Japan’s biggest New Year’s Eve music show is shaping up to be a great night for anime fans. NHK has announced the performers for the 77th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, and the list is full of artists who sang the year’s most talked-about anime theme songs.
The lineup at a glance
This year’s Kohaku features 41 acts: 20 on the Red team and 21 on the White team. Seven of them are first-timers, two on Red and five on White. The broadcast’s theme translates roughly to “Let’s get through it, together with song,” and NHK frames the show as a chance to look for hope after a year marked by disasters in Japan. Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai and Kazunari Ninomiya host alongside NHK announcer Nahoko Suzuki. The show airs on December 31 starting at 7:20 p.m. Japan time.
Anime song artists to watch
NHK has not yet announced which songs each act will perform, so none of these anime themes are confirmed for the broadcast. Still, as Anime! Anime! points out, many of this year’s performers had major anime tie-ins in 2026:
- Mrs. GREEN APPLE: “lulu.,” opening theme for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2
- Chanmina: “TEST ME,” opening theme for Oshi no Ko season 3
- HANA: “Cold Night,” opening theme for Medalist season 2
- YOASOBI: opening and ending themes for the new Hanazakari no Kimitachi e anime
- Ado: an opening theme for the anime Demons Crest
- CUTIE STREET: an ending theme for the Pokémon anime
- MISIA: the theme song for the latest Detective Conan movie
- &TEAM: “Fearless,” an opening theme for Beyblade X
- Vaundy: the opening theme for Daemons of the Shadow Realm
The lineup also includes ILLIT, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Ayumu Imazu, Macaroni Enpitsu and M!LK, each tied to anime theme songs this year.
A Touch of nostalgia
One of the most buzzed-about slots is a special segment featuring B’z vocalist Koshi Inaba, making his first Kohaku appearance as a solo artist. He has already been announced to perform “Touch,” the classic opening theme from the baseball anime Touch. Inaba’s cover drew a huge response earlier this year when he recorded it to cheer on Japan at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, so expect plenty of anime fans to tune in for that moment alone.
Song selections are usually revealed closer to the broadcast, and we will keep an eye on which anime themes make the final setlist.
Source: Anime! Anime!
