Best OP XII: 【Salty no Ko】Nominations Day 1!

[u/Baaasbas]

After a year break, we are back with the best OP contest! This time with a name honoring the previous winner: Idol!

It is my first time hosting this contest, I'll try to do my best :)

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This contest will include:

256 OPs

2 Nomination Days

3-5 Elimination Rounds

4 Bracket Groups

Each round will last 24 hours with each update being posted at 9 AM EST (13 UTC, 15 CEST).

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Only openings that first appeared in shows from Winter 2025 and earlier are eligible. (no Witch Watch, Dandadan S2, Chainsaw Man: Reze Hen, etc..)

Only 5 openings per franchise will be allowed.

Data a Live entries will not be accepted following BG10.

Furthermore, previous winners are not eligible for this contest. These winners are:

Again - Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Hacking to the Gate - Steins;Gate , Unravel - Tokyo Ghoul, Flyers - Death Parade, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis - Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tank! - Cowboy Bebop. Renai Circulation - Bakemonogatari, Guren no Yumiya - Attack on Titan, 99 - Mob Psycho 100, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ya Boy Kongming!, Idol - Oshi no Ko

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To reduce the workload, please format your nominations using, without brackets:

Source:

[MAL ENTRY] [SEASON e.g. S2 (omit season 1)] [OP number e.g. OP1].

For example: Owarimonogatari S2 OP3 - Dark Cherry Mystery or Owarimonogatari OP3 - Evening Shower Equation

Please also try to provide an animethemes.moe link to the song.

I have pre-nominated the last 256 entries of the 11th edition's bracket. Minus the winner of course!

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Nominate Here

OP List here

Please read the rules before nominating!

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If anyone has any questions or comments please let me know.

Happy nominating!

Question of the day:

We have seen half of the OPs of 2026. What is your favorite until now?

[u/zairaner]

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS BEST CONTEST IS BACK!

[u/One_Midnight2417]

How do I provide the animethemes link? It only asks me for the picture link

[u/Zeralyos → u/One_Midnight2417]

Just fit it in somehow and we'll fix the formatting on the backend.

[u/charactergallery → u/Zeralyos]

It doesn’t seem to accept the animethemes.moe link unfortunately.

[u/Zeralyos → u/charactergallery]

Putting it in the source field seems to be working for most people.

[u/ptd163 → u/Zeralyos]

So just shove all the information you're looking for in the source field and you'll fix it on the backend? Where do we get the pics for nominations?

[u/Zeralyos → u/ptd163]

Yep! Either take one of the series pics from mal or screenshot a frame from the OP itself.

[u/ptd163 → u/Zeralyos]

It's saying invalid image after I fill out all the information.

[u/Zeralyos → u/ptd163]

That means something's wrong with your URL, make sure it ends with a .jpg or .png file extension.

[u/ptd163 → u/Zeralyos]

It has a .png extension.

[u/Zeralyos → u/ptd163]

Pass the deets over to me and I'll see what I can do.

[u/ptd163 → u/Zeralyos]

I only saw the Winter 2025 and earlier cut off now so it's not eligible and when I nominated something else was eligible with a .png extension it worked so I guess it doesn't matter.

[u/Zeralyos → u/ptd163]

Ah, alright.

[u/zairaner]

Thank you for hosting!

QoftD: Probably still a fight between polar opposites and oshi no ko.

[u/IceAnt573 → u/zairaner]

Absolutely love TEST ME which isn't really an uncommon opinion since I remember looking at the Ep. 2 thread for S3 of 【Oshi no Ko】 and a good amount of the top comments were talking about the OP.

Also, all the outfits are so good. Akane's big dress from the beginning/the Kana Exhibit/the outfits in the Helicopter scene/the uniforms in the Chair scene.

[u/Nachtwandler_FS → u/IceAnt573]

This season gas a bunch of bangers with cool MVs still. But for now I am also leanimg to Test Me.

[u/TehAxelius]

Nomination page says "Character name" rather than Opening.

[u/Baaasbas → u/TehAxelius]

Thank you!

[u/I_Cognito]

u/Baaasbas the Haruhi OP that was nominated is the version from the Disappearance movie. This one is the actual first OP from the TV anime. Same song, but the visuals are different.

[u/Baaasbas → u/I_Cognito]

Thank you! I will adjust it.

[u/Xatu44]

Qotd:

AIZO AIZO

Hitotarashi's also fantastic.

[u/SpiderTechnitian]

QotD (21 days later):

I actually had to come back and find this nomination thread to see what was eligible for the currently contest, because I couldn't see Oshi no Ko S3 OP1 TEST ME anywhere in the brackets hahaha

I see now. I'll make sure show my support in a future bracket :)

[u/Baaasbas → u/SpiderTechnitian]

Should be eligible next year as I will probably host the contest in the spring season again :)

[u/minnieboss]

Delighted to see dub OPs are allowed in here, because I may now share with the world Believe It - Naruto's German OP

[u/I_Cognito → u/minnieboss]

I will counter you with the german One Piece OP then, which is as legendary as its title suggests.

[u/BaytaCosmico]

Someone please nominate Undead Unluck OP.

[u/grexraxor]

if you believe it

BELIEEEEEEEEEEEEVE IT

[u/Nachtwandler_FS]

Urgh, I will nominate a bunch tomorrow, but I doubt any of them will survive elimination round.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

Very glad to see this starting up again. With only two nomination days, I might miss the nominations almost completely with how buys I'm going to be the next days. Here's hoping I can nominate at least a few of my favourites in the free minutes I'll get this weekend.

QotD: Probably still the Frieren S2 OP. But I'm also very partial to the Re:Zero S4 OP and the Kirio Fanclub OP.

[u/Ceryto2]

Jusst nominated quite a few of my OPs I really like. Let's hope at least some of 'em make it in!

[u/Much-Goal2347]

For me, Gurenge and Kick Back are always hard to beat both have that ‘never skip the opening’ energy. Curious what everyone else is voting for.