Rocks (Naruto OP1 — Hound Dog original)

Yoshiki Fukuyama's "Rocks," the first opening for Naruto, is a blast of late-'90s Japanese rock energy, a cover of the Hound Dog original recast as anime adrenaline fuel. It charges out of the gate with driving power chords, propulsive drums, and a fist-in-the-air chorus built for shonen momentum — the musical equivalent of a young ninja sprinting toward the horizon. Fukuyama's voice, seasoned from his Macross 7 days, is gritty and impassioned, cracking with the kind of earnest rock conviction that defined the era's anime tie-ins before slick electronic production took over. The arrangement is unfussy and guitar-forward, all forward thrust and uncomplicated catharsis, perfectly matched to Naruto's early scrappy underdog spirit. Lyrically it's about breaking through, defying limits, and the raw will to keep moving — generic on paper but delivered with such genuine heat that it transcends cliché. Culturally it's a touchstone for a generation who discovered anime through early-2000s broadcasts, the opening that signaled adventure was about to begin. There's nostalgia baked into every bar now, the sound of after-school marathons and dial-up fan forums. Best heard loud, ideally while doing something that requires summoning courage you don't quite have. "Rocks" is uncynical, unpolished, and utterly committed — pure shonen rock spirit, the anthem of starting your journey.