Top 10 Anime Dub Openings

When it comes to the magical girl genre, we’ve grown accustomed to hearing melodic and often uplifting tracks that prepare us for the fluffiness ahead. Apparently, the guys behind this particular dub took one look at Sakura and thought – we need to amp this shit up. And…they really did. You have a rapid-fire build-up of all the Clow Cards, all before the song explodes into life like it’s a broadway musical. Bless the lead singer, because she’s giving it her all like she’s been tasked with performing a legendary ballad.

Looking back on it now…yeah, the lyrics were as weird as can be and the vocalist sounds like he’s been smoking one too many Mocchis. Can’t blame him too much since he had to try and make the phrase “the evil Moo” sound catchy. Then again, it did do its job by hyping up audiences for one of the more forgotten series that got released in the west. It also falls into that beloved anime opening sub-genre that tried to provide a plot synopsis as quickly as possible. What else can you say other than Monsters Rule.

Oh god it’s so bad…but so good! Whichever brave soul over at 4Kids thought that giving the Straw Hat Crew their own rap needs to be commended and then promptly fired. While it certainly intrigued western newcomers who were uninitiated in the ways of Luffy and company, this song has since become the perfect definition of what isn’t One Piece, as in it totally goes against Oda’s magnificent design, but we’d be lying to ourselves if we said it wasn’t fun. We’d love to see how these guys would rap about the Whole Cake Island arc.

While the original Japanese theme has stuck with the Digidestined all the way through to the Tri movies, many are still in agreement that the English version actually nailed the tone of the show right off the bat! Thanks to the addition of a slick techno sound, the opening played out like a fever dream remix, instantly complimenting the barrage of giant monsters blasting across our screens. It’s no wonder the show would revisit this track later down the line with the dubbed versions of 02 and Tamers.

Which one? As if you have to ask! Everyone who grew up watching the grandfather of shonen was instantly blown away when they feasted their ears on this little number. This song is pure hype. The lyrics consist of only three phrases – Rock the Dragon, Come Get Me and Dragon Ball Z. That’s it. Though, if you’ve got a guitar solo this mesmerizing, do you really need anything else? Even during the series’ dullest moments, this track had everyone pumped to see what Goku was going to pull of next. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was Vegeta’s workout song of choice.

Robots shooting the crap out of each other is awesome enough, but when you add this track to it, you can bet that every kid nearly blew a gasket. Granted, we don’t exactly see Medabee ever engaging in anything as fast-pace as the opening, but then again we don’t really need too. The song is practically non-stop in its awesomeness, continually building and building until it symphonically explodes. Kind of amazing, since the majority of the time all the song is listing different types of words with “meda” in the beginning…

There are so many aspects that make this opening such a winner, to the point where you’re left wondering how a show about a children’s card game got itself a song that wasn’t only engrossing but layered. First, you’ve got the spooky intro, unfurling before like something out ancient Egypt itself…right before the remix kicks in. Thunderous percussion, an epic choir, all the elements ended coming together to create something almost colossal in scope. However, let’s be honest, we all remember this track for one thing and one thing only. Bring it on home Yugi.

You will believe a game of spinning tops is the most awe-inspiring sport to ever be conceived, especially when it’s got a song like this to back it up. There’s no filter with this one, only plenty of guitar shredding and a singer who is so into it that he’s honestly kind of scaring us. Every collision, every launch, every spin – the song hypes it all up like it’s the greatest event in the world, and we’ll be damned if it didn’t succeed. The premise may be ridiculous, but the sheer amount of fun this song manages to deliver is just too infectious to ignore.

Kind of ironic, isn’t it? An anime that’s infamous for having one of the most ludicrous dubs in the medium also got one of the best original openings. From the very first note, listeners are practically overwhelmed by the hard rock style, all the while the melodic vocals provide an almost mystical tone. We can’t believe we’re saying this, but the Shaman King English Dub Opening might be one of the most shounen things we have ever experienced. The pace, the style and the execution blend together so well that it pains us to think how the rest of the show was slammed through the censor machine!

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Zoids: Chaotic Century” (1999-2000)

“Pokemon: XYZ” (2015-16)

“Ultimate Muscle” (2002-06)

“Rave Master” (2001-02)

“Beyblade Burst TURBO” (2018-)

The one. The only. The best. While its seemingly endless amount of sequel series still manage to snag their own original songs, as far as we’re concerned, they’re all just pale imitations of this instant nostalgia bomb. Quite possibly the only song to hit the mainstream, everyone who grew up watching Ash’s Indigo League adventures can attest to singing along to this at least once. Don’t deny it. The lyrics bury themselves into your head like a Diglett. The tune is fun, light-hearted and so whimsical that it’s impossible not to smile. Much like Ash himself, this track is somewhat timeless.