The anime industry has seen a boom in its business, and there are tons of anime that people can choose to watch. But a couple of decades ago, people did not have the same facilities as today and watched a handful of anime that aired on television. Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, etc., were a few of the anime that ruled the hearts of the fans.
On top of that, people had access to the English dubbed version instead of the original version. One of the things that stood out the most was the opening theme songs. After years, when the fans heard the Japanese opening song, they declared that the English version was way better than the original. So, let us take a look at the anime that had a better English opening theme song than the Japanese version.
5. Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh! is one of the most popular anime among people born in the 90s. The anime was based on Card Battles, otherwise known as Duel Monsters. The protagonist, Yugi Mutou, had a great impact on the sale of playing cards. Yu-Gi-Oh! was one of the first anime that saw fans prefer the English opening song over the Japanese version. The first 49 episodes had this song. Guitars, drums, vocals, etc., all outdid themselves with each note.
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4. Digimon
Digimon was always thought to be an adaptation of Pokemon. Even though it never reached the same popularity as Pokemon, it had its charm. Digimon is the short form of Digital Monsters. The opening theme song was named Digimon, Digital Monster.
It had great music and rightfully outdid its Japanese version. It had more music than lyrics, yet there was an overwhelming number of people who kept it as their ringtone. The opening theme song of Digimon was more popular than the anime itself.
3. One Piece
One Piece is one of the most popular and longest-running anime of all time. Even after 25 years, the anime is going strong, and its fanbase is always on the rise. The first opening theme song of One Piece was We Are by Hiroshi Kitadani. It was an iconic song in the anime world, but the English version became more popular than the Japanese version. The English version also had the same name, We Are, and does a great job of laying a picture of the anime with the lyrics.
2. Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is probably the most popular anime on this list. Akira Toriyama’s magnum opus started in the mid-1980s. It is still ruling everyone’s heart. Dragon Ball’s iconic duo, Son Goku and Vegeta, will always be the strongest protagonists. Cha-La Head Cha-La by Hironobu Kageyama could have been the most famous anime song if not for the English version of Cha-La Head Cha-La. The English version of the Dragon Ball Z song is known by worldwide anime fans. Same song, yet the version somehow outdid the Japanese version.
Also Read: Dragon Ball Artist Confirms Just When Goku Managed to Master Ultra Instinct
1. Pokémon
By now, it is already known, which anime opening theme song would acquire the first place. As soon as Pokémon’s “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” theme played, there was hardly any kid who did not sing it along and jumped in joy after seeing Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. Jason Paige’s song reached the heavens, and even after almost three decades, no opening theme song has reached the same level.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Japanese version did not even come close to the English version. Pokémon is an iconic anime, and there was nothing better than “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” to go along with it.
