[2025] A Compilation of Western Songs Used in Japanese Anime
In a sense, anime opening and ending themes are very important—many songs are so striking that they define a work’s image.
There are all kinds of anime songs, from classic “anison”-style tracks to songs performed by voice actors.
In this article, we’ve compiled songs by Western artists and bands that have been used as theme music in Japanese anime.
Some people might feel that Western music and Japanese anime don’t really go together, but in fact they’re used quite often.
You might even discover Western songs used in surprising titles—ones that even Western music fans didn’t know about.
Be sure to check it out!
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[2025] Western Songs Used in Japanese Anime (21–30)
ShelterPorter Robinson & Madeon
This is a rare example where the music video for the song itself is an original anime.
It was produced by A-1 Pictures, a studio well-known for anime production.
The project came to fruition because the composer, Porter Robinson, is a huge anime fan.
Last ChristmasWham!
“Anime Daisuki!” Season 21 ending theme.
This show, called “I Love Anime,” was a Kansai-local program that introduced OVAs (original video animations), and it seems a wide variety of Western songs were used besides this one.
The song itself is one of the quintessential Christmas tracks by Wham!.
THE LIGHT BEFORE WE LANDThe Delgados
The Delgados’ “The Light Before We Land,” by the indie rock band from Scotland, is a gem featured on their 2002 album Hate.
With its alternative sheen, melodic guitar fuzz, and the understated yet resonant vocals of Emma Pollock and Alun Woodward, the song made a strong impact on the mood of the anime Gunslinger Girl.
The lyrics convey a fleeting state of mind in which the value of life feels diminished and things once beautiful seem drab—deeply resonating with the characters’ inner worlds.
Even among those who listened to the Delgados in real time, many may not know that this song was used in the anime.
Gospel Of The ThrottleMinutes Til Midnight
The opening theme of Drifters.
It’s a track by the Los Angeles rock band MINUTES TIL MIDNIGHT.
The song is included on their 2015 album Bulletproof Dreams.
The languid vocals with an alternative vibe paired with the intense rock sound make it a really cool song.
RWBY OpeningCasey Lee Williams
The opening theme of RWBY.
It’s the opening song for the overseas web anime RWBY.
The series, which was originally popular only on the web, became so successful that it was eventually broadcast on television.
The composer is Jeff Williams, but it seems he has no relation to Jeff Williams, the former Hanshin Tigers player.
SAYONARAMary MacGregor
This is the ending theme of the film Farewell to Space Battleship Galaxy Express 999, created by American singer Mary MacGregor, who topped the U.
S.
charts in 1976 with her smash hit Torn Between Two Lovers.
For this animated film released in August 1981, she wrote both the lyrics and the music, resulting in a roughly five-and-a-half-minute ballad featuring an impressive, grand orchestration by the Los Angeles Symphony.
The lyrics, which sing of the sorrow of parting and the hope that follows, are carried by her delicate and emotionally rich vocals, and together with the movie’s final scene, they leave a deep impression on the audience.
Showcasing the power of music to transcend borders, this masterpiece is recommended not only for anime fans but also for lovers of Western pop.
Samurai Jack Japanese IntroSamurai Jack
Samurai Jack opening theme.
Like the previous one, it’s an animated series produced by Cartoon Network.
It’s rap-style—another type of anime song that’s rarely heard in Japan.
Composed by James L.
Venable.
It uses plenty of sounds that evoke Japan.