A thread asking what the “greatest song of all time” is among AKB48’s tracks got lively on 5ch. Some pushed for songs like “Heavy Rotation” and “I Want You,” which spread widely through TV commercials and karaoke, while others argued “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie” was in a league of its own, and some fans cited “Kimi to Boku no Polaris,” a song only ever performed at theater shows. With people also pointing out that sales figures don’t always line up with general public awareness, the debate ended up split over what “greatest” should even mean.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:26
Kokoro Pura? (short for "Kokoro no Placard"/"Heart's Placard")
2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:27
The "I Want You" one
3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:30
I want to give Akari a copy of Tokuhiro Masaya's manga Ken-chan & Chako-chan
4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:31
"Skirt, Hirari"
5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:31
"Fawchun Chickie" (a garbled mispronunciation of "Fortune Cookie")
6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:32
"Everyday, Kamihikouki" (Everyday, Paper Airplane)
7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:33
Isn't it "Legal Speed and Superiority Complex"?
8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:33
The one that actually became a proper hit, got recognized by regular people, and still gets sung at karaoke is Heavy Rotation, right?
9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
I only know "I Want You"
23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:52
Re: #9
From the Wii commercial
10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
Re: #1
What's that short for?
11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
Listened again to a song I loved back in their prime after ages — it just didn't hit the same
13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
"Kachusha Girl" (Headband Girl)
14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
"Only Today"
15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
"Seifuku ga Jama o Suru" (My School Uniform Gets in the Way)
16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:39
Cookie's basically the only good song
17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:40
"Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara" (Because I Like You) — Tetsuro Oda is a genius
18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
Among their recent songs, "Kimi to Boku no Polaris" was great
35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:10
Re: #18
Apparently when that song was first performed at a theater show, Mukaichi Mion was watching from the audience and was moved to tears
19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
"Namida Surprise" (Tears Surprise)
20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:41
It's gotta be "Squall no Aida ni" (During the Squall)
21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:42
Erii's "Hisashiburi no Lip Gloss" (Lip Gloss After a Long Time)
24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:54
Ai-chan's "Koizume"
25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:55
The Ito Momoka one
29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:02
The paper airplane one reminds me of COVID lol
30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:03
The remix version they only ever performed live at Kamonegi
31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:04
"Candy" — baby baby baby
32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:04
Honestly, Koi Chun — I don't think there's a song better than that one
37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:20
Some person I didn't recognize sang "Flying Get" in English, right? Tomoaki Ogura raved about it on Tokudane
41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:26
Their all-time best-selling single being "Sayonara Crawl"?
Never even heard of it
49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:53
Re: #41
It's a good song, but Koi Chun, released right after it, was such a massive presence that it overshadowed it
42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:28
"Ne mo Ha mo Rumor," billed as AKB48's big comeback, was good — but right when they were about to take off, the center went and messed up
43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:32
You should've gone with "Oogoe Diamond" there
44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:38
The only one I actually own is "UZA," which I bought at Book Off
46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:45
I want to push for "Sakura no Hanabiratachi" here
47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:48
I'm not even an AKB otaku but I know every song mentioned so far — it'd take some effort to name one I don't know
50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:56
"Max Toki 315-gou"
"Onegai Valentine"
52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:30
AKB has a lot of good songs since so many different people write for them — it's basically a collection of everyone's best effort
60AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:54
It's gotta be "11-gatsu no Anklet" (November Anklet), Mayuyu's last one
61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 19:57
"Ne mo Ha mo Rumor" — the only AKB CD I ever bought
Background and Points of Debate
Since forming in 2005, AKB48 has put out a huge number of single and album tracks, and because the selected members and center position rotate from song to song, which tracks resonate most varies a lot by generation. Songs frequently brought up in the thread — “Heavy Rotation,” “Koi Suru Fortune Cookie,” and “Flying Get” — were also used in TV commercials and variety shows, spreading to the general public, and drew support based on that name recognition. On the other hand, songs like “Kimi to Boku no Polaris,” which debuted at a theater show, or “11-gatsu no Anklet,” tied to a specific member’s graduation, gathered votes tied to fans’ personal experiences, splitting the thread over whether “greatest” should mean “most famous” or “most meaningful.” The fact that sales rankings don’t always match public awareness was also part of why the discussion never quite converged.
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