50 Japanese Artists That Are Popular Internationally (2024)

Do you want to get more into Japanese music? Maybe you’re a newer anime fan digging the openings and you want to find more artists with a similar vibe? Maybe you’ve come across something catchy on Instagram or Tiktok that peaked your interest? Or maybe you have unique music tastes and something about Jmusic just draws you in.

All in all, you want to dig deeper into the Japanese music scene, or at least get familiar with artists and acts others may be talking about already. If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place!

I’ve been a dedicated Japanese music fan since 2006, not long after starting middle school, so trust me, finding new music and artists when the internet was slow and Youtube was just getting traction was not fun. Jmusic wasn’t that popular abroad, so if you didn’t know the language to navigate, you were pretty much at the mercy of anime theme songs or TV programs or magazines to discover new songs and artists.

Now with streaming services and social media, international music has certainly become more accessible. Not only that, but anime has went from being a nerdy interest to something that is cool and welcomed by people of all ages, which helps Japanese artists and songs to trend and gain new fans. Even non-anime fans may be introduced to an artist via a Youtuber’s react video or an interview on TV, and they got sucked into a niche genre of Jmusic.

Regardless, you’re familiar with the big guys and maybe some anime songs, but now you really want to see what Japanese acts has got Westerners talking. Maybe you’ve been a fan for a few years but you want to see what historic or record-breaking acts you are missing so you can call yourself a Jmusic fan with confidence. If that sounds like you, here is your list:

Who I’ve Decided To Omit From This List:

This list was actually really, really hard to make. Before I knew it, I had 75+ artists for consideration. As I was trying to decide who is more popular/relevant (as I really wanted to challenge myself and keep this list to 50), I would remember another artist who is more deserving to be on this list. Sometimes, two artists have about the same popularity, but one had a viral moment that makes them stand out internationally.

After publishing, I asked The Japanese Music Experience Facebook group for a second opinion and if there was anyone important that I missed, and they too brought up a handful of valuable players that slipped my mind or I didn’t realize just how big they were. After some research, I agreed that they deserved a spot and thus had to bump out a few more. Hopefully, I’ve included all the other essential acts in this omit list or at the bottom in my shoutout section.

So, to keep this list to 50, I’ve made the hard decision to omit groups/bands that are hugely successful in Japan but honestly aren’t talked about much in the West (ie B’z [I wrote an article about them here], Mr. Children, Spitz, Greeeen, Namie Amuro), along with Japanese idol groups that are so super popular and easy to find without the help of this article (ie. AKB48, Morning Musume, Berryz, Momoiro Clover Z).

I’ve also decided to opt out of composers (ie. Joe Hisaichi, known for Studio Ghibli songs, Yoko Kanno who wrote the soundtracks for Cowboy Bepop and Ghost in the Shell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, who composed film soundtracks for Western films like Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, The Last Emporer, and Little Buddha, etc) or collab groups where the writers, musicians, and singers change up all the time (ie. Linked Horizon, who made the openings for Attack on Titan, Jam Project, who has made countless openings for animes). A commentor also brought up DJ Krush who is known to be a pioneer of Hip Hop in Japan and is one of the most respected producers in the industry around the world.

As hard as it was, I had to excluded anime artists or bands that are one/two-hit wonders in the West where people may only remember the names of the songs instead of the artist (ie. Stereopony with “Hitohira no Hanabira” and “Tsukiakari No Michishirube”, Hello Sleepwalkers with “Goya no Machiawase”, The Oral Cigarettes with “Kyouran Hey Kids”, Masayuki Suzuki with “Daddy Daddy Do” and “Love is War”, etc).

There’s a lot of acts that got some decent numbers and attention, (and trust me, I love sooooo many of them, especially Polkadot Stingray, Nico Touches The Wall, Ace Collection, Burnout Syndromes, Centimillimental, etc), but I have yet to truly feel an international buzz, or for them to stand out in some way (ie. going viral, world tours, collabs with Western artists, people reacting to them on Youtube etc).

Then there are also bands and artists that I felt had a decent or rising international fanbase a decade ago (usually due to an anime opening), but they are no longer active and/or just aren’t talked about much today, (ie, Orange Range, High and Mighty Color, Miwa, Aqua Timez, Buono, Porno Graffiti, Beat Crusaders). Maybe they got hit songs, but their name is just too hard for anyone to remember and bring up (ie Ryokuoushoku Shakai, Amazarashi, Gesu no Kiwami Otome).

And lastly, there are a few actors who sing and have pretty decent numbers for their music, but it’s hard to tell if that’s just the Japanese fanbase or an international one since the comments on their videos are mostly Japanese. Also, since these individuals use their full Japanese name and may have Japanese titles, I feel most Western fans won’t know or remember them (ie. Gen Hoshino, Masaki Suda).

And just in case someone tries to start a riot, I didn’t include Vocaloid characters or composers here as it is just a software at the end of the day. I do recognize the impact of Vocaloid music on Japan’s music industry and internationally, so feel free to check out my other articles “All About Vocaloid, Hatsune Miku, & The Producers Behind The Scenes“, and “25 Vocaloid Characters & Their Popular Songs“.

*Deep Breath* My goodness, Japan has so much talent! For such a small (in land size) country, they have managed to maintain the #2 spot for the biggest music industries in the world since pretty much the beginning! So trust me, there’s so many artists I’ve come to know and love over the years, but I had to fight my own biases and assumptions quite a bit for this. I’m happy with this final list and I’m hoping the Jmusic community will agree with me for the majority of it.

If there’s someone you feel should be here, before leaving a comment, do your own research! You can consider my baseline as having at least 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify (many of these artists have 500K+ or 1 Million+), should have one or more Youtube videos with at least 2 Million views (though many have multiple videos with 10+ or even 100+ Million views. I only gave compassion to bands who were biggest before social media), should have some viral/historic moment that made the general public notice them, and/or have gone on world tours, maybe even collaborated with or opened for a big Western artist, etc.

I don’t doubt the possibility that I missed an act that is more popular than some that are listed, and I’m aware that just cause I haven’t heard about them all this time doesn’t mean they’re not really big. I tried to make this list as objective as possible. Regardless, I think this is a great starter list for non-Jmusic fans to dig in and find acts you may like. Not all of Japan’s music may appeal to Western audiences, but these ones got some of us hooked for years or even decades!

Note: The genres were mostly taken from Wikipedia. Do know that if a group has “Jpop” as their main genre, that it could be anything and everything. Japanese pop music represents anything that is popular, and most artists and bands like to mix genres as well. If the band or artist couldn’t fit into any subgenre besides Jpop, then you’re probably in for a real treat!

P.S. THIS LIST IS NOT ORDERED BY FAME, POPULARITY, OR ‘BEST MUSIC’, so don’t take the numbers as a ranking! I wouldn’t even dare to rank something as subjective as music. There’s too many variables! This list has a good blend of older but still active bands that paved the way abroad, along with some newer or trending artists that seem to be a real hot topic with catchy songs and top charters. Thus, you’ll be able to discuss Jmusic with any kind of fan you come across 🙂

1. ONE OK ROCK

Genre: Alternative Rock, Power Pop, Emo, Pop Punk

This rock band has taken the world by storm. Debuting in 2005, the band has a sound that is both foreign and familiar. Unlike other groups, they have consistently added English to their songs, and now release full English albums alongside their Japanese ones which has helped them gain a lot more attention with even non-Jmusic fans in the West. If there’s any Japanese band that is trending and will only get bigger internationally, it’s definitely this one!

They have won countless international achievements like the Classical Rock Roll of Honour Awards, and even hit #1 on the World Albums charts. They have gotten to play or collab with big western acts like Simple Plan, Ed Sheeran, 5 Seconds of Summer, Against The Current, Linkin Park, Alex Gaskarth, Kellin Quinn, and many others. His little brother is also the main singer of another big Japanese band: My First Story. Feel free to check out my review of their most recent album and tour!

2. LiSA

Genre: Jpop, Anison, Rock, Pop, Punk

LiSA has been an artist for a very long time, even before getting into the anime song world. She made her first splash by voice acting and singing for the mainstream hit Angel Beats, but wasn’t really known by name until she sung the opening “Crossing Field” for a bigger hit, Sword Art Online.

She has gone on to sing for many other big shows, such as “Oath Sign” for Fate/Zero, “Rally Go Round” for Nisekoi, “Datte Atashi no Hero” for My Hero Academia. She took the world by storm once again by creating songs for one of the biggest animes of all time, Demon Slayer, where she sang the first opening “Gurenge” along with the beautiful ballad for the movie “Homura”. You can check out my list with all her anime openings here!

3. Official Hige Dandism

Genre: Jpop, Pop Rock

This band is definitely one of the biggest bands in Japan and on Youtube with their many popular Jpop hits like “Pretender”, “Yesterday”, “No Doubt”, “I Love…” and “115 Million Kilometer Film”. While they were active since 2012, they only appeared to start releasing music in 2018 after signing to a new label. Since then, they have won countless awards in Japan, and even won awards from Apple Music, MTV Europe, and Yahoo Search! (Source)

In recent years, they have certainly taken the anime song sector by storm. “Cry Baby” was not only the opening for trending series of the season Tokyo Revengers, but a snippet of the yodelling from the 2nd verse also started to trend on Tiktok. Not long after, they created “Mixed Nuts”, the opening for another mainstream series SpyXFamily thus making them one of the biggest acts in Japan and abroad.

4. Kenshi Yonezu

Genre: Jpop, Rock

At this point, what Jmusic fan doesn’t know Kenshi Yonezu? He has made a splash in a variety of sectors. He was initially a Vocaloid producer and made popular tracks like “Sand Planet”, “Panda Hero”, and “Matoryoshka” under the name Hachi. When he decided to start singing publicly, he certainly made a name for himself with “Lemon” which was #1 on Japanese charts for a record amount of time.

He continued with his streak with other funky and meaningful songs like “Loser”, “Flamingo”, and “Eine Kleine” that are very popular with the public. He has also made quite a few anime openings like “Peace Sign” for My Hero Academia, and “Kick Back” which is the opening for a trending series Chainsaw Man!

5. Yui

Genre: Pop, Rock

Yui may not be as active today, but in the 2000s and 2010s, she was an act most Jmusic and anime fans knew. Many got to know her with her anime opening “Again” which was featured in Fullmetal Alchemist and “Rolling Star” which was in Bleach. She also made many other beautiful hits like “Goodbye Days”, “CHE.R.RY”, and “Life”. In Japan, By 2011, she was ranked #1 for “Dearest Female Artists”, “Artist You Most Want To Marry”, and also Hong Kong’s “Most Popular Japanese Artists”.

6. YOASOBI

Genre: Jpop

YOASOBI only debuted in 2019, but they certainly established their name in the West media when “Yoru ni Kakeru” (“Racing into the Night”), started to trend on social media as it was an energetic and fun song that you wouldn’t know was talking about depression and suicide.

While that may be their most well known hit, they also made “Kaibutsu” (“Monster”) which was the opening for the popular Netflix anime “Beastars”. They got a pretty good discography so don’t hesitate to look a little deeper. Out of every other artist on this list, they have one of the biggest Spotify audiences hitting over 6.7 Million monthly listeners, so you better remember their name!

7. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Genre: Jpop, EDM, Electro Pop, Synth Pop, Techno

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is an artist you can’t miss…literally. She is pretty much the Harajuku fashion representative as she would wear super cute, colourful, and extravagent bows and outfits. Her 2011 single “Pon Pon Pon” reached the top ten on Japan’s Oricon music chart and currently has over 189 Million views on Youtube!

I remember it being the talk of the town for just being so weird, cute, and quirky. I’m sure it paved the way for other quirky songs like PPAP! I only found out more recently that the song was released to cheer Japan up after their disastrous earthquake, and that’s just the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard! Anyways, she’s gone on to make other big hits like “Candy Candy” and “Fashion Monster”.

8. Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Pop Punk

This is a band that is a well known classic among older anime fans as they created “Haruka Kanata” and “Blood Circulator” for Naruto, “Rewrite” for Fullmetal Alchemist, “After Dark” for Bleach, “Re:Re” for Erased, which are some of the most popular songs among these mainstream series. They are known for coming out with hits that are not only energizing but that you never get tired of. If you check out their full albums, you’ll see why they are so loved.

9. Ado

Genre: Jpop

Ado shocked Japan when she debuted in 2020 with her unapologetic song “Usseewa” where she tells adults and society to shut up and that she’s tired of it…Regardless, the song hit #1 on all Japanese charts, an amazing achievement for her at only 17 years old. Since then, she has top charts once again by showing a wider spectrum of her voice when her songs were used in the One Piece Film: Red. She managed to top Apple Music’s Global Top 100 charts!

10. BAND-MAID

Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Pop Rock

Japan has many, many all-female bands these days, but out of the current generation of heavy rock bands, Band-Maid is certainly the most popular, or at least the one people remember the most. They made a splash by combing cute maid outfits (Japan has many maid cafes) with dark, metal songs. If you liked BabyMetal, consider this a more mature group with girls who make their own songs and play their own instruments.

Band-Maid first gained international attention in April 2015 when the English Facebook page of internet radio station Jrock Radio promoted the music video for “Thrill”, which led to over 1 million views in the following year. In March 2016 they had their first overseas performance at Sakura-Con in Seattle, Washington. Their 3rd Mini Album “Brand New Maid” reached #19 on the Oricon album charts in 2016, and later that year, they went on their first world tour, visiting Mexico, Hong Kong, and several countries in Europe.

Continuing on, the band got to release songs that were featured in animes and drama series. Even getting a cameo in the Netflix film Kate, and a song being used in the US TV series Peacemaker. Their 4th album debuted at #8 on Japanese Oricon weekly albums chart and debuted at #1 on the Oricon weekly Rock Albums chart! They also got to open for the Guns N’ Roses 2020 Tour. In December 2021, they announced a second US tour, including an appearance at Aftershock Festival, which took place in late 2022. (source).

More heavy all-girl rock bands are mentioned at the bottom in my special shoutout section!

11. BABYMETAL

Genre: Kawaii Metal, Pop Metal, Jpop, Power Metal, Alternative Metal, Death Metal

Speaking of which, Babymetal took the world by storm in the 2010s by being one of a kind. You got some hard metal music with some….cute young girls who are singing and dancing? The band gained so much attention at their 2013 debut that they hit #6 on the Oricon charts. In the same year they debuted, Babymetal released a promo video for the Japanese premiere of Metallica’s movie “Through the Never”.

In 2014, they started making waves internationally. Their Eponymous Album, topped iTunes Metal charts in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, and reached number 187 on the US Billboard 200 chart on March 22. Their album also made it into the Heatseekers chart at #4. A couple months after, the Fine Brother’s Youtuber’s React featured the band in a video and that continued to help their spread.

They played Heavy Montréal 2014 in Canada on August 9 alongside Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax; and also performed at Summer Sonic 2014 in Japan on the Mountain Stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold and Megadeth. Babymetal was also the opening act to five of Lady Gaga’s concerts in her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball 2014 tour in August along the western United States. At their Brixton performance, the band debuted a new song titled “Road of Resistance” later revealed to be a collaboration with some members of DragonForce!

Since then, they have performed at Wembley Arena and made an appearance on the Colbert Show in 2016, opened for Metallica and toured with The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Korn in 2017, and opened for Judas Priest in 2018 and the LA Forum in 2019. In 2020, they even got featured in the song “Kingslayer” by Bring Me The Horizon. While they may seem like a thing of the past to the general public, they are just as active and popular than ever in the Western rock scene!

12. Sekai no Owari

Genre: Jpop, Experimental, Indie Pop, Rock, Jazz

Sekai no Owari is a band that debuted in 2005, and while they may not have as many albums as other groups that debuted around the same time, they are still currently considered to be one of the biggest acts from Japan. In fact, they’re so popular that the lead vocalist Fukase has inspired a synthesized Vocaloid character of himself (You can read more about characters here). The band has collaborated with other world-known artists like DNCE, Owl City, Nicky Romera, and Epik High.

13. Shonen Knife

Genre: Pop Punk, Alternative Rock

Girl groups are big in Japan, but you can thank Shonen Knife for helping to pave the way! Despite the name (‘shonen’ refers to material targeted towards ‘young boys’), they are in fact girls haha. They formed in 1981 and were influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, the Beach Boys, and early punk rock bands such as the Ramones (source).

They are credited for credited with making “the international pop underground more international” by “opening it up to bands from Japan”. They released over 20 studio albums and are still active! They’re actually on a world tour now, so definitely give them your support!

14. UVERworld

Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Rap Rock, Industrial Rock, Jazz Rock, Jpop

UVERworld has been active since 2000 and they made a big splash in 2005 with “D-Tecnolife”, an opening for Bleach. They have released many albums and various songs for anime series, such as “Core Pride” for Blue Exorcist. More recent ones including “Odd Future” for My Hero Academia, and “Touch Off” for The Promised Neverland. What makes them stand out is their use of electronic elements, and you can usually spot them as they make use of bold saxophone riffs and solos!

15. Nano

Genre: Jpop, Rock, Anison

Nano is an artist that caused a lot of buzz in the last decade. She is Japanese-American and by staying anonymous, many wondered if they were a boy or a girl due to her low androgenous voice. She started off by posting covers of Vocaloid songs on Youtube and Nico Nico Douga. In 2011, her first album, “NANOir,” landed in the top 10 of the Oricon Daily Rankings in Japan. In 2015, her third album “Rock on.” ranked #4!

In March 2013, her first live concert “Remember your color.” sold out 2500 tickets within the first day of ticket sales. Since then, Nano has conducted tours both in Japan and solo tours internationally. In 2015, she had her first concerts overseas in Taiwan and Germany, and in 2018, she performed in her native USA. Her original content on YouTube has over 100 million views, and her online live concert in 2020 was viewed both within Japan and in 23 nations and regions around the world! (source)

Some of her most popular anime songs include “Now or Never” for Phi Brain: Puzzle of God, “No Pain, No Game” and “Exist” for Btooom!, “Savior of Song” for Arpeggio of Blue Steel, “Born to Be” for Magical Warfare, and “Nevereverland” for OVA Ark IX.

Her songs have also been featured in English games like “Paralyze:D” for the Playstation Vita game Re:Vice[D], “Identity Crisis” and “Restart” for Warriors Orochi, and “Mirror, Mirror” for the PlayStation Vita game Bad Apple Wars. She has also made songs for other Japanese shows and movies (source).

16. Spyair

Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Power Pop, Pop Rock, Electronic Rock, Hard Rock, Emo

Spyair is a band that will touch your heart with their emotional and meaningful songs. They took made a splash with a few anime openings like “Last Moment” for Bleach, “Samurai Heart (Some Like It Hot!!)” and “Sakuramitsutsuki”, and “Genjou Destruction” for Gintama, “My World” for Gundam AGE, “Imagination” for Haikyuu, and “Just One Life” for Samurai Flamenco, and “Rage of Dust” for Mobile Suit Gundam. (You can check out all their anime songs here).

They have also made songs for shows and dramas. Anyone who takes a gander at their other songs will fall in love with other hits like “Wendy: It’s You”. They have played in France, the Philippeans, and toured alongside Rookiez Is Punk’d in the United States.

17. SHOW-YA

Genre: Heavy Metal, Glam Metal, Hard Rock

Show-ya walked so other all-female Japanese metal bands like Band-Maid can run. I’m actually surprised the all-girl Jrock fandom was raising arms at me for not including Aldious or Nemophilia, but not a single soul told me about this band who made history. Thankfully, I came across them on my own while doing additional research, and trust me when I say, this group deserves to be here! More all-girl bands are listed at the bottom in my shoutout section!

This band formed in 1981 and their music was deeply rooted in classic rock. They’ve even done covers of songs from The Beatles, Led Zeppeling, AC/DC and more. Their music evolved from the pop rock genre of their first offerings to the heavy metal genre of their most successful albums, Outerlimits (1989) and Hard Way (1990). Show-Ya annually organizes and produces the all-female rock festival Naon no Yaon, which they founded in 1987.

“In 1987, the band was approached by producer Andy Johns, who had worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and Van Halen. He was responsible for the mixing of the albums “Immigration” and “Glamour” in Los Angeles, California. The explosion of the glam metal phenomenon in California influenced both the style and the sound of the band’s following albums. Songs taken from the “Immigration Tour” and the “Tour of the Immigrant” were recorded for the band’s first live album, Turn Over.

On April 27, 1988, Show-Ya performed their first live show on American soil, at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood. The name of Show-Ya was soon associated by the specialized press with other great female acts of the time, such as Vixen and Lita Ford.

In 1989 they recorded “Outerlimits”, which reached position No.3 in the Japanese chart becoming the band’s best selling album, selling over 200,000 copies in the first two months and eventually going double Platinum with sales exceeding 600,000 copies today. The hit single “Genkai Lovers” was used for a Shell campaign and became their best known song. Their live shows went sold out in large theatres all over Japan, filling up even the prestigious Budokan in Tokyo. An international tour touched cities like London, Moscow, Los Angeles and Mexico City.

At the beginning of 1990, the band’s eighth studio album Hard Way was produced and recorded in Los Angeles by Beau Hill (Alice Cooper, Winger, Europe, Ratt). The band was featured on the cover of the Los Angeles Times in 1990, where they were considered the female version of popular Japanese metal bands Vow Wow and Loudness” (source). The band did struggle back then to gain commercial success and did eventually disband, but they reuinted in 2005 and are doing pretty well!

18. Perfume

Genre: Jpop, Techno, Bitpop, Electropop, Dance Pop, Synthpop

Perfume has been around for a very long time. Consisting of 3 girls, they have taken the world by storm with their cute and simple electro pop sound for about 20 years now!

Not only have they been featured in various articles, events, brands, and magazines, but they have had their own world tours and even got to be part of the lineup at Coachella 2019! Even the acapella group Pentatonix released a song called “Perfume Melody” as a tribute to them! They’re certainly one of the most popular and well-liked/received idol groups internationally (source).

19. Eve

Genre: Jpop, Rock

While most anime fans will know this artist from his hit opening “Kaikaikitan” from Jujutsu Kaisan, he actually has a long history as a singer-songwriter and Vocaloid producer. A lot of his songs have over 25 million listens on Spotify, so you can be sure people are loving his discography!

20. Yuuri

Genre: Jpop, Pop Rock

While Kenshi Yonezu topped the charts with “Lemon”, Yuuri had a similar feat with his sentimental song “Dry Flower”, exceeding 400 million streams within 44 weeks of charting, making him the first and fastest solo male artist to achieve this record and second overall behind BTS’s “Dynamite” (source). He has almost 3 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, so you can be sure he’s an act to follow.

21. Frederic

Genre: Jpop

Frederic seemed to come out of no where but they figured out what worked with their smash hit “Oddloop”. Like many others, I just saw it in my recommended and I’ve been hooked since. It’s funny, quirky, catchy, and just something you want to dance to. They have gone on to make other trending singles like “Owarase Night”, “Only Wonder”, and “Kanashii Ureshii” which was featured in the anime Koi to Uso.

22. REOL

Genre: Jpop, EDM

Reol is a singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer. She started by releasing music on Nico Nico Douga and Youtube in 2012 and received recognition for writing and performing viral Vocaloid songs. In 2016, she formed the Jpop group REOL with composers GigaP and Okiku. Their debut album, Sigma, gained widespread success by peaking at #6 on the Oricon Album chard and #9 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. The band disbanded not long after, but Reol continued as a solo artist.

She was the first Japanese performer to be named “Artist on the Rise” by YouTube in 2020. Not surprising since over 10 of her MVs have over 20 Million views! While that title is new, she has been quite big among Vocaloid fans and those who like Jpop dances and covers for years now. I was personally surprised to hear her singing the 2nd ending of the Digimon Adventure 2020 remake, titled “Q?”.

23. Kana-Boon

Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

Kana-Boon is huge in the anime sphere. Many Naruto fans would claim “Silhouette” is the best opening in the series, but they have also made big songs for other anime series like “Torch of Liberty” for Fire Force, “Starmarker” for My Hero Academia, “Fighter” for Mobile Suit Gundam, and “Diver” and “Baton Road” for Boruto. They’re upbeat and hyped up songs can put anyone in a good mood. (You can check out all their anime songs here).

24. Man With A Mission

Genre: Alternative Metal, Nu Metal, Rap Metal, Melodic Hardcore, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Dance-Rock

Why does this group have wolf masks on? Well, they were actually created as the “Ultimate Life Form” by Jimi Hendrix, who is described by the band as being the doctor of the guitar and master wolf biologist. They were then frozen in Antarctica for years. While they were frozen, they had been listening to all kinds of music from all around the world, before later escaping and emerging onto the Japanese music scene.

Man with a Mission officially debuted in 2010, and have made quite a few openings including “Seven Deadly Sins” for the show of the same name, “Dark Crow” for Vinland Saga, and more recently, “Merry-Go-Round” for My Hero Academia, “Database” for Log Horizon, and both the opening and ending for the 3rd season of Demon Slayer. MWAM has been touring for quite some time as well, and has been overseas often appearing in festivals alongside various artists in the United States, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, Finland, and Taiwan. Even being the guest of the Jimmy Eat World tour in 2017. (Check out my 2023 ‘Wolves on Parade’ Tour Review Here!)

25. Scandal

Genre: Pop Rock, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock, Garage Rock

I don’t think there is an anime fan that does not know Scandal as they’re similar to Asian Kung-Fu Generation, making countless openings that millennials have grown up with such as “Shoujo S” and “Harukaze” for Bleach, “Shunkan Sentimental” for Fullmetal Alchemist, and “Pride” for Start Diver.

Formed in August 2006 by four high school girls, Scandal played live street performances until they were noticed and signed to the indie label Kitty Records. In 2008, they released three singles and a mini-album while simultaneously touring the United States, France, and Hong Kong. The band completed their first major Scandal World Tour 2015 “Hello World”, selling out concerts in major cities across the world including Paris, London, Essen, Singapore, Taipei, Chicago, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Mexico City and Hong Kong.

Their eighth studio album “Honey” was released in Japan on February 14, 2018, and in Europe on March 2. Honey peaked at number 3 on the Oricon weekly charts, extending their streak of being the only girl band to consecutively have their albums reach the top 5 of the charts to 8. The album also topped nine charts across Europe, and reached the top 10 in three more. Later that year, the band embarked on yet another world tour, SCANDAL TOUR 2018 “HONEY”, which included two debut concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou, China.

On February 12, 2020, the band released their ninth studio album, “Kiss from the Darkness”. The album peaked at number five on the Oricon weekly charts, extending Scandal’s streak of having all nine of their albums reach the top 5 of the charts upon release. The album also charted on iTunes in four other countries, peaking at #21, #33, #33, and #60 in Australia, United States, Canada, and France respectively. (source).

When I published this article, I wrote “They’re definitely one of the oldest and biggest all-girl rock bands, being an inspiration to many of the newer groups”, but as of August 2023, they officially hold the World Record for the longest active same-member girl group! While they haven’t made themes in a while, they’re still releasing albums and just went on another world tour! Feel free to check out my review of their most recent tour!

26. RADWIMPS

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Pop Rock, Funk Rock, Jazz Rock, Emo, Rap Rock

When you consider the massive success of the animated movie Your Name along with following movies like Weathering with You, it only makes sense that Radwimps who composed various songs that were featured in the film like “Zen Zen Zense” and “Sparkle” are super popular.

They have been an active band since 2001 and have won countless awards, so be sure to check out their other tracks! Radwimps comes in 2nd place on this list when it comes to Spotify listeners, hitting over 5 Million monthly listeners! (Check out my 2023 North American Tour Review Here!)

27. Vickeblanka

Genre: Jpop, Rock, Pop

Vickeblanka is a famous songwriter who has been composing since he was in school. His song “Mashiro” attracted a lot of attention in 2018 as a drama insert song, and came in #2 place on the iTunes general album chart. It also won #1 place in the USEN request J-POP HOT30, YouTube MV surge ranking, and LINE MUSIC real-time ranking. The following year, he released “Ca Va?” as a TV commercial song for Spotify (source).

Anime fans may known him for his unique and catchy openings “Black Rover” and “Black Catcher from the anime Black Clover, or may even be touched by “Lucky Ending” which was the ending for the new adaption of Fruits Basket. Outside of anime, he has had his songs featured in various dramas, and has even written songs for other groups like Hey! Say! Jump!.

28. Puffy (Amiyumi)

Genre: Pop Rock, Power Pop, Pop Punk, Dance Rock

PUFFY is a unique case. Some millennials may have watched the cartoon Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi that was inspired by the dynamic duo. Others may have watched Teen Titans or SD Gundam Force and just didn’t know they sang the opening. Regardless, the group is still active today and has gone on various tours over their long career. I even felt a little sentimental when I heard their voices recently as their songs was used as one of the endings for the anime series Re:life.

Before they got into the cartoon sector, Puffy made their first US appearance as part of Music Japan’s “An Evening with Japan’s All-Stars” showcase at the 2000 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. In 2002, after their TV production wrapped up, Puffy focused on performing in the United States. They have done a cover version with Cyndi Lauper of her hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and were interviewed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

They came back to the US in 2006 for their Splurge Tour, and also toured with Tally Hall for Super-Ultimate Awesome Exploration America 2006. In January 2017, they announced for the US tour titled Puffy AmiYumi US TOUR 2017: NOT LAZY in April 2017. In the same month, the band made an appearance at Anime Boston for autograph signings. After their appearance at Boston Anime Convention they undertook a three city USA Tour which they called their ‘Not Lazy Tour’ of the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas, Texas. (source).

“Planet Tokyo”, “Joining A Fan Club” and “Asia no Junshin” are definitely some of their favourite hits internationally. I’m sure a big part of their continued popularity is similar to One OK Rock in that they incorporate lots of English into their lyrics and they were very active and intentional about promoting abroad.

29. SiM

Genre: Alternative Metal, Metalcore, Ska Punk, Reggae Rock

SiM or ‘Silence iz Mine’ is mostly known for their heavy metal, alternative sound but they’ll also hit you with a but of hip hop, punk, or even reggae like we see in their anime opening “The Rumbling” which was featured in the final season of Attack on Titan.

While the band has been active since 2004 and has always had their fans, that track managed to make waves in the US Billboards, even hitting #1 on Hot Hard Rock Songs, #5 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and #2 on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. They have also collaborated with artists like Coldrain, One OK Rock, and Skindred.

30. XJapan & Yoshiki

Genre: Rock, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Power Metal, Glam Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal

In all my years as a Jmusic fan, XJapan is certainly an act many have brought up to me time and time again. I figured it was just one of the first bands people would come across when trying to find Japanese music online (I mean, it’s in their name), but it’s a lot deeper than that and they are certainly one of the most deserving to be on this list. XJapan started as a power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, but later learned towards a more progressive, ballad sound. Many visual kei artists were also inspired by them.

X Japan reunited in 2007 and over the next two years they performed several concerts, including their first overseas show in Hong Kong. In 2011, the band went on their first world tour throughout Europe, South America and Asia. In 2017, Loudwire named X Japan the Best Metal Band from Japan. It has been reported that X Japan has sold over 30 million records (source).

YOSHIKI, the founder, is also considered a ‘musical innovator’ and ‘one of the most influential composers in Japanese history’. He has collaborated with many Western stars like Bono, will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Kiss, members of Queen and more! In 2020, Yoshiki composed and arranged “Imitation Rain” for boygroup SixTONES and sold 772,902 CD copies in a single day, with it eventually crossing one million in following days, topping the Oricon Chart.

In September 2020, “Disney – My Music Story: Yoshiki” premiered on the Disney+ service, featuring Yoshiki’s new arrangements of themes from Disney films The Lion King and Frozen. On December 31, 2020, Yoshiki performed a virtual collaboration of X Japan’s song “Endless Rain” on Kouhaku Uta Gassen with Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen, Sarah Brightman, Babymetal, SixTones, Lisa, and Milet (source).

31. FLOW

Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Punk, Indie Rock, Rap Rock

Flow is another band that has been around for over 20 years and is well known with anime fans thanks to openings like “GO!!” and “Re:member” for Naruto, “Colors” for Code Geass and many more. They have collaborated with groups like Granrodeo for “7-seven” for the anime The Seven Deadly Sins, made a cover of “Chala Head Chala” for the film Dragon Ball Z: battle of Gods, and so much more. (You can check out all their anime openings here!)

Flow performed live in America for the first time in 2006 for AnimeFest located in Texas. Flow returned to North America to perform at Anime Boston in 2018! (source)

32. Maximum The Hormone

Genre: Nu Metal, Hardcore Punk, Metalcore, Alternative Metal, Funk Metal

I almost got crucified for not including this band at first publish, but they slipped my mind I swear! While I and other anime fans may only know them for “What’s Up, People?!” and “Zetsubou Billy” which were openings for the huge anime series, Death Note, they’re actually quite big in the West. Like One OK Rock, Puffy, and Nano above, the band has a huge advantage as they have Daisuke who would write their lyrics completely in English.

In 2008, the band released their second live DVD: Deco Vs. Deco, and made their first overseas appearances with a short tour through the United States and Canada in support of Dropkick Murphys. They went on to make their first appearance in the United Kingdom, supporting Enter Shikari at the Bournemouth BIC. Afterwards, they headlined several shows in Japan with support from Western bands Bring Me the Horizon and Blessed by a Broken Heart.

They released a single titled “Greatest the Hits 2011–2011” which debuting at #1 on the Oricon weekly singles chart. In the same year, they toured Europe and played in South Korea. The band has gone on and off of hiatus but are still going strong. In late 2022, they even released the song “Hawatari 2 Oku-senchi” which was 1 of the 12 endings for the trending series, Chainsaw Man (source).

33. Arashi

Genre: Jpop, Rock, R&B, Hip Hop

While XJapan was the rock band that many Japanese music fans would tell me about, Arashi was definitely THE boy group that many people seemed to know and love. Formed under Johnny & Associates, the group has been making hits since 1999 and are considered one of Japan’s biggest and best selling boy groups.

Their most popular song “Love So Sweet” was featured as the opening of a highly-rated drama called Hana Yori Dango 2, whose protagonist was played by a member of the band. That member, Jun Matsumoto, has also acted in various other dramas like Gokusen which also helped bring more attention to the band over the years.

34. coldrain

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Metalcore, Alternative Metal, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock, Punk Rock

I was resting on coldrain for a couple days after publishing. I knew them best thanks to their heavy metal opening “Mayday” for the trending anime Fireforce but I’ve never heard others in the Jmusic or anime community talk about them. I initially assumed they were a one-hit-anime-wonder….but at the same time, I felt like I’ve heard their name now and then on TV growing up, and I wasn’t sure why. Thought maybe I was confusing two different artists, ie coldplay. After doing research and it said ‘they write all their songs in English’, that’s when I realized I grew up thinking coldrain was an American band.

Now, coldrain debuted in 2007. The band combines melodic singing with screams typical of the post-hardcore genre. They are best known for their songs “Mayday”, “Gone”, “Coexist”, “Paradise (Kill the Silence)”, “Die Tomorrow”, “The Revelation”, “Envy” and “Feed the Fire”. In 2012, they released “No Escape” which was used in the trailer for Resident Evil and had an album that was produced by David Bendeth (famous for his collaborations with international artists like Paramore, All Time Low and A Day to Remember).

In 2013, coldrain signed a record deal with Raw Power Management, a British company with many international bands to its name, including Bring Me the Horizon and Crossfaith. This allowed the group to go on a European tour with Bullet for My Valentine and Chiodos. Subsequent headline dates were also announced for the United Kingdom.

In 2015, they performed at Lunatic Fest (hosted by Luna Sea) alongside 9mm Parabellum Bullet, XJapan, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and many other big Japanese acts. In 2016, they got to headline in a worldwide tour alongside Wage War, The Charm the Fury, and Counting Days starting in France and ending in England. That summer, they embarked on a tour across the United States (playing at Monster Energy South Stage) as a part of Vans Warped Tour. Their biography goes on, so you can read more on their Wikipedia page!

35. L’arc-en-ciel & HYDE

Genre: Visual Kei, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Post-Punk

This was one of the hardest calls for me when I had to pick a Visual Kei representative. Based on research, L’arc-en-ciel seemed pretty big so I had them in my top 50 at first, but then I remembered Versailles and The Gazette who people have told me about countless times over the years. All of them have toured worldwide as well, but their audience is quite niche, thus I gave all the Visual Kei bands a spot in my Special Shoutouts below.

But here’s why L’arc-en-ciel deserves this spot the most. They’re not only one of the oldest bands debuting in 1991, but with a reported 40 million records sold, L’Arc-en-Ciel was the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden! In 2003, they were ranked 58 on a list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan. They also had many songs featured in shows and games like “Ready Steady Go” for Fullmetal Alchemist, “Don’t Be Afraid” for Resident Evil 7, “Stay Away” in the arcade game Drummania, and “Spirit Dreams Inside (Another Dream)” in Final Fantasy (source).

Also, if you’ve ever heard of the popular Japanese songwriter and vocalist, HYDE, he is also a part of this band! Hyde has a strong fanbase of his own, and has composed and collaborated with various Japanese and Western artists and writers. For Attack on Titan openings, he got to sing alongside Yoshiki (mentioned above with XJapan) for the 4th opening, “Red Swan”. He has toured solo across the USA, and even got to headline a sold-out show in Los Angeles! (source).

36. Sheena Ringo

Genre: Jpop, Rock, Punk, Art Pop, Jazz, Experimental, Avant-Garde, Electronica

Sheena or Shiina Ringo is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist for a band called Tokyo Jihen (or Tokyo Incidents). In 2003, she was ranked #36 in a list of Japan’s top 100 musicians by HMV.

She released her first single “Koufukuron” in 1998 at the age of 19 and her subsequent singles became her first hit. By the time her 2nd album was released, she was among the top 3 Japanese female artists, along with Hikaru Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki who are on this list.

Along with her own solo music, she was a music director for the 2007 film Sakuran, and the soundtrack hit the top of charts. She also written music for Puffy AmiYumi who is also on this list. She is so well loved that her name often appears in books, movies, dramas and songs, not to mention winning many Best Artist or Best Female Artist awards! (source)

37. Ayumi Hamasaki

Genre: Jpop, Pop, Dance, Electronic, Rock

By 2002, Ayumi Miyasaki has been nicknamed the “Empress of Jpop” due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. She has hits like “Dearest”, “Seasons”, and “Blue Bird”. Out of the worlds best selling artist of all time list, only her and duo act “B’z” managed to make the list for Japan. She’s not just an artist though! She is an actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur meaning you better remember her name (source).

38. Takanori Nishikawa aka T.M.Revolution

Someone in the FB group brought this artist up, and while I’ve heard of T.M. Revolution before, I never looked into them. I’m a big AOA (Kpop) fan, and I love their Japanese song “Ai o Choudai”, but I didn’t make the connection until now since I only watched the dance practice video and he wasn’t mentioned in the title.

Takanori Nishikawa is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, voice artist, radio personality, and businessman. He performs under the stage name T.M.Revolution. Early in his career, he made songs for anime series, Rurouni Kenshin, which expanded his fan base. He then contributed six songs to the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED franchise. Nishikawa has guest starred as a minor character in each of those anime series that featured his songs. In 2010, his single “Save the One, Save the All” was used as the ending theme song for the movie Bleach: Hell Verse. He also made “Resonance” for the anime series, Soul Eater.

T.M.Revolution was the first artist to be signed to Tofu Records, a record label (affiliated with Sony Music Japan) promoting Japanese artists in North America. Nishikawa made his North American live debut at Otakon in 2003. He has also performed at Pacific Media Expo in 2004 and at the New York Comic Con in 2008. Nishikawa revisited his 2003 US performance at the Asian culture convention Otakon by performing at Otakon’s 20th Anniversary.

That’s not all though! Nishikawa established a new band called Abingdon Boys School in 2005. Abingdon Boys School scored seven straight top ten hits and released two albums, as well as touring throughout Europe and having their albums, including English language songs, released through a German record label (source).

39. Mrs. Green Apple

Genre: Jpop, Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Pop Rock, Hard Rock

Mrs. Green Apple is one of the younger bands on this list making their major debut in 2015. They have made a splash in Japan as they got to perform at various music festivals in Japan and also made many apparencies on television.

Their international popularity exploded with the release of “Inferno” which was the opening of Fire Force. While the series is on the border of mainstream, the song has been added to many anime lists helping with their spread. Their other song “Tenbyou no Uta” also has over 125,000,000 streams on Spotify. Speaking of Spotify, Mrs. Green Apple rivals Aimer (just below) for the #3 spot on this list with over 4 Million monthly listeners!

40. Aimer

Genre: Jpop, Jazz, Pop Rock

While Lisa has certainly become a household name with various openings for popular series, Aimer is up there with her! Her 2021 song “Zankyosanka” which was also an opening for Demon Slayer was her first song to reach the top of the Japan Hot 100 and it also charted 37 on the Billboard Global 200.

Other openings include “Re: pray” for Bleach, “Brave Shine” for Fate/stay night, and “Re: I Am” for Mobile Suit Gundam. She has also collaborated with various artists including Taka (One OK Rock, you’ll see her in their Netflix documentary “Flip A Coin”), TK (from Ling Tosite Sigure), Sukima Switch, and Chelly (from EGOIST). When it comes to Spotify monthly listeners, Aimer rivals Mrs. Green Apple (just above) for the #3 spot on this list. You can check out all her anime songs here.

41. back number

Genre: Rock, Pop Rock, Jpop

Back Number is a band that has managed to gain some interest from international Jmusic fans without an anime opening. They have a softer, sentimental sound that will get stuck in your head. Their biggest his is “Christmas Song” which peaked at #1 for 3 weeks on the Japan Hot 100 chart. Their first album “Encore” also reached #1 for 2 weeks. They were so hot that their Dome Tour which had 5 concerts sold out in 2 hours! They have continued to release countless top 10 hits since then (source).

42. King Gnu

Genre: Jpop, Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, Nu Jazz, Classical

While the band debuted in 2013, they were under the name Mrs.Vinci/Srv.Vinci until they renamed themselves in 2017. In 2019, they made their first release under a major label called “Hakujitsu” which ranked #4 in the year-end chart of Billboard Japan Hot 100. The song has over 425 Million views on Youtube! Their following hit “Kasa” achieved the #1 spot on Billboard Japan Download Chart.

Their next album “Ceremony” peaked the Japan Oricon charts, Billboard Japan album charts, and was one of the top 10-best-selling albums of 2020 worldwide! In 2021, their songs “Ichizu” and “Sakayume” were featured in the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie, which is a popular trending anime (source).

43. Vaundy

Genre: Jpop

Vaundy is another breakout star who only debuted in 2019, but has already made a loud splash. One of his first releases, “Tokyo Flash”, exceeded 1 million views in two months. In 2020, Spotify included him in their 10 artists expected to breakthrough list. He also received an offer from LAUV to participate in a global remix album. His songs have been used in various dramas and TV shows, and more recently, he got to release an anime song, “Chainsaw Blood” for the trending series Chainsaw Man (source).

44. Bump of Chicken

Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Electronic Rock

Bump of Chicken is an older band that has been active for over 25 years. Since their conception, they have released 27 singles and 10 albums. Every release since their third single “Tentai Kansoku” has charted in the top ten Oricon Weekly Charts. Their songs have also been used in various video games, animes, movies, and TV shows! (source).

45. Yorushika

Genre: Jpop, Rock, Pop, Pop Rock

Yorushika is a duet composed of N-buna, a popular Vocaloid music producer, and Suis, the vocalist. They are known for their passionate and upbeat songs with deeper meanings. They don’t show their faces so their music videos are usually animated. Some of their most popular songs include “Just A Sunny Day For You”, “Say It”, “That’s Why I Gave Up On Music” and “Ghost In A Flower” which have all surpassed 100 Million views on Youtube!

46. Aimyon

Genre: Jpop, Rock

Aimyon is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who is not far behind LiSA and Aimer when it comes to popularity. She has been active since 2014, writing lyrics for Johnny’s WEST, and releasing her first mini-album. In 2016, she was selected by Space Shower TV as one of 10 new artists expected to breakout. Her most popular song “Marigold” almost hit 300 Million views on Youtube, and other songs have also reached impressive numbers (source).

47. Hikaru Utada

Genre: Jpop, R&B, Dance Pop, Electronica

Hikaru Utada is a Japanese-American pop singer, writer, and producer. By 2010, she became one of the most influential and best selling artists in Japan. With R&B and dance-pop influences, she released “First Love” and it became an immediate success, and it became the country’s best-selling album of all time.

Other singles like “Automatic”, “Time Will Tell”, and “Movin’ On Without You” sold 2 million copies in it’s first week in Japan. By the 2000s, she was deemed “the most influential artist of the decade” by The Japan Times. She is well known by gamers as she has produced four theme songs for the video game series Kingdom Hearts (source).

48. Miyavi

Genre: Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Funk, Electronic, Heavy Metal

Miyavi has been an active artist for 20 years now and he is best known for his finger-slapping guitar style. He has toured worldwide several times with over 250 shows in 30 countries as of 2015. By 2016, he released 10 solo albums and 27 singles. In recent years, he has gotten into the anime scene with various songs like “Samurai 45” for the series Id:Invaded, and “Flashback” for Kokkoku. (source)

Miyavi is also an actor and has appeared in American movies like Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, and Kong: Skull Island. He is a volunteer at UNHCR, an official Goodwill Ambassador, and also a recognized artist for guitar brand Fender. He continues to make appearances in both big gigs like Miss International 2022, and even performing at schools! Feel free to check out my review of Miyavi’s 20th anniversary tour!

49. GACKT

Genre: Rock, Pop

By the time someone in the group pitched Gackt (who I only heard about recently when writing my Vocaloid character article as he’s the inspiration for Gackpoid), I already swapped about 7 artists and was feeling a little lazy. I then told my long-time otaku friend about this article and before she looked at it, she asked if Gackt was on it so I knew I couldn’t ignore the suggestion. I follow the Youtubers below but never had the chance to watch their interviews with ‘Japan’s biggest rockstar‘ due to their length. Thankfully I’ve come to my senses!

Gakuto Oshiro, better known as Gackt, is a musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He has been active since 1993, first as the frontman of the short-lived independent band Cains:Feel, and then for the now-defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer, before starting his solo career in 1999. He has released nine studio albums and, with forty-eight singles released, holds the male soloist record for most top ten consecutive singles in Japanese music history!

Gackt’s music has been used as theme songs for video games like Final Fantasy, anime films like New Fist of the North Star and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and television series like Kamen Rider Decade. In addition to his music career, Gackt has acted in a few films, including his international debut Bunraku, and dramas like Fūrin Kazan. He also performed live in theatre stage plays, one duology of which was written, composed, and directed by him: Moon Saga: Mysteries of Yoshitsune I & II. He has performed classical arrangements of his songs twice with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2003, Gackt worked on his film, Moon Child. He co-wrote the script and did his own action scenes on location in Taiwan. In collaboration with co-star Hyde (L’arc-en-ciel above), he also sang the film’s theme song “Orange no Taiyou”. The film was released on April 19 in Japan and screened on May 13 at the Cannes Film Festival and on April 12, 2004, at Philadelphia Film Festival.

In August 2006, at an Otakon conference, it was publicly announced that he would form a supergroup, S.K.I.N., with Yoshiki and Sugizo from XJapan, Luna, and guitarist Miyavi. The group made their debut performance on June 29, 2007, at Anime Expo in Long Beach, California. Later that year, Gackt went on a small nationwide fan club tour D.r.u.g. Party, which also continued with four concerts in Korea and Taiwan. His biography goes on and on, so definitely check out the details on his Wikipedia page!

50. Wagakki Band

Genre: Jpop, Heavy Metal, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Folk Rock

This band has been active since 2013, but they have certainly taken the world by storm in recent years thanks to their unique blend of traditional instruments with modern rock sounds, and their take on popular songs like “Senbonzakura”. Whether it’s covers or originals, they’re a group who is not only interesting to listen to but entertaining to watch. They have played live in Asia, Europe, and the United States!

Additional Artists

Upcoming Shoutout: Fujii Kaze

Genre: Jpop, Pop

Fujii Kaze is a pretty new artist debuting in late 2019, but he has already performed at Japan’s Budokan, made a splash worldwide when his popular track Shinogawa E-Wa went viral on social media, and won plenty of awards. He is about to embark on his Asian tour, but he may still be considered a 1-Hit Wonder otherwise. Regardless, I’m sure he will continue to gain popularity with time and perhaps another viral hit.

Upcoming Shoutout: Sayuri

Genre: Jpop, Pop

Sayuri is a newer and younger singer-songwriting guitarist that has managed to already make a name for herself. She won a Yamaha competition and has been performing on the street since 2013. In 2015, she released her first single “Mikasuki” which was a song of encouragement for herself, but also got used in the anime Rampo Kitan.

She has released anime endings like “It’s Like A Small light” for Erased, “Parallel Line” for Scum’s Wish and “Koukai no Uta” for My Hero Academia. She’s also gotten to collab with other artists like My First Story and Hiroyuki Sawano. She was in my top 50 initial, but sadly lost her spot a more established popular band.

Special Shoutout: Toru Kitajima
AKA TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Hardcore, Progressive Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal

I initially had TK mentioned in the intro as a ‘one hit wonder’. A few people argued against it saying he’s known for more than that, but I really haven’t heard him mentioned by name, so it certainly felt like his song, “Unravel” was the hit he was most known for internationally. He has no awards or #1 hits, and has yet to do any tours or collabs with other artists. But since quite a few commentors have fought for him, I’ve decided that he probably has a big international following despite this and deserves a dedicated shoutout.

According to Wikipedia, Toru Kitajima is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Ling Tosite Sigure, which formed in 2002. In 2011, he started to release solo material as TK from Ling Tosite Sigure. Outside of “Unravel”, he has made additional openings for Tokyo Ghoul, along with songs for 91 Days, Pet, Code Geass, Magic The Gathering, and more recently, Chainsaw Man. He also created the opening, “P.S. Red I” for the Japanese version of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. As a composer, he has also worked on songs for big artists like SMAP, Aimer, and Yuko Ando.

Special Shoutout: Zutomayo

Genre: Rock, Jpop

Zutomayo debuted in 2018 and are secretive in nature. They have 3 EPs that reached the top 10 of Oricon Album charts, and was invited to perform at the 2019 Fuji Rock Festival. Music videos for songs like “Study Me”, “Milabo”, and “Can’t Be Right” have over 20 Million views, and their oldest video “Byoushinwo Kamu” hitting 120 Million views. They have over 2 Million monthly listeners on Spotify so I have a feeling they’ll grow to be just as big or as popular as YOASOBI or Yorushika in no time!

Special Shoutout: Ikimonogakari

Genre: Soft Rock, Pop Rock, Jpop

Similar to Kana-Boon, many international fans have gotten to know Ikimonogatari through their super popular Naruto opening “Blue Bird”. However, this group has been around since 1999 and has been a musical inspiration to many in Japan since then with their countless beautiful hits. Their song “Arigatou” has also been an inspiration to many, including artists like Marty Friedman. Initially, I had this group in my top 50, but it appears that most of their fame is within the country. They haven’t had any world tours and don’t have much anime openings either, so I had to bump them down for a much bigger band.

Special Shoutout: Tricot

Genre: Math Rock

Since I’ve attempted my first anime band back in 2014 and was connecting with more musicians online, I’ve come across many non-Jmusic fans who were interested in Math Rock and would ask me if I knew about Tricot since I said I liked Japanese music. While math rock and experimental music isn’t appreciated in the West, I think it’s impressive that this band has become quite well known and well loved by musicians who may not listen to Jmusic nor watch anime. That’s a huge achievement in itself!

Special Shoutout: WORLD ORDER

Genre: Dance, Electronic

I’m thankful someone reminded me of this band. I will say, it’s not so much that I forgot about them, but like the PPAP guy, I saw them more as funny viral videos as opposed to a real musical artist. Regardless, they did create intentional buzz and deserve recognition!

The group is known for making fun upbeat songs and they’ll walk robotically through the city while doing other silly things. It may sound simple, but they’ve garnered millions of views on their videos and even set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Robot Dance” at 647 people! They were even part of a detour challenge on The Amazing Race!

Special Shoutout: WASUTA

Genre: Jpop

I know I said I’m leaving Jpop idol groups out of this, but like Perfume, they are a special case. While most idol groups only aim to be popular in Japan, this group started in 2015 with the mission to spread ‘kawaii Japanese idol culture’ worldwide with social media. Within a year, they got to perform at NHK Hall, Sanrio Puroland, and were in-game characters for the mobile game Nyan Puzzle. They also created a song to promoted the Powerpuff Girls series in Japan.

As for worldwide promotions, they performed at @JAM festival in China, C3 CharaExpo in Singapore, Tale in Wonderland Vol.2 in Taiwan, Japan Expo in France, Asia Comic Con in Thailand, Japan and Vietnam Sports & Culture Festival Kizuna in Vietnam. In 2019, they performed their first North American concert at Anime North in Toronto, Canada.

I first heard of them when I went to support my friend who was performing at Japan Fest 2018 at the JCCC (Japanese Canadian Culture Centre). While they didn’t perform, the venue played a few of their music videos on the big screen. When I joined a dance group as a guest, someone in the group pitched one of their songs to dance to, so trust me when I say, their name has been spreading in the anime and dance cover community!

Bonus Shoutout: City Pop Comebacks

Ex. Miki Matsubara & Mariya Takeuchi

I initially had these two in the main list, but someone way more deserving needed to be there, so they are now in the shoutout section. City Pop was popular in Japan in the late 1970s and 1980s, but has made a resurgence thanks to social media and these two are considered the faces and pioneers of the genre.

Miki Matsubara her debut song “Mayonaka no Door” (Stay with Me) in 1979 and it was quite a hit, reaching 28 on the Oricon chart. Fast forward 20 years, and the song made a comeback on social media and became widely heard overseas as well. While her other songs may not be trending, many others have suddenly taken an interest in City Pop since hearing her song.

Mariya Takeuchi released her debut album “Beginning” which peaked at #17 on Oricon charts. She released 6 albums between 1979 and 1985 and they all obtained commercial success, including the 1980 album Love Songs and 1984 album Variety which peaked at #1. The track “Plastic Love” was released as a single in 1985 and it became a surprise hit outside of Japan in 2017 after a Youtube video upload went viral.

Bonus Shoutout: Eurobeat & Initial D Celebrities

Ex. Smile.DK, m.o.v.e, Hinoi Team, Ika, GoGoGirls, Dave Rogers, EDO BOYS, MEGA NRG MAN, KING & QUEEN, Niko

I was personally a big fan of Para Para and the matching game Para Para Paradise which features Eurobeat music since 2010, but in recent years, the genre seems to have gathered a faithful following thanks to the Initial D series. I’ve even seen clips of Eurobeat music being featured in reels/TikToks with cars.

I think the most popular song under this genre is “Butterfly” by Smile.Dk which was a huge hit on DDR and other music games, and heard pretty much everywhere at one point. Dave Rogers, while not Japanese, is pretty much a celebrity in Japan and abroad due to this genre, and his hit song “Deja Vu” has over 147 Million views on Youtube. There are a lot of Japanese artists under this genre who tend to be part of these playlists as well.

Bonus Shoutout: Visual Kei Bands

Ex. The Gazette, Versailles, Galneryus, Dir en Grey, Luna Sea, Buck Tuck, Matenrou Opera, Alice Nine, SID, Nightmare, An Cafe

Oy, don’t think I don’t recognize the waves Visual Kei bands like the above made in the West. While they may not have the same appeal to most international fans like Jpop and Anisongs would, they still have a strong niche following.

The Gazette is certainly a group countless people have brought up to me over the years. They have topped the Oricon charts quite a few times in the past. They also did a tour in 2018 across US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, and Russia! Galneryus is most known for their songs “Departure” and “Hunting For Your Dream” for the anime series HunterxHunter, etc.

Many of these bands have actually gone on world tours as they were definitely one of the coolest and most creative heavy rock and metal bands in the 2000s. I know if I added one, I’ll get called out for not including another, and before you know it, it’s become a Visual Kei list, so here’s their shoutout!

Bonus Shoutout: All-Girl (And A Couple Female Fronted) Rock/Metal Bands

Ex. ZONE, Exist-Trace, Aldious, LoveBites, Trident, Bridear, Nemophilia, Gacharic Spin, Doll$boxx, Destrose, Silent Siren, Mary’s Blood, Otoboke Beaver

While I did include Shonen Knife, Scandal, and Band-Maid in the top 50, there are actually SO many all-female rock bands in Japan! But in comparison to the above, many of these groups have a niche following similar to Visual Kei bands. Unless you were somehow introduced via a more popular band like Band-Maid or Babymetal, or you have friends who are deep into Jmusic, you just wouldn’t know about them.

Soon after publishing, I’ve had a few people say they were surprised that bands like Aldious or Bridear wasn’t on the list. I get it! Since I joined these Jmusic FB groups, some of these girl bands have been brought up so much that I did consider them seriously in my draft as they seemed to be very popular. The guy who gave me his Toronto Scandal tickets went to the States around the same time to see Nemophilia, so I was aware they’re touring internationally and thus had a solid fanbase.

But then research showed extremely low numbers in all categories (Spotify listeners, Youtube views, album sales, music charts). No collabs or mentions by bigger Western stars, no Youtube reactions with millions of views, no anime themes or convention performances, no TV appearances or interviews, etc. It was clear they would only be known by a niche community, and that’s why I said we all gotta challenge our biases.

If anything, I’m a lil disappointed in yall for getting at me for not including those bands when not one of yall ever brought up SHOW-YA who has paved the way for all-female Japanese metal bands in the West, while simultaneously breaking records and going double platinum in their home country. *smh*. I get that I may appear to be anime biased, but common! Anime has been Japan’s most popular media export forever! It’s how most people find new songs and artists. And even then, there’s only like 4 artists in the top 50 that I really like and actively listen to. I bumped out many for more deserving artists.

And for everyone else reading this, don’t get me wrong! Even the smaller bands in this category have managed to do successful tours in the USA, Europe, and other countries thanks to their faithful fanbase! Just like the rock and metal scene in the West, there’s many amazing underground bands that only the cool kids know. I understand that their fans wished they’d get more attention, but they’re just not at that mainstream level yet, nor had a big viral moment to gain more international recognition amongst the general public.

I did want to ensure there was a good range of artists and styles on the list above, but I do agree that they deserve a shoutout for making it worldwide in this decade without an anime theme song nor trending on social media, especially cause all-girl rock bands are almost non-existent in the West. Definitely check out my article on why Japan has so many girl bands, and be sure to support these groups! (And please forgive me ^^””””)

And on the topic of girl bands, I’d also like to give a special shoutout to ZONE who debuted in 1997 and were another famous all-girl band who helped paved a way for groups like Scandal. In fact, Scandal’s “Secret Base” that was used in the anime Ano Hana was actually a cover from the group ZONE.

The band was also referenced in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya via the main character’s band ENOZ, which is just ZONE spelled backwards! They do appear to still have a faithful following who listens to them on Spotify as they have over 200,000 monthly listeners!

Conclusion

*Phew* My job here was done. I rested on this article idea for a month knowing it would take a whole lot of work to compile and research, but I managed to get it done. I hope you guys appreciate it! If you do, feel free to leave me a tip on Ko-Fi! And definitely check out my other J-music articles as well! I got lots of resources for new fans and musicians <3

And just a final note, this article definitely did challenge me. It’s easy to get caught up in your biases, or to assume someone is really big due to the group you’re most affiliated with (in my case, the anime fans. Others may have gotten sucked into the female metal bands or visual kei hole as well), but I think this is a great list to get an objective view of who the real big players are. And just cause someone isn’t mentioned here doesn’t mean they don’t make amazing music nor are popular.

As referenced in the intro, B’z is the best selling Japanese artist of all time! They have similar sales to Britney Spears, Pink, and Shania Twain, and have more sales than Guns n Roses, Backstreet Boys, Prince, Janet Jackson, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder! They’ve been inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk, and Steve Vai even recognized them and collaborated with them in 2007.

I discovered them through one of the later Detective Conan openings “Giri Giri Chop”, and I loved that song so much! Had it on my MP3 and played it on repeat….but not a single person has ever brought the band up to me in all my years (well, only 1 person on Reddit this year), so I honestly had no idea how big they were until I came across the best selling artists list. My eyes were truly opened as I wrote my article on them.

There’s a lot of artists on this list that I’ve heard of and maybe checked out a song or two, but it’s just not my taste. No one is going to like everything that is popular or trending, and that’s okay!

Even in the West, Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Drake are some of the biggest acts. There’s a sound they put out that resonates with millions of people. Like them or not, you gotta admit their fame and numbers are impressive! Foreigners are going to come across them first and maybe be inspired by them when they write their own music. They’ll also share them with their friends.

It’s the same with Japanese music. You start off with the big guys, the ones everyone seems to know about. With time, you’ll figure out what genre or sound you like the most (ie Metal, Anison, EDM, Alternative, etc) and then you can start looking into other artists in that category. You’ll actually start getting recommendations from Youtube and Spotify which help you expand your horizons, especially since the language barrier may be an issue on your own.

I hope you explore these artists with an open mind. Take a minute to listen to their songs and just see if there’s anyone you dig enough to add to your playlists. It’s rare that I find 2 Japanese artists that have a similar sound, so you’re going to have a lot of fun ^_^

Ciao~