is a Japanese alternative rock group from

Sakura, Chiba is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Sakura is located in northeastern C ...

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 north ...

. The band members are Motoo Fujiwara ( vocals, rhythm), Hiroaki Masukawa ( guitar), Yoshifumi Naoi (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) and Hideo Masu (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). Since their conception in 1994, they have released 27 singles and 10 albums. They are a popular group in Japan; every release since their third single, "

Tentai Kansoku is the third single by Bump of Chicken. The title track is from the album ''Jupiter''. "Tentai Kansoku" was used as the second ending theme for '' Teasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie'' (2022), covered by the main character's voice actor, Takaha ...

", has charted in the top ten on the Oricon Weekly Charts. Their music has been used in various video games and as theme songs for movies, television shows and anime in

History

The members first met in kindergarten and were classmates throughout their primary and secondary education. Bump of Chicken's first performance was in 1994, during their ninth grade cultural festival, playing a cover of The Beatles' version of " Twist and Shout". In 1996, their song "Danny" won an award on 96TFM. In 1999, Bump of Chicken released their first album, ''

Flame Vein ''Flame Vein'' is the first studio album by Bump of Chicken, released on March 18, 1999. One track, " Arue", was later released as a limited print single. Another, "Little Braver", was later released on the "Lamp" single as a B-side. It was re-rel ...

'', on High Line Records. Later that year, they released their first single, "

Lamp Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to: Lighting * Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source * Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel * Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity * Light fixture, or ligh ...

". In 2000, they released ''The Living Dead'', their final release on High Line. They also held their first live tour, "", during March and April. Later in 2000, the group switched to Toy's Factory, releasing their first single on the label, " Diamond", in September. Bump of Chicken's first big success occurred when their single, "

", appeared on the Oricon Weekly Charts in 2001. They held two live tours, " 2001" beginning in March and "Surf Porkin'" beginning in July. In October, they released "

Harujion is the fourth single by Bump of Chicken. The title track is from the album ''Jupiter''. Track listing # (Fujiwara Motoo) # (Fujiwara, Naoi Yoshifumi) #"Love" (Hidden track) Personnel *Fujiwara Motoo — Guitar, vocals *Masukawa Hiroaki — Gu ...

". They released their first album on Toy's Factory, '' Jupiter'', in February 2002 and it was their first number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts. In the summer of 2002, their music was featured on the Japanese TV drama ''Tentai Kansoku'', giving them more exposure. At the end of 2002, the group released the single "

Snow Smile is the fifth single by Bump of Chicken. The title track is from the album . Track listing All tracks written by Fujiwara Motoo. # — 5:07 # — 3:26 #"Tinpost: Uncle On (Hidden track) — 2:59 Personnel *Fujiwara Motoo — Guitar, vocals *Masu ...

". 2003 saw the release of their first double A-side single "

Lost Man/Sailing day is the sixth single by Bump of Chicken. The title tracks are from the album . "Lost Man" is the song that writing took time most from summer of 2002 to the end of the year. Also "Sailing Day" featured as the end theme to the animated movie '' One ...

". " Sailing Day" was used as the ending theme to the animated movie '' One Piece: Dead End Adventure''. The beginning of 2004 saw a slew of re-releases. " Arue", from their album ''Flame Vein'', was released as a single in March. They re-released their first two albums in April. ''Flame Vein'' received an extra song and was re-released as ''

Flame Vein +1 ''Flame Vein'' is the first studio album by Bump of Chicken, released on March 18, 1999. One track, " Arue", was later released as a limited print single. Another, "Little Braver", was later released on the "Lamp" single as a B-side. It was re-rel ...

''. ''The Living Dead'' received no modifications. In July, the group released "

Only Lonely Glory is the eighth single by Bump of Chicken. The title track was on the album . It is their first number one single on Oricon Weekly Charts. Track listing All tracks written by Fujiwara Motoo. # # # (Hidden track) Personnel *Fujiwara Motoo — Guit ...

", which became their first single to chart at number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts. A month later, they released their fourth album, '' Yggdrasil'', which was their second album to reach number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts. Shortly after, they released "

Sharin no Uta is the ninth single by Bump of Chicken. The title track is from the album . The second B-side is a remix of "Snow Smile", also from ''Yggdrasil''. Track listing All tracks written by Fujiwara Motoo. # # # # (Hidden track) Personnel *Fujiwara Mo ...

", from ''Yggdrasil'', as a single. In 2005, Bump of Chicken released two singles, "

Planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

" and second double A-side single "

Supernova/Karma is the eleventh single by Bump of Chicken, released on November 23, 2005. The title tracks are from the album '' Orbital Period''. "Karma" was used as the opening theme for the video game and animated series '' Tales of the Abyss''. Track listin ...

". Karma was used as the theme song for Namco's " Tales of the Abyss". The band's next single, " Namida no Furusato" was used in a commercial for Lotte Airs. It became the group's second number one single. In 2007, they released the singles "

Hana no Na is the thirteenth single by Bump of Chicken, released on October 24, 2007. The title track is from the album ''Orbital Period''. The single peaked at #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts in front of , which was released on the same day. Track listing ...

" and "

Mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...

" on the same day. The two singles reached number one and two respectively on the Oricon Weekly Charts. Bump of Chicken released their fifth studio album, '' Orbital Period'', on December 19, 2007. They released their first compilation album ''

present from you ''Present from You'' is a B-side collection by Bump of Chicken, released on June 18, 2008. Track listing Personnel *Fujiwara Motoo — vocals, guitar *Masukawa Hiroaki — guitar *Naoi Yoshifumi — bass *Masu Hideo — drums A drum kit ...

'' on June 18, 2008. This album contains b-sides from singles and other non-album tracks. On November 25, 2009, Bump of Chicken released its third double A-side single " R.I.P./Merry Christmas", their first single in two years. On April 14, 2010, they released "

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sinc ...

" and then in the following week, another single, "

Mahō no Ryōri (Kimi kara Kimi e) is the seventeenth single by Bump of Chicken, released on April 21, 2010, just 1 week after the preceding single "Happy". It was written just before Fujiwara turned 30, based on the concept of him talking to his younger self. It was also used by ...

". These two singles also reached number one consecutively for two weeks on the Oricon Weekly Charts, the first time a band achieved this since Orange Range's "Love Parade" and "Onegai! Señorita" in 2005. They released a fourth double A-side single " Uchūhikōshi e no Tegami/Motorcycle" on October 13, 2010, and they released a music video for the song on Toy's Factory's YouTube channel on September 14, 2010, which surpassed 200,000 views in two days. On December 15, 2010, they released their sixth studio album, '' Cosmonaut'', but it did not feature the song "

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

". In 2011, Bump of Chicken announced that they wrote the song "

Tomodachi no Uta "Tomodachi no Uta" is the single by Japanese singer Ataru Nakamura for her first studio album, "Ten made Todoke" (2007). It was written by Nakamura herself and Kiyohide Ura. Chart performance After its major release from avex, "Tomodachi no Uta ...

" as the theme song for the animated 3D movie '' Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops: ~Angel Wings~'', and "Tomodachi no Uta" was released as the single on February 23, 2011. They also released two singles, " Smile" on May 11, 2011, and " Zero" on October 19, 2011. "Zero" was used as the theme song for video game by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...

, ''

Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, ''Type-0'' is part of the ''Fabula Nova Crystallis'' subseries, a set of games sharing a common my ...

''. Also in 2012, they released two more singles " Good Luck" and "

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

", in January and September 2012, respectively. "Good Luck" was featured as the end theme to the Japanese film

Always Sanchōme no Yūhi '64 is a 2012 Japanese drama film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, based on the manga ''Sunset on Third Street'' by Ryōhei Saigan. It is a sequel to '' Always: Sunset on Third Street 2'' (2007). The film was released on 21 January 2012. ...

. On March 6, 2013, Bump of Chicken released their first live video and album ''

Bump of Chicken Gold Glider Tour 2012 Bump or Bumps may refer to: * A collision or impact * A raised protrusion on the skin such as a pimple, goose bump, prayer bump, lie bumps, etc. Infrastructure and industry * Coal mine bump, a seismic jolt occurring within a mine * Bump (un ...

'', recorded live at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan, on July 3, 2012. On September 29, 2020, Bump of Chicken released the single "Acacia", which was featured in a music video named "GOTCHA!" uploaded on the

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

YouTube channel to celebrate the release of the

Crown Tundra A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

DLC in Pokémon Sword and Shield for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

Band members

Motoo Fujiwara

is the

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, lyricist,

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 ...

ist, and main vocalist of the group. He has written most of the music, and has also drawn the artwork for their albums ''The Living Dead'' and ''Yggdrasil''. In March 2006, he released a solo album entitled ''Song for Tales of the Abyss'', which included "Karma" and instrumental versions of songs from the game '' Tales of the Abyss''. He uses a Gibson 1960 Les Paul Special Single Cutaway, Sonic fender, Gibson J-45. In August 2020, Fujiwara got married. * Birth date: * Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture * Position: composer/lyricist/vocalist/rhythm guitarist

Hiroaki Masukawa

is the

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

of the group, and also writes most of the hidden joke tracks for albums. His nicknames within the band are "Hiro", "Hose", (meaning "very thin"), and "Nikke". He uses a Gibson Les Paul Standard, Fender Stratocaster. * Birth date: * Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture * Position: lead guitarist

Yoshifumi Naoi

is the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

of the group, and is referred to as the "crowd pleaser". He has released an artbook containing his works, and helped with some album artwork. His nickname within the band is "Chama", a play on the Japanese phrase "Obotchama" referring to a rich family's son. He uses a Sonic Bass, Fender Jazz Bass 65. On September 18, 2020, an article was published detailing an affair he had in 2016 and 2017 while hiding the fact that he was married and a father. Later the same day, he published an apology for his behavior, and announced that he would be taking a break from music. On June 6, 2021, he published yet another, longer apology for the same incident, at the same time announcing his return to the band. * Birth date: * Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture * Position: bassist

Hideo Masu

is the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

for the band. He uses a Canopus Maple Shell. * Birth date: * Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture * Position: drummer

Songs in popular culture

Their single "Arue" is a song dedicated to the fictional character Rei Ayanami, from the anime series ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion' ...

''. The song is listed as R.A., the initials of the aforementioned character. Their song "Sailing Day" is used at the end credits of the animated film '' One Piece The Movie: Dead End no Bōken''. The same song is also featured in the '' Guitar Freaks'' and '' Drummania'' series of arcade games. The songs "Tentai Kansoku", "K", "Sailing Day", "Karma" and "Mayday" were later used in the musical arcade game by Bemani in GuitarFreaks, DrumMania,

Jubeat , stylized as ''jubeat'', is a series of arcade music video games developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, and is a part of Konami's Bemani line of music video games. The series uses an arrangement of 16 buttons in a 4x4 grid for gameplay ...

Reflec Beat Limelight , stylized as BEMANI, is Konami's music video game division. Originally named the Games & Music Division (G.M.D.), it changed its name in honor of its first and most successful game, '' Beatmania'', and expanded into other music-based games, m ...

and Pop'n Music. "Tentai Kansoku" was also featured in '' Metcha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Nanatsu no Shima no Daibouken''. "Tentai Kansoku" and "Karma" were also featured as covers by the band Afterglow in the mobile game for '' BanG Dream!''. The song "Karma" from their "Supernova / Karma" single is the main theme for Namco's '' Tales of the Abyss'' video game. It also is used on the anime adaptation of the game as the opening theme. The movie '' Doraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops—Winged Angels'' released on March 5, 2011, uses BUMP OF CHICKEN's song "Tomodachi no Uta" as its ending song. All 4 members have loved Doraemon for its unique and loving characters and story and have said that it is an honor to be chosen to sing for the new Doraemon movie. The song "Hello, World!" from their "Hello World! / Colony" single is used as the opening song of the TV anime adaptation of the manga '' Blood Blockade Battlefront''. Their song "Zero" was also featured as the opening song for ''

''. Their songs are used as the opening and closing themes for episodes 1-11 of the anime, '' March Comes in like a Lion'' (３月のライオン). The opening is "Answer", while the closing is "Fighter". Around 2014, before the manga was adapted into an anime, they and the manga's author, Chika Umino, collaborated to make a CGI music video set to their single, "Fighter". The video was made into a stand-alone story promoting the original

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 u ...

, called ''March Comes in like a Lion meets BUMP OF CHICKEN''. In early April 2017 they posted a long form music video for ''Answer'' to YouTube. Their song "GO" was featured as the opening song for the 2017 anime adaptation of the Japanese mobile game, '' Granblue Fantasy''. Their songs "Sirius" and "Spica" are the opening and closing theme songs respectively for Satelight's (Shoji Kawamori) anime '' Juushinki Pandora'', released in 2018. Their song "Gekkou" was used as the opening song for the 2018 TV anime adaptation of the manga ''

Karakuri Circus is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiro Fujita. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from July 1997 to June 2006, with its chapters collected in 43 ''tankōbon'' volum ...

''. Their song "Acacia" was used in a music video collaboration with the

franchise. Their song "Chronostasis" was used for Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween (Meitantei Conan: Halloween no Hanayome), the 25th anime film in the Detective Conan franchise.

Rie Takahashi is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with 81 Produce. She had a leading role in the anime series ''Seiyu's Life!'', where she became part of the musical unit Earphones. She voiced Futaba Ichinose in ''Seiyu's Life!'', Megumin in ''K ...

performed a cover of the group's song "Tentai Kansoku" as the second ending theme music for '' Teasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie'' (2022) during its second week of release. Their song "SOUVENIR" was featured as the opening song for the 2022 anime adaptation of the manga Spy × Family. Specifically, it was the opening song for the 2nd

cour Cour is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Ajeet Cour (born 1934), Indian writer *Glenys Cour (born 1924), Welsh artist *Pierre Cour (1924–1995), French songwriter See also * Coursera (NYSE: COUR), American online education comp ...

of the series' first season.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Other albums

Singles

Digital download only

Videos

Awards and nominations

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 is a Japanese music television channel operated by Space Shower Networks, In ...

, - , 2004 , ''

Lost Man is the sixth single by Bump of Chicken. The title tracks are from the album . "Lost Man" is the song that writing took time most from summer of 2002 to the end of the year. Also "Sailing Day" featured as the end theme to the animated movie '' One ...

'' , Best Your Choice , , - , 2005 , ''

'' , Best Your Choice , , - , rowspan="2", 2008 , rowspan="2", ''

'' , Best Your Choice , , - , Best Video of the Year , , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, ''Niji o Matsu Hito'' , Best Your Choice , , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, ''Ray'' , Best Your Choice , , - , 2016 , rowspan="4", , rowspan="4", Best Group Artist , , - , 2017 , , - , 2018 , , - , 2019 , , - , 2020 , Aurora , Best Video of the Year , MTV Video Music Awards Japan , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, '' Good Luck'' (from

film) , Best Video from a Film , , - ,

, ''Niji o Matsu Hito'' (from Gatchaman film) , Best Video from a Film , , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, ''Butterflies'' , Best Album of the Year , , - ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, ''Aurora'' , Best Rock Video ,

References

External links

Bump of Chicken Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bump Of Chicken Japanese alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups from Chiba Prefecture Toy's Factory artists Vocaloid musicians