Ultimate Adrenaline: Top 10 Universal Studios Japan Rides for Thrill Lovers

As avid theme park aficionados and based on our own personal experiences, here are our recommended top 10 thrill rides at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Our guide delves into the top exhilarating rides and attractions at USJ, offering insights from multiple visits to USJ and a deep understanding of what makes each ride unique.

Each ride in our top 10 list has been carefully selected for its unique blend of thrills, innovation, and sheer fun. Whether you’re plunging into the depths of a terrifying world, racing through futuristic landscapes, or spinning through the air on a magical journey, these rides will be remembered long after your visit!

Disclaimer:  This article contains affiliate links.  If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Make sure you plan to purchase either an Express Pass 4 or Express Pass 7 in addition to your Studio Entry Pass to ensure you can skip the queue and have a chance of riding all of the top 10 USJ rides in a single day. Otherwise, you may just have to visit more than once!

1. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at USJ

The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride itself is brilliant. The robotic ride vehicles, detailed sets, sophisticated animatronics, sound and 4d effects, video projections and incredibly smooth motion simulation technology combines together to create a fantastically immersive ride. You also no longer have to wear 3D glasses. The ride uses 4K-HD film projecting at 120 frames per second which makes for much sharper and more realistic video imagery.

Queuing for Forbidden Journey
Queuing for Forbidden Journey

During the ride, you will swoop over Hogwarts Castle, zoom down towards Black Lake, get far too close to an enormous dragon, have an up-close encounter with Aragog and his family, narrowly miss getting smashed by the Whomping Willow, become part of a Quidditch game, and finally get chased by dozens of devilish dementors.

Hogwarts Castle in Harry Potter World in Universal Studios Japan (1)
Hogwarts Castle in Harry Potter World in Universal Studios Japan – the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride is inside the castle!

2. The Flying Dinosaur Ride

My son and I had visited Fuji Q Theme Park just before we visited Universal Studios Japan and we experienced some of the most thrilling rollercoasters in the world so I was expecting to be a little disappointed by “The Flying Dinosaur” but this was far from the case. For pure fun, “The Flying Dinosaur” is easily on my mental list of top 10 rollercoasters and nudges my top 5 ever.

The Flying Dinosaur Ride at Universal Studios Japan
The Flying Dinosaur Ride at Universal Studios Japan
The Flying Dinosaur
The Flying Dinosaur Ride at Universal Studios Japan

The feature that sets this rollercoaster apart is its unusual ride position. Once you are strapped in, the seats pivot back and you are suddenly facing the ground. The Flying Dinosaur is currently the longest, tallest and fastest ‘flying’ rollercoaster in the world.

Flying Dinosaur - Downward Facing Position
Flying Dinosaur – Downward Facing Position

When my children and I took our seats we were happy and relaxed, but then we were suddenly facing downwards and our hearts started pumping faster. The Flying Dinosaur started with a climb up a 46 metre (151 feet) hill. The face-down position magnified how far above the ground we were. After cresting the peak, we plunged 38 metres (125 feet) down towards Jurassic Park which was the highlight of the ride for me because the sensation of flying was uncanny and exhilarating. Another nerve-wracking moment occurred when we navigated a pretzel then plunged through a tiny space under the pathway.

The Flying Dinosaur
The Flying Dinosaur Ride at Universal Studios Japan

The ride is relatively short but loaded with action including five inversions, corkscrews and sweeping turns negotiated at a top speed of 100 km/hr (62 miles/hr). The Flying Dinosaur is smooth, fast and almost worth every bit of the park entry cost on its own.

3. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge Ride

Koopa’s Challenge is a Mario Kart-style race ride in Super Nintendo World, mostly based on the Mario Kart 8 game. Guests wear augmented reality visors.  Four racers sit in each kart and then the race begins! Each kart moves along a rail track, with racers steering their kart to follow the course on the AR glasses. If you all work together well then you can hopefully leap ahead of the other virtual racers!

Entrance to the Mario Kart Koopa's Challenge Ride at Universal Studios Japan at Universal Studios Japan
Entrance to the Mario Kart Koopa’s Challenge Ride at Universal Studios Japan at Universal Studios Japan

It totally feels like you have been immersed into an actual Mario Kart Game, as all of the Mario Kart game elements make it come to life! We loved the chaotic feel of the game and the chance to be on the ‘inside’ rather than being on the outside looking at a 2D screen like when we play Mario Kart at home.

Mario Kart Ride Team Koopa
Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge Ride in Super Nintendo World in USJ

4. Jurassic Park – The Ride

Jurassic Park – The Ride is the second ride in the Jurassic Park section of Universal Studios Japan. I have visited quite a lot of theme parks and it’s definitely still one of my favourite flume rides.

Jurassic Park - The Ride Sign
Jurassic Park – The Ride Sign at USJ

The ride starts in a leisurely fashion with a river cruise through Jurassic Park, surrounded by tropical trees and impressive animatronic dinosaurs. The cries and groans of the dinosaurs echoed around us. The ride took a turn for the worse when we entered the prohibited area and the emergency lights started flashing. The dinosaur sounds became more animated as we first saw raptors fighting over the remains of a dinosaur handler’s shirt.

We then entered a dark control room which had been destroyed by an oversized dinosaur. With emergency warning systems blaring, we heard the deep, guttural rumble of something very big. A large T-Rex was looming overhead so we had to take a 26-metre plunge down into the river to avoid becoming its next meal.

Jurassic Park - The Ride - Splashdown
Jurassic Park – The Ride – Splashdown

5. Hollywood Dream – The Ride

“Hollywood Dream – The Ride” is actually a set of two rides. There is a forward-facing version as well as a backwards-facing version called “Hollywood Dream – The Ride – Backdrop”. The two Hollywood Dream rides are not particularly tall or fast, nor are they particularly steep and there are no inversions, but the experience of Hollywood Dream is much, much more than the sum of its parts.

Hollywood Dream
Hollywood Dream – The Ride

One feature that sets Hollywood Dream rides apart is that you can choose an onboard song that plays while you are racing around the track. The songs we could choose from include ‘Shake It Off’, ‘Happy’, and ‘Bad’ by Michael Jackson. The songs change over time so if you visit USJ again, you are likely to have a fresh set of songs.  The trains have a stereo system built into the head of each seat. A lighting program animates LED lights on the sides of the train with different lighting patterns for different sections of the track. It was a blast to race around a track with the sounds of ‘Bad’ in my ears and disco lights flashing around me. The soundtrack seemed to synch perfectly with the movements, twists and turns of the track.

Both versions of Hollywood – The Dream start with a 44 metre (144 feet) climb, followed by a slight right-hand turn and a series of peaks (known as camelback hills) that lifted us out of our seats. The camelbacks are the main feature of the ride, mixed in with other features like fast left and right turns and an upward-spiralling helix just before returning to the station. There isn’t much variety in the ride, but it’s fast and smooth and the high-speed camelback hills do a great job of lifting your stomach towards your throat. Hollywood Dream is also quite a long ride, with a track length of 1.2 kilometres (0.75 miles) and a total ride time of two and a half minutes. This gives you heaps of time to enjoy the song pumping in your ears.

6. Hollywood Dream – The Ride – Backdrop

The Backdrop version of Hollywood Dream – The Ride is the more exciting of the two rides because you can’t see or anticipate what is coming up next. I would suggest doing the Backdrop version first because if you start with the forward-facing version first you will have a pretty good idea of what’s coming up when you ride the Backdrop which reduces the excitement a bit.

Hollywood Dream – The Ride – Backdrop is covered by one Express Pass 7 option, Universal Express Pass 7 Backdrop. You can use the single rider queue for the forward-facing version of Hollywood Dream, but there are no single rider queues for Backdrop.

Hollywood Dream Ride at Universal Studios Japan at Universal Studios Japan
Hollywood Dream Ride at Universal Studios Japan at Universal Studios Japan

7. Space Fantasy – The Ride

Space Fantasy is USJ’s main indoor rollercoaster. The premise behind the ride is that you are on a spaceship undertaking a mission to save the sun. While saving the sun you fly past various planets and comets while dodging asteroids. The ride climaxes with your spaceship plunging into the sun.

When we went on Space Fantasy , it had been given a VR overlay for the annual Cool Japan event. For Cool Japan, the ride had been renamed “Lupin the Third Car Chase XR Ride”. The ride placed us in a car with Lupin and his crew making a getaway from a crime scene while being chased by Inspector Zenigata.

Lupin the Third
Lupin the Third Car Chase Ride

Space Fantasy also receives a seasonal horror overlay for Halloween, where it is renamed to Space Fantasy – The Ride – Black Hole. You can experience pure darkness when your ride vehicles sink into a black hole.

Cool Japan
Cool Japan Event at Universal Studios Japan

8. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman – The Ride 4K3D

Make sure you don’t miss The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman when visiting Universal Studios Japan. It won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award in the Best Dark Ride category twelve years in a row from 1999 to 2010.

The plot is a little hard to follow as the actors speak in Japanese, but you can easily get the gist of what is happening. There is an incredible amount of action as you escape evil villains like Doctor Octopus and Hydroman. You will be tossed into sewers and rivers, have pumpkin bombs thrown at you, and be hurled high above the city before plummeting back to earth but then Spiderman saves your lives and the day.

John Jonah Jameson
Sign in the Spiderman queue – Words of wisdom from John Jonah Jameson (editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle)

The 4K3D visuals used in this ride are stunning in their clarity and detail. They are so impressive that they blur the boundaries between physical sets and the 3D projections. The ride also uses an armada of special effects like water spray, wind and lighting, heat, fire and fog. The ride vehicle is extremely dynamic and makes extremely precise movements. It can also rotate 360 degrees. Spiderman – The Ride is further enhanced by a fantastic soundtrack. The awe-inspiring visuals, special effects and high-tech ride vehicle make you feel part of the action, not just a passive observer.

Watch out for the Stan Lee cameos as he appears at least two times during the ride.

9. JAWS Ride

The Jaws Ride is now only available at Universal Studios Japan after it closed down at Universal Studios Florida in 2012. If you want to try an old-school ride that you won’t find anywhere else definitely give Jaws a go.

The JAWS Ride at Universal Studios Japan
The Entrance to the JAWS Ride at Universal Studios Japan

The premise behind the ride is that after Jaws was destroyed, Captain Jake Grundy opened a boat tour to visit shark attack sites.

The Jaws queue - Getting ready for a close encounter
The Jaws queue – Getting ready for a close encounter

The ride started at a relaxed pace with a scenic cruise on Amity Harbour but then a distress call came in and we saw another boat submerging under the water. For the rest of the ride, we were either trying to shelter from, evade or blow up a massive shark. Along the way, there were many near misses and an impressive fire/explosion. Eventually, the shark managed to electrocute itself so we managed to escape with our lives.

Jaws
Jaws

The animatronics and special effects look dated and the acting is corny but full of enthusiasm, but this doesn’t detract from the experience. Jaws is a nostalgic and fun experience, a bit like rewatching Friends on Netflix. I hope Jaws survives as Universal Studios Japan creates new rides.

10. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Ride

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a ride that people of all ages will enjoy. It’s jam-packed with fast-paced action and the slapstick humour has been turned up to 11.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

The pre-show experience was almost as much fun as the actual ride. The premise of the preshow is that you are being convinced to undergo the Minion transformation process and then the process of transformation is explained. The pre-show stars Gru, his three daughters and heaps of Minions and is full of comedy. Expect to be shot by a fart gun … which smells like bananas.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Express Pass Queue
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem Express Pass Queue

The ride began with everyone being turned into Minions. The ride was incredibly action-packed and included falling down chutes, jumping over a cactus, dodging lasers, just missing getting squashed by a massive boxing glove, and narrowly avoiding being cut in half by an oversized buzz saw.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem isn’t an aggressively physical simulator like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and it doesn’t have the same jump scares. What it does have going for it is an overload of action, comedy and cuteness. It’s a ride that everyone in your family will enjoy.

Universal Studios Japan Studio Passes and Express Passes

To have the best chance of riding on our recommended top 10 Universal Studios Japan rides during your visit, we recommend that in addition to your Studio Entry Pass, you should plan to purchase an Express Pass to enable you to skip the queues for either 4 or 7 rides.

The current Express Pass options are shown below. Note that Express Pass inclusions can change from time to time, so carefully read the options before booking. Klook has the option to select your planned date to visit USJ, and they will then show you the available Express Passes for that date. Ensure you book your Express Passes early, as they regularly sell out in advance.

  • Express Pass 4: Thrills. A great option to go on the four biggest thrill rides at USJ. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, The Flying Dinosaur, and Hollywood Dream – The Ride. Click here to check out and book through Klook.
  • Express Pass 4: Fun. A great option for younger families. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Yoshi’s Adventure, Flight of the Hippogriff, Sing on Tour and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Click here to check out and book through Klook.
  • Express Pass 4: Fun Choice. A great option for younger families. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Yoshi’s Adventure, Flight of the Hippogriff, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and JAWS – The Ride. Click here to check out and book through Klook.
  • Express Pass 4: Fun Variety. A great option to go on the four biggest thrill rides at USJ. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and JAWS – The Ride. Click here to check out and book through Klook.
  • Express Pass 4: XR Ride & Selection. A great option for thrills with an XR twist. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba XR Ride – Mugen Train Dream Riders, and either The Flying Dinosaur OR JAWS – The Ride. Click here to check out and book through Klook.
  • Express Pass 7: Variety. The best option to go on the most rides during your day at USJ. Includes timed entry to both Super Nintendo World and Harry Potter World, and skip the queue access to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Yoshi’s Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, The Flying Dinosaur and choose either Hollywood Dream – The Ride OR JAWS – The Ride. Click here to check out and book through Klook.

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Disclaimer:  This article contains affiliate links.  If you book after clicking on one of these links then we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Thanks to Tony's high school German language teacher he has a long-standing passion for travel and international food. He runs the Pretraveller and Japan Travel Planning blogs with his wife Anne to help people plan their travels. Tony has visited destinations including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Europe and has also extensively explored his home country of Australia. As a result he writes from personal experience to help others plan their trips.