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Kenshi Yonezu
Kenshi Yonezu is preparing a 14-show world tour across 11 cities from December 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027, under the banner KENSHI YONEZU 2026-2027 WORLD TOUR / GHOST.
Synthesized from 8
Yomimono stories · updated
2d ago
Kenshi Yonezu's year in these stories is mostly a run of theme songs and tie-ins, each tied to a different property and each followed quickly by a commercial result. In May he was announced as the theme song act for the fifth live-action Kingdom film, then in August the promotional video for that film arrived with his song "Yodaka" attached to new footage. The same pattern holds for "Karasu": a digital release on June 15 produced six chart crowns in its first week, including No. 1 on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 and Oricon's weekly streaming and digital single rankings, and the song is his 20th overall No. 1. A short anime for "Karasu" directed by MAPPA followed on June 25, one of three collaborations between Yonezu and the studio, after "KICK BACK" in 2022 and "IRIS OUT" in 2025.
"IRIS OUT" is the thread the stories keep returning to. The Chainsaw Man - Reze Arc film theme took Best J-POP Song at Music Awards Japan 2026 on June 13 and also won Best Japanese Song in Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. When the film began unlimited streaming on Prime Video on September 19, 2026, a year after its theatrical release, the marking took the form of Kenshi Yonezu Station, a limited-time 24-hour live stream on his official YouTube channel running from September 18 at 20:00 to September 23 at 23:59.
The catalog itself is being sold in new shapes. Bandai's gashapon line of miniature CD charms, shipping in the fifth week of August 2026 at 500 yen per capsule, includes 11 designs (one secret), among them "IRIS OUT," "JANE DOE," "Lemon," and the album "LOST CORNER." The touring side is where the scale has changed: the GHOST run covers Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Newark, Toronto, London, Paris, and Amsterdam, with expected attendance around 200,000. Singapore, Oakland, Mexico City, Toronto, and Amsterdam are performance locations for Yonezu for the first time.
Key facts
- World tour
- KENSHI YONEZU 2026-2027 WORLD TOUR / GHOST runs 14 shows in 11 cities from December 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027. ↗
- Expected attendance
- Around 200,000 across the GHOST tour. ↗
- First-time cities
- Singapore, Oakland, Mexico City, Toronto, and Amsterdam are performance locations for Yonezu for the first time. ↗
- Kenshi Yonezu Station
- A 24-hour limited-time live stream on his official YouTube channel from September 18 at 20:00 to September 23 at 23:59, 2026, tied to the Reze Arc film's Prime Video streaming start. ↗
- Look Back guest staff
- Yonezu performs guitar under the Shark Kick Guitar moniker on the live-action Look Back film, which opens September 11 in Japan. ↗
- Gashapon line
- Bandai's miniature CD charm capsules have 11 designs, one secret, at 500 yen each, shipping in the fifth week of August 2026. ↗
- Karasu chart result
- "Karasu" took six chart crowns in its first week, including No. 1 on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 and Oricon's weekly streaming and digital single rankings, and is his 20th overall No. 1. ↗
- MAPPA collaborations
- The "Karasu" short anime is the third collaboration between Yonezu and MAPPA, after "KICK BACK" in 2022 and "IRIS OUT" in 2025. ↗
- Music Awards Japan 2026
- "IRIS OUT" won Best J-POP Song and swept Best Japanese Song in Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. ↗
- Kingdom theme song
- "Yodaka" is the theme song for the fifth live-action Kingdom film, Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen, which opened in Japan on July 17. ↗
Timeline
- Oct 15, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu Sets 14-Show World Tour Across 11 Cities
- Sep 18, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu Station Opens as Chainsaw Man Reze Arc Hits One Year on Prime Video
- Aug 20, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu, Tōko Miura, Yōko Kuno Join Live-Action Look Back Film Staff
- Aug 19, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu Mini CD Collection Arrives in Gashapon Capsules
- Aug 7, 2026 Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle Releases New PV With Kenshi Yonezu Theme Song
- Jun 25, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu and MAPPA Release Short Anime for Soccer Theme 'Karasu'
- Jun 14, 2026 Sakanaction Wins Best Anime Song at Music Awards Japan 2026
- May 27, 2026 Kenshi Yonezu Provides Theme Song for Fifth Live-Action Kingdom Film
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Announced
- KENSHI YONEZU 2026-2027 WORLD TOUR / GHOST, 14 shows in 11 cities · 2026-10-15
- Noted
- Expected attendance around 200,000 · 2026-10-15
- Noted
- First-time performance locations: Singapore, Oakland, Mexico City, Toronto, and Amsterdam · 2026-10-15
Connections
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All coverage
2d ago
The official website for The Apothecary Diaries: The Late Lady's Treasure presented a new trailer, main visual and character relationship chart on Thursday. The trailer names and previews the theme song "Haru ga Tomori" by singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu. The film adapts a new story by original light novel author Hyuganatsu, following Maomao and Jinshi as they travel to the homeland of a concubine who died five years ago to return her remains. The site also announced a film novelization written by Hyuganatsu, on sale December 9, containing material not used in the film, with a first-edition wraparound band carrying the key visual. A short story by Hyuganatsu about Maomao and Jinshi, described as an epilogue, will appear in 1.5 million booklets distributed at participating theaters from opening day while supplies last. The film opens in Japan on December 11, with Norihiro Naganuma directing and TOHO Animation STUDIO on animation. Crunchyroll holds North American and worldwide rights excluding Asia but including India.
Oct 15
Kenshi Yonezu will tour 14 shows in 11 cities from December 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027 under the banner KENSHI YONEZU 2026-2027 WORLD TOUR / GHOST. The run covers Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, Oakland, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Newark, Toronto, London, Paris, and Amsterdam, with expected attendance around 200,000. Singapore, Oakland, Mexico City, Toronto, and Amsterdam are performance locations for Yonezu for the first time.
Sep 18
The Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc movie begins unlimited streaming on Prime Video on Saturday, September 19, 2026, a year after its theatrical release. To mark it, a limited-time live stream called Kenshi Yonezu Station opened on his official YouTube channel. It runs 24 hours a day from Friday, September 18 at 20:00 until Wednesday, September 23 at 23:59, playing music videos, live footage, and TV performance footage nonstop.
Aug 20
The live-action Look Back film announced that musician Kenshi Yonezu, actress-singer Tōko Miura, and animator-director Yōko Kuno will contribute as special guest staff. Yonezu performs guitar under the Shark Kick Guitar moniker, Miura sings an insert song, and Kuno directs a rotoscoped animation sequence produced by Shinei Animation. The film opens September 11 in Japan.
Aug 19
Bandai is releasing a gashapon capsule line of miniature Kenshi Yonezu CD charms. The collection includes 11 total designs, one of them secret, featuring the Chainsaw Man Reze Arc film theme "IRIS OUT," the Hikaru Utada collaboration "JANE DOE," "Lemon," and the album "LOST CORNER." Each capsule costs 500 yen and ships in the fifth week of August 2026.
Aug 7
The fifth live-action Kingdom film, 'Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle,' has released a new promotional video featuring the theme song 'Yodaka' by Kenshi Yonezu, using previously unseen footage from the film. New stills showing the battle between Shin and Bansaku were also released. The film has drawn 2.39 million viewers and earned 3.73 billion yen in 13 days.
Jun 25
Kenshi Yonezu and animation studio MAPPA have released a short anime for the song "Karasu," the 2026 NHK Soccer Theme. The video, published on YouTube on June 25, 2026, was produced by MAPPA and marks the third collaboration between the musician and the studio, following the Chainsaw Man opening theme "KICK BACK" (2022) and the theme for the Chainsaw Man - Reze Arc film "IRIS OUT" (2025). The short anime matches the first chorus of the song and uses a pencil-drawn visual style, showing a person earnestly chasing a ball while a crow soars overhead. The song itself was released digitally on June 15 and achieved six chart crowns in its first week, including No. 1 on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 and Oricon's weekly streaming and digital single rankings. It is Yonezu's 20th overall No. 1, the most for a solo artist in history. The short anime is timed to the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the song scheduled to air on NHK's soccer broadcasts.
Jun 14
The Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) held the Grand Ceremony for Music Awards Japan 2026 on June 13 at Toyota Arena Tokyo. Sakanaction's "Kaiju," the theme song for the TV anime "Chi: Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite," won Best Anime Song. It was the band's first anime theme song. Lead vocalist Ichiro Yamaguchi said during the ceremony that the manga's author, Uoto, pushed for the band to be involved. Sakanaction also won Song of the Year, Best Rock Song, Best Music Video, and Best Rock Band/Solo Artist, among other awards, totaling eight wins. Kenshi Yonezu's "IRIS OUT" from the "Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc" won Best J-POP Song and swept Best Japanese Song in Asia, Europe, North America, and Latin America. Mrs. Green Apple won Artist of the Year for the second consecutive year, plus Best J-POP Artist and the Fandom Special Award. HANA won New Artist of the Year. The Best Original Score for Animation went to the "Lazarus" soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Bonobo, and Floating Points. Ado won Largest Live Audience (International). The awards event, now in its second year, had over 70 categories voted on by more than 5,000 music industry professionals.
May 27
TOHO Movies debuted a new trailer for Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen, the fifth live-action film based on Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga. The trailer announces Kenshi Yonezu's theme song "Yodaka." The film opens in Japan on July 17, with Kento Yamazaki reprising his role as Xin and Shinsuke Sato returning to direct.