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Kenshi Yonezu‘s recently released new song, “KICK BACK,” was created as the opening theme of the TV anime series Chainsaw Man. Yonezu wrote the music and lyrics himself, and Daiki Tsuneta (King Gnu, millennium parade) joined him to work on its arrangement.

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“KICK BACK” has taken the charts by storm. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Oct. 19-dated Billboard Japan Hot 100, and is creating waves around the world, having become the first song by a Japanese artist to make it into Spotify’s Top 50 Global daily song ranking.

Chainsaw Man, based on a comic by Tatsuki Fujimoto, is the story of Denji, a Devil Hunter, who enters a contract with a Chainsaw Devil that enables him to turn into “Chainsaw Man” to fight devils and Fiends. Part 1, the “Public Safety Arc,” was published in Weekly Shonen Jump starting in 2019, and Shonen Jump+ began publishing Part 2, the “School Arc,” in July 2022. The anime adaptation has drawn a great deal of interest because it was produced by MAPPA, which is also responsible for Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri!!! on Ice, and Attack on Titan, and because the ending themes of each of its 12 episodes were written by different artists, such as Vaundy, Zutomayo, and Aimer.

In the interview below with Billboard Japan, Kenshi Yonezu discusses the creative process behind “KICK BACK.”

What was your initial response when they asked you to write the opening theme to Chainsaw Man?

Yonezu: I’d always wanted to write it. When I read the comic, I’d often think about what kind of theme I’d write for it if they made an anime adaptation. When it was actually decided that I’d be the one creating the theme for the show, I was overjoyed. I’d been thinking about what kind of song I’d write before anyone had even brought up the possibility of my actually writing it.

What do you like about Chainsaw Man?

Yonezu: In the comic, demons are constantly hurting people in grotesque ways. The world it depicts is a very serious one, but the central character, Denji, is, how should I say this…just an idiot. Denji’s presence turns this negative environment and serious story into a comedy. That makes it really fun. It’s about a guy with no education working really diligently and seriously and just making a total mess of things. I’d never seen anything like that before, and it’s just delightful.

You said that even before you were approached, you’d been thinking about what kind of music you’d create. What were your first ideas?

Yonezu: First, I wanted to go with drum and bass. There’s still a bit of that in “KICK BACK,” but during the demo stage it was crazy drums with long synth phrases, true drum and bass style.

How did you start actually going about writing the song?

Yonezu: I started by meeting the director and the people on the anime production end. I remember the director asking that I “make the song like a roller coaster.” Lots of transitions, with dramatic changes between parts, so it felt like different songs. A song with big differences between the highs and lows. He wanted a song that would fling you around, and before you knew it the song would have ended. At first, it felt like he was talking about something really difficult, but when I thought about it more, I realized that the word he used, tencho, could be used to refer to both a change of key and also to a change in the tone of the music. I didn’t know which one he was asking for, so I decided to do both.

Chainsaw Man can be looked at from all kinds of different directions. Which aspects of it did you try to express through music?

Yonezu: The thing that jumps out at you first about Chainsaw Man is its grotesqueness. Denji rips apart all kinds of things and kills devils in gory ways, and those blood-spattered depictions stand out. Since I was writing the opening theme, I thought it would be good to make a song that unfolds Chainsaw Man and provides an overview of the story.

Also, Chainsaw Man‘s story is one of betrayal after betrayal, and at the heart of this story you have this complete idiot, Denji. It constantly skates the line, teetering on the edge of completely breaking down with this really pop sensibility. It’s a really thrilling comic, so I thought it might be great to express that feel in the music. 

Kenshi Yonezu

Courtesy Photo

“KICK BACK” has a line, “Doryoku, Mirai, A Beautiful Star” (“Hard Work, Future, A Beautiful Star”) that’s from the Morning Musume. Song, “So Da! We’re ALIVE.” What gave you that idea?

Yonezu: Pure intuition. I don’t know why, but I just wanted to do it. I had my heart set on using that line no matter what.

The song came out in the year 2000. Did you listen to it back when it was new?

Yonezu: Yes. It was the music of my generation, so I listened to it a lot when I was in elementary school. During the chorus of “So Da! We’re ALIVE,” they sing “Shiawase ni naritai” (“I want to be happy”). The way they sing it is like “Shi—yawase.” That really jumped out at me when I was a kid. Instead of pronouncing it “shiawase,” they pronounced it “shiyawase.” Sometimes when my friends and I were playing, we’d just sing that part at each other, and it really made a strong impression. When I started working on the opening theme to Chainsaw Man, I remembered that. Once those two things connected, the rest flowed faster. I listened to the Morning Musume. song again and I was like “It’s gotta be this.” If I was going to write the opening theme for Chainsaw Man, I had to sample this, there were no two ways about it.

The chorus has lyrics like “fill it up with happiness” and “fill it up with luck.” Would you say that “happiness” is a key word?

Yonezu: Denji was born in just dire circumstances, and I think when people are confronted with that kind of misfortune, they stop thinking about specifics. It’s more like “I just want to be happy.” They don’t think as far as “Well then, what should I do to become happy?”  That’s why I felt I needed to go with simple words like “happiness” and “luck.”

You and Daiki Tsuneta worked together on the arrangement of the song. You two have long been close friends, but what led you to working on this song together?

Yonezu: Once, when Daiki and I were drinking together, we got to talking about Chainsaw Man, and we were like “It’s awesome! What a great comic!” One day, after they approached me to write the opening theme, I went drinking with Daiki again, and I said, “Hey, come to think of it, I’m doing the music for Chainsaw Man. Do you want to do it together?” It was a really casual process that lead to the collaboration.

What essence did Tsuneta add to the song?

Yonezu: I was really impressed with him yet again. My demo took a stoic drum and bass approach, but he gave it an extra boost by adding a rough, hoodlum-like feel.

Kenshi Yonezu

Courtesy Photo

KICK BACK is already creating quite a stir in Japan and overseas. What are your feelings on reactions to it, including its activity in the charts?

Yonezu: I’m happy to see it. Above all else, I think Chainsaw Man is wonderful. The opening animation, especially — I’d say it’s the best of any anime I’ve ever seen.

I’m sure that there are people overseas who’ve learned the name “Kenshi Yonezu” thanks to this. You, as an artist, have been highly influenced by young adult comic and animation culture. I think one of the notable features about modern Japanese pop culture is having musicians like you writing the theme songs for anime. What do you think you’ve taken from young adult comic and animation culture? What aspects of that culture do you carry on in yourself and your work?

Yonezu: I’d originally wanted to be a comic creator. It’s not so much a case of comics influencing a musician as someone who wanted to be a comic artist but ended up being a musician instead. So, inside me, I still have that child, that pre-teen, that wanted to be a comic creator. I drew comics since I was little, but then I switched to music, so I’ve never really experienced failure in my comic aspirations. If I’d really tried to become a comic creator, I’d have had all kinds of different experiences. Maybe I’d have brought my creations in to an editor, who would point out problems and issues, and I’d think, “I guess I just don’t have any talent when it comes to comics.” But I’ve never experienced that, so there’s still a part of me that thinks that maybe I am a comic creator — that maybe I’d be better at comics than at music. I don’t feel like a musician that was influenced by comics, but more like someone who has kept writing music as if he were writing comics. So the two are tied up really tightly together.

You drew the Chainsaw Man illustration on the artwork of the single. What meaning or ideas went into it?

Yonezu: The first version had three figures on it — Denji, Aki Hayakawa, and Power. But when I looked at the finished version, I thought, “No, that’s not right.” So then I decided to go with a movie poster-like visual, which is what led to the final jacket illustration. The composition, with the arm, was influenced by the poster for Parasite. On the Parasite poster, there are these legs jutting into the poster from the side. I like the disturbing feel that creates. When I applied that sense of disquiet, that cool tone, and that feeling of miserableness to Chainsaw Man, the jacket illustration is what came out.

What are your feelings on the style Tatsuki Fujimoto uses in Chainsaw Man?

Yonezu: There are elements of the story that really evoke sympathy. Partly because we’re around the same age, I feel like we’ve seen similar things in our lives. He has an amazing imagination, and the artistic ability to bring it all to life. He creates things that only he could. I think he’s a rare genius.

–This interview Tomonori Shiba first appeared on Billboard Japan.

In January, HIP LAND MUSIC launched FRIENDSHIP. DAO, an artist-driven Web3 community project that is a pioneering initiative for the Japanese music industry. The profit structure of the music industry is changing, and FRIENDSHIP. DAO aims to bring together all those who support artists and music, creating a community that can lead to multiple collaborations through ongoing musical activities. We talked with Yuto Uchino from The fin., who is active not only in Japan but overseas as well, and Shacho from SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS, about FRIENDSHIP. DAO’s potential and ideals.

Jay Kogami: What led you to create FRIENDSHIP. DAO?

Yuto Uchino: I’ve been part of the digital distributor FRIENDSHIP., serving as a curator, since it was first launched. When I was working with my team to develop a broad range of ideas for a DAO, I realized that the FRIENDSHIP.’s activity philosophy had a lot in common with DAOs. FRIENDSHIP. DAO began when our team decided to use a DAO to address problems which couldn’t be solved with Web2.0, and to solve as yet unresolved problems faced by the music market, which has developed along the lines of music streaming. This all happened at the same time that overseas independent artists were starting to generate buzz by releasing their music using NFTs. A growing number of people around me were investing in cryptocurrency, so I was kept constantly abreast of information about Web3. However, even then, I realized that there wasn’t much affinity between NFTs and music.

Kogami: What do you mean?

Yuto Uchino: Most of what people were talking about in relation to NFTs were high value transactions. However, when music was released using NFTs, you didn’t hear about whether it actually reached people; whether they shared it; whether they heard it. These kinds of questions went unanswered.

Conceptually, a DAO is created and operated as a new organization. Unlike existing structures, in which everything is focused on platforms operated by large companies, like streaming services and YouTube, in the DAO, we created a new organization focused on the music itself, connecting different people and pointing to a new future for the music industry. In particular, with FRIENDSHIP.DAO we want to use Web3 technologies to visualize and restructure the human networks that are so hard to see in the industry.

Kogami: What specific music-related problems do you think Web2.0 has been unable to address?

Yuto Uchino: For a lot of indie artists, streaming on streaming services does not translate into actual sales. CDs also sell less, and it’s making it harder to raise money for activities. In the music streaming business, the flow of money has become concentrated and centralized, making it harder for indie artists and DIY artists to raise funds. This centralized distribution of money has weakened the underground and indie scene, and there are fears that the whole framework of new music creation may break down.

Kogami: Shacho, what do you think?

Shacho: We’re targeting both fans in Japan and overseas, and the way people access music overseas is totally different from Japan. Overseas, artists are constantly announcing fresh new songs on Bandcamp, and this has become an established approach. Artists around the world on the frontlines of the jazz scene are releasing new works and achieving strong sales and physical distribution, simultaneously, across national borders. The distribution system is very different in Japan. Looking from the outside at the speed with which things move overseas, it’s very frustrating not to be able to take part in it.

Kogami: Bandcamp’s service was created based on the music framework that was in place before the rise of streaming, so it’s interesting to see that it still draws so many artists and fans.

Shacho: Bandcamp has social media functions, too, so you can see songs that were purchased by famous DJs or by other people whose musical tastes are similar to your own. It fuses the best parts of Web2.0 and traditional media.

Kogami: One of the things you’re trying to do with FRIENDSHIP.DAO is to create sustainable revenue streams for all kinds of artists. What kind of approaches do you think you can use to achieve that?

Yuto Uchino: When talking about generating revenue and compensation, one major problem is that, under Japanese law, you cannot use cryptocurrency for transactions. If this issue was addressed, it would make it easier for Japanese artists popular with overseas audiences and active in overseas music scenes to connect with people outside Japan.

To enable artists to make money on FRIENDSHIP.DAO, we’re envisioning introducing a point system. We’re thinking about setting things up so that when work or collaborations are performed, points are assigned based on people’s actions. We’d like to use cryptocurrency for payments in the future.

Kogami: Who can take part in the DAO?

Yuto Uchino: In its first stage, it’ll be artists that are releasing music through FRIENDSHIP. In the future, we also plan to open this up to foreign artists. Then we’ll expand the scope to all kinds of people working in the music industry. The way we see the DAO as being used is for contributing to communication between people working in the industry, stimulating business. Ultimately, we’d like to make it possible for listeners to participate as well, directly connecting the people who listen to music with the artists that create it.

Kogami: What, specifically, is your first goal? 

Yuto Uchino: We’re not looking at trying to achieve profitability in the DAO’s first stage. Instead, we want to reinforce the elements that serve as communication tools, helping participants broaden their networks. Our goal is to connect talented people, skilled engineers, and people with specialized knowledge, who are buried in the industry’s current structure, by relaying job offers and giving them the right to take part in projects. The decentralized organizational structure of a DAO will change the methods by which people take part in musical activities and projects, and will change how they contribute at a personal level. I think this organizational structure is a great fit for the music market.

Kogami: If you were able to find promoters outside Japan, you’d want to collaborate on projects with them, right?

Yuto Uchino: FRIENDSHIP.DAO would create synergy by visualizing networks of people overseas who can support Japanese artists. We also plan to make it possible to credit them in artists’ works. With FRIENDSHIP.DAO, we’re employing a mechanism to visualize credits by recording them in a blockchain.

Kogami: What hopes do you have for the Web3-native artists and creators that we’re likely to see in the future?

Shacho: As a creator, I want to see them create music with even better sound quality. However, in the music streaming era, the mainstream approach is now to create music with low audio fidelity, optimized for the speakers of mobile devices. I’m very curious to see if Web3 creative activities restore the value placed on audio quality. I’m also interested in how musical experiences and entertainment will be created for the metaverse. Of course, real-life, live music will live on. We can’t allow it to disappear. I’m just worried that, as musical experiences become more divided, such as through VR performances in the metaverse, audio quality might degrade even further.

Yuto Uchino: Future generations of artists won’t just be able to access music around the world, it’ll also become commonplace for them to collaborate with artists throughout the globe. Creators will connect with each other regardless of their countries and where they’re active, so we’ll see new, unprecedented music being made. I’m looking forward to hearing the music created through these collaborations. I also want to get started on these kinds of creative activities myself.

Shacho: I think that Web3 will be a great fit for Japanese artists and bands with a strong overseas focus. Translation technology has also evolved quite a bit, so the language barrier is shrinking. Using DAOs and NFTs and communicating in English from the very start will, I think, turn into a way to connect with the world at large.

–This article by Jay Kogami first appeared on Billboard Japan.

Kenshi Yonezu dropped the music video accompanying his new song “KICK BACK,” the opener for the popular anime series Chainsaw Man.

The “Lemon” hitmaker’s latest track hit No. 1 on five Billboard Japan charts — the Japan Hot 100, Top Streaming Songs, Top Download Songs, Hot Animation and Top User Generated Songs — after its release on Oct. 12 at midnight.

Thirty-year-old music producer Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu and millennium parade, who co-arranged the song with Yonezu, appears in the music video alongside the 31-year-old singer-songwriter. The visuals released Wednesday (Oct. 26) sees Yonezu frantically working out at a gym to outperform a cool rival played by Tsuneta, taking a mind-bending turn when Yonezu begins running on a treadmill and ending with a final, chilling twist.

The video was directed by 31-year-old photographer and visual artist Yoshiyuki Okuyama, who worked with Yonezu on his artist photos and the award-winning music video for “Kanden.”

Watch the “KICK BACK” video below: