Musically a J-pop and dance track with electronic instrumentation, it was commissioned for the film Yokaipedia  [ja] (2022), a live-action adaptation of a children's book series by Kodansha; the production team asked Hoshino for a song to represent the world of ghosts from the movie.

The song features background vocals performed by voice actors Rie Kugimiya, Hiro Shimono, and Tomokazu Sugita, who portray the ghosts in Yokaipedia.

"I Wanna Be Your Ghost" was received positively by Japanese music critics for its production style and drew comparisons to Hoshino's preceding single "Comedy" (2022).

The accompanying animated music video—featuring a boy dancing with ghosts—was produced by the studio Outline, led by director Yūki Igarashi.

Dressed as his alter ego character Akira Nise, Hoshino first sang it in front of a live audience as the closing song of his Reassembly tour in 2023.

"I Wanna Be Your Ghost" was written as the main theme to the film Yokaipedia  [ja] (2022), a Takashi Yamazaki-directed live-action adaptation of a Kodansha children's books series.

[3] A reporter for Oricon wrote that the scary-but-funny theme of Yokaipedia is followed in the song, in which Hoshino sings "Obake ga deru zo" (transl.

[3][9] Background vocals are performed by Hoshino, Nagaoka, and voice actors Rie Kugimiya, Hiro Shimono, and Tomokazu Sugita, who portray the ghosts in the Yokaipedia film.

[3] On July 13, Hoshino announced that the song would be released as single,[10] and two days later unveiled its cover art: a mixture of illustrations onto a real-life photograph.

[11] "I Wanna Be Your Ghost" was released as a digital-exclusive single by the Victor Entertainment subsidiary Speedstar Records on July 18, 2022, four days before the premiere of Yokaipedia.

[1][12] To promote the release, Kugimiya, Shimono, and Sugita – the film voice actors featured in the song's background vocals – were announced as guests for the July 26 broadcast of Hoshino's All Night Nippon radio program.

Despite the wide arrange of equipment used in its recording, Amano found the composition to have a "simple groove" that showcases a classic style in Hoshino's writing of blending pop with a sharp edge.

Christmas special at the end of 2022,[28] and performed it as the final song of his Reassembly tour in January 2023, which celebrated the opening of physical venues after the COVID-19 pandemic.