Japanese music unit Yorushika announced on September 17 that singer-songwriter Kitani Tatsuya (30), who had served as the group’s support bassist since its formation, has ended his involvement with the band. The announcement came via Yorushika’s official X account, marking the conclusion of Kitani’s support role following the final show of the “Yorushika LIVE TOUR 2026 ‘Isshoushou'” (一人称, meaning “First Person”), which wrapped up on September 16.
Yorushika’s core members, composer n-buna and vocalist suis, shared their gratitude toward Kitani in comments following the announcement. “We always felt a great deal of gratitude toward him,” the pair said, according to Oricon. The band’s message also reportedly thanked Kitani directly for his years of support, telling him, in effect, thank you for everything.
Kitani had been part of Yorushika’s touring lineup since the unit’s early days, providing bass for its live shows as the band built its reputation as one of Japan’s most distinctive narrative-driven pop-rock acts. Details on who, if anyone, will take over bass duties for future Yorushika performances have not yet been announced.
Who is Kitani Tatsuya?
Kitani Tatsuya is a Japanese singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known internationally for performing “Kick Back,” the opening theme song for the anime series Chainsaw Man, which brought him significant global attention. Alongside his solo career, Kitani had quietly played a supporting role behind the scenes for Yorushika, contributing bass to the unit’s live performances since its earliest days. With his support role now concluded, attention turns to what comes next for him as a solo artist.
Who is Yorushika?
Yorushika is a Japanese music unit formed by composer n-buna and vocalist suis, known for concept-driven albums and literary, emotionally layered songwriting that has earned the duo a large following both in Japan and internationally through streaming platforms. The pair regularly enlist support musicians, including Kitani, for their large-scale live tours.
Neither Yorushika nor Kitani has indicated whether this marks a full end to their collaboration or simply the close of one chapter. For now, the band appears set to continue without him as its members look toward future projects.
Author’s Comment
Ah, the quiet goodbye of the guy who was never in the spotlight but made the whole thing sound good live. I love that Yorushika did this properly, with an actual thank-you instead of just letting him fade out of the touring credits. Support musicians are the unsung backbone of the Japanese live scene, and they almost never get a public send-off like this. Kitani’s got his own thriving solo lane thanks to Chainsaw Man, so don’t shed too many tears for him. If anything, I’d bet this is less "the end" and more "he finally has time to focus on being Kitani Tatsuya, solo star."
