Kenshi Yonezu Makes History with RIAA Platinum Certification of 'Kick Back'
KENSHI YONEZU
MAKES HISTORY WITH RIAA PLATINUM CERTIFICATION OF “KICK BACK”
CERTIFICATION MARKS THE FIRST & ONLY TIME A JAPANESE-LANGUAGE
SONG HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN PLATINUM-CERTIFIED BY THE RIAA | LISTEN HERE
LATEST SINGLE RELEASE “IRIS OUT” IS THE OFFICIAL THEME SONG TO CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC | LISTEN HERE
NEW YORK, NY (September 17, 2025) – Chart-topping J-pop superstar KENSHI YONEZU celebrates yet another career milestone today, as his 2022 hit single “KICK BACK” was officially certified Platinum by the RIAA. A history-making moment, “KICK BACK” is now the first and only song written and performed in Japanese to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The opening theme to breakout anime series Chainsaw Man, “KICK BACK” began breaking records immediately upon its release, landing on Spotify's Global Top 50 chart and making Yonezu the first-ever J-pop artist to appear on the chart.
The news arrives just after yesterday's release of Yonezu's latest single “IRIS OUT,” which also serves as the official theme song to for the highly-anticipated new film CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC – listen here. The track was released alongside an official music video featuring highlights from the upcoming film synchronized to the song's infectious tempo – watch here. Yonezu's incredibly momentum will continue into next week with the release of his collaboration with J-pop icon HIKARU UTADA. Available Monday, September 22, “JANE DOE” will serve as the ending theme to the Chainsaw Man film, was written and composed by Yonezu and features Utada on vocals – pre-save here.
Of the certification, KENSHI YONEZU says, “I am thrilled to hear that ‘KICK BACK’ has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. This song was written as the opening theme for the 2022 TV anime series Chainsaw Man. Daiki Tsuneta (King Gnu/MILLENNIUM PARADE) co-arranged the song with me, and I just remember it as a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I'm sure we must have had our share of troubles and had to work things out by trial and error, but there's a tendency to forget how hard things were once the difficulties have passed. When I look back on the production of the song, I realize how carefree I was and how much fun I was having , and I have nothing but fond memories of this time. The music video was directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama. It's hard to describe, but it's an amazing music video unlike anything anyone's ever seen. The video shoot was pretty tough. So I guess I do remember this particular experience as incredibly difficult, but it still brings back great memories, a wonderful chapter in my life. The video's fantastic, and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.
Earlier this year, when I was out on my world tour, the crowds went wild whenever ‘KICK BACK’ started playing. That was the moment when it struck me once again, just how popular Chainsaw Man is internationally, as well as the sheer magnitude of the power—or energy, if you will—that ‘KICK BACK’ holds. Additionally, Frost Children worked on the remix of ‘KICK BACK’ to coincide with this year's release of CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: REZE ARC. Frost Children, musicians who have been some of my personal favorites for a while now, agreed to do the remix. When I first heard their remix, I was blown away by the incredible range they displayed, and it sounded phenomenal right from the very first note—it really made me want to yell 'Yes!' I still vividly remember that feeling, that moment when I first heard it. It was my first-ever remix experience, and I discovered just how much fun it can be. Thank you very much. I hope you'll enjoy the song as well as its remix. So that's it from me, Kenshi Yonezu.”
ABOUT KENSHI YONEZU
After gaining success with Vocaloid music under the stage name HACHI, Kenshi Yonezu began producing under his real name in 2012. In addition to music, he has attracted attention for his album cover illustrations and video productions. The video for his hit single “Lemon”, the long-running theme song for the TV series Unnatural, is the most-viewed music video in Japan, and topped Billboard Japan's year-end charts for two consecutive years, leaving a mark on music history both in Japan and abroad.
His 2020 album STRAY SHEEP set a record of 1.9 million copies sold with the highest-placing Japanese artist ever to appear on the IFPI year-end global ranking chart. He continued to work tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including performing as the first Asian in a virtual concert hosted by the online game Fortnite. Collaborated globally with UNIQLO on their UT collection with the storefront collaboration displays in NY and other 8 UNIQLO stores worldwide. He was awarded an AAC Award, listed in Forbes' 100 Asian Digital Stars, and received the Minister of NEWS RELEASE Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists.
In 2022, he released “M87” as the theme song for the film Shin Ultraman, and “POP SONG” as the theme song for a PlayStation commercial. His single “KICK BACK,” the opening theme for the TV anime Chainsaw Man, made Spotify's Global Top 50, and became the first Japanese-language song certified Platinum by RIAA®. He was also selected as the first and only Japanese artist to be a part of the “RIAA Class of 2023”, with which the association summarized the artists who had flourished in the year.
In 2023, Yonezu released “Tsuki Wo Miteita - Moongazing” as the theme song for the RPG game Final Fantasy XVI, and “Chikyugi - Spinning Globe” – the theme song Studio Ghibli's animated film The Boy and the Heron (Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, 2024), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
In August 2024, Yonezu wrote “Garakuta – JUNK”, the theme song of the movie LAST MILE, and released his sixth studio album, LOST CORNER. In September, Yonezu released an exclusive line of graphic tees in collaboration with UNIQLO, as part of their ongoing UT series celebrating pop culture from around the world. After 11 years, Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) himself created a new illustration for the VOCALOID song “Donut Hole”, and a fully animated music video based on the illustration. Original chocolate was also released from Godiva Japan as the “GODIVA x HACHI Donut Hole Collection” from October as the first time for Godiva worldwide to create a chocolate collection lineup in collaboration with an artist. In November Yonezu released “Azalea”, a song written as the theme song for the global Netflix series Beyond Goodbye. For the first time in 6 years, appeared at Kohaku Uta Gassen.
In 2025, Yonezu released “Plazma”, a theme to the film Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- and also the theme to its anime series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, and a theme to the anime series Medalist with a collaboration music video between Kenshi Yonezu and the Winter Olympics gold Medalist Yuzuru Hanyu. Yonezu kicked off his largest-scaled world tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2025 WORLD TOUR / JUNK after performing domes in Japan, toured Asia, Europe, and the U.S., drew a total of 440,000 people. Kenshi Yonezu has just recently announced his new tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2026 TOUR / GHOST— a 6-city, 14-show arena headliner across Japan. The tour will kick off in Nagano on November 6, 2026, and will travel through Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, Miyagi, and Kanagawa, concluding on December 17.
As for Yonezu's music videos, “Lemon” has surpassed 930 million views, continuing to break the records of Japanese artists. It is one of the 16 music videos of his songs that garnered him a commanding record of surpassing 100 million views each (“Lemon,” “Eine Kleine,” “LOSER,” “Peace Sign,” “Haiirotoao (+Masaki Suda),” “orion,” “Flamingo,” “Kanden,” “Fireworks,” “Paprika,” “Shunrai,” “Uma to Shika,” “Spirits of the Sea,” “KICK BACK,” Foorin's “Paprika” and Masaki Suda's “Machigaisagashi”). He has over 7.81 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.
CONNECT WITH KENSHI YONEZU: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | X | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
MAKES HISTORY WITH RIAA PLATINUM CERTIFICATION OF “KICK BACK”
CERTIFICATION MARKS THE FIRST & ONLY TIME A JAPANESE-LANGUAGE
SONG HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN PLATINUM-CERTIFIED BY THE RIAA | LISTEN HERE
LATEST SINGLE RELEASE “IRIS OUT” IS THE OFFICIAL THEME SONG TO CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC | LISTEN HERE
NEW YORK, NY (September 17, 2025) – Chart-topping J-pop superstar KENSHI YONEZU celebrates yet another career milestone today, as his 2022 hit single “KICK BACK” was officially certified Platinum by the RIAA. A history-making moment, “KICK BACK” is now the first and only song written and performed in Japanese to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The opening theme to breakout anime series Chainsaw Man, “KICK BACK” began breaking records immediately upon its release, landing on Spotify's Global Top 50 chart and making Yonezu the first-ever J-pop artist to appear on the chart.
The news arrives just after yesterday's release of Yonezu's latest single “IRIS OUT,” which also serves as the official theme song to for the highly-anticipated new film CHAINSAW MAN – THE MOVIE: REZE ARC – listen here. The track was released alongside an official music video featuring highlights from the upcoming film synchronized to the song's infectious tempo – watch here. Yonezu's incredibly momentum will continue into next week with the release of his collaboration with J-pop icon HIKARU UTADA. Available Monday, September 22, “JANE DOE” will serve as the ending theme to the Chainsaw Man film, was written and composed by Yonezu and features Utada on vocals – pre-save here.
Of the certification, KENSHI YONEZU says, “I am thrilled to hear that ‘KICK BACK’ has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. This song was written as the opening theme for the 2022 TV anime series Chainsaw Man. Daiki Tsuneta (King Gnu/MILLENNIUM PARADE) co-arranged the song with me, and I just remember it as a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I'm sure we must have had our share of troubles and had to work things out by trial and error, but there's a tendency to forget how hard things were once the difficulties have passed. When I look back on the production of the song, I realize how carefree I was and how much fun I was having , and I have nothing but fond memories of this time. The music video was directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama. It's hard to describe, but it's an amazing music video unlike anything anyone's ever seen. The video shoot was pretty tough. So I guess I do remember this particular experience as incredibly difficult, but it still brings back great memories, a wonderful chapter in my life. The video's fantastic, and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out.
Earlier this year, when I was out on my world tour, the crowds went wild whenever ‘KICK BACK’ started playing. That was the moment when it struck me once again, just how popular Chainsaw Man is internationally, as well as the sheer magnitude of the power—or energy, if you will—that ‘KICK BACK’ holds. Additionally, Frost Children worked on the remix of ‘KICK BACK’ to coincide with this year's release of CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: REZE ARC. Frost Children, musicians who have been some of my personal favorites for a while now, agreed to do the remix. When I first heard their remix, I was blown away by the incredible range they displayed, and it sounded phenomenal right from the very first note—it really made me want to yell 'Yes!' I still vividly remember that feeling, that moment when I first heard it. It was my first-ever remix experience, and I discovered just how much fun it can be. Thank you very much. I hope you'll enjoy the song as well as its remix. So that's it from me, Kenshi Yonezu.”
ABOUT KENSHI YONEZU
After gaining success with Vocaloid music under the stage name HACHI, Kenshi Yonezu began producing under his real name in 2012. In addition to music, he has attracted attention for his album cover illustrations and video productions. The video for his hit single “Lemon”, the long-running theme song for the TV series Unnatural, is the most-viewed music video in Japan, and topped Billboard Japan's year-end charts for two consecutive years, leaving a mark on music history both in Japan and abroad.
His 2020 album STRAY SHEEP set a record of 1.9 million copies sold with the highest-placing Japanese artist ever to appear on the IFPI year-end global ranking chart. He continued to work tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including performing as the first Asian in a virtual concert hosted by the online game Fortnite. Collaborated globally with UNIQLO on their UT collection with the storefront collaboration displays in NY and other 8 UNIQLO stores worldwide. He was awarded an AAC Award, listed in Forbes' 100 Asian Digital Stars, and received the Minister of NEWS RELEASE Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists.
In 2022, he released “M87” as the theme song for the film Shin Ultraman, and “POP SONG” as the theme song for a PlayStation commercial. His single “KICK BACK,” the opening theme for the TV anime Chainsaw Man, made Spotify's Global Top 50, and became the first Japanese-language song certified Platinum by RIAA®. He was also selected as the first and only Japanese artist to be a part of the “RIAA Class of 2023”, with which the association summarized the artists who had flourished in the year.
In 2023, Yonezu released “Tsuki Wo Miteita - Moongazing” as the theme song for the RPG game Final Fantasy XVI, and “Chikyugi - Spinning Globe” – the theme song Studio Ghibli's animated film The Boy and the Heron (Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Feature, 2024), directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
In August 2024, Yonezu wrote “Garakuta – JUNK”, the theme song of the movie LAST MILE, and released his sixth studio album, LOST CORNER. In September, Yonezu released an exclusive line of graphic tees in collaboration with UNIQLO, as part of their ongoing UT series celebrating pop culture from around the world. After 11 years, Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) himself created a new illustration for the VOCALOID song “Donut Hole”, and a fully animated music video based on the illustration. Original chocolate was also released from Godiva Japan as the “GODIVA x HACHI Donut Hole Collection” from October as the first time for Godiva worldwide to create a chocolate collection lineup in collaboration with an artist. In November Yonezu released “Azalea”, a song written as the theme song for the global Netflix series Beyond Goodbye. For the first time in 6 years, appeared at Kohaku Uta Gassen.
In 2025, Yonezu released “Plazma”, a theme to the film Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- and also the theme to its anime series Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, and a theme to the anime series Medalist with a collaboration music video between Kenshi Yonezu and the Winter Olympics gold Medalist Yuzuru Hanyu. Yonezu kicked off his largest-scaled world tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2025 WORLD TOUR / JUNK after performing domes in Japan, toured Asia, Europe, and the U.S., drew a total of 440,000 people. Kenshi Yonezu has just recently announced his new tour, KENSHI YONEZU 2026 TOUR / GHOST— a 6-city, 14-show arena headliner across Japan. The tour will kick off in Nagano on November 6, 2026, and will travel through Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, Miyagi, and Kanagawa, concluding on December 17.
As for Yonezu's music videos, “Lemon” has surpassed 930 million views, continuing to break the records of Japanese artists. It is one of the 16 music videos of his songs that garnered him a commanding record of surpassing 100 million views each (“Lemon,” “Eine Kleine,” “LOSER,” “Peace Sign,” “Haiirotoao (+Masaki Suda),” “orion,” “Flamingo,” “Kanden,” “Fireworks,” “Paprika,” “Shunrai,” “Uma to Shika,” “Spirits of the Sea,” “KICK BACK,” Foorin's “Paprika” and Masaki Suda's “Machigaisagashi”). He has over 7.81 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel.
CONNECT WITH KENSHI YONEZU: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | X | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
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