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(stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
band formed in
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist
Masafumi Gotoh (December 2, 1976) is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin Univ ...
, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. Starting out as a college band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released a series of independent EPs featuring lyrics mostly sung in English. In 2002, they released their major-label EP debut '' Hōkai Amplifier'', from that point singing their lyrics in Japanese. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
acts as well as their own local Japanese
indie-rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...
and punk scene. Their songs incorporate various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast
tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
s and prominent
power chord A power chord (also fifth chord) is a colloquial name for a chord in guitar music, especially electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly played on ...
guitar riffs in addition to rhythmic
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim. Asian Kung-Fu Generation has been cited as one of the best, most balanced
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
bands to emerge from Japan in the 2000s.


History


1996–2002: Formation and indie releases

Asian Kung-Fu Generation was first formed in 1996 when
Masafumi Gotoh (December 2, 1976) is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin Univ ...
, Kensuke Kita, and Takahiro Yamada met while attending a music club at Kanto Gakuin University, a private university in
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. After realizing that they all shared similar musical tastes, the three decided to start their own band. Masafumi Gotoh became the
lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
and played
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
, Kensuke Kita played
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the fe ...
and sang
backup In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "back up", ...
and Takahiro Yamada played bass. Drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi joined them later on after parting with another college band he was in. The four then began providing performances at their university as well as throughout the local
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
area. After graduating from college, following years of playing in several small venues and having collaborated with fellow Japanese rock musician Caramelman, AKFG released their first indie EP in 2000. The six-track EP contained original lyrics written and sung almost entirely in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
. The four spent the remainder of the year playing in clubs and hosting independent events. The year after, the band made an attempt to attain airplay on indie radio stations for their first Japanese single, . The song was eventually picked up by a popular radio DJ and put into heavy rotation on the station FM Yokohama upon the demand of listeners. AKFG then released another indie EP, '' I'm Standing Here''. This time, however, the band wrote songs in Japanese. At this time, the band had begun drawing an increasingly large number of audiences to their shows held in clubs in the districts of
Shibuya Shibuya (渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...
,
Shimokitazawa is a commercial and entertainment area in Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Kitazawa district, hence the name "Shimo-kitazawa" (literally ''lower Kitazawa''). Also known as "Shimokita", the neighbourhood ...
,
Kichijōji __NOTOC__ is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact but popular commercial area to the north and south of Kichijoji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee hous ...
, and
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
.


2002–2004: ''Hōkai Amplifier'' and ''Kimi Tsunagi Five M''

On November 25, 2002, after contributing to the Under Flowers Records compilation, ''Whatch You Gonna Do?'', Asian Kung–Fu Generation officially released their first major-label
mini-album A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...
, . The group enlisted
internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
host and graphic artist Yusuke Nakamura to design and compose their single and album covers. The critically acclaimed EP topped the High Line Records' weekly chart for two consecutive weeks and peaked at number thirty-five on the
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike i ...
indies sales chart. As a result of its success, ''Hōkai Amplifier'' was re-released on April 23, 2003, by the band's new record label, Ki/oon Records, a subsidiary of
Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is oper ...
. A month later, AKFG held their first headline show at Shimokitazawa Club Shelter. That same summer, the band performed at the annual rock festivals of Fuji Rock Festival 03's "ROOKIE A GO GO" and Summer Sonic '03 in Tokyo and
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
. On August 6, the band released their major-label debut single, , with their second single, , following shortly after. Days later, AKG held the first edition of what would become an annual festival, the Nano-Mugen Fes. The event took place on August 11 at the Shinjuku LOFT. The band followed it up by releasing their first full-length studio album, on November 19. The LP sold over 250,000 copies and landed in the number five spot on the Oricon charts in its first week. As their fame and following grew, fans began calling the band simply , an abbreviation of how the band's name is rendered in Japanese.


2004–2005: ''Sol-fa''

As they entered 2004, AKFG received the award for Best New Artist while their video for "Kimi to Iu Hana" won the award for Best Music Video at the
SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV. The prizes have been awarded since 1996. Winners in main categories Best ...
. From January 19 to February 25, AKG held their first headlining tour: Five Nano Seconds. The tour consisted of thirteen shows. On July 1, the band held their third ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents Nano-Mugen Festival at the Tokyo arena
Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...
. Over the course of the following summer, the band played in more than ten summer rock festivals, including Meet The World Beat, Rock In Japan Fes 04, and Fuji Rock Festival 04. Over the course of the year, the band released four more singles: , , and , before finally releasing their second full-length album, on October 20. The album debuted at number-one on the Oricon charts where it stayed for two consecutive weeks and eventually went on to sell more than 600,000 copies. The album received critical praise for its honed sound and high production quality, which thoroughly nullified the language barrier that frequently impeded non– Japanese-speaking audiences. This notion became evident following the domestic release of ''Sol-fa'', when AKFG fans from around the world organized themselves and petitioned for copies of the second album to be distributed outside Japan. The support for Ajikan eventually resulted in Tofu Records striking a contract to release ''Sol-fa'' in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
on October 18, 2005. Additionally, the song "Rewrite" found recognition both domestically as well as on an international level when it was chosen as the fourth opening theme for the anime series '' Fullmetal Alchemist''. Around the same time, their song " Haruka Kanata" enjoyed similar recognition after being used for the second opening of the anime series ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
''. Asian Kung–Fu Generation spent the next two months on a national tour consisting of twelve shows called "Tour SUI CUP 2004 -No! Member, November." The tour included a prestigious headliner at Nippon Budokan arena. The four then released a year-end video DVD, ''izō Sakuhinshū Vol. 1'' on November 26. The DVD is compilation of the
music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for all singles from "Haruka Kanata" to "Kimi no Machi Made," including a never before seen clip of "Siren." The video contains audio commentary for each song, a making-of featurette, and live footage derived from their concerts. In 2016, the song " Re:Re:" was rerecorded and used as the opening for the anime '' Erased''.


2005–2007: ''Fanclub'' and ''Feedback File''

Due in part to their growing recognition, Asian Kung–Fu Generation would dedicate a significant amount of time the next couple of years going on extensive national tours. Between March 14 and June 26 of 2005, AKG went on an extensive sold-out Re:Re Tour, performing at forty-eight concerts in thirty-eight cities throughout Japan. At the same time, the band released their second DVD, '' Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 2: Live at Budokan +''. The two-disc video was the band's very first live DVD, as the first disc contains live footage of the entirety of the final show of their "Tour Suihai 2004 - No!Member, November-," at Budokan, where they performed before an audience of over 10,000 people on December 5, 2004. Meanwhile, the second disc contains clips from their first concert at the Shimokitazawa Shelter Club on November 2, 2004. It also includes behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Toshiaki Toyoda and filmed at Kanto Gakuin University, as well as outtakes from the music video for "Kimi to Iu Hana." Upon its release, the video managed to top the Oricon DVD charts for an entire month. On July 9, AKFG held their fifth Nano-Mugen Festival at
Yokohama Arena is an indoor arena located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five-minute walk from the ...
, where they performed with seven other Japanese and UK bands. To advertise the event, they released a preceding
compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...
that retained one song from each band attending the festival. Over the next summer, AKG attended a host of festivals, including Summer Sonic 05, Rising Sun Rock Fes. 2005, and Rock in Japan Fes. 05. They also appeared as guests on ''GOGOICHI –SPACE SHOWER CHART SHOW–'' on November 27 on SPACE SHOWER TV. The band closed the year by releasing the single, , followed up by a brief tour entitled, "Tour SUI CUP 2005 - Winter Dragon" in December. The band began 2006 with the release of their upcoming album's second single, " World Apart." The single was unique in that it featured a song in which Kensuke Kita stood as lead singer. It was AKFG's first song to achieve number-one single status, also it was the year that the band was finally able to acquire their very own studio. They then took part in live performances in LIVE SUPERNOVA DX on February 16, 2006. On March 15, AKG released their third full-length album, . The album peaked at number three and stayed in the Oricon top five for nearly two months. The following month, the band went on a national tour entitled, Count 4 My 8 Beat. Tickets for all thirty-eight shows quickly sold out. AKFG's sixth annual Nano-Mugen Fes. was held at Yokohama Arena. For two days, Asian Kung–Fu Generation and eleven other bands, including six Japanese bands, three American bands and two English bands, performed. Like the previous year, a
compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...
was released in July to advertise the Nano-Mugen Festival. After three years of attending the Fuji Rock Fes, AKFG had the opportunity to perform on its coveted primary Green Stage for the first time at Fuji Rock Festival 06. To commemorate their ten-year anniversary, Asian Kung–Fu Generation released their first compilation album, '' Feedback File'' on October 25. Rather than featuring hit singles, the nostalgic album was primarily compiled of
B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
, live performances, and old demos from their early indie days. Even though it retained little new material, the compilation was met by commercial success and managed to debut at number two on the Oricon charts. AKFG then went on a two-month arena tour entitled, Tour Sui Cup 2006-2007: The Start of a New Season. Well over 100,000 fans attended this tour, which traveled through eight cities and featured guest performances by bands from Japan and the United States. In the midst of the tour, AKFG was commissioned by the director of the then-upcoming anime film, '' Tekkon Kinkreet'', to compose a theme song for the movie. The band created a song called, and released it as a year-end single prior to the film's debut. As a sign of their increasing cultural prominence, the band came to be parodied in a volume of the popular ''
Hellsing ''Hellsing'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's ''seinen'' manga magazine '' Young King OURs'' from May 1997 to September 2008, with its c ...
''
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
by members of the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
named, "The Vactikung."


2007–2008: Withdrawal and ''World World World''

On March 21, the band released another live DVD, ''Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 3'' that contained footage of their previous tour. Although they took part in various domestic summer festivals, AKFG gradually became more and more withdrawn over the course of 2007 before halting appearances almost entirely, including the lack of their annual Nano-Mugen festival. Nevertheless, the band released the single " After Dark", which debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts and was used as the seventh opening for the anime series ''
Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...
''. In March of the following year, the band released their next album, '' World World World'', accompanied by the single . Despite the lack of media appearances and the significant timespan between releases, the album debuted at #1 on the Oricon album chart. Just a few months after the album's release, Asian Kung–Fu Generation released their second major-label EP, '' Mada Minu Ashita ni'', on June 11, 2008. The mini-album features songs conceived around the time of the recording of their preceding full-length album. Although the EP spawned no singles, the song "Mustang" managed to peak at number fifteen on the
Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...
. The song was the band's very first entry on the newly established chart.


2008–2009: ''Surf Bungaku Kamakura''

The band appeared as a supporting act for a show held at Yokohama Bay Hall by American
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
band
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...
on July 18. Incidentally, Third Eye Blind later appeared for the fourth and final lineup of AKFG's seventh annual Nano-Mugen Festival held at the Yokohama Arena through July 20-21st. The group was but one of a total of sixteen musical acts, originating from Japan, America, and the UK, who performed at the festival alongside Asian Kung–Fu Generation, who later released their third Nano-Mugen disc, '' Nano-Mugen Compilation 2008''. Peaking at number eighteen on the Oricon charts and retaining one song from each of the sixteen groups, the compilation expressed the largest track number within the Nano-Mugen series yet. Additionally, the song , composed by AKFG just for the compilation, managed to peak at number thirty-six on the Japan Hot 100 despite not being released as a single. In September, Asian Kung–Fu Generation had the opportunity to play side by side with
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
, a
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
-based alternative rock band that had played a major influence on their music. The WEEZER FESTIVAL was Weezer's first tour to Japan in three years and in promotion of their '' The Red Album'', they performed on September 13 at
Intex Osaka , officially known as , is a convention and exhibition center in Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The center is located on the Business Creation and Information Transmission Zone of Cosmosquare District in Sakishima Island, a planne ...
and on the 15 at The National Yoyogi First Gymnasium in Tokyo. Asian Kung–Fu Generation, along with fellow Japanese rock band Going Under Ground, performed on both the Osaka and Tokyo stage. They later released their twelfth single Fujisawa Loser in October followed by their fifth studio album Surf Bungaku Kamakura.


2009–2012: ''Magic Disk'' and ''Best Hit AKG''

After a busy 2008, the band spent time touring and writing new material. In March 2009, they released their fifth DVD, ''Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 5'', featuring a collection of live videos from various live events in 2008. In July 2009, Asian Kung–Fu Generation held their annual Nano-Mugen festival. This was accompanied by Nano-Mugen Compilation 2009, which featured a new track, , and tracks from each of the other 16 bands that partook in the festival. At the conclusion of the festival, Gotoh announced the group had started writing and producing a new album. Immediately following Nano-Mugen, the group kicked off their 2009 festival summer season with performances at Korea's Jisan Valley Rock Festival, "Rock in Japan Festival 2009", and "Sweet Love Shower Festival 2009". In October, their sixth DVD, ''Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 6'', was released and was also the band's first release on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
. It featured a concert from their March 2009 hall tour "World World World", which featured a more experimental set design and set list, as well as the use of instruments such as tenori-on and a strings section. The second half of the set included the whole of their 2008 album ''Surf Bungaku Kamakura'' from start to finish. The band released their 13th single, , on December 2, 2009, which featured a DVD of songs from the group's appearance at Jisan Valley Rock Festival earlier in the year. At the same time, the band announced that at the end of March 2010, they would be releasing a new single titled " Solanin", which was to be used as the theme song to the
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...
of the same name. The single featured a remix of "Mustang" from ''Mada Minu Ashita ni'', which was a studio mix of the version played on ''Eizō Sakuhinshū Vol. 6''. The track was also used as the ending theme to the movie. In January 2010, Gotoh posted an entry into his diary stating that they had recorded a Japanese version of
The Rentals The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P" (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...
song "A Rose Is a Rose". In February 2010, the band spent 2 weeks in New York, in which they recorded 2 songs. In the same month it was announced that the band would provide the opening theme for the anime ''
The Tatami Galaxy is a 2004 Japanese varsity novel written by Tomihiko Morimi and published by Ohta Publishing. Its first-person narrator is an unnamed upperclassman at Kyoto University reminiscing on the misadventures of his previous years of campus lif ...
'', which features character design from Yusuke Nakamura, the same artist who illustrates the Ajikan CD covers. The song was titled . A single release is to follow. In April 2010, Gotoh posted an entry into his diary stating that the band's 6th full-length album would be released in June 2010 with the title . In March 2011, the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peni ...
caused the band to cancel the rest of their "2010-2011 Vibration of Music Tour", due to some touring equipment being damaged. Within the next week after the disaster,
Masafumi Gotoh (December 2, 1976) is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin Univ ...
published lyrics on his diary, inspired by the disaster, called . The song was later recorded, and was played on live radio airplay around Japan. In the next month, Gotoh later announced in his diary that they were in the studio, recording new songs. Two new AKG songs were released on the Nano-Mugen Compilation 2011, titled "Hikari" and "All right Part 2". In July 2011, Asian Kung-Fu Generation played live at "Jisan Valley Rock Festival" an annual 3 day music festival held every July at Jisan Valley Ski Resort, in Icheon, South Korea. In November 2011, the band announced that they would release a new single and a best of album. The single, titled "Marching Band", was released on November 30 and the best of album, '' Best Hit AKG'', was released in January 2012 Gotoh announced via Twitter that the best of album does not represent the end of the band, and that they still plan on releasing an original album in summer, 2012.


2012–2015: ''Landmark'' and ''Feedback File 2''

On April 11, 2012, AKFG released the single, titled . It was composed by the band's lead guitarist, Kita. In June 2012, a promotional video was released for a song titled , in promotion of the Nano-Mugen Festival 2012. It is featured on the Nano-Mugen Compilation 2012, released on June 27, 2012. A few days before the 2012 Nano-Mugen Festival, it was announced that a new single, titled , will be released on July 25, 2012. It is also the theme song for '' Naruto the Movie: Road to Ninja'', which was released on July 28. After the 2012 Nano-Mugen Festival, it was also announced on the band's website that a new album would be released on September 12, 2012, titled ''Landmark'', and that a tour would follow in the following month of October in support of the album. A new single, titled , was released on February 20, 2013, and it was featured in a movie, titled . In 2013, Asian Kung-Fu Generation undertook their first European tour, with 3 dates in 3 countries consisting of London (31 May), Paris (2 June) and Cologne (3 June). In September 2013, the band celebrated their 10th anniversary of signing onto a major label by holding a special concert over two days at Yokohama Stadium. This concert included guest performers from
the HIATUS The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden. Members * – vocals, guitar (Ellegarden, MONOEYES) * Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch) * – bass (Radio Caroline, ex-Thee Michelle Gun Elephan ...
,
The Rentals The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp. Sharp has been the only consistent member since the group's inception. The band's best selling single is "Friends of P" (1995). The Rentals released two albums, ''Return of t ...
, Straightener, and
Fujifabric is a Japanese rock band formed in 2000. While their music can be mostly categorized as alternative rock or power pop, their music usually consists of an eclectic mix of genres, including jazz, disco and progressive rock. Name origin Before the ...
. In December of that year, to celebrate their 10th anniversary they embarked on their first Asia Circuit tour, performing in Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan together with Straightener (also celebrating their 10th anniversary) and a local band of each respective country.


2015–2017: ''Wonder Future'' and ''Sol-fa 2016''

In May 2015, the band released their eighth album, '' Wonder Future'', produced by Masafumi Gotoh. The only single from the album, "
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...
" was released in March 2015. To promotion album, they released two music video, "Opera Glasses" and "Planet of the Apes". They held tour named "Asian Kung-fu Generation Tour 2015 (Wonder Future)" from July until October 2015 in Japan and November in Europe. In March 2016, they released live DVD and Blu-ray, ''Eizo Sakuhin Shu Vol.12'' that contains their tour concert in
Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Tokyo I ...
. In 2016, the band released three singles that used as theme song for movie and anime. " Right Now" for theme song 2016 film, '' Pink and Gray'', while the re-recording of " Re:Re:" and " Blood Circulator" used as opening theme song for '' Erased'' and '' Naruto Shippuden'' respectively. To celebrate their 20th anniversary live, they re-recorded ''Sol-fa'' and held tour with setlist contain all songs from ''Sol-fa''. In 2017, they released their tribute album ''AKG Tribute'', box-set ''AKG Box –20th Anniversary Edition–'' that contains their album from ''Hōkai Amplifier'' to ''Wonder Future'' and released live DVD and Blu-ray, ''Eizo Sakuhin Shu Vol.13''. They also released single " Kōya o Aruke" and was used as the theme song for the 2017 anime film, ''
Night Is Short, Walk On Girl is a 2017 Japanese animated romantic comedy film directed by Masaaki Yuasa. The film is based on the 2006 novel ''The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl'' written by Tomihiko Morimi and illustrated by Yusuke Nakamura, who also served as the film's o ...
''. In July 2017, they held tour in USA and South America. In December 2017, they toured with Feeder and performed a new song called "Sleep", written by Feeder.


2018–2021: ''Best Hit AKG 2'' and ''Hometown''

In March 2018, they released ''Best Hit AKG 2'' alongside two bootleg albums, ''HONE'' and ''IMO''. They held a tour called "BONES & YAMS" (based two bootleg album artwork), with Nick Moon as opening act. In September 2018, the band released a single " Boys & Girls". In December 2018, they released their ninth studio album ''Hometown'' with limited edition contains ''Can't Sleep EP''. They decided to split album because they didn't want people to pay double the amount for separate CDs and listening album for one hour more is too long. Both album has collaboration with other musicians such as
Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...
,
Butch Walker Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...
, Grant Nicholas, Ayaka Tatamino, Atsushi Horie, and The Charm Park. To promote the new album, the band have announced a nationwide tour in Japan set for March to July. They also released music videos for "Hometown", "Haikyo no Kioku", "Sleep", "UCLA", "Motor Pool", and "Rainbow Flag", with three latter were result from Creator Auditions hosted by koe Inc. In May 2019, they released double A-side single, " Dororo/Kaihōku". "Dororo" was used as the second opening for 2019 remake anime, '' Dororo''. In October 2019, they had tour called Nano-Iro Electric Tour with Straightener and Ellegarden in three venue, with each band acted as headliner. After the tour, they have announced two concerts in London and Paris alongside two additional concerts in London as opening act for Feeder in November 2019. In January 2020, they announced tour named Tour 2020 Sui Cup 2 -The Song of Apple- that would be performed in May–June. However, the tour was delayed to October 2020 before they cancelled it due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In October 2020, they released new double A-side single, Dialogue/Furetai Tashikametai, with both song were recorded in RAK Studio. They also held special three days concert to replace the cancelled tour. In June 2021, it was announced Asian Kung-Fu Generation would provide the theme song for the new
My Hero Academia is a Japanese superhero manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 2014, with its chapters additionally collected i ...
movie ''My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission'' called "
Empathy Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, co ...
"''.'' In July 2021, it was announced new single "Empathy" and music video collection called ''Eizo Sakuhin Shu vol. 17'' will release on 4 August 2021. They will also embark on a 25th anniversary tour, titled Quarter-Century, in November 2021. In November 2021, they announced special two night concert named More Than a Quarter-Century at
Pacifico Yokohama Pacifico Yokohama (パシフィコ横浜, ''Pashifiko Yokohama''), officially known as , is a convention and exhibition center in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The center located in the western tip of waterfront Minato Mirai 21 district ...
in March 2022.


2022–present: ''Planet Folks''

On March 30, 2022, they released their tenth studio album '' Planet Folks.'' It included three previous singles alongside "Flowers" from Empathy's B-side and guest musicians such as ROTH BART BARON, Rachel of Chelmico, and OMSB. They released three music videos, "You To You", "De Arriba", and "Hoshi no Yori, Hikari no Machi" and they held tour named "Tour 2022 (Planet Folks)" from May to November 2022 in Japan. Also in this tour, they replaced their longest support member Ryosuke Shimomura (who wanted to focus on his solo project) with YeYe, Achico, George, and Kikuchi Takuma. Documentary of ''Planet Folks'' album called "(Planet Folks) 5-hour liner notes" was released on Youtube and divided into several videos. At 2022
Space Shower Music Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV is a Japanese music television channel operated by Space Shower Networks, In ...
, they were awarded "Best Respect Artist". In August 2022, they performed in Summer Sonic 2022 festival for first time since 2005. New single, " Demachiyanagi Parallel Universe" was selected as the opening theme of anime series '' The Tatami Galaxy's'' sequel, ''Tatami Time Machine Blues'', which premiered in September 2022. In December 2022, it was announced that the song "Shukuen" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation will be the theme song for the 12th opening of the anime series '' Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.'' The single with the same name will be released on February 8th 2023.


Musical style

The musical style of Asian Kung-Fu Generation largely has been influenced by seminal 1990s
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...
and
indie-rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...
bands, particularly
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
,
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
,
Teenage Fanclub Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared l ...
,
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...
,
Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ...
,
Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
,
Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...
and
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...
.Asian Kung-Fu Generation Fansite Flash Back! - Profile
This is in conjunction with a wide variety of other genres, ranging from
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
, garage, new wave,
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
, and heavy metal. Members of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION have imparted to being fans of Western music groups including
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing i ...
,
The Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo ...
and King Bee as well as fellow Japanese acts such as Number Girl, Eastern Youth, and
Hi-Standard Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Jap ...
. As a result, many of the band's songs maintain a distinct balance of various elements of the genres, most typically expressing fast
tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
s, strong
melodies A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...
, clear vocals, loud and distorted guitars,
power chord A power chord (also fifth chord) is a colloquial name for a chord in guitar music, especially electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly played on ...
sequences, rhythmic
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
,
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
-filled
refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the v ...
s, transgressive lyrics, and emotional delivery. Over the course of their career, the members of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, like most
Japanese rock , sometimes abbreviated to , is rock music from Japan. Influenced by American and British rock of the 1960s, the first rock bands in Japan performed what is called Group Sounds, with lyrics almost exclusively in English. Folk rock band Happy End ...
musicians, prefer to slightly expand their core sonic style with every release rather than drastically reinvent themselves. However, with their sixth studio album, the band uncharacteristically incorporated
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...
instruments,
synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
, and string arrangements into their music. Ijichi is also a skilled
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and can be heard playing an excerpt of "Claire de Lune" from French composer
Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...
's ''
Suite bergamasque ''Suite bergamasque'' ( L. 75) () is a piano suite by Claude Debussy. He began composing it around 1890, at the age of 28, but significantly revised it just before its 1905 publication. The popularity of the 3rd movement, "Clair de lune", has m ...
'' on their third studio album '' Fanclub''. Leader singer
Masafumi Gotoh (December 2, 1976) is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin Univ ...
typically employs quiet-loud dynamics, as his vocal style often alternates between soft, melodic singing, and harder, harsher, yelling. Gotoh serves as the band's main
songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
and is responsible writing a majority of their lyrics alongside playing the
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
. However, Gotoh tends to share songwriting duties among his bandmates, particularly with bassist Takahiro Yamada, whom he sometimes harmonizes with on songs. Lead guitarist Kensuke Kita also serves as a backup singer, and has been known to sing lead vocals on occasion.


Band members

;Current members *
Masafumi Gotoh (December 2, 1976) is the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of the Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Masafumi met fellow band members Kensuke Kita and Takahiro Yamada while attending a music club of Kanto Gakuin Univ ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Kensuke Kita – lead guitar, backing vocals * Takahiro Yamada – bass, backing vocals * Kiyoshi Ijichi – drums, percussion ;Touring members *Achico – backing vocals (2022–present) *George (Mop of Head) – keyboards (2022–present) *Takuma Kikuchi (Mop of Head) – keyboards (2022–present) *YeYe – backing vocals (2022–present) ;Former touring members *Daisuke Kanazawa – keyboards (2010–2011) *Ai Iwasaki – backing vocals (2012–2013) *Shigeo Mihara – percussion (2012–2013) *Tadashi Ueda – keyboards, guitar (2012–2013) *Ryōsuke Shimomura – keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals (2013–2021)


Discography

;Studio albums *'' Kimi Tsunagi Five M'' (2003) *'' Sol-fa'' (2004) *'' Fanclub'' (2006) *'' World World World'' (2008) *'' Surf Bungaku Kamakura'' (2008) *'' Magic Disk'' (2010) *''
Landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
'' (2012) *'' Wonder Future'' (2015) *''
Hometown Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to: *A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth. *In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soc ...
'' (2018) *'' Planet Folks'' (2022)


Awards and nominations

;
American Anime Awards The American Anime Awards were a series of awards designed to recognize excellence in the release of anime and manga in North America. The first annual American Anime Awards balloting was supervised by Milton Griepp of industry website ICv2. Th ...
, - , 2007 , " Rewrite"
, Best Anime Theme Song , ;
CD Shop Awards The is an annual set of music awards presented in Japan. It is sponsored by All-Japan CD Shop Clerks Union and awarded based on votes by CD shop clerks from all over Japan. It is referred to as a "music edition of Japan Booksellers' Award". Abs ...
, - , 2017 , '' Sol-fa'' , Revisited Award , , - , 2021 , ''Nana-Iro Electric Tour 2019''
, Live Work Award , ;
Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in the field of music. Categories *Artist of the Year *New Artist of the Year *Best Enka/Kayokyoku Artist *Best Enka/Kayokyoku New Artist *Single of the Year *Song of the ...
, - , 2004 , Asian Kung-Fu Generation , New Artist of the Year , , - , 2005 , ''Sol-fa'' , Rock & Pop Album of the Year , ;
MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online votin ...
, - , rowspan="2",
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
, rowspan="2", " Kimi no Machi Made" , Best Rock Video , , - ,
Best Group Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Group (also known as the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video) is given to recording artists at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). The award was introduced at the inaugural ceremony in 1984 by vocalis ...
, , - ,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...
, " World Apart" , Best Rock Video , , - ,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
, " Aru Machi no Gunjō" , Best Rock Video , , - ,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
, " Solanin"
,
Best Video from a Film The MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film was first awarded in 1987, recognizing the best videos whose songs were a part of a movie soundtrack or featured in a film. As time went on, though, music videos taken from movie soundtracks beca ...
, ; Newtype Anime Awards , - , 2016 , " Re:Re:"
, Best Theme Song , ;
Space Shower Music Video Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV. The prizes have been awarded since 1996. Winners in main categories Best ...
, - , 2004 , " Kimi to Iu Hana" , Best New Artist , , - , 2005 , "Kimi no Machi Made" , Best Concept Video , , - , 2006 , " Blue Train" , Best Group Video , , - , 2008 , " After Dark" , Best Rock Video , , - , 2009 , " Fujisawa Loser" , Conceptual Video , , - , 2010 , " Shinseiki no Love Song" , Best Rock Video , , - , 2015 , "Rolling Stone" , Best Video , ;Space Shower Music Awards , - , 2016 , Asian Kung-Fu Generation , Best Rock Artist , , - , 2017 , Asian Kung-Fu Generation , Best Rock Artist , , - , 2019 , Asian Kung-Fu Generation , Best Group Artist , , - , 2022 , Asian Kung-Fu Generation , Best Respect Artist ,


Notes


References


External links


Asian Kung-Fu Generation official website

Asian Kung-Fu Generation Japanese official website

Nano-Mugen official website

Asian Kung-Fu Generation Interview with Newsmaker Magazine
* *
Gotoh's Official Facebook
{{Authority control Ki/oon Music artists Japanese rock music groups Japanese indie rock groups Japanese alternative rock groups Japanese pop punk groups Musical groups established in 1996 Kanto Gakuin University Musical groups from Kanagawa Prefecture