| "Akuma no Ko" | |
|---|---|
 Official single cover | |
| Single byAi Higuchi [ja] | |
| from the albumSaiaku Saiai | |
| Language | Japanese |
| Released | 10 January 2022 |
| Recorded | 2022 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:47 |
| Label | Pony Canyon |
"Akuma no Ko" (Japanese:悪魔の子,lit. "A Child of Evil")[a] is the secondtrack created by the Japanese singerAi Higuchi [ja] for their fourth album "Saiaku Saiai" (最悪最愛,lit. "Worst Beloved"). Originally released in a shortened version on 10 January 2022 to be used as the seventh ending for the animeAttack on Titan, the full version would be released as part of the album about two months later on 2 March 2022.
The song would first be released on 10 January 2022, as theA-side[b] of a single made for the ending of theAttack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2.[1] The song would be directed and edited by Sotaro Ishii, produced by Kosuke Nakaya, and released under aPony Canyon label.[2]
On 23 January 2022, an "anime special version" of the song was released by Ai Higuchi to YouTube, which displayed edited footage from primarily thefirst andfinal season of the anime.[3] The full version of the song would be released on 2 March 2022 as the second track of Ai Higuchi's fourth album Saiaku Saiai.[1][2]
Along with other songs from her album Saiaku Saiai, Higuchi would perform the song live on multiple occasions. The song would first be performed live on a solo tour inTokyo on 11 March 2022 andOsaka on 17 March.[2] From April to May 2022, Higuchi would perform the song again on a national tour in cities includingFukuoka,Hiroshima,Kanazawa,Kobe,Kyoto,Nagano,Nagoya, Tokyo, andTakamatsu.[2] From 22 November to 24 December 2022, Higuchi would sing the song on a solo tour in the cities of Fukuoka, Nagano, Nagoya, and Osaka, before reaching the final location at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX in Tokyo.[4]
In May 2023, acover version of the song would be performed byNagisa Aoyama as part of a project named "CrosSing", aiming to have musical artists create covers of songs of each music genre.[5]
Upon its initial release on 10 January 2022, the song would have a strong national and overseas appeal, reaching the top position on multiplemusic streaming service charts.[4] On theApple Music J-Pop rankings, the song would reach the top spot in 120 countries[4] including France, Germany, Italy, and South Korea,[3] and reach the top 10 spot in 135 countries.[4] The song would see similar success on theiTunes Store J-Pop rankings: reaching the top spot in 48 countries[4] including in Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and United States,[3] and reach the top 10 spot in 56 countries.[4] The song would also reach the top spot onSpotify's Viral Top 50 chart in six countries and peak at 5th place on the global chart, and reach 6th place inShazam's Top 200 ranking for Japan, and ranked in 30 countries other countries.[4] On 22 November 2023, the "anime special version" of the song on YouTube released on 22 January 2022 reached 100 million views.[6]
|
|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Ending Sequence | "Akuma no Ko" Ai Higuchi, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 | Nominated | [12] |
| Japan Expo Awards | Daruma for Best Ending | "Akuma no Ko" Attack on Titan Season Finale Part 2 - Ai Higuchi | Won | [13] | |
| Anime Grand Prix | Best Anime Song | "Akuma no Ko" "Attack on Titan" The Final Season Part 2 | 10th place | [14] |
| Media |  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV series | |||||||
| Live-action | |||||||
| Video games | |||||||
| Music |
| ||||||
| Characters | |||||||
