MAN WITH A MISSION shares how “Demon Slayer” shaped their hit “Kizuna no Kiseki”

In celebration of their hit single “Kizuna no Kiseki”—the electrifying opening theme for “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Swordsmith Village Arc”—the legendary half-man, half-wolf rock band MAN WITH A MISSION tore through Europe and the UK on their 2024 headline tour, powered by Crunchyroll. Known for their high-energy performances and a genre-blending sound that’s captivated fans worldwide, MAN WITH A MISSION has become one of Asia’s most influential rock bands, selling out venues across Japan, the US, and Europe.

Ahead of their highly anticipated tour, we spoke with guitarist and vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny about the creative process behind “Kizuna no Kiseki”, the band’s unique connection to anime, and more. In this exclusive interview, Jean-Ken Johnny opens up about the journey behind their latest release and the band’s plans for the future. Whether you’re a devoted follower or new to the pack, this is an interview you won’t want to miss. Read or watch the full conversation below.

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Congratulations on your upcoming headlining US, UK, and EU tour, “Kizuna no Kiseki”.

Thank you very much.

Why did you choose “Kizuna no Kiseki” as the name and the central theme of this tour?

Actually, we’re having a big help from Crunchyroll, probably one of the largest animation spreaders in the whole wide world right now. And we’re definitely having the honor of participating in one of the biggest animation series [“Demon Slayer”] that’s cutting through the world right now. So I guess it should get a good link to the animation.

It [“Kizuna no Kiseki”] also means “the miracle of bonds”. Right now, we’re doing a fan club tour. And, we are absolutely reconnecting feelings and bonds with the audience as a band. So I believe it should be a perfect title for the upcoming overseas tour as well.

Jean-Ken Johnny live on stage in Berlin during tour “Kizuna no Kiseki powered by Crunchyroll”MAN WITH A MISSION on X

Speaking of “Kizuna no Kiseki”, over a year has passed since that single was released. Looking back on the single now that it’s had time to set in, what are your emotions or how do you feel looking back on it? Has it changed for you at all?

Well, actually, we are really amazed and astonished by all the reactions, like the YouTube comments. It has been definitely one of our most rolled videos that we’ve ever done and we really appreciate it. One more time, we’re thinking about how huge this animation was, and it was really an honor for us to participate in this one.

“Kizuna no Kiseki” and “Koi Kogare” are both ending and opening themes for the anime “Demon Slayer” became smash hits. Like you said, it was one of your most viewed. “Kizuna no Kiseki” has over 100 million views on YouTube. How have these songs impacted your career, especially in the past year since its release?

We’ve done this band for 14 years and we have a lovable, huge fan base already. But actually, because of that animation, it’s really well known, not only in Japan but the whole wide world. So I guess a lot of people had a chance to find out about our band as well from that door.

And yes, the new fan base—it’s really great that their first impact was of course that song [“Kizuna no Kiseki”] from the animation [“Demon Slayer”]. But it seems that they’re digging into our music, even the already released kind of songs, and they’re loving it. So, it was a really big chance and a great opportunity for us.

Official Japanese promotional artwork for “Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village”

Speaking of those songs, you worked with composers Yuki Kajiura on “Demon Slayer”, and also Shiina Go made a remix of “Kizuna no Kiseki” for “The Roar of Victory”. What was your experience like collaborating with these two composers?

First of all, we’ve done the singing in “Koi Kogare” as Yuki Kajira wrote that song. And when we recorded that song, her way of directing the vocals, the singing, was really, really inspiring. She said, “Please put your emotions in one letter, one character in the word because it all has a meaning. It all has a meaning in that row for the lyrics”, and stuff like that. And it was really inspiring. I never thought about that when I sing, so always collaborating with other people and checking out their philosophy of music is always inspiring.

Talking about Shiina Go—actually the remix, we didn’t touch the remix at all. We just said “Do whatever you want”, and what came back was so awesome. So we had nothing to say and it was great.

I noticed that remix from Shiina Go, rather than focusing on the vocals, it focused on that intro with the really fast strumming. It sounded like a shamisen instrument. Did MAN WITH A MISSION perform that part?

No, no, no, no. He remixed it by himself. I’m really glad that he focused on that because it was my intention to have Japanese traditional instruments in that song. And it probably makes it more fit to the era of the story. So I really liked that he focused on that part.

Yeah, I agree. It ties into the Taisho era period of the series. Besides your contributions to “Demon Slayer”, you recently released the single “I’ll be there” for the drama series “Believe: Kimi ni Kakeru Hashi”. Can you share the emotions or story behind the song or how it relates to the drama?

First of all, the song itself, we wrote it for the main actor in that drama, Takuya Kimura—a really well-known actor in Japan.

And actually, we wrote a song for him, and he did it on his own album. When this story of the drama came up, he wanted that song to be the main theme, and he didn’t want to sing it himself. So, it was his idea for us to self-cover. It [the idea] came up from him and that was really great. It was an honor for us to do that. We just took the chance, and right now it’s becoming a huge hit.

It seems like a very supportive, uplifting song when you hear it. There’s a change in the composition. It starts lower, then picks up and swells in the chorus. How does such an inspiring song relate to the subject matter of the drama?

The drama—it’s pretty complicated story, but it always has the main theme of believing in yourself and not giving up. That is a philosophy and a method that we link to very well. All our other songs are sometimes, you know, the main theme is all about that stuff.

So it was really easy for us to balance the additive of the band to the song. It was easy for us because we already had something in common [with the drama].

That makes sense. When you’re making a song for an anime, video game, or other collaboration, how does the subject matter influence your songwriting?

Whenever we write something—a song or anything for an animation, movie, or stuff like that, it’s not not simply what I want to say but—there’s already a concrete story for the animation or movie. And we always have to stick to it. Well, not have to, because there’s always a concrete story, whatever method, or philosophy.

What matters most is probably trying to link into that story, what this band has. We always try to balance what we have and what we find common with the subject. Fortunately, with every collaboration that we’ve been through, we were already a fan of the production itself. So it was really easy for us to throw in what kind of method or philosophy we have. It’s probably because we already like it. Yeah, so far, it’s been really easy for us to find that balance.

When you say you were already fans of the production itself, were you referring to “Demon Slayer”?

Yes, of course, “Demon Slayer”, like animations we’ve done, like the one we’ve done with “Vinland Saga”.

Yeah, yeah, he [Yukimura Makoto] is a great mangaka. I’m a big fan of that. So it’s always easy for us. Like, “Inuyashiki”, yeah.

Yeah, I heard that you had actually read all of “Demon Slayer” in preparation for or while writing “Kizuna no Kiseki”. So how does the song tie in or humanize those characters or was there something you thought about in the material that inspired it in particular?

Whenever I write a song, for a series, I really try to focus on the song to be somehow like a storyteller, introducing you to everyone [the characters]. Yeah, it was for one series, but actually, I tried to write down the whole philosophy of what I thought that animation or manga had.

I was really glad that a lot of people noted that, “It seems like he’s telling the whole story of ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba’ [‘Demon Slayer’] in one song” and stuff like that. Some people told me about that, and that was my intention. So yeah, I really enjoyed that—really appreciated that. That’s what I always try to do. It should be a song for the animation and the series, but at the same time, I really try to focus on telling the whole story with what kind of message or what kind of philosophy the story wants to deliver.

What were some of the philosophies or messages that you wanted to put into the song?

Of course, it’s about the hero and his sister, that they’re trying to come back to the real world that they love. But at the same time, I also tried to focus on the good and the bad of each side.

You know, they all have their own justice. Even the demons have their justice too, and it’s always collaborating. We can experience that in our own world, in the real world at the same time, and I try to focus on that as well.

When you’re working on collaborations, how do you balance staying true to the philosophy of MAN WITH A MISSION to being true and loyal to the subject matter that you’re working with?

I try to be as honest as I can to our band, and to what we want to do. But to tell you the truth, as you brought it up, it’s sometimes not easy to 100% give what the band has because sometimes, it collides with the message of the story the animation has. It’s hard, but it’s not really challenging.

That difference sometimes makes it more interesting, you know, what the band wants to say is a different story, but it also has something in common with the animation. So it’s hard, but I try to be 100% honest, but I’m at the same time enjoying balancing it.

MAN WITH A MISSION live at Le Trianon in France, during tour “Kizuna no Kiseki powered by Crunchyroll”MAN WITH A MISSION on X

From MAN WITH A MISSION’s debut in 2010, you guys went overseas right away to Los Angeles and performed your Whiskey-A-Go-Go series. To this day, you guys have played in more than 20 countries and regions. Why did you decide to tour overseas so soon, right from the get-go, and continue to do so?

Well, as you can see, obviously, we sing lyrics in both English and Japanese. It’s mostly because the bands we grew up listening to were from Western countries—the major artists everyone listens to.

We were a big fan of not only the music but whenever I saw the music clips or videos for the festivals. It was always amazing to see that the audience was waiting for the band, and that was truly borderless. Usually, whenever you see a band from another country, sometimes it’s about which country this band comes from. It always has some preconsiderations in your mind. But whenever I saw festival headliners doing the show, they were 100% focused on the music and the product and they were just waiting for it, the atmosphere. And I really believe that’s the true borderless kind of spirit that you can have when you listen to music.

[I thought], if I had a chance to perform or make music, I dreamed about definitely being that kind of band. So, going overseas, just to find out what I have, what we have was always a dream come true for us.

You mentioned festivals and again, from MAN WITH A MISSION’s debut you guys within a year went to play a massive arena festival like some Sonic Summer Festival. To what did you attribute that wide appeal and such quick growth for the band even to this day?

I don’t know. I mean, we were just lucky about that. At the same time on the subject of how we look, we are pretty catchy so it’s probably easy for them to choose us. But yeah, so far, we’re really glad that we had a chance to take part in those kinds of big festivals, and it also spread our music faster than we thought. So yeah, it was a great chance for us.

What challenges do you guys face when gaining exposure in other countries, and how do you overcome those challenges?

So far, it’s always challenging for me to talk to the audience. That’s up to me and you need to get used to speaking another language. Even though you know it well, it’s like training. It’s pretty hard for me to adjust to that immediately when we’re touring. At the same time, I enjoy trying to remember how to reach the audience.

Is there anywhere MAN WITH A MISSION hasn’t toured yet that you’d like to perform?

Actually, we’ve been having many contacts from South America, like Brazil, Argentina, and places like that. I believe it should be related to how big the animation is as well. But yeah, they’ve been contacting us for a long, long time and we never had a chance to really go there. So if we had a chance, we would love to go to South America too.

Yeah, it seems like Japanese rock has recently been gaining a lot of popularity in South America.

Definitely, yes, yes.

Looking back on your career, from your very successful debut to your continued success, being able to play all over the world, what are you most proud of so far?

What I’m most proud of? Visiting each country really gives me the chills because, as I said, that was one of my biggest dreams truly coming true today.

Honestly speaking, we do have ambitions, you know, like performing on a bigger stage, and for a bigger audience. But, I mean, so far, it’s truly been a dream come true for us. We’re really satisfied with what we’re doing right now. Of course, having ambitions at the same time. But above all, I guess the thing I’m really proud of is that recently I’ve kind of found out what I really want to do with rock music.

I mean, it was always becoming bigger, spreading our music at the same time. But recently I feel that it’s always about trying to evolve the culture, and the music itself, but also like inheriting it, and inheriting what we love. I was a huge fan of what I’ve been listening to in the ’90s.

I believe your dads and mothers are more about the ’60s or ’70s or something like that. But me, myself, I was a huge fan of the ’90s and it’s always in here, you know, it’s always in the tree of history of music and we’re inheriting it. The heritage and the evolution, the balance of it is probably one of the things that I really focus on.

And I actually finally found out what I want to do with my music. So far, I’m really proud that I kind of noticed something like that.

What are you most looking forward to from this tour onward? What are your aspirations for the future?

Right now? We have very lovable support from all the whole wide world, like you guys, you know. And we’re definitely clinging on and trying to spread our music throughout the world. But I hope we can do this more often and go to other countries. Not only go to other countries, but also tour more often in the countries that we already visited. And I hope, one day, I become like one of the bands that I was watching in those videos.

MAN WITH A MISSION live from Cologne, Germany, during tour “Kizuna no Kiseki powered by Crunchyroll”MAN WITH A MISSION on X

MAN WITH A MISSION’s music has such powerful, persuasive vocals and a really complex, layered composition. As a half-wolf, do you ever find it more difficult to play your instruments or project vocally when you’re performing? How do you overcome those technical challenges?

Well, obviously, apparently we’re totally different from normal bands. It’s hot like hell when we’re on stage. But besides that, we’re really satisfied. We’re really comfortable with what we’re doing. But I guess like training a little bit, is definitely what we should do.

During this tour, the bass player broke his spine. And the drummer is having difficulty raising his hands. So, just like normal human beings, we have to train a lot.

Is the bassist doing okay?

Yeah, he’s doing okay. He was jumping and hopping two days ago. I guess he’s okay.

Oh, good. I’m glad to hear that!

So, MAN WITH A MISSION performed on the show “THE FIRST TAKE”, which streams one-shot performances of a song, and your appearances on the show gained a massive amount of views. You received over 33 million views on “Kizuna no Kiseki” and over 5 million on “Raise Your Flag”. Could you tell us a bit about your experience on the show and the challenges of performing on “THE FIRST TAKE”?

Yeah, it is a popular show. At that time, we were already aware of how many viewers were watching it. It’s a really famous show in Japan right now. It was our first time, but I believe for milet, it was her second or third time. So we just followed her, like “Just tell us, show us what to do”. And we really, really enjoyed it. The camera work was probably pretty odd for the viewers that first saw the first sight of us. But yeah, we enjoyed it a lot. It was a lot of fun. We’re really proud of the reaction it got going on.

Well, Jean-Ken Johnny, thank you so much for sharing your insight and a bit of a story about the band with us today. In closing, would you please leave a message for our readers around the world?

This is Johnny from MAN WITH A MISSION speaking. It took a while since the last time we visited your guys’ country, but we’re really looking forward to performing. We can’t wait to see you guys all.

Please check out JROCK NEWS and at the same time, please check out our show. Thank you very much, this is Johnny from MAN WITH A MISSION.

If you missed MAN WITH A MISSION live, don’t worry—the band has released thrilling footage from their “Kizuna no Kiseki” tour across North America, the UK, and Europe. Catch a glimpse of the electrifying performances and relive the unforgettable energy of the tour below.