Pop Team Epic is one of the strangest anime on television, so it deserves another OP just as mind-bending as the multimedia acid trip from season 1. This time, series staple Shouta Aoi teams up with musical unit BOUNCEBACK to create an otherworldly tune that seems to spin around in time with the abstract animation. The building instrumentation and distorted electronic effects on the vocal track both fuel the idea that you’re falling into Popuko and Pipimi’s world, not to be released from their rapid-fire insanity until the credits roll (or rather, the credits roll for a second time).

Pop Team Epic Season 2 OP

This neon-soaked, retro-flavored jam is just the thing to get you in the mood for some ‘80s romcom fun. For the remake of Urusei Yatsura, MAISONdes, Minami, and SAKURAmoti have crafted an up-tempo love song that conveys Lum’s obsessive love for Ataru and how she’ll do anything to get his attention. Even while he’s dreaming of beautiful girls in parodies of things like Space Invaders and Instagram, she “invades” right back by making everything about her instead! The entire OP is a love letter to the original series, while still flexing the might of modern animation (especially with Lum’s iridescent hair, which is finally possible to depict correctly now). When it comes to updated adaptations of flashy ‘80s classics, it looks like David Production has it down to a science!

Urusei Yatsura (2022) OP

What better way to hype up the grand, universe-spanning tale of Muv-Luv Alternative than with a new banger from JAM Project? Joined by Minami Kuribayashi, these hot-blooded anisong veterans weave a rousing anthem that brings back the dark drama of the Real Robot mecha genre. With lyrics like “Roar like a demigod resisting under the light” and “Fire at dawn, stay alive within this broken world,” you’ll be reaching for the lighter and headbanging along before the song’s all-too-short 90 seconds are through. Combined with depictions of a war that’s already taken its toll on the world and Takeru’s eternal search for a way forward, it’s a gripping opening that embodies the tenacity and bravery of its heroes.

Muv-Luv Alternative 2nd Season PV

As one of the most highly anticipated anime of the year, Chainsaw Man deserved an unforgettable OP – and luckily, that’s exactly what it got! “Kick Back” pulls absolutely no punches with its disgustingly gorgeous visuals (animated by the same team that made the Jujutsu Kaisen openings) and lyrics that reflect Denji’s desperate desire for affection. Having so many references to classic thriller and slasher movies interwoven with the characters goofing around like dumb teenagers really encapsulates the chaotic nature of the series, too. This one is bound to be bopped to for years to come!

Chainsaw Man OP

It’s hard to top “Kick Back” for sure, but the final OP for Mob Psycho 100 is just so good that we had to put “1” at its well-deserved number 1 spot. It’s the culmination of everything that came before it, with the lyrics and animation emphasizing that Mob’s power has reached its peak and turned into the biggest hurdle he’s ever had to face. But he’s not alone, and we love how the opening frames his relationship with Reigen as one of equals this time, rather than the (conman) teacher and (genius) student arrangement that it was before.

And since it’s the end of the story, we get flashes of earlier episodes in the last few seconds – replacing the manga panels that occupied the same space in the first opening. It gives a feeling that the anime, and Mob himself, have both come full circle; and if you listen to the full version of “1”, you can even hear the opening notes of “99” at the very end. Let’s hope that Mob Psycho 100 III lives up to the promise of its own OP!

Mob Psycho 100 III OP