15+ Anime Songs With Modulation (Key Changes)

Modulation is a term that I’ve only learned about more recently on my music theory journey, but it has finally given me a word to explain what I would hear in certain songs.

We’ve already discussed how common borrowed chords are, and you’ll hear those in every other song it feels like, probably more than that honestly. But as opposed to just borrowing a single chord for a moment, modulation is essentially borrowing many chords for a few bars or even a whole section of the song. Definitely watch the short video below by 12Tone to see the kinds of modulation and how it works.

Modulation is used in western music, but in most cases, it’s using direct modulation which usually raises the key to the one closest to it. This key change usually stays for the rest of the song, or it keeps going higher as we hear in Love on Top by Beyonce or Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson.

In Japanese music though, I find they do more pivot chord modulations, which is when they would use a chord that’s available in both keys as a transition point, so it’s very hard to catch if you’re not paying attention. Afterwards, they’ll find another pivot chord or use transition chords to go back to the original key. It’s really interesting to hear!

Other times, they’ll just use a moment of silence, so it’s harder to compare or notice. It will ‘feel’ different’, which is what modulation does, but because it’s usually done at the chorus, the voice, the beat, and so on has also changed so you won’t always notice the key changed too.

Some of these songs below are more obvious than the others. Definitely listen and start training your ears to hear these subtle or more obvious changes.

I got many other Jmusic related articles on my Japanese Music Resources Page! Definitely check out Breaking Down 15 Anime Song Chord Progressions, and 15+ Anime Songs with Odd Time Signatures.

And if you’d like to learn how to create Japanese inspired music, check out my course, The Complete Music Theory Course!

“Homura” from Demon Slayer

Artist: LiSA

This song is quite subtle with it’s modulation. During the pre-chorus, there is a sequence of chords that build up into the new key. At the end of the chorus, it has a similar approach, using two bars of descending chords to bring it back to it’s original key. It’s done so beautifully…and I say that, because some songs below are quite abrupt or they use silence to make the switch.

“Black Catcher” from Black Clover

Artist: Vickeblanka

I didn’t watch this show, but I’ve heard this song quite a bit. Personally, I like Black Rover more and it’s on my favourites, thus, I didn’t really notice the modulation in this song until I did my chord progression analysis article and was trying to find another song for the list. One site gave a potential key for the song, but when I was analyzing the chords, I realized the chorus didn’t fit.

This modulation is harder to catch both cause of the short silence before the chorus, but also him using a different kind of voice. It’s distracting in a way…but it’s so clever if it was done intentionally (as opposed to him only being able to sing that high in that voice). The change is a lot more obvious when it changes back after the chorus.

“Toumei Datta Sekai” from Naruto

Artist: Motohiro Hata

I first came across this song when I was giving an unbiased rating of Naruto openings (I didn’t watch the show so I’m not influenced by the arcs), and I gave this a pretty decent rank due to the modulation. I had to give this song quite a few listens because the shift would always catch me off guard. The most obvious part you can hear is during the pre-chorus. The first 4 bars are in the minor key, moving from Am-F-Am-G and then it changes to a major one with C-D-G.

“Uso no Hibana” from Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish)

Artist: 96Neko

The modulation in this song is a lot more obvious and it happens quite a bit throughout just this theme length song. The first modulation happens in the middle of the verse, we then get another in the middle of the chorus. It works well with the pace of the song as it reflects all the craziness going on in the show. Definitely give the whole song a listen!

“Akuma no Ko” from Attack on Titan

Artist: Higuchi Ai

I love this song so so sooo much. The modulation in this song is very obvious and goes along with the video really well. We start with a pretty dark and eerie sounding song, and it transforms to something more bright and majestic at the chorus. The last word is then used as a pivot point to go back to the original darker key.

“Dan Dan Kokoro” from Dragon Ball GT

Artist: Field Of View

This song does Modulation really well in that it’s almost unnoticeable. They use transition chords and some breaks to help disguise it. The intro is in the key of C, but the verse is in the key of Fm. They use a G7 dominant chord at the very end to help transition back to C for the chorus. You may have to listen to this one a few times to really catch and notice that they’re not just switching to C’s minor mode (Am), but are actually using a totally different key.

“Koukai no Uta” from My Hero Academia

Artist: Sayuri

This is a very pretty song. They also use a bit of a pause and a couple notes moving upwards as it modulates for the chorus. Sayuri is such a talented singer-songwriter, I highly recommend checking her out. She sang Heikousen which is the ED for Scum’s Wish mentioned above, and Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Yuuna”, the ED for Erased, which ironically will be our next song.

“Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no Youna” from Erased

Artist: Sayuri

I watched Erased but didn’t recall the ending (I will admit to being an ending skipper), but as I was checking it out, I was like, sounds like to modulation to me! And after checking out the chords, it definitely is. While you can definitely hear it during the TV Size version, the full version has more modulations so it is worth the listen.

“Cry Baby” from Tokyo Revengers

Artist: Official Hige Dandism

The first time I heard this opening while watching the show, the shift was very noticeable, and it shifts quite a bit like a story. I linked the full song just because it’s very interesting to listen to. You really can’t predict where it’s going to go or when. One chord chart has 36 chords listed!

“Monochrome City” from Koikimo

Artist: Ace Collection

Now for this one, there is a shift in feeling, but I can’t tell for sure if it’s modulation or just a bunch of borrowed chords. The chorus makes use of both E and Em, C, Cdim, B7 and Bm chords (If sticking to diatonic chords, you’d have major or minor for each note, not both). So don’t quote me!

It’s still interesting to hear just how much non-diatonic chords can change the feel of a song and throw you off guard. This is definitely a song that I couldn’t predict where it was going when I first heard it. It’s weird and a little unsettling, but I like it…weird like the show haha

“Fukai Mori” from Inuyasha

Artist: Do As Infinity

Just in case the one above really isn’t modulation, I can for sure say this one is. There is a full key change between the verse and the pre-chorus at 0:45, and then it quickly changes back right after. The theme song length starts from the chorus, so I included the real MV for this example.

“Hyori Ittai” from Hunter x Hunter

Artist: Yuzu

This song…is a mess…on purpose! The title means ‘two sides of the same coin’, and they’re not afraid to show that contrast in this song between the verses and the chorus. It also has a lot of borrowed chords which shifts the mood or raises the energy during the song.

When I was watching the show recently, I thought it may have been some timing or recording issues to fit the song, but the full version is just as messy. I like the song, but I don’t think I could listen to this everyday as there’s just so much going on! The modulation is done with no hesitation or subtlety. No mercy.

“Change” from Bleach

Artist: Miwa

Just like the title, this song changes quite a bit. During the chorus, this one will shift to a key higher, like what is usually done in Western music. I couldn’t find the TV size for this, but it’s still interesting to hear how it modulates throughout the song. In the last bit of the song, it makes another ‘change’ every time the word is said.

“Again” from Fullmetal Alchemist

Artist: Yui

For this and the next FMA song, you won’t hear it during the theme length, as the modulation happens later on in the full song. For this song, it happens right as the bridge starts at 2:36. It’s quite fast but you will notice the shift. Replay the song when you’re done and the change is a lot more clear.

“Period” from Fullmetal Alchemist

Artist: Chemistry

Like Again above, this one has a pitch change to a higher key right before the final chorus at 2:50. This song uses a silent bar to transition.

“Crow Song”, “My Song” and “Ichiban no Takaramono” from Angel Beats

Artist: GirlsDeadMonster

To end this lost off, I’d like to reference two of my favourite songs from Angel Beats. For Crow Song, the modulation is more obvious as it has a pitch change during the chorus. I like how they use a riff that quickly runs down notes to bring it back to the initial key. For Ichiban no Takaramono and My Song, the change happens when the chorus starts and it goes back to normal for the following verse. Ichiban no Takaramono has an additional modulation to a higher pitch for the final verse.

Conclusion

So there you go. If you weren’t sure if what you are hearing is modulation or were looking for examples to train your ear, I hope this list helps you!

I’m still learning more about music theory so I could understand Japanese music more. I’ve only come across the term modulation last year and I’ve been keeping my ears open for it. But even then, it’s still hard (if not impossible) to find the actual key or progression of anime songs. That’s why I made an article looking into anime progressions as well so you can listen and see what exactly is going on.

If you liked this article, consider checking out my other Jmusic related articles on my Japanese Music Resources page. And if you’d like to learn more about Japanese music, consider buying my Japanese Music Progressions eBook or my Japanese Music Theory Course!

And if you have any other questions or ideas for future articles, please don’t hesitate to comment or message me. I love doing research and I have enough basic Japanese knowledge to search that side of the internet for answers too.

Thanks for reading ^_^