Bump of Chicken
Background information
Origin	Sakura,Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Genres	Alternative rock indie rock electronic rock
Years active	1994–present
Labels	High Line Toy's Factory
Members	Motoo Fujiwara(Vocals, Guitar) Hiroaki Masukawa(Guitar) Yoshifumi Naoi(Bass) Hideo Masu(Drums)
Website	http://www.bumpofchicken.com/

Bump of Chicken (バンプ・オブ・チキン,Banpu Obu Chikin) is a Japanesealternative rock group fromSakura, Chiba. The band members are Motoo Fujiwara (vocals,rhythm), Hiroaki Masukawa (guitar), Yoshifumi Naoi (bass) and Hideo Masu (drums). Since their conception in 1994, they have released 28 singles and 10 albums. They are a popular group in Japan; every release since their third single, "Tentai Kansoku", has charted in the top ten on theOricon Weekly Charts. Their music has been used in various video games and as theme songs for movies, television shows andanime in Japan.

The members first met in kindergarten and were classmates throughout their primary and secondary education. Bump of Chicken's first performance was in 1994, during their ninth grade cultural festival,^[1] playing a cover ofThe Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout".^[2] In 1996, their song "Danny" won an award on 96TFM.^[3] The band's name translates literally from Japanese as "counterattack from the weak man".^[4]

In 1999, Bump of Chicken released their first album,Flame Vein, on High Line Records. Later that year, they released their first single, "Lamp". In 2000, they releasedThe Living Dead, their final release on High Line.^[5] They also held their first live tour, "Tsuaa Pokiiru (ツアーポキール)", during March and April.^[6]

Later in 2000, the group switched toToy's Factory, releasing their first single on the label, "Diamond", in September.^[5] Bump of Chicken's first big success occurred when their single, "Tentai Kansoku", appeared on the Oricon Weekly Charts in 2001.^[7] They held two live tours, "Star Porking Tours (スターポーキングツアーズ,Sutaa Pookingu Tsuaazu) 2001" beginning in March and "Surf Porkin'" beginning in July.^[6] In October, they released "Harujion".^[5] They released their first album on Toy's Factory,Jupiter, in February 2002 and it was their first number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts. In the summer of 2002, their music was featured on the Japanese TV dramaTentai Kansoku, giving them more exposure.

At the end of 2002, the group released the single "Snow Smile". 2003 saw the release of their first double A-side single "Lost Man/Sailing day".^[5] "Sailing Day" was used as the ending theme to the animated movieOne Piece: Dead End Adventure.^[1] The beginning of 2004 saw a slew of re-releases. "Arue", from their albumFlame Vein, was released as a single in March. They re-released their first two albums in April.Flame Vein received an extra song and was re-released asFlame Vein +1.The Living Dead received no modifications. In July, the group released "Only Lonely Glory",^[5] which became their first single to chart at number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts.^[8] A month later, they released their fourth album,Yggdrasil, which was their second album to reach number one on the Oricon Weekly Charts.^[7] Shortly after, they released "Sharin no Uta", fromYggdrasil, as a single.

In 2005, Bump of Chicken released two singles, "Planetarium" and second double A-side single "Supernova/Karma". Karma was used as the theme song for Namco's "Tales of the Abyss". The band's next single, "Namida no Furusato" was used in a commercial forLotte Airs.^[1] It became the group's second number one single. In 2007, they released the singles "Hana no Na" and "Mayday" on the same day. The two singles reached number one and two respectively on the Oricon Weekly Charts.^[7] Bump of Chicken released their fifth studio album,Orbital Period, on December 19, 2007. They released their first compilation albumpresent from you on June 18, 2008. This album contains b-sides from singles and other non-album tracks.

On November 25, 2009, Bump of Chicken released its third double A-side single "R.I.P./Merry Christmas", their first single in two years. On April 14, 2010, they released "Happy" and then in the following week, another single, "Mahō no Ryōri (Kimi kara Kimi e)". These two singles also reached number one consecutively for two weeks on the Oricon Weekly Charts, the first time a band achieved this sinceOrange Range's "Love Parade" and "Onegai! Señorita" in 2005. They released a fourth double A-side single "Uchūhikōshi e no Tegami/Motorcycle" on October 13, 2010, and they released a music video for the song on Toy's Factory's YouTube channel on September 14, 2010, which surpassed 200,000 views in two days. On December 15, 2010, they released their sixth studio album,Cosmonaut, but it did not feature the song "Merry Christmas".

In 2011, Bump of Chicken announced that they wrote the song "Tomodachi no Uta" as the theme song for the animated 3D movieDoraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops: ~Angel Wings~, and "Tomodachi no Uta" was released as the single on February 23, 2011. They also released two singles, "Smile" on May 11, 2011, and "Zero" on October 19, 2011. "Zero" was used as the theme song for video game bySquare Enix,Final Fantasy Type-0. Also in 2012, they released two more singles "Good Luck" and "Firefly", in January and September 2012, respectively. "Good Luck" was featured as the end theme to the Japanese filmAlways Sanchōme no Yūhi '64.

On March 6, 2013, Bump of Chicken released their first live video and albumBump of Chicken Gold Glider Tour 2012, recorded live at theYoyogi National Gymnasium,Tokyo, Japan, on July 3, 2012.

On September 29, 2020, Bump of Chicken released the single "Acacia", which was featured in a music video named "GOTCHA!" uploaded on thePokémon YouTube channel to celebrate the release of theCrown TundraDLC inPokémon Sword andShield for theNintendo Switch.^[9]

Motoo Fujiwara (藤原基央) is thecomposer,lyricist,rhythm guitarist, andmain vocalist of the group. He has written most of the music, and has also drawn the artwork for their albumsThe Living Dead andYggdrasil. In March 2006, he released a solo album entitledSong for Tales of the Abyss, which included "Karma" and instrumental versions of songs from the gameTales of the Abyss. He uses a Gibson 1960 Les Paul Special Single Cutaway, Sonic fender, Gibson J-45.^{[citation needed]} In August 2020, Fujiwara got married.^[10]

• Birth date: (1979-04-12)April 12, 1979 (age 45)
• Birthplace:Sakura,Chiba Prefecture
• Position: composer/lyricist/vocalist/rhythm guitarist

Hiroaki Masukawa (増川弘明) is theguitarist of the group, and also writes most of the hidden joke tracks for albums. His nicknames within the band are "Hiro", "Hose", (meaning "very thin"), and "Nikke". He uses a Gibson Les Paul Standard, Fender Stratocaster.^{[citation needed]}

• Birth date: (1979-12-20)December 20, 1979 (age 45)
• Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture
• Position: lead guitarist

Yoshifumi Naoi (直井由文) is thebassist of the group, and is referred to as the "crowd pleaser". He has released an artbook containing his works, and helped with some album artwork. His nickname within the band is "Chama", a play on the Japanese phrase "Obotchama" referring to a rich family's son. He uses a Sonic Bass, Fender Jazz Bass 65.

On September 18, 2020, an article was published detailing an affair he had in 2016 and 2017 while hiding the fact that he was married and a father.^[11] Later the same day, he published an apology for his behavior, and announced that he would be taking a break from music.^[12] On June 6, 2021, he published yet another, longer apology for the same incident, at the same time announcing his return to the band.^[13]

• Birth date: (1979-10-09)October 9, 1979 (age 45)
• Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture
• Position: bassist

Hideo Masu (升秀夫) is thedrummer for the band. He uses a Canopus Maple Shell.^{[citation needed]}

• Birth date: (1979-08-10)August 10, 1979 (age 45)
• Birthplace: Sakura, Chiba Prefecture
• Position: drummer

Their single "Arue" is a song dedicated to the fictional characterRei Ayanami, from theanime seriesNeon Genesis Evangelion. The song is listed as R.A., the initials of the aforementioned character.

Their song "Sailing Day" is used at the end credits of the animated filmOne Piece The Movie: Dead End no Bōken. The same song is also featured in theGuitar Freaks andDrummania series of arcade games.

The songs "Tentai Kansoku", "K", "Sailing Day", "Karma" and "Mayday" were later used in the musical arcade game byBemani inGuitarFreaks,DrumMania,Jubeat,Reflec Beat Limelight andPop'n Music. "Tentai Kansoku" was also featured inMetcha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Nanatsu no Shima no Daibouken. "Tentai Kansoku" and "Karma" were also featured as covers by the band Afterglow in the mobile game forBanG Dream!.

The song "Karma" from their "Supernova / Karma" single is the main theme for Namco'sTales of the Abyss video game. It also is used on the anime adaptation of the game as the opening theme.

The movieDoraemon: Nobita and the New Steel Troops—Winged Angels released on March 5, 2011, uses BUMP OF CHICKEN's song "Tomodachi no Uta" as its ending song. All 4 members have loved Doraemon for its unique and loving characters and story and have said that it is an honor to be chosen to sing for the new Doraemon movie.^[14]

The song "Hello, World!" from their "Hello World! / Colony" single is used as the opening song of the TV anime adaptation of the mangaBlood Blockade Battlefront. The song is also available as a playable song in the rhythm gameHatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!, where it is performed byLeo/need, a fictional band featured in the game.

Their song "Zero" was also featured as the opening song forFinal Fantasy Type-0.

Their songs are used as the opening and closing themes for episodes 1-11 of theanime,March Comes in like a Lion (3月のライオン). The opening is "Answer", while the closing is "Fighter". Around 2014, before the manga was adapted into an anime, they and the manga's author, Chika Umino, collaborated to make a CGI music video set to their single, "Fighter". The video was made into a stand-alone story promoting the originalmanga, calledMarch Comes in Like a Lion Meets Bump of Chicken.^[15] In early April 2017 they posted a long form music video forAnswer to YouTube.^[16]

Their song "GO" was featured as the opening song for the 2017 anime adaptation of the Japanese mobile game,Granblue Fantasy.

Their songs "Sirius" and "Spica" are the opening and closing theme songs respectively for Satelight's (Shoji Kawamori) animeJuushinki Pandora, released in 2018.

Their song "Gekkou" was used as the opening song for the 2018 TV anime adaptation of the mangaKarakuri Circus.

Their song "Acacia" was used in a music video collaboration with thePokémon franchise.^[9]

Their song "Chronostasis" was used forDetective Conan: The Bride of Halloween (Meitantei Conan: Halloween no Hanayome), the 25th anime film in the Detective Conan franchise.

Rie Takahashi performed a cover of the group's song "Tentai Kansoku" as the second endingtheme music forTeasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie (2022) during its second week of release.^[17]

Their song "Souvenir" was featured as the opening song for the 2022 anime adaptation of the mangaSpy × Family. Specifically, it was the opening song for the 2ndcour of the series' first season.

Their song "Sleep Walking Orchestra" was featured as the opening song for the 2024 anime adaptation of the mangaDelicious in Dungeon.

Their single "Mayday" was used in theTransformers 40th Anniversary Special Movie byStudio Trigger in 2024.^[18]

Digital singles

Space Shower Music Video Awards

MTV Video Music Awards Japan

• Bump of Chicken Official Website

• Japanese alternative rock groups
• Japanese musical quartets
• Musical groups established in 1994
• Musical groups from Chiba Prefecture
• Toy's Factory artists

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