Anime Songs That Get Your Blood Pumping

What are You still doing here?! Didn't You read the warning in the subtitle? Ugh, holy guacamole. You know what? Fine. Don't come crying back to me if You can't handle what You're about to read.

Have fun!

1. Run Of S30z Wangan Midnight OST

As soon as this song starts playing you can already feel Your heartbeat start to climb. The drumbeat prepares You for what's to come next, however You're inexplicably thrown into the realm of speed. This is more than just a song to drive fast to. This is a song that you even want to run fast to. As an athletic racer myself who's competed in both cross country and track and field, this song holds the very essence of what battling in a race is. It's not physical combat, but who's more trained, who's more conditioned, and whose willpower is going to squeeze every ounce of capability out of one's muscles. Hell, I've been running by myself, and just imagining somebody running behind from far away, this song will play in my head, as the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, causing me to swing my arms faster with more purpose in each in every one of my strides.

This song gives you the sensation of both cat and mouse. In a race if You're the cat, You win by catching the mouse, eventually overtaking them. However, if You're the mouse, it's Your duty, Your responsibility to Yourself (and Your team if You are competing in an event) to maintain that distance, and, if possible, increase it. Building a gap, not just keeping it, can make the difference between 1st and 2nd place. it doesn't matter if it's an inch or a mile. Winning is winning, and more often than not, You're going to have to kick the rear-end of the negotiator in Your own head that "You can slow down," "it's okay to give up," "You already gave it Your best." News Flash! You're not supposed to give it Your best. You're supposed to give it Your all. That means everything You got. Your best, Your worst, Your sprint, and if You need to, Your crawl across that finish line.

As soon as those drums start playing, as soon as that guitar riffs, as soon as those vocalists start singing, give it, give YOU, Your all.

2. Takayuki Negishi - Cardfight!! Vanguard Soundtrack OST Track 24: "Power of Psyqualia"

This song- Oh mercy, this song. Let me just say, it better be playing for You and not against You. if You're on the other side of the table and this song is playing at You instead of for You, You're in trouble. As soon as those strings start playing, as soon as the percussion enters the fray, as soon as the woodwinds sing the song of demise, You're either at the mercy of the person across from You, or You're in full control with everything going Your way. No walls erected can withstand Your might. No military strategy can withstand Your foresight and planning, as the battle's already been won. If You are facing the enemy, and this song is playing against You, even as You continue to fight to Your last breath, know that You fought valiantly. Even if Your fate to succeed wasn't in the cards today. If this song is playing for You, remember to not let the power overcome You, swallowing You whole in its grip. It's rather, dare I say, intoxicating, isn't it?

If You are going to work out to this song, then I definitely know that whatever You have planned is going to put Your body through hell and back, but it's been so thoroughly planned that Your desired results are almost guaranteed.

When I first heard this song with its initial scene that was played, a soldier was consumed by an inner darkness coming from his soul, coming from his heart. Crying out in anguish, crying out in pain, the power took hold of him as a vortex of sheer might and willpower spiraled around him, giving way to a mightier, stronger, more effective, efficient, leader.

When this song plays, nothing gets in Your way. Not even those whom You love and cherish will be able to impede You, holding You back from greatness with their own fears. The sacrifices You're willing to make to achieve victory, glory, greatness, Your wildest dreams imaginable will make the future so visible it's as if You'll be walking from one room to the next.

3. Kuroko no Basket OST - Ransen

In the calm before the storm, in the heat of day, as the dust settles on the battlefield, this song emphasizes the wait before those made to perform must shock and awe the world with their capabilities. Then, as soon as the guitar comes into play, it's showtime.

This song struck out to me, sending chills up my spine. The scene that's my favorite is when the basketball is scene flying through the air in slow motion before being snatched up by Aomine. Even though he already had 4 fouls in the game, the harder he's pressed the harder and more elegant he plays. When mistakes can't be afforded, is when Your brain shuts off all thinking and premeditation, running on sheer instinct. You automatically know where You're supposed to be, what You're supposed to do, how You're going to do it, and eventually You get from point A to point B so quickly it was like there was minimal to no effort at all. Well, that is until it You no longer need to run on sheer instinct alone. By that moment You'll be hit with the recognition of the taxing amount of work You've done with the power You've released. Re-cooperation becomes key afterwards. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of mental energy going into it, it's just that it's at such a high rate that it's easy for fatigue to set in if You're not conditioned for it already.

So, what does this make this song then? Well, as the anime puts it, this song is for those who are in entering and to remain in "the zone" until all is said and done.

When I work out to this song, it's perfect for chip-ups/pull-ups then a quick breather before I hit a set of dips, then I'll roll over into sit-ups/crunches/core, before finishing up the set with squats.

If You want to attain new athletic heights of performance, then this definitely is a song to add to Your playlist. Such a shame that it's not on Spotify though.

4. Bakugan Battle Brawlers - Opening Song

Yeah, I'm a nerd, so what? This song slaps hard with nostalgia, and that theme is an undeniable head-banger. As stated before, it doesn't matter if You give it Your best, cause when the odds are stacked and You're pressed up against Your back, when You're left to brawl, You have to do everything and give it Your all. When there's nowhere left to take flight, when those who are cruel administer persecution for sheer delight, You have to do what's right and take up the fight. As mentioned by Atticus Finch, "real courage is when You see it through even if You know that You're licked."

5. il vento d'oro by Yugo Kanno

If You or someone You know watches anime, it's highly probably that You've already encountered a Jojo's reference even if You've never seen the anime Yourself. The anime however, like several anime shows (at least from my perspective) may give You more than just some meager inspiration to work out. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has grown to be widespread in meme culture. Heck, before we even called memes "memes" Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's was providing so many iconic references from dances to one-liners to the poses that You might even recognize one of the characters based on art style or voice acting alone even without having knowledge of what a "Jojo's Reference" is. Now, I'm going to have to be honest with You here, I still really wanted to list "The Pillar Men theme 『Awaken』." That song helped to start a whole phase of people posing, whether or not they're body builders. Lowkey, try listening to that song and not start doing push-ups.

This song is energetic, with what I think I can only describe as neoclassical jazz. The piano itself that enters at 3:44 is so iconic, that if You start hearing it You might start reciting "I, [insert name], have a dream." It's as if when facing Your challenge, opposition, obstacles, opponents, the rest of the world falls to the waist side. Nothing else matters besides getting over the next obstacle. You don't know what's going to happen next, but whatever it is the winds of encouragement will proceed to push You forward towards Your dreams.

6. Yu-Gi-Oh! - Music to Duel By - Summon the Dragon (Special Battle Track)

How could You list this song, but not the original theme?

I mean, I already listed another show's theme. That other show had a lot of other good music too, but it was more than difficult to find the actual original sound tracks. Plus, Yu-Gi-Oh! has several series and each series has several different themes that add their own unique flavor to the episodes as well. Some characters even get their own themes later on. For me, some of my more favorite themes come from the generation of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds such as Jack Atlas - Battle Theme (Japanese) in which people are confused if they should duel, duel on motorcycles, or duel on the dance floor! Plus, if we're talking about 5Ds You can't forget about a theme from the main protagonists, Yusei Fudo, and like many others, when You start to link things together with such efficacy that it's all made self-evident to You, a clear mind effect breaks its own limits going overtop of itself. There used to be an extended version, of the song, but I currently can't find a link. Here's a substitute link, theme starts playing around 2:09. The trumphets are beast.

Now, back to "Summon The Dragon." As a kid hearing this theme meant that either our protagonists were in trouble, or that they were about to make one heck'uva comeback. Sure, Yu-Gi-Oh! Has tons of monsters, but one of the most favorite types, naturally, is dragons. When it came to the first series, this song was a main theme for Seto Kaiba and that one of his rare, only 4 copies existing in their universe, Blue-Eyes White Dragons was about to be played. Being that Kaiba was a constant challenge for Yugi and Yami Yugi, this theme fit him rather well. However, Kaiba wasn't always a competitor for Yugi. Several times they'd be forced to team-up together and use their brains, along with the brawn of their cards, to bring out the best strategies of their duel decks.

Though, one of my favorite scenes for this theme is when Joey, one of Yugi's best friends, is going up against an antagonist that has a lot more powerful cards than he does. Making with skill and a bit of pure luck, Joey puts together a winning strategy to eventually win, but this duel was a huge milestone for him since his dueling deck was outmuscled.

While at Duelist Kingdom, Joey obtains the antithesis of Kaiba's ace monsters, a single copy of a super rare card named "Red-Eyes Black Dragon." What Red-Eyes lacks in sheer power, and even one level, it makes up for in fusion combinations. At the time Blue-Eyes White Dragon only had one fusion combination. Meanwhile, Red-Eyes Black Dragon had two. Though, its stronger variant was never really seen in the anime. Less I digress.

While dueling against Bandit Keith and his duel deck of machine monsters, Joey realizes that Keith's machines can tear apart any card he has, including his ultra-rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Being the highest base attack point monster in his duel deck sitting at 2400 ATK points, even after destroying Keith's Metal Zoa in a pit of spikes (dude dodged a 3000 ATK point monster), Keith had tons of high powered Machines still waiting to get at him.

So, not one to back down from the competition, after having two of his monsters wiped from off the field, he formulates a strategy together. Putting it all on the line, the theme starts playing as a glint catches in Joey's eye. Without further ado, he plays his best card, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon onto the field, the hologram systems bringing the artwork on the card to life.

Letting out a deep menacing growl, Red-Eyes throws its head back in defiance of its opponent. Yet, underpowered, attacking a 2600 ATK point Barrel Dragon would be mere suicide. Ending his turn, the antagonist laughs at Joey. Knowing that Red-Eyes is the best card in his deck, he aims to wipe it off the field along with the rest of his pride.

Joey, however, uses Keith's own cards against him. Rescuing his dragon from being sent to the graveyard prematurely, but also strengthening it as well, enabling it to take annihilate the competition.

When it comes to "Summon the Dragon," I know that I've played this song when summoning my own dragon cards, especially an ace or two, when dueling with my friends. Besides, You can play it for more when You're just dueling. Heck, if You're in a speech-and-debate, and You're allowed to emphasize Your points with some music, why not use this one when You slap down Your thesis back up with sources. If You don't have sources to back up Your research, You're in the wrong event.

7. TK from 凛として時雨 『unravel』 Music Video(Full Size)

A lot of people may only know this song as Tokyo Ghoul's theme song. Why do I like this song? I gotta say it's probably the emotion that gets thrown into it, along with the emotional catharsis of the characters. Sure, in that world humans are fighting against another species of people that look human, and we're even capable of interbreeding together, but for their species to survive they must consume human flesh.

This series goes to show that even those that we define as monsters based on their nature aren't monsters at all. We all just need to survive at the end of the day, and it's more difficult for some than it is for others. This sort of makes me think about when people rescue animals from other animals that are predators. It's a shame such predators are part of the natural world. Without predation, evolution might not have ever pushed this far. It would be a competition for resources still, but in a more roundabout way of excluding others from the resources that one, or rather, one's species needs.

"Unravel" based upon what I can take in from the song, its lyrics, how it makes me feel, and the anime itself is about unraveling who You are. Only by providing a deep inner reflection about who You are. By unraveling Your fear, trauma, what's broken You down on the inside, You allow Yourself to let go of what's holding You back, holding back Your psyche. Instead of putting on so many proverbial masks that You're practically donned in a suit of armor, You allow Yourself to unleash Your true self, which is where Your strength lies. Armor may seem protective, but it wears on You, thus wearing You down. It also prevents You from moving in the ways that You wish to. You stop Yourself from also feeling. Not just the world around You and others, but Yourself. Literally and figuratively. You can't scratch Your own back in a suit of armor (shot out to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain).

8. Baki 2018 OST - Battlefield

Baki is an anime about fighting for fighting's sake. I like to think that every person at one point or another wanted to grow up to become the world's strongest or smartest or best-est person. In Baki, Yujiro Hanma is "the world's strongest organism." Who is Yujiro? The main antagonist throughout the entire series. On the day of his birth every living being around the world accepted that they went down on level, one rank in power. Now, who's the protagonist? Son of Yujiro, Baki. If nobody alive is capable of satisfying his taste, his lust, for battle, then he'd have to make them. Being that his father already had passed away, Yujiro has a son who's sole purpose is to give him the best fight of his life. Baki doesn't care about being strong or weak. He could be the world's weakest organism for all that matters as long as he's just a smidgen stronger than his dad.

"Battlefield" is when the going gets rough, and so the tough get going. It doesn't matter how much the odds aren't in the one's favor, the goal of fighting isn't just to fight for another day, their goal in fighting is to enjoy the sheer thrill, to have a new mountain to climb when that comes in the form of a different opponent.

"Battlefield"s can be entered with a thirst for vengeance, with respect for one's opponent, or even enthusiasm or a new challenge in ways that one has crafted a skill over years, decades, if not the entire person's lifespan. Sometimes, life is a "Battlefield" in it of itself. So tell me, how do You enter it?

9. [Official Video] JAM Project - THE HERO !! - "One Punch Man" Opening Theme ワンパンマン

When "One Punch Man" first came out I absolutely loved it! Since we didn't have a Hulu subscription at the time, I would bust out push-ups in-between the commercials. I was capable of doing 90 pushups in under 90 seconds, in a row, without stopping. Saitama, just like Yujiro, is the world's strongest organism. He defeats all of his opponents with one punch. He trained every day for three years straight by running 10 kilometers, did 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats every single day. He's become so strong that he's gone toe to toe with several dragon and god level threats that would cause the extinction of humanity.

It's a more wholesome version of Baki, with lots of more comedy too. Whenever I would drive to school with my sibling, we'd jam out to this song and Jonathan Young's English version of it, too.

Every time I hear this song, I always start thinking about exercising, like the meme that goes, "When You get the masculine urge to start doing push-ups out of nowhere." I gotta tell ya', doing a good set of push-ups makes Your muscles feel great, and Your chest look amazing, even though it probably already does.

In my opinion, this song reminds us about not just the need for justice, but that the strongest foe that we will ever face is the one within our mind.

10. TheWeightOfLives

When I first heard this song, it's beauty overwhelmed my senses, paired with the imagery that its anime provided. Hiroyuki Sawano did more than provide an excellent composition. He delivered.

In the search for freedom, struggling to grasp the truth that's so long been held back from themselves, the anime "Attack on Titan" is about unveiling the blankets from our eyes, and those who are fighting to keep them covered at all costs.

This song makes me feel not just ready for anything, but as long as I allow my courage, to flow through me and into the world that like a candle sitting atop of a hill in the dead of night, it will ignite the spark in others to continue to move towards the truth, and the freedom it brings as well.

Freedom... elusive or illusionary? Some say that there's no such thing as freedom, only bigger prisons. Your body's a prison as Your limited in Your physical and mental capabilites. You're limited to the earth, as there's only so many resources here before they're either needed to be recycled into other things or will be depleted before anybody can make any proper use of them.

Truth... is there really 'the truth?' How many people spout, 'my truth,' 'our truth,' or 'the truth as we know it?' Always held back and manipulated for the gain of others, truth, much like water and food and shelter, is a vital resource that we all need to survive.

Not just freedom, but freedom that won't be impeded by the freedom of other people and us not impeding upon their freedom as well. For those who impede upon the freedom of others are now enslaved to a false sense of power that goes with oppressing a group, no matter how large or small.

TheWeightOfLives gives one a sense about what it might be like when fighting for the weight of lives.

Many a time I would listen to this song before a cross county race. As the days grew colder, even during the rainstorms, this song would keep my fire burning alive in me. As I would pass the competitors, earning points for my teams, I'd be invigorating my teammates as well. Just like the 2nd part of the song (which Hiroyuki Sawano always seems to do, his songs are always like a two-for-one deal), it would feel like I would be reaching out and grabbing my teammates by the hand, and we would fly to the finish line together. I remember in one of my last country country races, I was surprised that one of my friends was performing so poorly. He had succumbed to a bad stomach ache that was tearing apart his performance. As I ran past him, I gave him a pat on the back. If anything, I truly wish that I could've carried him on my back. I always considered myself to be the weakest link on the chain for that team. Yet, that day, I was one of the strongest. Where several of our varsity members fell, I helped to make up some of the points. No, I wasn't top 20 in that race like how I was in several races earlier in my running career, but I was in the top third. Now that's saying something, especially when it comes to having well over 600 competitors.