If you like anime, you may have already heard some of the songs by this J-Rock band. Asian Kung-fu Generation was formed in 1996, in a club of music at the university, in Yokohama. The band members are Kensuke Kita (guitar and vocals), Masafumi Gotō (guitar and vocals), Takahiro Yamada (bassist and vocals), and Kiyoshi Ijichi (drummer).
In the beginning they only composed and sang in English and played in schools and places in the region. In 2000, they released their first album entirely in English, which didn't do much for them.
So needing money, they started to write and sing in Japanese. They began to record tapes and send them to the independent radio stations in the area. It was there that in 2001, the song "Konayuki" began to be successful on many radio stations, paving the way for stardom. That same year they released another indie album, this time entirely in Japanese.
In 2002, they released a mini album called Houkai Amplifer, which became an immediate success, breaking sales records. It even led the band to sign a contract with the Japanese record label Sony Music.
The album reached first place on the weekly chart of Highline Records and even reached 35th place on the Oricon indie chart. One of the songs from this album is "Haruka Kanata," nothing more, nothing less than the second official opening of the anime Naruto. In 2003, they released two singles, Kimi to iu Hana and Mirai no Kakera, and the first complete album, called Kimi Tsunagi Five M.
Asian Kung-Fu Generation in Anime
From then on, the band Asian kung-fu generation, also known as Ajikan, achieved worldwide success. In 2004, they won the award for best Music Video with the video for the song “Kimi to iu Hana.” That same year, they released three new singles. One of them was “Rewrite”, which became the song for the fourth opening of the anime “Full Metal Alchemist.” That year, they also performed at many music festivals and recorded the album Sol-Fa, which sold more than 500,000 copies.
Recently, Re:Re:, another song from this album became the theme of the anime Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi or Erased. In 2007, already with more than 10 years of career, they released their third live DVD, and at the end of the year they released the song "After Dark", which became the seventh opening of the anime Bleach. They also released "Maigoinu to Ame no Beat" in 2010, the opening theme of the anime The Tatami Galaxy. And in 2016, the song Blood Circulator became the 19th opening of the anime Naruto Shippuden.
Until today the band is active, doing many shows, both in Japan and around the world. And did you already know the band? Do you know the anime openings? Tell us in the comments and share with your friends.