Best Anime Music of 2026: Openings, Endings and Soundtracks

The standout anime music of 2026 so far (January through September) is Mrs. GREEN APPLE's “lulu.”, the opening of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2. It was No. 1 on the Billboard JAPAN Hot Animation chart published September 23, 2026, in its 36th week on that chart. Around it, the year's most notable theme songs are King Gnu's “AIZO” (Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3), Konomi Suzuki feat. Ashnikko's “Recollect” (Re:Zero Season 4), Eve's “風のアンセム” feat. suis from Yorushika (Witch Hat Atelier), and King Gnu's “GO GHOST” (The Ghost in the Shell). For full scores, the key 2026 albums are Evan Call's Frieren Season 2 soundtrack and Yoshimasa Terui's 80-track Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game Part 1 soundtrack. This is an editorial selection of 16 prominent sequels and new series, not a complete list of every 2026 anime.

Last checked: September 23, 2026 against the official music pages of each anime, Billboard JAPAN's Hot Animation chart, and Wikipedia's 2026 in anime list (used only to place each show in its broadcast season).

How the picks were chosen

Every title below is a major sequel, a heavily promoted new adaptation, or a series PrimeTime Anime already covers. Each opening (OP) and ending (ED) credit was checked on that anime's own music page, and the table links to that page. Season placement follows the premiere dates on Wikipedia's 2026 in anime list. Song titles are given the way the official pages print them. Where a title is in Japanese, a common romanization is added only when it's unambiguous.

A quick glossary: the OP plays over the opening credits, the ED over the closing credits, and the OST (original soundtrack) is the background score released as an album. Official pages list them separately, and so does this guide.

Winter 2026 (January–March)

Release details from those pages:

• Frieren: “lulu.” (words and music by Motoki Ohmori) went digital on January 12, 2026. milet's “The Story of Us”, arranged by the show's composer Evan Call, started streaming at midnight on January 16.
• Jujutsu Kaisen: the “AIZO” CD came out February 11, 2026 on Sony Music Labels, including a limited anime-jacket edition (BVCL-1516–1517, ¥3,500). jo0ji's single followed on March 4. The official OP/ED video announcement describes the opening as Yuji- and Yuta-focused action cut to the track, and the ending as centered on Yuji's inner conflict.
• Hell's Paradise: “かすかなはな” was released January 12 on Echoes/Sony Music Labels, and “PERSONAL” on January 14. Queen Bee's official comment calls the ending “a lullaby” for characters who keep fighting.
• Golden Kamuy: the opening single came out March 18 (KSCL-3642–3643) and “The Ballad” on March 25 (PZCA-120).
• Fire Force: “Ignis” has lyrics by TOPHAMHAT-KYO (FAKE TYPE.) and music and arrangement by TeddyLoid. In his comment, Nishikawa says the song carries both the “despair” and the “hope” of the final chapter.

Spring 2026 (April–June)

Release details from those pages:

• Re:Zero: “Recollect” went digital on April 16, 2026 and “Ender Ember” on April 23. MYTH & ROID's comment confirms they are back on ending duty after Season 3.
• Witch Hat Atelier: the music page lists three ending songs by Nakamura Hak, whose profile gives an April 2026 debut. Eve's comment on the page says suis was asked to sing on the opening.
• Classroom of the Elite: both singles came out April 22, 2026: “MONSTER” as LACM-24832 (¥2,750) and “ライアーヴェール” as LACM-24820 (¥1,320, CD only). Eir Aoi wrote the opening lyrics herself.
• Dr. Stone: the site calls this the final season's third cour. The official news post names “スキンズ” as the opening. BURNOUT SYNDROMES name “ROCKET” in their comment on the ending page and note that they also sang the first season's theme, “Good Morning World!”.

The site's Re:Zero watch order and Classroom of the Elite Season 4 guide cover the story side of two of these shows. The Witch Hat Atelier Season 2 tracker follows what comes after the spring season.

Summer 2026 (July–September)

Release details from those pages:

• Bleach: “I-BULL” came out September 2, 2026 (KSCL-3668, ¥1,650), and 9Lana's “螺旋” on September 9 as a record-size complete-production-limited edition (¥3,300). jo0ji's profile on the Bleach page mentions his Jujutsu Kaisen ending from January.
• The Ghost in the Shell: Daiki Tsuneta wrote the words and music for “GO GHOST” and co-wrote “Blue” with Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar. Both are on Sony Music Labels.
• Mushoku Tensei: “祈り、終われば” was written by Shinoda of Hitorie and released August 26, 2026 (AICL-4940–4941). Hitorie's own “On the Frontline” was an opening for Season 2.
• Tanya: the ending is written by hotaru, with music and arrangement by Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES / THE SPELLBOUND).
• The Elusive Samurai: Kento Nakajima's single, which includes “鬼事”, is dated August 19. The ending went digital July 18 and came out on CD August 19 (AICL-4932, ¥2,500), with three Hinatazaka46 members as guest vocalists.

For how the final Bleach cour fits after the earlier parts, see the Bleach watch order.

2026 anime soundtracks (OSTs)

A few details from the official pages:

• Frieren: the booklet includes a conversation between Evan Call and sound director Shoji Hata, plus photos from recording sessions in Vienna and Budapest. First pressings carried a ticket-lottery entry for the Frieren Film Concert 2026, held August 1, 2026 at Pacifico Yokohama with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and with Evan Call and milet as special guests.
• Jujutsu Kaisen: part of the album went digital early, on January 30, 2026, through iTunes, mora, Apple Music, Spotify and other services.
• Oshi no Ko: Takuro Iga is credited for music on the Season 3 staff page. The track list includes “The 15 Year Lie” and several cues featuring o.j.o.
• Classroom of the Elite: the composer column comes from the series staff page, because the soundtrack listing itself does not name a composer.
• The Ghost in the Shell: the O.S.T. page says Taisei Iwasaki is also the music director and credits the jacket to tarou2, supervised by Science SARU. The digital release date is the only one this guide confirmed. Check the page for the CD and vinyl dates.

Chart evidence

This guide cites one chart: Billboard JAPAN's Hot Animation chart published September 23, 2026. These are the 2026 themes above that appear in its top 10:

That's one week's snapshot, and positions move every week. No other chart positions are claimed here.

Our picks

1. Frieren Season 2: “lulu.” plus Evan Call's score. No. 1 on the September 23 Hot Animation chart, in its 36th week there. It also has the year's most thoroughly documented score album: 22 named tracks, a catalog number, and a film concert built around it.

2. jo0ji, two big tie-ins in one year. He wrote and performed the Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game ending in January, then got the opening for Bleach's final cour in September. jo0ji's comment on the Bleach page says the artist grew up watching Bleach.

3. The Ghost in the Shell: a Daiki Tsuneta double. King Gnu handles the opening and MILLENNIUM PARADE the ending. Both are Tsuneta projects, and he has a writing credit on both songs. A three-composer score followed on September 9. King Gnu also sang the Jujutsu Kaisen opening earlier in the year.

4. Re:Zero Season 4: two cross-genre features. Konomi Suzuki teams up with Ashnikko on the opening, and MYTH & ROID bring in TK of Ling tosite sigure for the ending. In a comment on the official page, Ashnikko calls Re:Zero her “favorite anime of all time.”

5. Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game Part 1 OST. The largest score release in this guide: three discs and 80 tracks from Yoshimasa Terui, with part of it streaming before the CD came out.

Where to listen legally

Start from the official music pages linked in the tables. They send you to the rights holders' own streaming or purchase pages, and what's available on each service can vary by country. These are the direct links printed on the official pages:

• Hell's Paradise: “かすかなはな” streaming · “PERSONAL” streaming
• Re:Zero: “Recollect” · “Ender Ember”
• The Ghost in the Shell: “GO GHOST” · “Blue”
• Mushoku Tensei: “祈り、終われば”
• Tanya the Evil II: opening · ending · soundtrack
• The Elusive Samurai: ending streaming list
• Soundtracks: Jujutsu Kaisen early digital tracks · Oshi no Ko Vol. 3 · Classroom of the Elite

For CDs, use the catalog numbers above with the label or a retailer. Collectors can search current anime soundtrack vinyl and physical editions on Amazon. Search results change and are not endorsements. As an Amazon Associate, PrimeTime Anime earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

To watch the shows themselves, the streaming-service comparison covers the US options.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best anime song of 2026?

Our pick is Mrs. GREEN APPLE's “lulu.”, the Frieren Season 2 opening. It was No. 1 on Billboard JAPAN's Hot Animation chart published September 23, 2026, in its 36th week on the chart.

What is the best anime soundtrack (OST) of 2026?

For a single album, start with Evan Call's Frieren Season 2 Original Soundtrack (April 15, 2026, 22 tracks). For the largest score, Yoshimasa Terui's Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game Part 1 soundtrack runs to three discs and 80 tracks.

Who sings the Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 opening and ending?

King Gnu performs the opening, “AIZO”, released on CD February 11, 2026. jo0ji performs the ending, “よあけのうた”, released March 4, 2026. Both are on Sony Music Labels.

Is an anime opening song part of the OST?

Usually not. Openings and endings are released as separate singles, while the OST is the background score composed for scenes. The official Jujutsu Kaisen and Frieren pages list them as separate releases.

Who did the music for The Ghost in the Shell (2026)?

King Gnu performs the opening, “GO GHOST”, and MILLENNIUM PARADE feat. Saya Gray and Daniel Caesar perform the ending, “Blue”. Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo Konishi and YUKI KANESAKA composed the score, which went digital on September 9, 2026.

Did the same artist work on both Jujutsu Kaisen and Bleach in 2026?

Yes. jo0ji performed the Jujutsu Kaisen Culling Game Part 1 ending, “よあけのうた”, and the opening for Bleach's final cour, “I-BULL”, released September 2, 2026.

Where can I see which anime air next?

This guide covers January to September 2026. For fall shows and 2027 dates, see the 2026 fall and 2027 release schedule.