One thing the Winter 2022 season wasn’t short of was incredible openings. While there are many incredible opening theme songs from this season, this list will focus more on opening sequences as a whole. Animations, cuts, replayability, and so much more, including the music, all come into play for the viewer, which is why this list took the complete opening sequences into account. From lesser-known anime to the most popular ones of the season, these anime opening sequences from Winter 2022 are going to be ones that fans will re-watch throughout the rest of the year.
10. Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout
To start the list is the opening for Life With an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated Into a Total Fantasy Knockout. As soon as the opening starts, the music instantly hooks you and doesn’t waste any time in keeping you interested. The humor is entertaining and it gets even funnier when you realize Hinata, the main female protagonist, is actually a thirty-year-old man isekai’d to another world. The Kirito reference is still funny no matter how many times you watch the opening and the music fits the visuals and whole vibe of the show perfectly. The opening itself isn’t overwhelming in any department, but it’s definitely solid all-around.
9. Girls’ Frontline
Next up is the opening for Girls’ Frontline. As an anime adaptation of the mobile game, Girls’ Frontline is one of the lesser-known anime airing this season. While the series itself has yet to crack the top-10 of our weekly polls, this opening directed by Kentaro Waki is undoubtedly one of the best this season. He assisted in creating the beautiful openings for Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of the Underworld as the director of photography. Now, Waki makes his OP directing and storyboarding debut with Girls’ Frontline. Thanks to the best transitions out of this entire list and downright gorgeous artwork, this one is more than worthy of making the list. The song doesn’t have a big chorus drop like the rest on this list but the artwork and transitions alone help land Girls’ Frontline in the best 10 anime opening sequences from the Winter 2022 season.
8. Arifureta Season 2
Anime fans are coming around to the fact that MindaRyn doesn’t know how to make a bad opening or ending theme. Last year, she gave us “Like Flames” for Reincarnated As A Slime Season 2 and the ending theme, “Shine”, for SAKUGAN. Now she’s back delivering another phenomenal theme song with “Daylight”. If this list was based on the songs alone, this could possibly be first. This amazing opening sequence is one that could make people become fans of Arifureta, myself included. Although, showing the series name right when the chorus starts is an interesting choice. But solid visuals and action scenes capped off with a wholesome ending that matches perfectly with the lyrics make this opening an easy top-10 choice.
7. My Dress-Up Darling
I am more than willing to bet many of you came to this article to find My Dress-Up Darling. Well, here it is! One of the two CloverWorks anime from this season to make this list, My Dress-Up Darling delivers a catchy and wholesome intro that’s impossible to hate. It’s usually difficult for comedy, slice-of-life, and romance anime to match up with other genres in terms of openings. But once in a while, we receive enjoyable ones just like this. Spira Spica captured the emotions between Gojo and Marin with “Sansan Days” and now the opening recently surpassed two million views. The official music video is also close to reaching its 500k views milestone. Not only is the series one of the best of the season, but so is the intro. Beautiful visuals, wonderful colors, and a perfect theme rightfully place My Dress-Up Darling’s opening in the top-10.
6. Tokyo 24th Ward
Survive Said The Prophet became well known after performing the first opening theme for Vinland Saga. So here they are, yet again, performing a wonderful opening theme but this time around for Tokyo 24th Ward—another solid CloverWorks series that is currently airing this season. The use of HUD elements in the beginning instantly draws you in with visuals similar to those of Night Head 2041’s opening and it fits the series’ theme perfectly. Tokyo 24th Ward may not be the most popular this season, but it deserves some recognition—the same goes for this opening. The chorus grows on you the more you listen to it and the transitions between the characters towards the end are beautifully done.
5. Platinum End
An opening that was on my top 100 anime openings of 2021 list, “Sense” by Band-Maid is still going strong. The new version of the OP includes updated visuals from the latter half of the series, most notably the red arrow from the first version being the white arrow in this one. Some of the shots are exact replicas of old shots except with different characters but it doesn’t matter. The song is amazing. The visuals are solid. And it’s just an all-around great opening no matter what anyone’s opinion is on Platinum End as a series.
4. Sabikui Bisco
One of the best new anime to come out of the Winter 2022 season, Sabikui Bisco delivers more than just a unique action-packed thriller of a series—it gave us one of the best openings as well. JUNNA is back this year after performing the beautiful opening theme for Fena: Pirate Princess in Fall 2021. But this time around she’s bringing us a head-banging hard rock track. The overall whacky nature and post-apocalyptic-punk theme capture the essence of the series perfectly making this Sabikui Bisco opening more than deserving of a top-five spot. The unique environmental artwork in the opening can also be compared to that of Idaten Deities, which aired in Summer 2021.
3. Demon Slayer
Photo via Crunchyroll, ©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA / Aniplex / ufotable
If you haven’t heard of Aimer before, well, you do now. Just as she did with Fire Force’s opening “SPARK AGAIN”, Aimer delivered a stellar performance for the Entertainment District Arc with “Zankyou Sanka”. In the words of Tengen, this OP is indeed “flashy”. Just as they did with the first opening of Demon Slayer, Haruo Sotozaki and Akira Matsushima pulled out all the stops to give fans an eye-popping opening with gorgeous animations, composition, and cinematography. The replayability for this opening is off the charts. And what it excels at—arguably more than any other on this list—is that it gets you hyped for the episode to come. Aimer’s official music video for the song was released back in December 2021 and is close to reaching 60 million views on YouTube.
2. Attack on Titan
What more can be said that hasn’t already been said? The new opening for Attack on Titan fires on all cylinders and doesn’t miss a beat and it’s all thanks to Director Takashi Kojima and SiM. This OP captivates everything that has happened, what is happening, and what could happen, regarding the story. The way the imagery and the song play off each other is truly something to behold. I know many are thrown off by the heavy metal, but it fits Attack on Titan perfectly and will undoubtedly remain one of the best openings all year long. The official music video for the chart-topping single was also released on March 2. For more details on how the final Attack on Titan opening theme came together, make sure to read our interview with SiM!
1. Ranking of Kings
As fantastic as the openings for Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan are, I don’t see either leveling up to the new Ranking of Kings opening. The word “masterpiece” can be tossed around a lot these days, but this opening actually fits the bill. Every single frame of this opening is a true work of art. The script, the symbolism. the composition…everything is perfect. Vaundy gives us an epic and emotional theme that leaves many fans shedding a tear or two. Naked Hero came in third for Winter 2022 Top Anime Openings/Endings on Spotify and has currently surpassed 8 million streams. Be on the lookout, because this might end up being the best opening of 2022 overall. Director Shingo Yamashita (Jujutsu Kaisen OP 1 & 2, Naruto Shippuden OP 13) is a true genius and I can’t wait to see more of his work going forward.
Featured image: Girls’ Fontline, ©SUNBORN Network Technology, Mica Team / GRIFFIN & KRYUGER
