Chainsaw Man’s Blu-ray sales may not have been as high as many expected, but its opening theme has become a hot seller. It was announced recently that the Chainsaw Man opening song, Kick Back, by Kenshi Yonezu has been Certified Gold by the RIAA.
This is a historic certification as this is the first time that a Japanese song has been Certified Gold in America.
With this, Kenshi Yonezu has cemented his place among the top artists in Japan, especially given the incredible run he’s had this year.
Kenshi Yonezu Continues His Impressive Music Streak
Even before the Chainsaw Man anime, Kenshi Yonezu was already one of the most in-demand artists in Japan.
Anime fans most likely know Yonezu for his song Peace Sign, which served as the opening theme for My Hero Academia Season 2.
Since then, Yonezu has released lots of hit songs, including the track Lemon, which became a massive hit in Japan as it was used for the TV drama Unnatural.
Last year, Yonezu made waves once again in the anime world thanks to Kick Back, the Chainsaw Man anime’s opening.
Aside from the opening getting a lot of attention thanks to its various movie references, the song also became one of 2022’s biggest hit songs. It even became Yonezu’s most-listened track on Spotify.
He may not have done new anime series songs this year, but Yonezu has continued to create tracks. For instance, he created the song, Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing, for Final Fantasy 16.
Yonezu also produced and performed the song Spinning Globe, which serves as the theme song for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron.
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Chainsaw Man’s Kick Back Makes History as First Japanese Song to Be Certified Gold
Now, Yonezu has reached another major milestone, both for himself and for Japan’s music industry. Recently, it was announced that Kick Back is the first Japanese song to be Certified Gold by the RIAA.
What this means is the song has shipped 500,000 copies in the US – an impressive feat given that RIAA certifications rarely (if ever) happen to songs from Asia.
This proves that Yonezu’s song is one of the biggest anime tracks in recent memory. Thus, it’ll be interesting to see if Chainsaw Man will bring him back when it gets renewed for a second season.
Kick Back isn’t the only anime song that made it big internationally. This year also saw the YOASOBI song Idol become a chart-topper around the world.
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