The “76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” music program will air on December 31, 2025.
This year too, many artists familiar to anime fans will be appearing. For example, LiSA-san from the Red Team performed the theme song “Zankoku na Yoru ni Kagayake” for Gekijouban “Kimetsu no Yaiba” Mugen-hen Dai Isshou: Akaza Saikai, and Leon Shimbashi-san from the White Team performed the ending theme “Fun! Fun! Fun!” for Meitantei Conan.
Therefore, Anime! Anime! conducted our annual survey related to “Artists We Want to See Perform at the Kohaku Uta Gassen.”
The survey was divided into two categories: the [Artist Category] for real-life people and groups such as singers who perform anime theme songs and voice actors who are also musical artists, and the [2D Content/Character Category], born from the idea of “what if characters could perform at Kohaku?”, targeting characters and groups from anime and games. We received responses from 152 people during the survey period from November 29 to December 5.
The gender ratio was approximately 45% male and 55% female, nearly equal. The age distribution was approximately 40% under 19, with 20s, 30s, and 40s each comprising about 15%.
This article announces the results for the Artist Category.
■The Artists Who Colored 2025’s Anime Music Gather!
1st Place
1st place is Kenshi Yonezu-san. The support rate was about 5%.
Kenshi Yonezu-san performed theme songs for many major titles in 2025, such as “BOW AND ARROW” for Medalist, “Plazma” for Kidou Senshi Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and “IRIS OUT” for the currently airing Gekijouban Chainsaw Man: Reze-hen.
Readers commented, “It’s amazing how he’s provided songs for all the buzzed-about works this past year, and each one perfectly matches the theme and world!”, and “The fact that he handles not just singing but also the lyrics and composition himself, and is listened to worldwide, is incredible. Especially the Gekijouban Chainsaw Man: Reze-hen song made me cry in the theater. I really love him,” highlighting him as a defining artist of 2025.
It should be noted that Yonezu-san’s appearance at the Kohaku Uta Gassen was confirmed in an additional announcement on December 23rd. He will perform “IRIS OUT”, marking its first television performance. The fans’ wish has been granted.
2nd Place
2nd place is a tie between GRANRODEO and Masayoshi Ooshi-san. They were only a few votes behind the top spot.
GRANRODEO is a rock unit consisting of KISHOW (Kishou Taniyama-san) and e-ZUKA (Masaaki Iizuka-san), celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. They held an anniversary live in November and have their 10th album “ChaosBlue” set for release in February 2026, making it a milestone year full of momentum.
Readers sent in comments like, “They are artists who have delivered their songs at many venues, including the Nippon Budokan, and their skill is unquestionable. It’s a waste that they haven’t been on Kohaku yet,” and “Since they’ve been doing the theme songs for Bungou Stray Dogs for years, I’d love to hear a medley.”
Singer-songwriter Masayoshi Ooshi-san performed “Shujinkou ni Narou! feat. Airi Suzuki” for Sorairo Utility and “Futari Camp feat. SPECIAL OTHERS” for Futari Solo Camp. This year, he successfully led his first-ever concert at Saitama Super Arena.
Readers expressed their expectations: “Because I want him to sing ‘L’oN’ and ‘Kagome Kagome’ from Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun 2. They matched the atmosphere of the show so well,” and “Not only are his singing and talking skills top-notch, but his production ability for other artists is also number one, and he’s on a roll right now. I want him to represent the anime song industry at Kohaku!”
■Let’s Introduce Some Other Comments!
For Porno Graffitti: “They are a regular artist who has appeared on Kohaku many times, but I want them to perform ‘THE DAY’, the first OP for Boku no Hero Academia, and ‘THE REVO’ from the FINAL SEASON back-to-back! By the way, they once sang ‘Animarossa’, the OP for BLEACH, on Kohaku.”
For Maebashi Witches: “They are a unit born from the TV anime of the same name and have been active even after the broadcast ended. The anime itself is fantastic in every aspect—story, characters, music! I want them to spread their wings from Maebashi to the whole country.”
For TrySail: “A trio of Momo Asakura-san, Ten Amamiya-san, and Shiina Natsukawa-san, each also active as solo artists. They handle anime theme songs every year and are highly rated for their live performances, so I want to hear their voices on Kohaku too.”
For AiScReam: “A cross-series unit born from a radio show for the Love Live! series. The phrase ‘Choco mint yori mo a・na・ta’ is hugely popular even overseas!” Votes also came in for this artist, who was nominated for the Buzzword Awards.
In the Voice Actor/Artist category, many who have shown their presence with anime theme songs ranked highly. Comments emphasized not just having hit songs, but also the narrative connection to their works and their performance skills as artists.
The top 20 ranking is revealed on the next page. Don’t miss it!
■Top 10 Ranking
[“Which Artist Do You Want to See at Kohaku?” Voice Actor/Artist Category 2025 Edition]
- Kenshi Yonezu
- GRANRODEO
- Masayoshi Ooshi
- AiScReam
- ClariS
- Aqours
- Mamoru Miyano
- King Gnu
- Maebashi Witches
- Nana Mizuki
(Survey Period: November 29 – December 5, 2025)
Next Page: Ranking up to 20th Place Revealed
Other ongoing survey themes are here! Please tell us your thoughts.
>> https://animeanime.jp/special/1898/recent/
※This survey is part of our readers’ “current interest/attention regarding anime works and characters” awareness research. The results are not intended to determine superiority or inferiority of any character or work. We hope this article can serve as an opportunity to learn about new works and characters or deepen your understanding and interest.
—Katsunori Takahashi—
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