Tower Records Shinjuku (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo), known for its extensive selection of anime songs, has announced its 2025 anime song annual rankings (calculated from January 1 to December 15, 2025). The top spot went to "KiLLKiSS," the second single by Ave Mujica, the all-girls band from the popular anime series "BanG Dream!" Coming in second was " Kessoku Band," an album by Kessoku Band , the band featured in the TV anime " Bocchi the Rock! ", which took first place in the 2023 and second place in the 2024 annual rankings, demonstrating their enduring popularity. We asked anime buyer Sho Higuchi to reflect on the anime song scene in 2025 based on this chart.
◇The girl band boom continues: Ave Mujica has been a big hit since the start of the year
Following on from 2024, 2025 saw the presence of girl bands. "Ave Mujica," which took first place, is a metal band whose true identity was revealed in the "BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!" TV anime, which aired from June to September 2023. In January 2025, the TV anime "BanG Dream! Ave Mujica," billed as "the craziest band anime ever," began airing. It attracted a lot of attention, with many unexpected twists and turns.
The #1 album, "KiLLKiSS," includes the TV anime's opening theme "KiLLKiSS" and ending theme "Georgette Me, Georgette You." The opening theme, "KiLLKiSS," in particular, captured the interest of fans with its dark opening video and hard-hitting melody, and its January release showed signs of becoming a major hit. Not only the opening and ending themes, but also insert songs like "Kao" (Face) became a hot topic, garnering popularity both domestically and internationally, with overseas musicians releasing covers of the album on video sites. Ave Mujica's first album, "Completeness," also ranked #5. In addition to the traditional characteristics of the "BanG Dream!" series, the hard-hitting sound and sensational content of the TV anime have helped the band attract a wide fan base.
Coming in second place is the album " Kessoku Band , " which has sold continuously for three years since its release in December 2022, from 2023 to 2025, making it a landmark album for a girl band from an anime in recent years. Tower Records has kept this rare album on display at its Shinjuku and Shibuya stores for nearly three years. Not only has the popularity of the TV anime continued to generate buzz, with the voice actors appearing at events, steadily building a foundation for a long-lasting love for the band. In 2025, the band's popularity spread to Europe, America, and Asia, thanks in part to the inbound tourism effect.
◇Nijisanji male VTuber artist rankings dominate
Male artists from the VTuber project "Nijisanji" also made remarkable progress, dominating the rankings with the unit "ROF-MAO"'s mini-album "MOMENTUM" coming in third, Kagami Hayato's first solo album "ULTIMATE CITY" coming in sixth, and the unit "VOLTACTION"'s mini-album "Action!!!!!!!!!!!!" coming in eighth.
As the VTuber scene expands, his energetic artistic activities on YouTube and elsewhere have attracted the attention of fans, primarily female. In light of the recent boom in "oshikatsu," the popularity of VTubers among "oshikatsu" fans is growing in stores.
◇ The enduring popularity of the " Love Live!" series and the global hit "Love Scream!"
The results for 2025 show the enduring popularity and potential of the "Love Live!" series. The live theme song CD "Eikyuu Hours" by the school idol group "Aqours," which held their "final solo concert" in June 2025 with all nine cast members on stage at the same time, came in fourth place, while the debut single "Ai Scream!" by the unit "AiScReam," which became an explosive hit mainly on social media, came in seventh.
The CD for "Eikyuu Hours" included a ticket lottery for the first advance ticket application for Aqours' "final solo concert," which led to high sales in stores, mainly among fans who wanted to see the group's final show. "AiScReam" is a limited-time unit born from a radio program, bringing together popular members from each group in the series: Aqours' Kurosawa Ruby, Nijigasaki High School Idol Club's Uehara Ayumu, and Liella!'s Wakana Shiki. The catchy lyrics and dialogue parts created a buzz online, becoming a global hit.
From the "Love Live!" series, the fourth single "KEY of Like!" by the virtual school idol group Hasunozora Girls' Academy School Idol Club, which has been releasing songs continuously throughout the year, also ranked 9th.
◇The "revival" of the classic "Samurai Champloo" album
Coming in at number 10 is "Samurai Champloo Music Record 'Departure'," the soundtrack CD for the anime "Samurai Champloo," directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, known for works such as "Cowboy Bebop." This is one of four legendary soundtrack CDs released in 2004, and was re-released on vinyl in 2022 and on CD in 2024. The music for "Samurai Champloo" was produced by Nujabes, a man renowned for his genius trackmaking. The re-release of the soundtrack CD, which was eagerly awaited not only by anime fans but also by music fans both in Japan and overseas, achieved significant sales. The Shinjuku store has also seen many foreign visitors purchasing the "Samurai Champloo" music package.
The top 10 for 2025 offers a glimpse into the expanding anime song scene, featuring girl bands, male VTuber artists, the "Love Live!" series, and soundtracks from works that have garnered popularity for their high musicality, such as "Samurai Champloo." Starting in January 2026, popular works that have also garnered attention for their music, such as "Jujutsu Kaisen," "Oshi no Ko,""Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," and "Medalist," will begin airing. The anime song scene in 2026 is sure to be one to keep an eye on.
Tower Records Shinjuku Store 2025 Anime Song Ranking (calculated from January 1 to December 15, 2025, titles omitted)
1st place "KiLLKiSS" Ave Mujica Single
2nd place: "Kessoku Band" Kessoku Band Album
3rd place "MOMENTUM" ROF-MAO Album
4th place: "Eternal Hours" Aqours single
5. "Completeness" Ave Mujica Album
6th place "ULTIMATE CITY" Kagami Hayato Album
7th place "Love Scream!" AiScReam Single
8th place "Action!!!!!!!!!!!!" VOLTACTION Album
9th place: KEY of Like! "Hasunozora Girls' Academy School Idol Club Single
10th place: "Samurai Champloo Music Record "Departure"" Nujabes, Fat Jon Album
*From left to right: title, artist. Rankings are calculated by combining singles and albums.
◇Profile
Higuchi Sho is an anime buyer on the 10th floor of Tower Records Shinjuku (Japanese music and sales promotion). He first became interested in anime through 1990s works such as "Neon Genesis Evangelion," "BLUE SEED," and "VS Knight Ramune & 40 Flames," and among anime songs, he loves listening to character songs, especially songs related to idol anime. His favorite anthem is "Up! 10sion Pleeeeeeeeease!" from "The Idolmaster Million Live!" His favorite anime and games include "Pretty Rhythm," "The Idolmaster," "Photo Kano," and "Sakura Wars."
