[Hip-Hop] A roundup of anime with rap episodes!
With TV shows like Freestyle Dungeon gaining attention, the hip-hop scene has been heating up in recent years.
Hip-hop artists are often tapped for anime theme songs, too.
Hearing a cool flow really amps up the excitement for the series!
In this article, we’ve rounded up anime that feature scenes with characters rapping.
These are what you might call “rap episodes.”
You might even be surprised—“Wait, that anime has a rap episode?!”
Be sure to read to the end and check them out!
- A collection of hip-hop/rap anime songs
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- Special Feature: Iconic Songs from Anime | Packed with Great Tracks!
- Upbeat Anime Songs Special [Get Hyped]
- [Hot & Cool] Up-tempo, hype-inducing anime song
- A compilation of jazz insert songs and covers from anime
- A special feature on high-energy EDM anime songs that will get you hyped
- Only famous artists! Anime songs that energize the Reiwa era
- Iconic scenes overlap! Anime songs recommended for the yutori generation
- Anime songs themed around friendship. A roundup of friendship songs that color anime.
- [I Want to Get Fired Up!] A Special Feature on Anime Songs That Pump You Up
[Hip-Hop] A roundup of anime episodes with rap segments! (1–10)
Yo-kai Watch
The anime Yo-kai Watch, which became a huge hit among children, features yokai—spirits said to have existed in Japan since long ago—appearing as fun and amusing characters.
It’s an episodic series that depicts the daily life of the protagonist Keita and the yokai Whisper as they solve problems and get into chaotic antics.
In episode 97, a yokai rapper—called a “Kappa-rapper” instead of just a rapper—makes an appearance.
Given how long the series has been running, it’s no surprise there’s a rap-themed episode.
By the way, the theme song “Gera Gera Po no Uta” also includes a rap part.
DEVILMAN crybaby
In DEVILMAN crybaby, produced in 2018 and based on Japan’s legendary manga Devilman, rap serves a narration-like role in the story.
Nameless, background “mob” characters appear in various scenes to explain the situation and move the plot along—just like the format used in the film TOKYO TRIBE.
What’s more, the voice work is performed by legendary rappers who are also huge in Japan’s freestyle scene.
Can you tell who’s delivering which lines?
The Demon Girl Next Door 2-Chome
The Demon Girl Next Door is the TV anime adaptation of a four-panel manga by Izumo Ito.
It tells the story of magical girls and demons who, for various reasons, end up living in an apartment.
The rap segment appears in season 2, episode 7, as a gag scene.
The compact humor characteristic of a four-panel manga gives it an extremely cute feel.
It’s a gentle slice-of-life series that you can watch with a warm, heartwarming smile.
Highly recommended for fans of cute things!
[Hip-Hop] A roundup of anime that feature rap episodes! (11–20)
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected. - Final
In episode 7 of season 3 of Wataru Watari’s light novel series My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, there’s a rap scene.
In recent years, when rap appears in manga or anime, it’s typically featured in a battle.
In My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, the planning meeting for a Christmas event is conducted in the form of a rap battle.
If you listen closely, you can tell the characters are advancing their discussion while rapping.
A rap scene that facilitates such a constructive conversation is quite rare, isn’t it?
Zombieland Saga
In episode 2 of Zombie Land Saga, whose premise—zombie girls doing idol activities in Saga Prefecture—sparked a lot of buzz, there’s a rap scene of remarkably high technical level.
The idol group Franchouchou, formed by the main characters, ends up launching into a mostly ad-libbed rap.
A back-and-forth unfolds like a battle, and it’s nice that it ultimately ends on a happy note.
Within the story, there’s a clear necessity for the members to open up and clash honestly here, so it doesn’t feel out of place when you watch it.
Crayon Shin-chan
Even the now-nationally beloved anime Crayon Shin-chan features rap scenes.
Did you know that in the original manga by Yoshito Usui, references to popular songs and TV shows of the time, as well as parodies of other manga like Dragon Ball, are sprinkled throughout? Both the TV anime and the films share this style.
In the anime’s rap scenes, subtitles are added to the lyrics—likely out of consideration for young children—and those subtitles look just like Freestyle Dungeon’s.
It seems they’re incorporating rap as a parody.
Prison School
In the bizarre blend of surreal gags and serious moments that is Prison School, Gakuto—voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi—does a rap in episode 4.
That said, it isn’t a scene where he’s “performing hip-hop”; it’s strictly a diversion to help the protagonists’ plan succeed.
Rather than focusing on rhyme or rhythm, he mostly just shouts his head off.
Even so, the prison setting and the way he rattles the chain-link fence to intimidate people might actually bring it closer to the world of real hip-hop.