ishizaki.

The melody is very straightforward and easy to remember, so I think anyone can sing it.

I love this song too and always sing it four keys higher, and it’s more than enough to get the crowd going! The intro is cool right from the start, so it’s guaranteed to hype everyone up there.

Many people have probably heard the chorus as well, so people around you are likely to sing along! As for tricky parts, I’d say the end of the second chorus and the last chorus, where the high G#4 notes keep coming.

It’s kind of heartbreaking if you don’t nail that part, so let’s make it sound awesome! Take a solid breath and resonate the sound inside your mouth.

Try singing as if you’re shooting a beam from your mouth, vibrating the inside as you sing.

Also, to make matters worse, the lyrics there use the harder-to-pronounce “na” and “ma” lines in Japanese, so be conscious of projecting more strongly than you think you need to!

GLORIAZIGGY42rank/position

ZIGGY「GLORIA」

ZIGGY is one of the rock bands that sparked the band boom of the ’80s.

Their hallmark sound was influenced by LA metal and bad-boys rock, and they were especially known for their upbeat songs.

Speaking of ZIGGY’s classics, isn’t “GLORIA” the first that comes to mind? The vocal line in this song spans a fairly narrow range, from mid1 G to mid2 G, and the pitch movement isn’t very dramatic.

There’s a hi C used as a vocal embellishment, but since this is an ad-lib section that doesn’t earn extra points in karaoke scoring, you don’t need to stick to the original pitch there if the height is too demanding.