News
Record-Breaking Opening: This Anime’s Theme Song Shatters Playback Records
Oshi no Ko tops U.S. and Japanese music charts for the first time ever

- June 14, 2023
- Updated: July 2, 2025 at 1:55 AM

Oshi no Ko continues its triumphant journey, this time reaching 200 million online views for its opening theme, “Idol” by YOASOBI, in just nine weeks. With the views exclusively from Japan, this sets a new record on Billboard Japan, making it the fastest song to reach 200 million views. But this is not the first record it has broken. It previously surpassed 100 million views in just five weeks and debuted at number 1 on the most listened songs chart on April 19th on Billboard Japan.
This success, in fact, is not limited to Japan alone. The English version of the song has also reached number 1 on the Billboard chart in the US, debuting at number 6, while the original Japanese version has reached the tenth position. This places “Idol” as the first song in history originally composed in Japanese to reach the top of the US charts.
“Oshi no Ko” is an anime that premiered on April 12th, based on the manga of the same name by Akasaka and Yokoyari. The manga can be read in Spanish on the free service MANGA Plus, and the anime can be watched on the streaming platform Crunchyroll. The premise of the series is that a gynecologist is murdered and reincarnated as the son of his favorite idol, only to discover that the world of music is neither beautiful nor glamorous.
While facing some controversial issues along the way, “Oshi no Ko” is proving to be an absolute success both in Japan and internationally. This is evident in its numbers and the popularity of its opening, achieving something that no other anime had achieved before: reaching the top of the most listened songs in the United States. With the conclusion of the first season yet to be seen, it seems that “Oshi no Ko” is here to stay.
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Cultural journalist and writer with a special interest in audiovisuals and everything that can be played. I'm not here to talk about my books, but you can always ask me about them if you're curious.
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