“Change the World,” is the very first opening track for InuYasha, playing over the show’s earliest episodes. It was written by Rie Matsumoto, composed by Miki Watabe, and sung by V6.
This opening theme serves as the perfect entry point into Inuyasha’s world, a half-demon caught between two sides that never fully accept him, carrying the loneliness of a childhood spent as an outcast. When Kagome Higurashi falls through the Bone-Eater’s Well and into his life, Inuyasha slowly starts to let someone in for the first time, and from there the found family grows: Miroku, Sango, and Shippō, each carrying their own wounds, all learning to hold each other up as they chase the shards of the Shikon Jewel together. “Change the World” captures that exact shift, from guarded isolation to the quiet relief of finally being seen and accepted.
As the very first opening for the series, “Change the World” had the job of setting the tone before viewers knew anything about this world of demons, jewel shards, and feudal-era Japan. V6’s delivery is bright and driving without losing sincerity, which is a big part of why it’s held up as one of the more enduring early-2000s anime openings even decades later. It’s the kind of track that still gets an immediate reaction the moment those opening notes play for anyone who grew up with the show.
- Lyricist: Rie Matsumoto
- Composer: Miki Watabe
- Performed by: V6
- Released: 25 October 2000
The Song
Rather than reproduce the lyrics here, I’d rather you experience them properly. The full lyrics are easy to find on sites like AnimeLyrics or through the official release. What I’ll say is that the song reads like a promise made between two people who’ve found each other: about shaping an unknown future together, refusing to let go of someone’s hand, and believing that whatever’s ahead can be faced as long as you’re not facing it alone. That’s exactly the emotional core of Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship, and of the found family that grows around them.
Why Change the World by V6 Resonates
“Change the World” works because it speaks to a few things that remain true for many of us:
- Belonging: The song’s turning point, finding where you truly belong the moment you meet the right person, mirrors Inuyasha’s own arc from isolated outcast to someone with a place and people to call his own.
- Courage and passion: Its refusal to lose passion while chasing something uncertain echoes the show’s constant theme of pushing forward despite fear, loss, and an enemy who always seems one step ahead.
- Found family: Lines about not facing things alone track directly onto Inuyasha’s group. Nobody in this story is fighting for themselves alone by the end.
- Protection: The song’s promise to watch over someone and never let them do it alone reflects the fierce, often wordless way these characters protect each other throughout the series.
- Hope for the future: Underneath the demon-fighting plot, this is a story about people who’ve been hurt learning to hope again, exactly what the song’s “beating future” and “unknown new day” lines are reaching for.
Strip away the feudal setting and the jewel shards, and the song still holds up as one about finally trusting someone enough to let them in, and being brave enough to build a future with people you didn’t expect to find.
What do you think of the song Change the World?
If you have any anime intro or ending songs you’d like to see featured in a future post, let me know.
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