A First Anime Theme That Became a Career-Defining Song
Sakanaction took home eight awards at the Music Awards Japan 2026 ceremony on June 13, held at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO. Their song "Kaijuu" (Monster), the theme song for the NHK anime Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, won both Song of the Year and Best Anime Song, along with Best Rock Song, Best Music Video, Best Artwork, and Best Rock Band/Solo Artist.
Vocalist Ichirō Yamaguchi revealed that "Kaijuu" was the band's first television anime theme song. He told the audience that anime theme song offers "weren't really coming our way" for a long time, crediting Chi. manga author Uoto and others for pushing to bring Sakanaction on board for the series.
Sakanaction's SAKANAQUARIUM 2025 "Kaijuu" tour also earned Best Live Lighting Staff and Best Live Sound Staff awards, rounding out the band's eight-category haul.
From Chainsaw Man to Frieren, Anime Runs the Table
Sakanaction's sweep was the night's biggest story, but anime-connected music won across nearly every major category. The awards, organized by the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), are voted on by over 5,000 music industry professionals from Japan and abroad.
Kenshi Yonezu won Best J-POP Song for "IRIS OUT," the theme song for the 2025 Chainsaw Man movie Reze Arc. He also swept Best Japanese Song across four regions: Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Under his alias Hachi, Yonezu received the Best Digital Culture Artist award, bringing his total to six for the night.
Best Original Score for Animation went to LAZARUS, an original anime directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) and animated by MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man). The show's score was a collaboration between jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, electronic producer Bonobo, and Floating Points, with each artist composing a full-length soundtrack album for the series.
HANA, who performed the Medalist Season 2 theme song "Cold Night," won Best New Artist. HANA also took home Best Dance & Vocal Song for "Blue Jeans" and Best Dance & Vocal Artist, totaling three awards.
Mrs. GREEN APPLE, whose "lulu." serves as the Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 opening theme, won Best Artist for a second consecutive year. The band added Best J-POP Artist and the Fandom Special Award to their total.
Looking Ahead
Music Awards Japan is Japan's largest international music awards ceremony. At the 2026 edition, anime-linked artists and songs won across the majority of major categories, from Song of the Year to Best New Artist.
Every major anime that produced a winner is available internationally: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth streams on Netflix worldwide, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc had a global theatrical run through Sony Pictures, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 airs on Crunchyroll, Medalist Season 2 streams on Crunchyroll, and LAZARUS is available on Max.
The Grand Ceremony aired live on NHK as well as on YouTube and Lemino. Performance clips from Sakanaction, Kenshi Yonezu, and other artists are available on the official MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN YouTube channel.