How Anime Led to ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Being on the World Stage

Some bands feel like they’ve been by your side for your entire life. Anime fans may feel this with ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION , a Japanese alternative rock band that came together in 1996. Consisting of Masafumi Gotoh, Kensuke Kita, Takahiro Yamada and Kiyoshi Ijichi, the group has an incredible music catalog consisting of several (and we mean several ) anime hits. From Naruto to My Hero Academia and ERASED , if you’re an anime fan, you’ve definitely heard this group at some point (or seen them referenced in series like BOCCHI THE ROCK! ). Welcome to another installment of Have You Heard? from Crunchyroll, the ongoing series where we sit down with iconic musicians worldwide to celebrate thousands of music videos and concerts arriving on Crunchyroll. This month you can check out our conversation with ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION as they talk about how they originally got together, how seeing their fans gives them the energy to create and... something about high potential oils? NOTE: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: The Origin Story "Through our concerts, live sessions, or on screen, if you like the feelings and sounds of our music, we kind of see you as a part of our group." - Masafumi Gotoh Tell us about how you decided on the band's name, as well as how you came to form a band. GOTOH: I came up with the name of the band before we formed the band. It was the name I wanted to use if I had a band. I loved listening to Western music back then, and I had this big dream, almost a delusion of grandeur, which was to play music overseas, outside of Japan someday. So as proof of our identity, I felt it might be a good idea to include "Asian" in the band name. As for "Kung-fu,” I was really into kung-fu films by stars like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, so I wanted to have "Kung-fu" in the name. As for "Generation,” that just sounded cool, so I just threw it in there at the end. A nice ring to it. KITA: Right, when we formed the band, the name had already been decided. Two of us got together first. GOTOH: Kita-kun was waiting for me in the courtyard of the college at night. The day before, I was talking to him at the school music club about maybe starting up our own band. And the next day, he came out of the darkness in the college courtyard and said, "You said you wanted to start a band yesterday..." YAMADA: That was his love call. GOTOH: And I said yes. KITA: I never thought it would last this long at that time. GOTOH: But he was a bit like a stalker, how he was waiting for me at night. I guess it was evening, the dim-lit evening. I was taking evening classes at college, so... that was scary. Then we invited Yama-chan. KITA: Kiyoshi was in the same club. And three years later, the four of us became a band. It's been 25 years since the band was formed. What kind of efforts do you make to cater to both the fans who have followed you since the beginning and new fans? GOTOH: I think we try not to rank and differentiate fans that way. By that, I mean the fans who have been supporting us for a long time and the fans who have just discovered us... how should I put it? There is no difference. As long as they like the music we're playing right now... KITA: Regardless of the timing, we welcome anyone who likes our music. GOTOH: Through our concerts, live sessions, or on screen, if you like the feelings and sounds of our music, we kind of see you as a part of our group. So I think not judging the fans based on how long they've been following us is the answer to this question. That's what I think. Hitting the Live Concert Scene "The fans may come to our concerts, wanting to see us. But for us, it's like where we get our energy from, as well as the place where we get to witness our trusted fans. So it's special. It makes me feel alive." - Masafumi Gotoh Your music has the influence from many genres of music, such as 90's alternative rock, indie rock, and pop-punk. What is your favorite genre of music? Is there a genre that you'd like to try out? IJICHI: I've always loved metal. That's how I started playing in a band. And then I joined AKG, and only recently I started to like guitar rock. In the future, I kind of want to try out something like dance rock. GOTOH: That's a sudden confession. Dance rock? IJICHI: We have to talk it through. How about you, Yama-chan? YAMADA: Well, when I listen to music that is being streamed, I tend to choose alternative rock. 90s alternative rock is something I listened to a lot since that's when I started to get into music. So I go back to that often. GOTOH: Right now, I find rap music interesting to listen to, seeing what kind of beat is popular right now. Or Latin music. I listen to a variety of music. I have a bunch of genres that I love. I like Japanese traditional folk music too. What I want to try... it’s up to a discussion with the members, so I can't proclaim here that I want to try dance rock, for example... KITA: Right. For me, I'd say... my favorite playlist tends to be indie rock as well. I think I tend to listen to a lot of U.S. indie rock. And what I'm interested in trying out is... like Kiyoshi mentioned dance rock, a part of me thinks I want to try what my band members want to try. I'm also on the lookout for what I want to do though. That's where I'm at. From Summer Sonic, to Fuji Rock, Weezer Fes, and Nano Mugen Fes that you host, you've been performing at a lot of live concerts. What do live concerts mean for your overall music career? GOTOH: We create music and songs, and we release it. Then we start talking about numbers, like how much it sold where, where it is on the chart, or how much it's downloaded in which country. But it makes us anxious because we can't really see the fans' faces. Like, we don't know who these people are. KITA: Even if we hear such numbers... GOTOH: Exactly. But when we perform live, we see them right there, like when we performed in Brazil. I don't know if we'll ever get to visit Fortaleza again, but we got to see people who were waiting for us to come and perform. Seeing that in real life is really... it gives us energy to create. So, the fans may come to our concerts, wanting to see us. But for us, it's like where we get our energy from, as well as the place where we get to witness our trusted fans. So it's special. It makes me feel alive. KITA: Honestly we were moved, to go and perform in Latin America. Yes, we are moved wherever we go to Asian countries. We know that our fans are in Asia too through Facebook and such. GOTOH: Yeah, like getting emails from them. KITA: But seeing them from the stage was amazing. Like, "they really do exist..." GOTOH: It was moving. KITA: They sang along too, which made me happy. What is your favorite tour? Do you have a plan to tour overseas in the future? IJICHI: On the very first European tour of four countries or so, we went to London. And that view of London left a strong impression on me. And there were so many fans in Paris. That took us by surprise. KITA: In 2015, if I remember correctly, we toured Europe and then went to South America for like two weeks. I remember that tour very well. And we got to do a North and South American tour two years later. GOTOH: There are so many memories, and it was all great. KITA: Performing overseas is one of the motivations for our band. So we can tour internationally again. It motivates us to create songs too. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s Influence on Anime and Heavy Metal "Many well-known international bands such as Bad Omens, Alpha Wolf and Archetypes Collide give "HARUKA KANATA" as one of the reasons why they started making heavy metal music." - Kensuke Kita From Naruto , Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist to The Tatami Galaxy , you have created many hit songs that are widely loved by many international anime fans. You're pioneers of the anime OP/ED composers who had a huge impact on international anime fans. Did you expect that you would have this many international fans when you were creating these songs? GOTOH: When we made "HARUKA KANATA," the theme song for Naruto, I remember speaking with a SONY director, and how we talked about the fact that we got to do the OP for this show and how it was so meaningful, and we could be on the world stage with this anime. It's an anime about ninjas, and I thought it was very Japanese and interesting. So I knew it would be popular overseas, but I never expected this much. No matter where we go, Naruto feels like it's on another level with how loved and watched the show is, all over the world. KITA: Even to this day. GOTOH: Exactly. I'm reminded of how great of an anime that was. It's a fun show. KITA: And recently, when we're asked to create songs for anime like that, we already have international fans in mind to some extent. It does affect how we create music. GOTOH: When we made the song for Naruto, it was almost like... how should I put it... Ninja-like? KITA: Right, Ninja-like. Something the four of us have in common. GOTOH: We wanted to choose something a bit more oriental in scale. KITA: Also in phrasing. GOTOH: Like how YMO did so in the past. We thought that a slightly distorted Japanese melody might work better, and it was reflected in the guitar riff and such. And it's nice to hear the fans sing along in concerts, it makes me happy. KITA: So it does affect our music. GOTOH: Absolutely. Did you watch BOCCHI THE ROCK! ? Every episode title is named after your songs, and the characters' names also come from your names. Are you involved in the manga or the anime series? KITA: We didn't actively approach them, but it made me really happy, as well as surprised. IJICHI: It's already very popular overseas. KITA: That's true. There are scenes of Kanazawa Hakkei, where we spent our school life, or... GOTOH: The Yokohama South area. KITA: Yes, and Shimokitazawa in Tokyo. IJICHI: They also go to Enoshima. KITA: Right. They go to Kamakura as well. Those depictions of the areas that are very familiar to us were really fun to see. YAMADA: The background animation was very realistic. KITA: The characters have our last names, but I don't think they have our personalities. Yama-chan's character is kind of a cool character. FUN FACT: The BOCCHI THE ROCK! characters are lead guitarist Hitori Gotoh (Bocchi-chan), drummer (and founder of the Kessoku Band) Nijika Ijichi, the bassist Ryo Yamada and the singer/rhythm guitarist Ikuyo Kita. YAMADA: Is that so? KITA: My character is super outgoing. GOTOH: We're talking about the character, not you. He looked like he got complimented. We're not complimenting you. YAMADA: Yamada-san in the show is a cool character, got it. KITA: But maybe, the author of the series has those images of us? GOTOH: I don't think there's any correlation. Are you aware that many metal core bands are influenced by "HARUKA KANATA"? KITA: Many well-known international bands such as Bad Omens, Alpha Wolf and Archetypes Collide give "HARUKA KANATA" as one of the reasons why they started making heavy metal music. GOTOH: That's so cool. KITA: Bad Omens is a very famous band, isn't it? I believe they're really famous, and their music is on the heavy side. I think they're kind of like My Chemical Romance. But in the past, we once heard that "HARUKA KANATA" was one of the... GOTOH: Thundercat said he used to listen to it? KITA: Right? I know that "HARUKA KANATA” was in Thundercat's playlist. GOTOH: That was a surprise. KITA: I've heard stories like that in the last several years, and it was surprising that those who play hard music like that like our song. GOTOH: I mean, it makes us happy to hear about fans, musicians or not. If they like our song and it inspired them to make something new. But we don't really think of our music as metal, so it's unexpected. But that's the interesting thing about music. KITA: Perhaps Yama-chan's heavy bass line in the beginning might have something in common. YAMADA: In terms of the sound. KITA: That makes us happy GOTOH: Our album, Surf Bungaku Kamakura , which we made in 2008, is making a comeback as a complete version. There's a train line in Japan called the Enoshima Electric Railway. And it has 15 train stations. Out of those 15, we made 10 songs in 2008. We released an album Surf Bungaku Kamakura Complete in the summer of 2023 that is now available for streaming. And we're making five more songs for the rest of the stations, and the album featuring a total of 15 tracks is coming out this summer. So we hope you listen to it on various streaming services. KITA: It's a power pop album reminiscent of Weezer. GOTOH: That's true. So if you're a fan of 90's American alternative rock, you'll like this one. KITA: Lots of homages throughout the album, so please give it a listen. BONUS: Check out these extra Crunchyroll interviews where bands have talked about ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION and Naruto ! Bad Omens Alpha Wolf’s Lochie Keogh Archetypes Collide Lightning Round: What the Heck Is High Potential Oil? What is the first song on your favorite playlist? IJICHI: Metallica's "72 Seasons." YAMADA: The Lemon Twigs' "Any Time of Day." I listen to that a lot, although it's not the first song on my playlist. GOTOH: Anohni's "It Must Change." KITA: For me, Foo Fighters' "Under You" is in my favorite playlist. Is there an artist or song that you're secretly into? IJICHI: I like Cory Wong these days. YAMADA: There's an artist called Beabadoobee. She was at Summer Sonic, but we were on a different day, so I couldn't see her. But I've been wanting to go to her concert. GOTOH: Coincidentally, my choice is also Beabadoobee. I like her recent songs. Her slow songs, especially, are super good. I'm blown away. KITA: She's great. GOTOH: The best. KITA: For me, since we are making a power pop album, I'm listening to Teenage Fanclub. GOTOH: You're revisiting them? KITA: I am. It's awesome. Is there music you listen to while you cook? KITA: That question is for Kiyoshi. He is the cook in our group. IJICHI: I want it to be something fast tempo to work quickly, so Andrew W.K. YAMADA: I don't listen to anything while cooking. KITA: Tell us what you want to listen to while cooking. YAMADA: If I'm cooking, then Surf Bungaku Kamakura , I guess. KITA: Our album, okay. GOTOH: No music while cooking for me, but I suppose I listen to myself humming. KITA: Same here. I rarely cook, but at home, I find myself humming a lot. As I listen to the demo tape Gotch sent me, I hum along and try to think of guitar phrases and such. I think I do that a lot at home. Do you have a favorite anime series? IJICHI: I have a lot of anime series I love... but in my generation, it'd be Dragon Ball . More than any other titles. YAMADA: The first series of Mobile Suit Gundam . KITA: You are obsessed with the first series. How about you, Gotch? GOTOH: I don't think international anime fans know this, even anime nerds might not know this title, but mine is Uchuusen Sagittarius . KITA: Uchuusen Sagittarius ? YAMADA: That takes me back. KITA: Was it aired nationally in Japan? YAMADA: Yes, it was. GOTOH: Yup, it was. KITA: I've never heard of it. Wasn't it only in Shizuoka? YAMADA: The theme song is amazing. GOTOH: It's the ED called "Yume Kounen," and it's crazy good. Image via Amazon Prime YAMADA: Gotch and I sometimes sing it together. KITA: Maybe we can try and find it on YouTube GOTOH: "Yume Kounen" from Uchuusen Sagittarius. It's really amazing. KITA: As for me, I was a big fan of Captain Tsubasa when I was little. I used to play soccer because of that show. I gave up on soccer though. If you could collaborate with any artist you'd like, who would you pick? IJICHI: I'd have to say Dave Grohl. KITA: From Foo Fighters. IJICHI: I'd like him to produce us. KITA: That would be cool. YAMADA: That's be WurtS. KITA: A young Japanese artist. YAMADA: I'd love to work with him. KITA: It might actually come true. Gotch, anyone? GOTOH: This is a pipe dream now since it's not possible anymore. And this is one of the things I regret. Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away, and I'd say we were rather close, but we never got to create music together. I've sampled his music and created a rap track using that, but I wish we could have done a collab together. KITA: I would have loved to listen to it. GOTOH: If anything is possible, then that would be my wish. KITA: I can't think of an artist I want to collaborate with, but there are recording studios I'm interested in. At a farm in Wales, there's a studio called Rockfield Studios. GOTOH: I'd love to go. KITA: I'd love to visit there sometime, and record there as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. Is there a routine that you do before a live concert? NOTE: For this part, the group demonstrated on video what their routine is. IJICHI: But as a group, we do this. KITA: Then Gotch puts his fist through here, and I put my hand over it like this. This is our pre-concert routine, and Gotch makes a speech for the day. GOTOH: A word from me. IJICHI: My personal routine is... I go to the bathroom. KITA: Give us one more! GOTOH: Can that be called a routine? Everyone does that. KITA: What do you do? IJICHI: I guess I wear perfume. KITA: That helps you relax? IJICHI: I don't know if it's for relaxing, but it's called "the high potential oil." KITA/GOTOH: "High potential oil"? KITA: Sounds sketchy. IJICHI: It allows me to bring my high potential during the show. GOTOH: I think you made everyone in the world laugh just now. KITA: High potential oil. GOTOH: What a name. KITA: Okay. And you, Yama-chan? YAMADA: Let's see, I never go on stage without my wristbands. KITA: Ah, yes. You do wear wristbands all the time. GOTOH: And your power stones. YAMADA: It makes me uneasy if I'm not wearing something on my wrists. KITA: Makes you nervous? And you, Gotch GOTOH: I do stretching. KITA: Oh yeah, I see you roll out a yoga mat and stretch in the dressing room. As for me, I don't know if it's working or not, but I drink an energy drink. And I trust that it's working and go do my best on stage. Who Is Most Likely To...? NOTE: For this part, each member pointed to whoever they felt fit the answer to each question Who is not a morning person? IJICHI: Ken-san is on time these days. KITA: I know, it used to be me who was late all the time. But in the last few years, I stopped drinking, so I tend to get up early. IJICHI: You're on time these days. KITA: Right, I'm not late anymore. Aren't you proud of me? So you were pointing at yourselves. YAMADA: I'm not good with waking up early. KITA: But my impression of you is you're an early riser. YAMADA: I don't like it, though. KITA: You're forcing yourself to? YAMADA: Trying hard. And Kiyoshi? IJICHI: Recently my tardiness stands out because you aren't late anymore, Ken-san. So it's become noticeable that I'm the last one to arrive. KITA: That's true. Gotch, you are an early riser. GOTOH: I can't stay asleep because I'm an old man. Who doesn't let the concert end? GOTOH: Me? KITA: Yama-chan, you're pointing at me? YAMADA: Ken-san, you're the last one to join us in the line at the end of a show. KITA: Oh, that's true. When we play as the headliner at a festival and such, we take a bow at the front of the stage, but I'm the last one to join in the line. I'm kind of taking it all in... YAMADA: The last song. KITA: Yes, the last phrase of the last song. So maybe it is me. GOTOH: But it's not like you're doing something special. You're not doing it for the audience. YAMADA: You're just enjoying the moment. KITA: Yeah, exactly. I just want to play an arpeggio from the last note. GOTOH: It reminds me of Ed from Radiohead. He's still playing... KITA: Still playing. True, I stay on until the end. Who tends to forget the music? KITA: Oh, it's unanimous. It's Kiyoshi. How do you feel about it? IJICHI: It's not like I forget the music, but I change it, like I can't help it. GOTOH: I totally get that. KITA: You did say that you can't repeat the same thing over and over again. GOTOH: I think I forget the most in terms of how often I skip ahead. IJICHI: Like the lyrics? KITA: Yes, during a live performance... GOTOH: I finish singing the song when it's not done. KITA: Or skip to the second verse. GOTOH: Exactly. KITA: Or skip to the chorus too early. GOTOH: Kiyoshi changing the phrase won't lead to a critical problem. KITA: With the drums, it's recoverable. But the lyrics... we're all like, "What do we do?" when Gotch skips ahead. A tense moment. GOTOH: I've started singing in the middle of the interlude. KITA: With something like that, we can adjust accordingly. But that kind of stuff makes the rest of us nervous. GOTOH: In that sense, I make more mistakes than anyone. Who's the foodie in the band? KITA: Two votes for Yama-chan, two for me... GOTOH: Yama-chan, who are you pointing at? KITA: Yama-chan's vote on Gotch, got it. You think Gotch is the foodie? YAMADA: I don't know, but recently I hear him say he wants to eat this and that. KITA: I think Gotch is often very clear on what he wants to eat. You don't think so? GOTOH: I don't know, maybe? I just say it out loud when I have a taste for something. KITA: But out of all of us, you're a light eater. Your eyes want to eat, not your stomach. GOTOH: Okay, let's move on because I don't need to talk about it. KITA: I wanted to expand on this. GOTOH: It'll get cut anyhow, I'm sure Who finds new genres of music? YAMADA: This is Gotch. GOTOH: Thank you. KITA: You mentioned this earlier, but you listen to different music from many countries. GOTOH: I also have opportunities to listen to many young Japanese artists. KITA: You are versed in young artists too. You're doing things to support young Japanese musicians too. GOTOH: That's true. I hope to continue doing that, to make sure that new talents get discovered. As for international music, we each have our own specialty. You know how at the end of the year, we share the list of our favorites for that year? I've made new discoveries from doing that. KITA: We get to learn new things from it, like what kind of music the other members are listening to. GOTOH: Exactly. Like how I didn't know some of the seasoned artists had new songs out. KITA: I listen to big names in music often. I enjoy that exchange. Who is the best dancer? KITA: Two votes for Yama-chan. YAMADA: As in, sarcastically speaking? IJICHI: I was thinking about the MV for "A Flower Named You." GOTOH: So sarcastically. YAMADA: Gotch did dance in "Clicking My Heels to Love." KITA: Yes, you did dance in "Clicking My Heels to Love." GOTOH: It was rough to remember the choreography. KITA: You learned it overnight, right? GOTOH: Overnight... yes. I got the choreography at like 3 AM and memorized it by the morning. KITA: So in a few hours. But I see you dancing during our live concerts. GOTOH: I'd like to learn how to dance, like Hip-hop. I admire dancers. KITA: Might be a good idea for a vocalist to know how to dance. Who likes to pull pranks? KITA: Are you pointing at yourself, Gotch? GOTOH: I think it's me. KITA: You do like pranks. IJICHI: You doodle on our faces often these days. KITA: On our artist photos and materials. IJICHI: I can't help but laugh when I catch the sight of it during an interview. KITA: He doodles in the middle of an interview. It makes us nervous. GOTOH: Another prank I pulled often was, at the end of a live concert for an encore, Yama-chan got excited and ran out there first, but then the rest of us stopped and didn't go out. KITA: Leaving him out alone on stage... GOTOH: Just Yama-chan. YAMADA: And I didn't even notice. GOTOH: Right. That was fun. Yama-chan's usually quiet, but during live concerts, he gets a bit bossy. KITA: Maybe he has the high potential oil on GOTOH: Yes, like the high potential oil. KITA: To get himself hyped up. GOTOH: That makes me want to let him do his own thing. KITA: You may pull little pranks like that. Okay. Thank you for watching, we're ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION! ALL: Thank you! What’s your favorite ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION song? How did you first discover their music? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out their music right here on Crunchyroll! Check out ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION on Crunchyroll!

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