# What is the best Kenji Kawai anime soundtrack?

> Choirs chanting in old Japanese dialects, taiko hits, and the odd lullaby that turns sinister: this one composer, a very wide mood board.

*By YPB Team · Published October 23, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-kenji-kawai-anime-soundtrack*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Ghost in the Shell** — score 1000/1000
   Kawai's 1995 score for Mamoru Oshii's film, famous for the Bulgarian-style choral theme Making of a Cyborg.
2. **Patlabor WXIII** — score 679/1000
   The 2002 Patlabor film score, a darker and more restrained mystery soundtrack.
3. **Patlabor OVA** — score 678/1000
   The music of the late-1980s original video animation series that launched the franchise.
4. **Patlabor 2: The Movie** — score 555/1000
   A moody 1993 score for the political-thriller sequel, often counted among Kawai's finest.
5. **Higurashi When They Cry** — score 555/1000
   The unsettling mix of calm pastoral melodies and horror motifs behind the 2006 anime.
6. **Ranma 1/2** — score 555/1000
   The comedic martial-arts series' playful 1989 soundtrack.
7. **Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence** — score 0/1000
   The 2004 sequel score, with the ritual-like choral piece Follow Me and a more haunting tone.
8. **Patlabor: The Movie** — score 0/1000
   The 1989 film score that fuses ritual chanting and electronics for Oshii's police-mecha story.
9. **Fate/stay night** — score 0/1000
   The 2006 Studio Deen adaptation's orchestral and choral score.
10. **Mobile Suit Gundam 00** — score 0/1000
   A 2007-2009 epic orchestral and choir score for the space-war series.
11. **Mob Psycho 100** — score 0/1000
   The score for ONE's psychic comedy, mixing humor, rock and emotional strings.
12. **The Sky Crawlers** — score 0/1000
   A wistful 2008 score for Oshii's film about eternal teenage fighter pilots.

Tags: music, animation, japan, soundtracks, kenji kawai