20 Most Iconic Anime Opening Lines & First Words — Legendary Starts

A great opening line does more than catch a viewer’s attention — it installs the thesis of the entire story in the first thirty seconds. “Get in the robot, Shinji.” “Three, two, one, let’s jam.” “On that day, humanity received a grim reminder.” Lines like these have become shorthand for entire series, replayed on YouTube and karaoke screens decades after their first broadcast.

This list collects 20 of the most iconic opening lines and first words in anime history. Some are narration. Some are diegetic dialogue from the first seconds of episode one. All of them have become foundational text in global anime culture.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) — “Get in the Robot, Shinji”

The command that every parent-child relationship in the series will eventually be measured against. Anno opens Evangelion with this cold, transactional sentence precisely so that the audience understands, immediately, that this will not be a normal mecha anime.

Death Note (2006) — Ryuk Drops the Notebook

The opening shinigami monologue, combined with the cold rules printed inside the notebook Ryuk drops for Light Yagami to find, establishes one of the tightest first-episode premises ever animated. L appears two episodes later, and the cat-and-mouse begins.

Cowboy Bebop (1998) — “3, 2, 1, Let’s Jam”

Not technically spoken dialogue, but the typographic opening of every Cowboy Bebop episode became the defining sonic memory of late-1990s anime. Yoko Kanno’s “Tank!” that follows, and the opening sequence’s jazz palette, made Bebop the first anime to fully penetrate Western adult audiences.

Bookend pair with the opening — “3, 2, 1, let’s jam” and “See you, space cowboy” are arguably the most emotionally loaded five words in all of anime.

Attack on Titan (2013) — The Grim Reminder

Repeated at key points across the 88-episode run, this opening narration became Attack on Titan’s de facto thesis statement. Armin and Mikasa watching the Colossal Titan appear over the wall in the first episode remains one of the most replayed opening sequences in modern anime.

One Piece (1999) — Roger’s Final Declaration

The two minutes before the opening theme of One Piece’s first episode may be the most load-bearing cold open in shonen. Oda uses Roger’s execution to launch the Great Pirate Era — and to give Luffy a dream to inherit twenty years later.

Naruto (2002) — The Nine-Tails’ Attack

Kishimoto’s opening chapter establishes everything: the orphan, the sealed demon, the impossible ambition, the defaced Hokage monument. Kakashi appears two episodes later, and Team 7 locks in for the next fifteen real-world years.

Bleach (2004) — “I am the King of the Soul Society”

Tite Kubo opens Bleach with the single line that becomes the spiritual explanation for every supernatural fight in the series. Ichigo’s transformation into a Soul Reaper in that first episode still holds up.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

Every Fullmetal Alchemist episode opens with this monologue. By the end of the series, it has been quoted often enough that it simply functions as Edward’s personal code of ethics.

Demon Slayer (2019)

Ufotable’s first episode — Tanjiro coming home to find his entire family slaughtered — is among the most polished openings in 2010s anime.

Jujutsu Kaisen (2020) — “Throughout Heaven and Earth”

Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) — “Amuro Ray, Going Out”

The foundational mecha anime. Every “pilot launching” sequence since — including Evangelion’s — inherits from Tomino’s original.

Code Geass (2006)

Steins;Gate (2011)

Serial Experiments Lain (1998)

Spy x Family (2022)

The mission briefing that launches Loid’s entire story. Anya shows up minutes later and the comedy begins.

Chainsaw Man (2022) — Denji’s Dream of Bread and Jam

Fujimoto’s genius opening line establishes, in seven words, that this is a protagonist whose bar is not world domination — it is jam. Makima and Power will spend the next twelve episodes dismantling him, each in their own way.

Frieren (2023)

Frieren opens at the end of the adventure, not the beginning — and uses that inversion to ask what happens to an elf who outlives every friend she ever made.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987 / 2012)

My Hero Academia (2016) — “He was born unable to do a single thing”

Horikoshi’s opening episode establishes the central trauma — a quirkless boy told by his mother that his dream of being a hero is impossible — that every later All Might moment must answer.

Why First Lines Matter

Anime, more than any other audiovisual medium, treats its first minute as a contract with the audience. By the time the opening theme plays, the viewer typically has been told what the show believes about the world. Whether that is “humans are interesting” (Ryuk), “get in the robot” (Gendo), “your dream is impossible” (Inko), or “I will become Pirate King” (Luffy), the thesis is installed early — and everything that follows is a test of whether the show can make good on it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Iconic Anime Opening Lines

Explore Every Series Here

• One Piece · Naruto · Bleach
• Attack on Titan · Death Note · Demon Slayer
• Jujutsu Kaisen · Chainsaw Man · My Hero Academia
• Fullmetal Alchemist · JoJo · Spy x Family
• Frieren

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