Music and anime are heavily intertwined. Fans of the many anime shows that air throughout the yearalso become fans of the songsthat end up being featured as openings and endings. Many artists and musicians have found fame thanks to having songs featured in anime, and that trend continues to this day.
With another year having recently ended, it’s a good time to look back and appreciate all of the ending themes that have served to close out the various anime series that have come out this year. Here are the best ending themes of those that came out in 2022.
10"Kaze, Hana" (Dance Dance Danseur)
Dance Dance Danseurflew under the radar during the Spring 2022 anime season, but it was a very good show about a young man discovering the world of ballet. With music being intertwined with the concept of the series, a good ending theme is surely par for the course.
RELATED:Best Anime Openings Of All Time, Ranked
Thankfully, “Kaze, Hana,” performed by rock band Hitorie, is a great song to close out each episode. With emotional vocals and melodic instrumentals, the song is a mellow pop tune with a bouncy groove that will have viewers wanting to dance themselves.
9"Flare" (Ranking of Kings)
Ranking of Kings’s second season ran during the Winter 2022 anime season. The ending that played for that period was “Flare,” performed by singer milet. The song plays against a visual backdrop of the main character, Bojji, facing off against imaginary villains.
The song itself starts off as somber and quiet ballad before bursting out into an anthemic chorus, perfectly balancing the dual emotions of melancholy and hope. The song is the perfect ending theme for a show as emotionally resonant asRanking of Kings.
8"Akuma No Ko" (Attack On Titan Final Season Part 2)
Performed by singer-songwriter Ai Higuchi, “Akuma no Ko” serves as the ending theme for the second part ofAttack on Titan’s final season. The song has a particular focus onmain character Eren Yeager, who is the only character featured in the ending’s visuals.
The vocals are easily the most attention-grabbing aspect of the song, with Higuchi’s powerful voice going seamlessly from menacing to desperate to hopeful. The instrumentation, while initially sparse, begins to swell and grow as the song progresses before reaching a climactic chorus, matching the powerful emotion of the vocals.
7"Hito Jibai" (Classroom Of The Elite S2)
The visuals for the ending of the second season ofClassroom of the Eliteare rather lackluster, consisting mostly of slow pans of the many female characters that appear in the series. However, the song that accompanies them is anything but.
RELATED:Classroom Of The Elite: What To Expect From Season 3 (According To The Light Novel)
Performed by singer and voice actress Mai Fuchigami, “Hito Jibai” is one of the grooviest songs of the year, with a beat that won’t fail to have listeners bouncing in their seats. Add to that a catchy chorus and an unbeatable vocal performance, and “Hito Jibai” is easily one of the biggest earworms of Summer 2022.
6"Endless Embrace" (Made In Abyss S2)
The second season ofMade in Abyssmade huge waves when it aired in Summer 2022, and along with it came “Endless Embrace,” a new ending performed by musical group Myth & Roid. The song sportsa dark and mysterious atmosphereonly enhanced by its surreal black and white visuals.
The song itself is fairly simple, starting of with a single voice singing with only a synth backing as accompaniment. However, as the song progresses to the chorus, the instrumentation becomes more complex as the vocals rise in intensity and emotion.
5"Yofukashi No Uta" (Call Of The Night)
“Yofukashi no Uta” is of special significance toCall of the Night, as it is the namesake of the manga’s Japanese name (Yofukashi no Uta). With such a connection, it’s no surprise that this song, performed by hip hop duo Creepy Nuts, would be picked to serve as the series' ending theme.
The song is an energetic hip hop track, featuring fierce and speedy rapping against a groovy, funky beat. The song overflows with vigor, and listeners are sure to find it difficult to keep themselves from jumping out of their seat.
4"Kaika" (Summer Time Rendering)
“Kaika” serves asSummer Time Rendering’s first ending theme, performed by musical group cadode. The song is played to real-life visuals of an islandsimilar to the one thatSummer Time Renderingtakes place on.
RELATED:Why You Should Watch Summer Time Rendering
The song itself is a somber electronic ballad, with slightly synthesized vocals drawing in the listener at the beginning of the song. The synthesized vocals give way to real vocals the first verse begins, and the song rises in emotional resonance as it approaches its chorus.
3"Comedy" (Spy x Family)
Performed by Gen Hoshino, “Comedy” served as the ending forSpy x Family’s first season in Spring 2022. The song is a mellow R&B tune, featuring soulful vocals, smooth guitars and keyboards, and a chorus that never fails to bring out pure joy.
The visuals of this ending are also worthy of mention, showing Anya’s perspectiveof everyday life with her family. With wholesome visuals and an incredibly groovy song, this is easily the best ending song of Spring 2022.
2"Tokyo Shandy Rendezvous" (Urusei Yatsura 2022)
Like with the opening “Aiue,” musical group MAISONdes is in charge ofUrusei Yatsura’s ending song “Tokyo Shandy Rendezvous,” this time featuring Kaf and Tsumiki. While the visuals are not as hectic as the opening, the ending song easily trumps the first in terms of catchiness and listenability.
The song itself isa straight 80s-influenced synthpop tune, with Kaf’s cutesy vocals bouncing from peppy to coy while electronic beats slowly raise up the tempo. The song reaches its climax in the chorus with an incredibly catchy hook that is sure to have listeners singing along.
1"Chainsaw Blood" (Chainsaw Man)
Chainsaw Manis a bit of a special case. Unlike many of the other shows on this list, it has one ending for each of its twelve episodes. While many of these endings are great and could certainly place on this list, it would be a bit too much to giveChainsaw Manmore than one entry.
Choosing only one ending fromChainsaw Man’s many can be difficult, but the first ending (Vaundy’s “Chainsaw Blood”) is an easy pick. A hard rock song with Vaundy’s powerful vocals can’t go wrong, and the anthemic chorus is both catchy and exhilarating. Choosing the bestChainsaw Manending will always be tough, but this song is easily one of the top contenders from 2022.
