Back in the days of Stepmania, there were anime song packs. Guitar Hero also got plenty of fan-mapped anime songs, and so did Rock Band. Eventually, the industry caught on, and many rhythm games came out to appeal directly to the anime-loving demographic. There’s Cytus, Voez, Muse Dash… and, of course, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva. One thing we still don’t have is a competent VR anime rhythm game. Luckily for us, Beat Saber is incredibly versatile. Just download some good anime songs, and you’ll feel right at home on this simulated dance floor. Here are some of my favorites to get you started.
15. PSI-Missing – Mami Kawada (A Certain Magical Index’s OP 1)
Check Out This Song A Certain Magical Index is a fantastic 2008 action/sci-fi/fantasy anime revolving around an adorable English loli nun on the run from the church. Ah, anime. Never change. Other than great characters and a very imaginative setting, the show shines for its openings, which tend to have a certain “glitchy” edge to them I find perfect for Beat Saber. PSI-Missing is a high-energy song with beautiful vocals that’ll pull at your heartstrings if you saw the show way back in the day.
14. Kaibutsu – YOASOBI (Beastars S2 OP)
Check Out This Song If you ever needed confirmation that we’re all furries deep down, you need only look at the massive popularity of Beastars – also known as grown-up anime Zootopia. This show is literally about the sexual tension between a wolf and his beloved rabbit, as well as the racial tension between herbivores and carnivores. Hell, there’s even a black market where herbivore meat is sold to craving carnivores, which is just disturbing. So glad Zootopia didn’t have that. The opening to the second season of this slightly disturbing show is a total bop, so make sure to try it out.
13. What’s up, people?! – Maximum the Hormone (Death Note OP 2)
Check Out This Song Can you name anything more iconic than Death Note’s second opening? It was a notorious change of pace from the show’s first opening. Whereas “The World” by Nightmare was melodic, this one is complete pandemonium. It mirrors Light’s own deteriorating psyche and progressively faster transformation into a total psychopath – and I love it. Make sure you keep some potato chips around to eat dramatically while playing through this map.
12. Zetsubou Billy – Maximum the Hormone (Death Note ED 2)
Check Out This Song I think “What’s up, people?!” is the most memorable Death Note opening, but I don’t necessarily think it’s the best song in the show. From a musical perspective, I enjoy the second ending a lot more – and its composition lends itself much better to Beat Saber mapping. This is one I’d recommend only to high-skill players, in significant part because of the variable BPM. It’s something Maximum the Hormone loves to do, but it can be hell to re-adjust your rhythm as you play. Still, it’s perfect for getting the adrenaline pumping to let go of all the day’s tension.
11. Colors – Flow (Code Geass OP 1)
Check Out This Song Death Note left a gaping hole in anime-lovers’ hearts after it finished airing. For a while, it felt as though we’d never recapture the charm of a morally gray big-brain main character trying to take over the world with willpower and genius – until Code Geass came along. This show didn’t only give us a new mastermind to idolize but made it OK to do so without feeling morally reprehensible by making them just a bit less of a genocidal maniac. I still remember the feeling of entire anime conventions going “JIBUN WO~” in unison whenever this opening played on the venue’s speakers. Now, we can enjoy it in Beat Saber.
10. Jingo Junge – MYTH & ROID (Saga of Tanya the Evil OP)
Check Out This Song Saga of Tanya the Evil follows a man who’s reincarnated into another world as a little girl and goes on to become a master tactician for the imperial army just to spite the god of this world. Yeah, it’s pretty out-there. But you’ll love it if you give it a chance. The opening is aggressive, violent, and the lyrics are about jingoistically taking down as many enemies as you can in hopes of attaining glory. A bit dark, sure. But just think she’s talking about taking down note blocks and you’ll get into the flow of it in no time.
9. Fly! Gundam! – Koh Ikeda (MS Gundam OP)
Check Out This Song Here comes a blast from the past. The original Mobile Suit Gundam anime started a true revolution for giant robot anime when it first aired in 1979. Now, its opening will revolutionize your anime playlist. I was shocked to find such an old-school anime opening mapped for Beat Saber, but I guess it’s not weird considering how big the show was in Japan and abroad. It may be a show about the casualties and horrors of war, but damn, this opening is high-spirited!
8. Catch You, Catch Me – Hinata Megumi (Cardcaptor Sakura OP)
Check Out This Song Another blast from a much more recent past is the unforgettable opening to the classic Cardcaptor Sakura from 1998. It was one of the first anime I watched on TV, and it sparked my interest in Japanese animation. Whenever I heard this opening play, I dropped anything I was doing – be it playing with my Legos or eating dirt in the yard. It was the beautiful time of the day where I could reconnect to the magical world of card-catching. I’m sure my family would’ve rather seen me get that excited about sports or school. Well, where is soccer’s anime opening? What about Math or Chemistry? I thought so.
7. Gurenge – LiSA (Demon Slayer OP)
Check Out This Song A whole new generation of anime lovers has been inducted into our community by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, one of the most famous anime in history. The opening to this shounen epic is on everyone’s Spotify and YouTube Music playlists. Now it can be on your Beat Saber playlist too. It’s high-energy and exciting, as any shounen opening should be. It’ll bring back memories of the show as you slice and dice through the note blocks – and maybe you’ll even yell “ICHI NO KATA: MINAMO GIRI!” while playing. It’s OK. Nobody’s judging you.
6. A Certain Scientific Railgun Opening Song Pack
Check Out This Song A Certain Scientific Railgun is like A Certain Magical Index once you’ve removed every single male character – and it’s really, really good. This show follows a team of girls trying to keep order in Academy City, the one place in the world where having mystic and/or psychic powers is the norm. The show is fantastic, and its openings are top-notch. This Opening Song Pack includes nine excellent Railgun maps, plus a compilation map to challenge your stamina.
5. Angel Beats! (GirlDeMo) Map Pack
Check Out This Song Cute girls doing cute things in purgatory anime Angel Beats! made a big splash when it aired back in 2010. It filled a certain void left by the last season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya thanks to a similar main character and the integration of humor, drama, and music into a single package. The music part was exceptionally well received. It was embodied mainly by the afterlife school’s most famous girl band – Girls Dead Monster, or GirlDeMo for short. Fans of the series and anyone looking to get into it will love this GirlDeMo map pack. It includes over a dozen top-quality songs from the show, including a version of the hit opening: My Soul, Your Beats!
4. Libera Me From Hell (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Check Out This Song I get goosebumps just reading the title of this song. Those of you who’ve watched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann will recognize the stupidly epic track that plays several times during the final confrontation between the show’s heroes and the Anti-Spirals. The song combines Team Dai-Gurren’s rebellious rap theme (ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH) and dramatic chants in Latin representing the Anti-Spirals. The result is an anthem about fighting the status quo, breaking the rules, and driving darkness back no matter the odds. Even as you falter on the song’s brutal Expert difficulty, you’ll feel empowered by Team Dai-Gurren’s manly spirit and push through.
3. 99 – Mob Choir (Mob Psycho 100 OP)
Check Out This Song What a find. Whether you’re a fan of Mob Psycho 100 or haven’t heard the first thing about it, everyone should try out this incredible light show map by TheLitleWiseOwl. The map translates the anime’s psychedelic opening into a Beat Saber light show, with neon-lit buildings, signs, and moving patterns. It’s a bit like being inside the opening, and it’s one of those things that makes you think, “this is why I bought a VR headset.” Admittedly, it can be hard to read the notes with so much visual stimulation, which keeps it from a higher spot. Still, it’s one of the best anime experiences in Beat Saber hands-down.
2. The 22/7 Anime Soundtrack Vol. 1 & 2
Check Out This Song I love it when a single entry can bring our readers hours of fun. And this compilation of anime songs performed by Japanese idol group 22/7 has many top-notch tracks. For those of you who don’t know, 22/7 is a special idol group where actresses provide voices, but the stage performances and visual aspects are all animated. This pack is very varied, including openings from Evangelion, Sword Art Online, Bakemonogatari, and more – all expertly mapped by Joetastic, one of the biggest names in the world of Beat Saber. The link above will take you to the first part of this custom compilation, and this link brings you to the second part of custom tracks mapped to Beat Saber.
1. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Song Pack
Check Out This Song What else could have been put right here at the top? JoJo’s is known for its high energy, peak human anatomy, and damn good openings. It’s only fitting that a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Song Pack would work wonders in Beat Saber, a rhythm game for nerds who want to look like Pillar Men by slashing note blocks. This bizarre song pack includes all of the openings, plus a couple extras such as Giorno’s Theme and the Torture Dance song from Part 5. Finding that last one really made my day – and I hope it brings you tons of fun as well. There’s also a massive compilation of every opening in one single song with no breaks. A sort-of boss rush for those of you who like a challenge.
