KICK BACK: Kenshi Yonezu Releases Opening Theme from Chainsaw Man
At last, the first episode of the highly anticipated new anime series Chainsaw Man has arrived. Coinciding with the series premiere on Crunchyroll, multiplatinum J-pop singer-songwriter and producer Kenshi Yonezu has released his new track “KICK BACK,” which will open all twelve episodes of the MAPPA Studios-produced series.
The adrenaline-fueled track features arrangements composed in collaboration with Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu / millenium parade and includes samples from J-pop girl group Morning Musume’s 2002 hit “Souda! We’re ALIVE.” The action-horror series is an adaptation of the global manga phenomenon by Tatsuki Fujimoto, which boasts sales of over 15 million copies for Volumes 1-11, with Part 2 currently serialized in Shonen Jump.
Of the track, Kenshi Yonezu says, “I wrote ‘KICK BACK’ for the anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man. This is such an honor, as I love the original manga series. Finding the right sounds for this immensely powerful series was challenging, but I created this song by patiently building it up, one piece at a time. I hope you enjoy listening to it. Thank you very much.”
In addition to “KICK BACK,” Chainsaw Man will also feature a variety of new ending theme songs for every episode from a lineup of 12 musicians. This includes contributions from ano, Eve, Aimer, Kanaria, Queen Bee, syudou, ZUTOMAYO, TK from Ling tositeSigure, TOOBOE, Vaundy, and PEOPLE 1.
Follow our Chainsaw Man playlist to hear each new track as they are released.
Alongside the show and single release, MAPPA debuted the show’s opening credits sequence on their YouTube channel, featuring several cinematic references and easter eggs: