The Greatest Anime Opening Ever Tournament

[Inkwolf]

Same as Shadow

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Opposite of Shadow.

[gunswordfist]

same as ek

[Foggle]

Same as Inkwolf.

[VLordGTZ]

Same as Foggle

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Same as Foggle

And you call yourself a Yu Yu Hakusho fan?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Same as Foggle

And you call yourself a Yu Yu Hakusho fan?

You didn't see this coming? I thought it was fairly obvious.

[VLordGTZ]

Same as Foggle

And you call yourself a Yu Yu Hakusho fan?

I have my reasons.....

[Foggle]

Same as Foggle

And you call yourself a Yu Yu Hakusho fan?

I have my reasons.....

I knew it!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Bet I can guess who's going to win the competition.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

Same as Foggle

And you call yourself a Yu Yu Hakusho fan?

I have my reasons.....

I knew it!

[LumRanmaYasha]

Results:

1. "Guns and Roses" (Baccano!) - 18
2. "Cobra" (Space Adventure Cobra) - 14
3. "Smile Bomb" (Yu Yu Hakusho) -  16

"Guns and Roses" advances to the final round!

And that's that. After nearly 3 months, we've finally arrived at the final round of this competition. Over 200 openings were nominated for this tournament, and of them, only three remain. These three are truly and unmistakeably great openings, but only one of them can be the greatest there ever was. Now, which of these three will it be? It's decision time! Are you all ready? Well then, without further ado...

THE FINAL ROUND: WHICH IS THE GREATEST ANIME OPENING EVER!?!

1. "Theme from Lupin III '79" (Lupin the Third Part 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VibM9LRopnE


VS.

2. "Bloody Stream" (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7gleFCWLAQ


VS.

3. "Guns and Roses" (Baccano!) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOZ1hsb8smQ



I'll admit, this was not the final round I was expecting going into this tournament, but I'm more than satisfied with this result. These three are all openings that I truly love and rank as my favorites. But which of these would I call the best? Well, my answer is...

"Theme from Lupin III '79" - The Lupin theme is easily one of the most iconic anime themes ever. It is one of three that is associated with almost every installment of it's franchise (the other two being Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro's and Cutie Honey's themes), and of the three, it is easily my favorite in any version. This particular opening is probably my favorite rendition, and the visuals accompanying it ooze of the style and goodness that encapsulates the Lupin anime franchise. When watching all of these three a few times, and thinking it over, this theme and opening has definitely resonated with me the most over the years, is the most memorable, and the one I would unhesitatingly call a true classic. As much as I love "Bloody Stream," for me the Lupin theme is the only, the obvious, the clear choice as the greatest anime opening ever among these picks. And I feel it's enduring popularity and relevance throughout the years in Japan and among the anime fan community abroad more than enough justifies that choice. 

"Bloody Stream" - Stylish, cool, and all around fabulous, the opening for the anime adaption of Battle Tendency hypes this section of the JoJo's saga to epic levels and leaves a resounding impact in it's visual choices. The last scene, showing Joseph putting on Caeser's bandana and screaming to the skies is absolutely beautiful. It's hard not to get excited during this opening, and even before I ever watched the anime I was watching this opening again and again and again. David Productions went all out here, and, in my opinion, this opening clearly shows their love for this franchise, even moreso than "Sono Chi no Sadame" or "Stand Proud." And really, it's just an awesome opening, and I'm glad to see it make it to this final round.

"Guns and Roses" - That sax! This is one of my favorite instrumental openings, with an absolutely jazzy song that I couldn't help but re-listen over and over again the first time I heard it. What's more, the crisp, quick way the opening goes through the series' huge cast of characters is impressive and a pleasure to watch, especially in how it manages to get across each of their personalities in just the few seconds they are on screen, a feat that few openings manage to accomplish. And who can't love that beginning with Issac and Miria dressing up in silly costumes to rob a candy store? It's just such a fun, fantastic opening. While my preference finds itself with it's competitors, "Guns and Roses" could easily win the honor of "greatest anime opening," and I would have no complaints. It's top-notch.

So, folks. What's it going to be? Which of these will be our greatest anime opening ever? I'm very curious to find out! 

[Spark Of Spirit]

I think I'll wait to vote.

[Foggle]

Mmm, three of my all time favorites. I like this outcome! I'll go with

Theme from Lupin III '79
Guns and Roses
Bloody Stream

for the exact same reasoning CX gave.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Smile Bomb is better than any of these, but whatever....

Lupin- Clearly the best one left, and one of my all-time favorites
Bloody Stream- Not an all-time favorite, but a really fun one, nonetheless
Guns & Roses- Meh, not really my cup of tea, but it's good for what it is; I'm not really a fan of Baccano!, though