"''No Way Man''" ( ja, ノーウェイマン, Noo Wei Man) is the 54th

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

(second to last in the

Heisei Period The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...

) by the Japanese idol girl group, AKB48. It was released in

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 ...

by King Records on November 28, 2018. The single features Sakura Miyawaki as both the lead singer and choreographic center. This is the last single to feature Sakura Miyawaki, Hitomi Honda, and Nako Yabuki, the three winning contestants of Produce 48, before they began their activities in Iz*One. This single also marked the last performance of

Miyu Takeuchi is a Japanese people, Japanese singer and YouTuber based in South Korea. She is a former member of AKB48. Career 2004-2008: Pre-debut Prior to joining AKB48, Takeuchi signed a contract with Stardust Production in 2004 and appeared in Little b ...

before her departure from the group. The song ''No Way Man'' has been redone by AKB48 Team SH's in

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in 2019, and MNL48's in Filipino in 2022.

Background & release

Announcement of the single was announced through the group's Showroom channel on September 24, 2018. It revealed the participating members from across the

AKB48 Group , or AKB48 sister groups, shortened to 48 Group, 48g, refers to the sister groups of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Based on the same concept "idols you can meet", it currently consists of 5 sister groups in locations across Japan and 7 si ...

based in Japan that will feature in the single's main song, leading to a total of 23 members. The top 20 Japanese contestants from '' Produce 48'' were also featured in the single's main song, marking members Hitomi Honda and Miu Shitao's first time performing in an A-side single. The single also marked member

's first appearance on an A-side single since the 2012 single Eien Pressure. The single was released in 5 different physical versions which contain a CD, a DVD and a

CD booklet Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. Each physical version was also issued in two different editions; regular edition, and limited edition version which also contained an additional ballot for participating in the group's annual ''Request Hour'' event. Each released version contains a different track list and different photo cover. The single also included a theater edition version which contained a CD with additional songs and a solo cover from Sakura Miyawaki as center performer. In total, the single was released in 11 physical versions. The digital version of this single was released in six different versions which are credited as Type-A, Type-B, Type-C, Type-D and Type-E. The album cover uses the Limited Edition version cover as the theater version's track list is the same as the physical version. The entire single features 124 members; 62 members from AKB48, 17 members from HKT48, 15 members from NGT48, 12 members from NMB48, 10 members from SKE48, and the last 8 members from STU48.

Promotion

''No Way Man'' was first played through the group's radio show, AKB48 no All Night Nippon, on October 24. The B-side that is sung by the PRODUCE48 Senbatsu was also played on the same show on October 31. Another song that was included in this single was also played on bayfm ON8+1, a radio show that is hosted by member

Miho Miyazaki is a Japanese singer, actress and former member of the idol girl group AKB48 where she was active in Team A. She also participated in the Korean-Japanese show Produce 48. Biography In 2007, Miyazaki passed an audition for AKB48 and became a ken ...

. To further promote the song, the members who participated in ''No Way Man'' appeared on several Japanese music shows around 2018, including the annual '' Best Hits Kayosai'' by Yomiuri TV, Best Artist 2018 by NTV, ''

Count Down TV (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...

'' by TBS, and '' Music Station'' by TV Asahi. Because three of the participating members in the single's main song were also active members of Iz*One, there has only been one performance of the song that features all of the original members, which took place on

FNS FNS may refer to: Television * '' Food Network Star'', an American reality television series * '' Fox News Sunday'', an American television news show * Fuji Network System, a Japanese television network * '' WWE Friday Night SmackDown'', an Amer ...

's Music Festival. To replace the original performers, the group sometimes chooses rotational members to fill the positions. In special occasions like for ''Best Hits Kayosai'' performances, the group holds a special audition first before selecting members to perform.

Music video

The "''No Way Man''" music video was released on October 26, 2018. A '' Billboard Japan'' review claimed the video showcases the group's most demanding

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

to date. The official music video was published on the official AKB48 YouTube channel. The music video features dramatic performances by the chosen members backed by an array of colors and flashing lights.

Chart performance

"''No Way Man''" debuted at the top of the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

on its first day, with 1,173,015 physical copies sold. The single stayed at the top of the chart on its second and third day, and dropped to number three on its fourth day. The song debuted at the top of the chart in its first week, with 1,205,009 physical copies sold. By October 28, 2018, "''No Way Man''" surpassed 2.5 million views on YouTube. Within the first 24 hours of being posted online, it accumulated 1.39 million views. The music video also the most viewed music video among any 2017-2020 releases from AKB48. On November 28, '' Billboard Japan'' reported that the single sold 1,313,247 copies in joint sales on its first day, becoming the fourth single released by AKB48 in 2018 to surpass the one million mark on its first day (followed by "

Jabaja is the 51st single by Japanese idol girl group AKB48. It was released in Japan by King Records on March 14, 2018. The single features Nana Okada as the center performer. Release The single was released in 11 physical editions and as a digit ...

" with 1.1 million copies, " Teacher Teacher" with 2.58 million copies, and " Sentimental Train" with 1.31 million copies sold.). The song debuted at number 70 in '' Billboard Japan''s

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

for the week ending December 3, 2018, and topped the chart in the following week. "''No Way Man''" is the fifth best-selling single of 2018 on Oricon.

Track listing

Personnel

"No Way Man"

"No Way Man" was performed by selection ''senbatsu'' performer, consisting of: * HKT48: Sakura Miyawaki (Center), Nako Yabuki, Rino Sashihara,

Miku Tanaka __NOTOC__ Miku may refer to: People *Miku (みく), the vocalist for the Japanese rock band An Cafe *, member of the Japanese rock band Band-Maid * Miku Ishida (未来), Japanese teen idol *Miku Itō (美来), Japanese voice actress *Miku Kanem ...

* AKB48: Hitomi Honda,

Mion Mukaichi is a Japanese idol singer and former child actress. She is a member of the girl group AKB48, serving as captain of AKB48 Team A, and is also the third and current AKB48 Group . As an actress, she is best known for portraying Mio Sato in the '' U ...

, Yui Yokoyama,

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

, Juri Takahashi,

, Nana Okada, Mizuki Yamauchi,

Rin Okabe Rin may refer to: *, yen, former Japanese currency *Rin (given name) *Rin (detergent), a brand of detergent sold by Unilever *Rin, a Japanese standing bell * ''Mnemosyne'' (anime) or ''RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne'', an anime *''Rin!'' (凛!), a Jap ...

, Yui Oguri,

Narumi Kuranoo is a Japanese word for "''the roaring of the sea''". is also a feminine Japanese given name which can also be used as a surname. Possible writings Narumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *鳴海, "the roaring of th ...

, Miu Shitao * SKE48: Akari Suda, Maya Sugawara * NMB48: Miru Shiroma *

NGT48 NGT48 (read "N.G.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth fl ...

Yuka Ogino is a Japanese tarento and model. She is formerly part of the Japanese idol girl group NGT48 as a first generation member. Career Ogino has shared in interviews and live streams that she has auditioned for many idol groups before, including AK ...

, Rika Nakai * STU48:

Yumiko Takino is a Japanese idol singer, model, and presenter, represented by Mama&Son. She is a member of STU48 and the lead performer for the title songs in the group's first five singles, and is also known for her saxophone playing. Biography Takino had wa ...

"Ike no Mizu wo Nukitai" (池の水を抜きたい)"

"Ike no Mizu wo Nukitai" (池の水を抜きたい)" was performed by selection ''Ike no Mizu Senbatsu'' performer from AKB48, consisting of Shizuka Ōya (Center), Rena Kato, Haruka Komiyama, Minami Minegishi,

Rei Nishikawa Rei or REI may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Rei, a story arc of the anime ''Higurashi When They Cry'' *Rei, a shapeshifting godlike dragon in the Australian webcomic series ''Vainglorious'' *Rei I, II and III, episodes of ''Neon Genesis Eva ...

Yukari Sasaki Yukari is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yukari can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *由加里, "reason, addition, village" *由香里, "reason, smell, village" *由佳 ...

Megu Taniguchi Megu is a Japanese feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *, a Japanese voice actress *, a Japanese hostess and model *, a Japanese softball player *, Japanese singer *, Japanese individual and synchronized trampoline gymnast Fi ...

, Ayu Yamabe, and Nao Ota

"Wakariyasukute Gomen" (わかりやすくてごめん)"

"Wakariyasukute Gomen" (わかりやすくてごめん)" was performed by selection ''PRODUCE48 Senbatsu'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48: Moe Goto (Center),

Tomu Muto is a Japanese idol and singer, and a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is a member of AKB48's Team K. She is an alumna of Seijo University, where she studied economics and also earned her postgraduate degree, as well as a certif ...

, Mako Kojima,

Saho Iwatate Saho may refer to: * Saho people, an ethnic group living largely in the Horn of Africa ** Saho language, the language of the Saho people *'' Saaho'', a 2019 film *Akari Saho (born 1995), Japanese musician *Saho Sasazawa, Japanese author *Saho Harad ...

, Erii Chiba,

Chiyori Nakanishi is a retired judoka from Japan. She claimed the bronze medal in the Women's Lightweight (– 56 kg) division at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'es ...

Nanami Asai is a rather popular feminine Japanese given name which is also used as a surname. Possible writings Nanami can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *七海, "seven, sea" *七美, "seven, beauty" *七実, " ...

Minami Sato Minami ( kanji 南, hiragana みなみ) is a Japanese word meaning "south". Places Japan There are several Minami wards in Japan, most of them appropriately in the south part of a city: * Minami, Tokushima, a village in Tokushima Prefect ...

*NMB48:

Sae Murase is a Japanese idol. She is a former member of NMB48 and Team N. Biography Murase passed NMB48's 2nd generation auditions in May 2011. Her debut was on June 5, 2011. Her stage debut was on August 13, 2011. In January 2012, she was selected t ...

(Center) *HKT48: Aoi Motomura, Misaki Aramaki, Vivian Murakawa *NGT48: Noe Yamada

"Soredemo Kanojo wa" (それでも彼女は)"

"Soredemo Kanojo wa" (それでも彼女は)" was performed by selection ''Otona Senbatsu 2018'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48: Yuiri Murayama (Center), Kaori Inagaki,

Momoka Onishi Momoka (written: 杏果, 百夏, 桃花 or 桃華) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese singer * (born 1995), Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese idol from Magical² and ''Girls²'' *, Japanese foot ...

Erina Oda Erina may refer to: * Erina (given name), a feminine Japanese given name * Erina, New South Wales, a suburb in New South Wales, Australia ** Erina Shire, a former local government area ** Erina Eagles, an Australian rugby league club * ''Erina'', a ...

, Shiori Sato *SKE48: Ryoha Kitagawa,

Mina Ōba is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48 of which she was captain of Team KII. Before, she was a member of Team B in AKB48. On October 9, 2021, Ōba announced that she will graduate from SKE48 and leave the idol industry in April ...

, Nao Furuhata, Sarina Souda *NMB48:

Nagisa Shibuya is a member of the Japanese idol girl group NMB48. She is the current captain of NMB48's Team M. She is also a member of the AKB48 sub-unit Tentoumu Chu!, of NMB48 sub-unit Queentet, and formerly held a concurrent position in AKB48's Team 4. ...

, Akari Yoshida *HKT48: Hirona Unjo,

Madoka Moriyasu Madoka is both a feminine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Possible writings Madoka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *円, "circle" *円花, "circle, flower" *窓香, "window, incense/arom ...

*NGT48:

Maho Yamaguchi NGT48 (read "N.G.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NGT48 is named after Niigata City of Niigata Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at the NGT48 Theater which is located in the fourth f ...

*STU48: Kouko Tanaka

"Ohayo Kara Hajimaru Sekai" (おはようから始まる世界)"

"Ohayo Kara Hajimaru Sekai" (おはようから始まる世界)" was performed by selection ''U-19 Senbatsu 2018'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48: Nagisa Sakagushi (Center),

Seina Fukuoka Marycha ( lt, Seina) is a small river that serves as the natural Polish–Lithuanian and Lithuanian–Belarusian border. It starts around Puńsk, flows through the town of Sejny, passes through Pomorze Lake. It is a tributary of Czarna Hańcza ...

, Yurina Gyouten, Hijiri Tanikawa, Yui Yokoyama,

Maho Omori Maho may refer to: Term * Maho, tropical hibiscus tree common throughout the Caribbean (thespesia populnea, Hibiscus elatus, or Hibiscus Tilaceus) * Maho, a West Indian Caribbean slang term for a man who spends too much time drinking beer and fishi ...

*SKE48: Ayaka Ota *NMB48: Yuuri Ota, Rei Jōnishi *HKT48: Aki Toyonaga,

Hana Matsuoka Hana or HANA may refer to: Places Europe * Haná, an ethnic region in Moravia, Czech Republic * Traianoupoli, Greece, called Hana during the Ottoman period * Hana, Norway, a borough in the city of Sandnes, Norway West Asia * Hana, Iran, a city ...

, Hinata Matsumoto *NGT48: Hinata Homma, Minami Kato,

Moeka Takakura Moeka (written: 萌花 or 萌華) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese professional wrestler, gravure idol, voice actress and television and radio personality *, Japanese women's footballer *, Japan ...

*STU48: Fu Yabushita, Mai Nakamura

"Saikyou Twintail" (最強ツインテール)"

"Saikyou Twintail" (最強ツインテール)" was performed by selection ''U-16 Senbatsu 2018'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48: Moeka Yahagi (Center),

Kurumi Suzuki is the Japanese word for walnut. It is also a given name in Japan, primarily for women (though occasionally for men, such as novelist Kurumi Inui). It may refer to: People Actors *, female child actress *, female voice actress *, female actress, ...

, Manaka Taguchi, Satone Kubo, Kyoka Yamada *SKE48: Yuna Obata, Oka Suenaga *NMB48: Cocona Umeyama, Ayaka Yamamoto *HKT48: Tomoka Takeda,

Akari Watanabe Akari (ASTRO-F) was an infrared astronomy satellite developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, in cooperation with institutes of Europe and Korea. It was launched on 21 February 2006, at 21:28 UTC (06:28, 22 February JST) by M-V rocke ...

*NGT48:

Tsugumi Oguma Tsugumi (, , , or ) is a Japanese given name. People with the name *Tsugumi (actress) *Tsugumi Higasayama, Japanese voice actress *Tsugumi Ohba, Japanese manga writer *Tsugumi Sakurai, Japanese wrestler *Tsugumi Shinohara, Japanese actress and mode ...

*STU48:

Chiho Ishida is a Japanese idol, singer, model, and presenter, represented by Twin Planet. She is a member of the girl group STU48. She is the first member of the group to hold a solo concert and release a photo book, and has twice been the lead performer o ...

, Ayumi Ichioka, Hina Iwata, Miyuna Kadowaki

"Yume e no Process" (夢へのプロセス)"

"Yume e no Process" (夢へのプロセス)" was performed by selection ''AiKaBu Senbatsu'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48:

(Center), Manaka Taguchi, Ayana Shinozaki,

, Mizuki Yamauchi,

, Yui Oguri, Serika Nagano,

*NMB48: Karin Kojima, Mion Nakagawa *NGT48:

, Riko Sugahara, Fuka Murakumo,

"Mimi wo Fusage!" (耳を塞げ！)"

"Mimi wo Fusage!" (耳を塞げ！)" was performed by selection ''Team Nice Fight'' performer, consisting of: *AKB48: Ikumi Nakano (Center), Ayana Shinozaki, Manami Ichikawa,

Shinobu Mogi is a Japanese verb meaning or . It is a Japanese given name used by either sex. Shinobu is also the dictionary form of ''shinobi'' which can be combined with ''mono'' (者) to make ''shinobi no mono'' (忍びの者), an alternative name of nin ...

, Serika Nagano *SKE48: Yuka Asai *NMB48:

Kokoro Naiki is a novel by the Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. It was first published in 1914 in serial form in the Japanese newspaper '' Asahi Shimbun''. The title translated literally means "heart". The word contains shades of meaning—notions of the ...

Yuuka Kato and are feminine Japanese given names. Possible writings Yuka and Yūka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *由香, "reason, fragrance" *由華, "reason, beautiful" *由佳, "reason, good" *由花, "reason, flower" ...

*HKT48:

Natsumi Matsuoka is a feminine Japanese given name which is occasionally used as a surname. Possible writings Natsumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *夏美, "summer, beauty" *夏実, "summer, truth" *夏未, "sum ...

, Mina Imada, Sae Kurihara *NGT48:

Rena Hasegawa is a Japanese voice actress and a former singer. Hasegawa started her career as a member of the idol girl group NGT48 in 2015, debuting as a regular member of the group's Team NIII. In 2018, she was transferred to Team G, which later merged with ...

Chart

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

AKB48 Team SH version

"No Way Man" was redone in Mandarin for AKB48's sister group in China, AKB48 Team SH, as the group's second digital single. It was available for digital music platform on March 25, 2019. The group showcased the song for the first time at ''AKB48 Team SH - The First Fanmeeting'' in Shanghai on March 23, 2019 as closing performances. Later, the music video was premiered through the group official YouTube channel on the same day of official release.

Track listing

Personnel

"No Way Man" was performed by selection ''senbatsu'' performer, consisting of: Xu YiTing (Center), Dai ZiYan, Dong FangChi, Li ShiQi, Liu Nian, Mao WeiJia, Shen Ying, Song XinRan, Wang YuDuo, Wei Xin, Wu AnQi, Ye ZhiEn, Zhai YuJia, Zhou NianQi, Zhu Ling, Zhuang XiaoTi

References

{{authority control 2018 singles 2019 songs AKB48 songs MNL48 songs Songs with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto Oricon Weekly number-one singles Billboard Japan Hot 100 number-one singles Chinese songs