I have talked in the past how next level the opening and closing songs from popular anime series are. Series like Cowboy Bebop and Jujutsu Kaisen have introduced me to some of my favorite Japanese composers and musicians including Yoko Kanno, ALI, and Miyavi.

When the anime adaptation for Naoya Matsumoto’s badass Kaiju No. 8 debuted on the streaming service Crunchyroll this month, it was no different…except they headed west for their music. On February they announced their closing song, “Nobody”, was going to be performed by One Republic.

What? Some dudes from Colorado adding sounds this hard-fighting anime? Hey, guess what? It sounds great!

It is less common for Western artists to be the sound of a distinctly Japanese product, but it is demonstrating a more and more the global appeal of the anime art form. One Republic isn’t the only notable song. British alt rocker Yungblud provides the perfectly-fitting opening theme, “Abyss”:

Anime has ventured outside of Japan in the past for their themes, including using South Korean K-Pop groups like Stray Kids and 2PM. Kaiju No. 8 is really a standout, because it is the most prominent use of Western artists that I have seen in an anime series. This isn’t to say it is all American or British music. The well known Kensei, who provides a ton of anime themes, from Chainsaw Man to Solo Leveling, did the the Epic Version of the Main Theme.

Another rousing version of the main theme is by Japanese composer Yuta Bandoh, and it moves!

I’m looking forward to seeing who else appears on this OST, and since only episode 3 debuted this week, there is plenty of time to catch up.