Summary
- Blue Box’s opening, ‘Saraba’ by Macaroni Empitsu, perfectly captures the essence of unrequited love.
- Solo Leveling’s ‘ReawakeR’ provides a powerful mix of K-pop, electro rock, and rap, setting the stage for Sung Jin-Woo’s rise.
- Ubel Blatt’s opening ‘Zainin’ by GARNiDELiA expertly combines electro J-pop and symphony rock, reflecting the tale’s dark mood.
The anime season of Winter 2025 has hit new levels of epicness with the comeback of series like Solo Leveling, Shangri-La Frontier, and the debut of Sakamoto Days. And as per usual, with new anime releases come incredible openings that make viewers vibe to the tune of their favorite series.
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The winter 2025 anime season is full of great anime openings, but some are arguably better than others. Here’s a rundown on the best songs of this new anime season, considering composition, lyrics, approval rates, and how well they fit the anime that they represent.
1
Blue Box
‘Saraba’ by Macaroni Empitsu
Blue Box is all about sports and unrequited love. It’s a coming-of-age tale about life goals and bonds, featuring heartfelt moments and also heartbreaking ones. The sadness captured in this opening, composed by Macaroni Empitsu, is nothing short of masterful, combining the best of J-pop with influences of garage indie rock. Though the mixture might seem like something standardized in most romance/sports anime series, most fans will agree that this group from Kanagawa has hit peak levels with this composition.
And since Hina and her impossible love seem to be the target of this opening, fans of this romance series will likely notice certain parts of the lyrics clearly making reference to a love that will never be, no matter the effort she puts into it. It’s truly quite sad, but it’s also filled with hope for the future. This is arguably the best opening of the winter anime 2025 season.
2
Solo Leveling
‘ReawakeR’ by LiSA featuring Felix from Stray Kids
Serving as a mixture of K-pop, electro rock, and rap, ‘ReawakeR’ signals the curtain rise for one of the bloodiest and most tragic arcs in Solo Leveling (Jeju Island Raid) and turns the story up a notch to represent Sung Jin-Woo’s rise into an S-Rank Hunter, recognized by everyone.
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The lyrics speak about breaking the system, scaling the balance, and the pride of the Hunters giving their lives to protect Earth from the Portal Breakdown phenomenon. It is quite good, and the full version is even better.
3
The Apothecary Diaries
‘Hyakka Ryouran’ by Lilas Ikuta
Mixing traditional Japanese songs and J-pop, Lilas Ikuta is the source of a beautiful and addictive opening that tells the tale of Maomao’s first experiences in the imperial palace, as well as her struggles to sort out her feelings as she maneuvers the dangers of the court.
With a catchy rhythm and a great interpreter, the opening to The Apothecary Diaries has accumulated quite a score both on YouTube and Spotify. According to an official statement in Ikuta’s SNS, she felt “honored to be called out to perform the opening for the second season of the show,” and she added that she felt compelled to do her best to “breathe new life into the world of the novel.”
4
Sakamoto Days
‘RUN SAKAMOTO RUN’ by Vaundy
Vaundy mixes alternative rock and funk in a lazy yet catchy melody that perfectly suits Sakamoto’s new lifestyle as a dad and shop clerk, providing a big contrast to his past self as a hitman. With its punchy rhythm, deep basslines, and great voice interpreter, the opening to Sakamoto Days effortlessly ranks among the favorites of this anime season.
The lyrics perfectly describe the change in pacing of the story, as Sakamoto and Shin struggle to protect their peaceful lifestyle from the ghosts of their pasts that have come to bite them in the rear after many years of living leisurely. Fans will surely agree that this opening suits this action comedy series like a glove (or like a gun-holster).
5
Shangri-La Frontier
‘Frontiers’ by Awich
Strangely enough, this mixture of hip-hop and orchestral music (with the unavoidable background lyrics) really hits the spot. Shangri-La Frontier has been going for a similar choice in each of its openings, but this smooth rap transmits just the right vibe that the show needs. The opening also showcases many of the new characters that will join Sunraku’s journey to dominate the VR-Game and his struggle against some of the most powerful enemies he will face.
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Akiko Urasaki (Awich’s non-stage name) has had lots of influences from the American hip-hop and rap genres, especially from Tupac, whom she idolizes, and has quite an accomplished career, with dozens of singles hitting a great approval rate among connoisseurs. Since the new season takes Sunraku beyond the limits of his own character, and because the story is heading into the Abyss City Arc direction, this opening defines the mood perfectly for one of the greatest parts of this sci-fantasy story.
6
Ubel Blatt
‘Zainin’ by GARNiDELiA
The opening to Ubel Blatt offers a harmonious mixture of electro J-pop and symphony rock, boasting powerful background lyrics that define the mood for this brutal and dark fantasy tale of death, rebirth, and revenge. GARNiDELiA, a duo that mixes Mai Mizuhashi’s powerful voice with the masterful compositions of Yoshinori Abe (also known as Toku) brings forth a perfect result.
This opening is significantly good but highly underrated. Even then, it is a perfect fit for Ascheriit’s revenge journey, and its lyrics reflect the eerie mood of the brutal world where nobody is safe from sinners, not even the most innocent ones. Though the anime series is toned down considerably when in comparison to its manga, it offers an intense experience for those who enjoy gory and brutal action scenes, and it is the perfect pick for those who enjoy anime like Claymore, Berserk, and Solo Leveling.
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