Special Edition Title / Anime & Manga

Special Edition Titles in Anime & Manga

• The Soul Eater episode where Maka befriends Crona has credits that shows the two characters walking together hand in hand during the end credits, as opposed to Maka walking alone.
• In a special episode of Dragon Ball Super where Arale Norimaki and Dr. Norimaki make a guest appearance, the episode's intro has the 80s Dr. Slump cartoon theme track play in the beginning.
• Fullmetal Alchemist (2003):
  • Episode 37 is a Lower-Deck Episode that focused on the military recurring characters. It thus changes the intro animation and narration: the usual changing pictures of Ed and Al are changed to a photo of the unit, and the title is given as Flame Alchemist, referencing the unit's commanding officer.
  • Two episodes also have special ending sequences, replacing the normal upbeat ending with somber ones fitting the events of the episodes in question.
• In the episode of Nana when Nana "Oh" first sings her hit song "Rose" over the phone to a friend, the ending credits are replaced with a shot of the friend's cell phone and computer, and the second verse of the song.
• GUN×SWORD liked to change its closing credits sequence to reflect major events. At the end of Carmen 99's focus episode, "Paradiso" replaces the usual closing theme ("A Rising Tide") and plays over a picture of her instead of the usual montage. "Paradiso" plays over a still shot of fallen roses after another episode. And at the end of Episode 24, "Calling You" plays over the quiet beach scene that Ray fantasizes as he dies.
• Macross Frontier:
  • An episode based on the filming of a movie telling the plot of Macross Zero. The closing credits were done in the style as the end credits of the movie — even having a scene afterwards set during the premiere.
  • Various other episodes of Macross Frontier had special end credits, usually continuing whatever song is being sung by Ranka or Sheryl at the time.
• Inukami!'s ED is normally a cute little number about friendship among girls. In an episode where the perverts of the town save the day, the ED suddenly changes itself to be about friendship between manly men. Completely new graphics and lyrics, same tune. Ridiculous and yet, it works so well.
• Pretty Cure:
  • The opening for some episodes of Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! featured some clips from that season's movie. Similar for Fresh Pretty Cure!, which previewed the Bat Family Crossover movie (and later, the season's actual movie) on its opening.
  • This has carried over into Heart Catch Pretty Cure and Suite Pretty Cure ♪, where previews for the Bat Family Crossover Pretty Cure All Stars are shown in the opening titles early on and the previews for their movie is shown around the 30-episode mark.
  • The first half of HappinessCharge Pretty Cure! has a message from a different Cure each episode congratulating the franchise for reaching 10 years. Fittingly, Cure Black does the first and Cure White does the last.
• The seventh episode of the original Tenchi Muyo! OVA completely dropped the opening title sequence for a simple, low key, dark opening, as a reflection of the end of episode six.
• The Title sequence for Tenchi Muyo! GXP usually features silhouettes of regular series stars Ryoko, Ayeka, and Tenchi. During the episode "Seina and Tenchi", which featured the original cast, they showed them completely.
• The first ending theme of Hetalia: Axis Powers changed from time to time depending on who the episode mainly focused on and whether or not their version of the theme was already made.
• Gintama: In the last episode of every season, the opening and ending themes switch places, with the new ending credits listing all cast members who have appeared in the season.
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: The first Season Finale is a Cold Open which completely omits the opening credits and theme music.
• For the Grand Finale of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, The shot of the spiral galaxies during the ending sequence speed away until you can't see then anymore.
• A minor example from Transformers Micron Legend. In 51 episodes, the title is superimposed on a picture of Optimus Prime. The one exception was the episode "Cramp", where the Episode Title Card was omitted and the episode title was projected directly on top of Starscream's face.
• One episode of Naruto had an ending celebrating the beginning of the Year of the Dog that replaced the regular imagery with Naruto in a dog costume, Pakkun and Akamaru all hopping around.
• There's an episode of Hidamari Sketch where Miyako draws a sketch of Yuno in the preparations for the school festival. The finished work is shown at the very end of the closing credits.
• One Piece:
  • In Episode 303, the opening theme's singers, Tackey and Tsubasa, are animated in alongside the Straw Hat crew.
  • One of the ways Chapter 766 pays homage to Naruto, which had just entered its final chapter, is by changing its logo a bit; the "O" becomes the Konoha symbol, the "E" shows a shuriken, and the Character in the Logo, which is usually a silhouette of Luffy, becomes a silhouette of Naruto.
  • To celebrate the anime reaching 1000 episodes, the series used the original "We Are!" intro with visuals of the crew in their Wano designs.
• Episode 5 of Kotoura-san uses Theme of the ESP Society as the ending and Episode 6 uses Flat as a Board, for the two episodes being a bit of a breather compared to the others. The other episodes use the solemn yet heartwarming Flower of Hope.
• Ojamajo Doremi had one of these for the opening to its second Movie.
• In episode 14 of Space☆Dandy, when Dandy accidentally pulls in several versions of the Aloha Oe crew in from other universes, his attempt to return them to their own universes results in everyone being destroyed except for a Dandy that's been driven to suicidal depression because his Meow is an unintelligible Stepford Smiler and his QT is a surly middle-aged man who insists he's a robot. The narrator jokes that the show will use that version of the crew from now on, then they appear in the opening introduction.
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The first episode of each season has no opening credits, just the main title. Later, usually the final episode, would add in sound effects to the opening. And on top of that, the main villains (and in response the heroes) uses their Stand powers in the opening near the end of the story:
  • Stardust Crusaders:
    • Oingo and Boingo get to sing and dance in the closing credits, which are designed to look like Boingo's drawings; Later when Hol Horse teams up with Boingo, they dance as well.
    • In the last two episodes, Dio Brando activates The World, punches through the glass that Jotaro's Star Platinum supposedly broke, and stops the opening credits for a short time. As time resumes, he and Jotaro yell their Stand cries as they exchange Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs.
    • In the final episode, Dio is prominent in a few crucial scenes where he was previously unseen. And later on Jotaro is seen activating Star Platinum for a split-second, foreshadowing his Stand gaining the ability to stop time too.
  • Diamond is Unbreakable:
    • The third opening "Great Days" has one for the episode after Yoshikage Kira gets Bites the Dust, which has the ability to attach itself to a host and blows up anyone who tries to ask them about Kira before resetting time to the beginning of the day. Kira's Stand causes a time loop that makes the opening credits happen in reverse. It ends up acquiring psychedelic visuals, set to the second verse of "Great Days", and as time resets fully and Kira activates Killer Queen, the main cast turns and looks angrily at Kira.
  • Golden Wind:
    • The second opening gets a new variation after The Boss reveals himself. In the opening credits, Doppio turns into Diavolo, who activates his Stands King Crimson (which erases time) and Epitaph (which predicts the future). When he activates them, the music turns into an eerie opera and he speaks in Italian about strengthening his fate.
    • In the last two episodes, Diavolo interrupts the opening credits as above... but Giorno's evolved Stand, Gold Experience Requiem, nullifies Diavolo's powers.
  • Stone Ocean:
    • Downplayed for the first opening sequence's second edition. Apart from changing the font for the credits for Episodes 13-23 (and again in Episode 24), the only new additions to the opening sequence for the second act, is replacing the ending with Jolyne hugging Jotaro (instead of Jolyne sadly resting her head on the prison bars), and the butterfly soaring out from Green Dolphin Street Prison is replaced with Savage Garden (the bird) flying away, while poison-dart frogs are falling from the sky. It Makes Sense in Context.
    • The final opening sequence gets a second version (seen in the last episode) that has Jotaro Kujo activating Star Platinum just before the chorus, bringing time to a halt...only for Pucci to appear and use his newly-evolved Stand (Made in Heaven) to bypass the time-stop, and reset the universe. The rest of the opening credits is a remake of the first season's opening ("Sono Chi No Sadame"), with a different montage of comic panels (which showcases the climatic battles that each Joestar faced from Parts 1 through 5), and with Jolyne and Pucci fighting at the Joestar Mansion.
  • The anime series itself reuses the first season's ending theme ("Roundabout" by Yes) for the Grand Finale. It signifies the end of the original continuity that started with Phantom Blood and ended with Stone Ocean, as it showcases a key scene from each Part throughout the special ending sequence.
• In the anime of No Game No Life, the ending credits of episode 8 are almost normal, except that Sora is missing, due to being erased from reality, and there are some playback errors like sound scratches and discolourations, which makes it a whole lot creepier. It can be seen here. Episode 9 follows it up with a Title-Only Opening.
• In episode 23 of Kill la Kill the second ending song is interrupted by Nui.
• Lupin III: Part 5: The Series Finale episode's title appears at the end: "Viva Lupin III!"
• Goblin Slayer: Episode 7's closing credits feature a sweet lullaby for Goblin Slayer to rest after his massive fight.
• SoltyRei: The song "Return to Me" plays in the closing credits of the episodes where Roy Revant suffers the loss of his daughters, Rose Revant in episode 12 and Solty in episode 24.
• Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: Fujiwara sings and dances in Episode 3's closing credits. Several episodes also skip the ending theme altogether due to them running longer than usual.
  • The shoujo anime parody sketch in season 2 episode 7 also had its own unique opening to go with the shoujo aesthetic.
• Back Street Girls: Episode 7 of the anime has the opening and closing songs sung by the Gokudolls male voice actors.
• Sarazanmai: The Series Finale episode shows the opening titles at the very end. The closing credits themselves are different, showing Toi spending time in a reformatory.
• Overlord (2012): The "Pure Pure Pleaiades" specials did this for their first season finale: the episode used the main opening/closing of the main show ("Clattanoia"/"L.L.L.") and had them sung by the Pleaiades, to comic effect.
• Arakawa Under the Bridge: The fifth episode of the anime has Maria singing a song to Sister.
• The Fate Series does this for episodes where significant characters have passed on.
  • Fate/stay night does this twice: episode 14's credits play out over a montage of Archer's memories (some of them drawing from Unlimited Blade Works) as he fades away, while episode 24's credits play out over a shot of a dying Artoria.
  • Episode 15 of Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] has the ending theme played in a slower, sadder version, to commemorate Illya's death. It can be seen here. The closing credits play out over a snowy forest, where Illya first met Berserker, though the forest is darkened.
  • Fate/Zero does this with episodes 18 and 19, which focused on Kiritsugu's past and the loved ones he lost.
  • Episode 22 of Fate/Apocrypha, which focused on a major battle and ended with two allies passing on holding onto each other, plays out over scenes of the battle's aftermath.
  • Episode 16 of Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, ends with a montage of a passed-on Siduri's memories of Enkidu and Gilgamesh.
  • Episode 11 of Carnival Phantasm, though an Affectionate Parody nature of Fate, takes this seriously too. In the aftermath of Lancer's death, the credits play over a black screen in blood red titles.
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Chapter 19's manga cover has Elizabeth and Diane wearing each other's clothes, preparing for the Chapter 33 where they both swap sizes after bathing in a magical spring.
• One-Punch Man:
  • The season 1 finale forgoes the opening credits in favour of continuing the fight between Saitama and Boros from the previous episode.
  • That episode's ending features a memorial song for the City A citizens who lost their lives.
• In the final episode of Jewelpet Twinkle☆, the characters all sing the theme song and end credits song together.
• The fourth episode of The Misfit of Demon King Academy has Anos sing the opening song.
• Cap Revolution Bottleman: The opening narration, which is usually a brief description of Bottleman, is a recap of the previous episode in episode 25, which is the finale.
• BNA: Brand New Animal: The closing credits for Episode 11 are in black-and-white, to reflect the Cliffhanger ending that implied Michiru was eaten alive by feral Shirou.
• Rent-A-Girlfriend: Episode 7 has a special closing featuring Ruka's history.
• Bleach The Thousand Year Blood War Arc: Episodes 1 thru 6 and 8 thru 13 of Cour 1 have a mournful song sung from the perspective of the Zanpakuto Spirits, with the credits showing off all the main Zanpakuto. Episode 7 changes things up by spotlighting the original Court Guard captains instead.