Upon its release, "To Be" received positive reviews from music critics. Some highlighted the single as one of Hamasaki's best works, and complimented the composition and Hamasaki's vocals. Commercially, the single was a success in Japan, reaching number four on both the Oricon Singles Chart and TBS' Count Down TV chart. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 200,000 units. Due to the single's success, it was re-released as a CD single and re-entered both record charts.