Expository Theme Tune / Anime

(Please note that with some exceptions, most of these are English dub examples. Not too many shows do this in their original Japanese versions, at least directly, opting for either J-Pop songs or bragging theme tunes instead^note The latter is especially common for Super Robot shows.)

• The iconic opening song of both versions of Space Battleship Yamato pretty much bludgeons you with it: that they are a space battleship trying to save Earth via an intergalactic voyage.
• The 4Kids dub of One Piece (the original and Funimation dub use a standard Anime Theme Song.)
  • The first Japanese opening theme was fairly expository itself, singing about going on an adventure with friends in pursuit of a dream no one has achieved before.
• The original Mobile Suit Gundam did this to great effect declaring the Gundam has the only thing standing between the Earth and utter annihilation at the hands of giant enemy robots
• The English dub of Sonic X has one to an extent: "Got ourselves a situation / Stuck in a new location / Without any explanation / No time for relaxation..."
• GaoGaiGar's opening is not so much an explanation of the show's premise as an anthem directed towards the heroes. ("Rage, steel cyborg! With a red mane and a golden arm! Shining G-Stone, to protect the hopes of the world, stand up now!")
  • As a secondary invocation of the trope, the collective image song of the GGG Mobile Unit (HyoRyu, EnRyu, FuuRyu, RaiRyu, Volfogg and Goldymarg), Saikyou Yuusha Robo Gundan, describes the characters quite neatly, one per verse.
    • Years later they did a version for the French Dragons KouRyu and AnRyu and their combined form TenRyuJin, for FINAL, the aptly titled Saikyou Yuusha Robo Gundan, Ladies.
• The theme song used in every adaptation of Cutey Honey (except Universe, where the theme was changed due to copyright issues) is a variation, describing not the plot but the protagonist, and fitting in quite well with the fanservicey nature of the series as a whole.
  • Which is an extension of all the old-school Super Robot shows, of course.
• In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the insert song on Episode 19, Season 1, Kamado Tanjiro no Uta, is an innocent and tragic theme about Tanjiro’s whole ordeal, love for his lost family and only surviving member, his sister turned demon Nezuko; several variations of the song’s notes are remixed into instrumentals to fit whatever dramatic scene specifically stringing his lost family Tanjiro may be facing at the time.
• Most classic super robot shows (or any new show trying to emulate them) will feature songs that describe anything from the robot's weapons to their battles, often overlapping with Bragging Theme Tune. For example:
  • Mazinger Z: "An iron castle rises in the sky. It is the Super Robot Mazinger-Z."
  • Great Mazinger: "I am great! I am Great Mazinger!"
  • UFO Robo Grendizer: "Come on, Come on, Duke Fleed! Fly, fly Grendizer! Across the land, the ocean and the blue sky! Joined for the peace, Keeping ourselves steady to protect everybody."
  • Getter Robo: "Gan! Gan! Gan! Gan! Youth burns with a crimson fire! Getter Spark! Lightning up the skies! Behold! The transformation! Getter Robo!"
  • Kotetsu Jeeg: "Just you watch, the Haniwa Phantoms will be completely destroyed. Run forth, Banban Baban! Big Shooter, swifter than the wind. Build up!"
  • Raideen: "The Radiant Skies, the sparkling oceans. There is no way, I would let them fall into the hands of demons!"
  • Combattler V: Its song names several of the weapons it has "Choudenji YOYO! Choudenji TA-TSU-MA-KI!!choudenji SPIN!!" while showing them on screen.
  • Voltes V: Right like Voltes' song does. And the closing theme tune talks about how the Go brothers are searching for their missing father.
  • Daimos: "Beat them, beat them, as long as you have strength. Show them your karate." And the closing credits tune narrates Star-Crossed Lovers Erika and Kazuya's love story.
  • Zambot 3: "Three mechas unite as one. Our justice in the shape of a giant robot. It's name is Zambot 3!"
  • Daitarn 3: "Come here, Daitarn 3, Daitarn 3! Take the sun's radiance into your chest."
• Eon Kid: "One day Marty found a fist / He put it on around his wrist... Joining Marty on his quest / Ally, a mysterious guest..."
• The English dub of Rave Master takes this to the extreme with a theme song by Reel Big Fish so fast with so much information it's hard to keep up.
• The Pokémon: The Series US dubs do this to various degrees.
  • "I wanna be the very best! Like no one ever was!/To catch them is my real test/To train them is my cause/I will travel across the land/Searching far and wide/Each Pokémon to understand/The power that's inside!/Pokémon, Gotta catch em all!/It's you and me/I know it's my destiny!/Pokémon!/Ooooh, you're my best friend/In a world we must defend!/Pokémon, gotta catch em all/A heart so true/Our courage will pull us through/You teach me and I'll teach you/Pooo-keeee-moooonnnnn!/Gotta catch em all, gotta catch em all, Pokémon!"
  • The opening to the original Pokémon Chronicles (Raikou, Legend of Thunder in Japan) sounds like a freaking advertisement when the announcer reads, "Old friends! New adventures! Never-before-seen stories from the world of Pokémon!"
  • The Japanese version does it too. The title of the Japanese season 1 opening outright translates as "Aim to be a Pokémon Master".
• "Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, that's the name you should know, Kirby, Kirby, Kirby, he's the star of the show..."
• The Nerima Daikon Brothers opening has shades of this, but the English dub cranks it up a notch.
• The English dub of Amazing Three. "Spacemen with a mission, you must make a very big decision..."
• The English dub of Sailor Moon has a song about the title character "Fighting Evil by Moonlight" and "Winning love by daylight". It matches up... for the first season. Between having found her true love, her powers no longer being "new", and any Senshi that shows up after the first arc being left out... The original didn't have this and the song was more about love — specifically finding your true love (or "Miracle Romance").
  • Anime Theme Songs are rarely directly related to their shows. English dubs for children's TV tend to invoke this trope more often.
  • The 5th season (not dubbed until 2019) replaces the standard opening theme, "Moonlight Densetsu", with "Sailor Star Song", which was written just for the show (the lyrics were actually written by the mangaka of the original manga) but still isn't really this.
• The dub of Ultimate Muscle had a quite catchy, but blatantly expository one. It manages to be less of a Spoiler Opening than the Japanese one, due to the increased speed of the animation making it more difficult to pick out all the characters shown.
• The Mysterious Cities of Gold's English dub describes exactly what they're doing, even mentioning the Condor which doesn't show up until midway through the series.
  "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh / Searchin' for the Ci....ties of Gooooooold / Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh / Someday we will find... the Cities of Gold."
• Maximum the Hormone and their songs What's Up, People?! and Zetsubou Billy for Death Note.
• "Cardcaptors, a mystic adventure, Cardcaptors, a quest for all time, Cardcaptors... Cardcaptors."
  • However, this does not happen in the theme song to the original Japanese version.

• The English dub of Monster Rancher. "I was transported / to a faraway land / in a world where monsters rule. I played the game like an ace / now we're in this place / to save the monsters from the evil Moo."
• "Off to outer space we're leaving Mother Earth, to save the human race, OUR STARBLAZERS!"
• The theme to the English dubbed version of 8 Man (1963) combined this trope and Never Trust a Trailer, as the theme and (American animated) opening sequence described 8th Man fighting aliens (which he never does) and flying (which he can't do).
• Ulysses 31: "Ulysses! Ulysses! Soaring through all the galaxies! In search of earth, flying into the night!"
  • Full English version
  • Full French version
• Digimon Adventure, while being one of the better dubs in existence, suffers from a particularly repetitive, if kind of catchy, theme song.
  • Digimon Frontier on the other hand, has a more vagueish, yet still quite expository theme.
  ''Look to the past/As we head for the future/To reclaim the Digital World/With faith in ourselves/And trust in each other/We live by the lessons we've learned/As we work toward one solution/Though our Spirit Evolution/Digimon!
• The abortive Gundam spin-off Doozy Bots had one of these, which was as cheesy and So Bad, It's Good as the series itself nearly was.
• Dragon Ball GT's original dub opening. "Step into the Grand Tour, Grand Tour, Grand Tour..."
• The first opening of Maria†Holic pretty much sums up the plot of the series, as well as the main protagonist's predicament (i.e. she's a lesbian who's being blackmailed and abused by a Creepy Crossdresser...and, despite hating him, she still can't help but find him insanely attractive).
• The opening themes of the 2012 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series have had these for the first two parts so far. The theme for part 1 makes subtle allusions to the plot, but the part 2 theme is pretty much an ode to the protagonist and his struggles.
  • Stardust Crusaders gives us Oingo Boingo Brothers et al, the ending theme for two episodes, about the villain duo who stars in both and what they can do.
• Deadman Wonderland has "One Reason", a song specifically made for the show based on the existing song Black Hearts and "Dollar Signs" by Fade. "I will be your Deadman, with nothing but this blood on my hands, trapped in your Wonderland..."
• As is common with Mon series, the English intro to Yo-kai Watch is exposition. Part of it is a rap and the other part is singing. The rap even begins with "So sit back. Here's their story".
• The first ending to Nurse Angel Ririka SOS is an expository theme. It also has overtones of a Bragging Theme Tune as it talks about how nice and well-liked Ririka is.
  Ririka is an ordinary girl like you can find anywhere
  But if she puts on her Angel Cap to protect the peace of Earth, she's the Nurse Angel of peace and justice.
• The theme song to the English dub of Hamtaro:
  Laura's gone to school, let's go to our Ham-Ham clubhouse / We can fix their troubles, just be quiet as a mouse / Watch out for those cats, you know they're smarter than you think / But if we work together, we can make their plans sink!
• Mach Go Go Go / Speed Racer does this in both versions of the theme song, although the Japanese version is more about the car then about the person driving it^note This also makes it an example of a Bragging Theme Tune.
• The ending theme to My Neighbor Totoro tells the story of the girls' encounters with Totoro in the movie.
• The opening of SSSS.GRIDMAN at first appears to be a generic anime theme tune, but as the show goes on every single line of it turns out to either be describing the show's themes or directly stating its events.
• The first opening theme of Himouto! Umaru-chan, if the English translation is anything to go by, sums up a day in the life of the lackadaisical Umaru Doma.
• The opening theme of Indian Summer details the show's events from protagonist Yui's point of view, starting with how she woke up naked from the box she was shipped in.
• Genesis of Aquarion has a particularly famous one that describes the Reincarnation Romance the entire show revolves around. Its popularity has exceeded that of the anime itself, and many people can sing the tune without ever having watched a single episode.

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