Japanese singer Daoko has released the official music video for her new song “TACTIC” on YouTube. The track serves as the second opening theme song for the currently airing fourth season of the anime That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
“TACTIC” was digitally released on July 4 and was composed and arranged by Giga and TeddyLoid. The song blends a dark, moody atmosphere with the uplifting energy of club music, resulting in a fast-paced, driving sound.
The music video was directed by YYG NT Lab, a rising video production team selected for the “100 Video Creators 2026” list. In the video, Daoko takes on roles including a nurse and a teacher, and also appears in a costumed mascot outfit. The visuals incorporate a range of techniques, including effects animation, 3DCG, footage shot on cathode-ray tube monitors, and analog print processing.
Director Kanai Kazuma commented that he grew up listening to Daoko’s early work, including her debut album “HYPER GIRL,” and called it an honor to direct her music video years later. He said the video captures Daoko in a variety of situations and costumes. Co-director Fujinoyamai said the team aimed for the kitschy feel of late-1980s cult sci-fi films and enjoyed working with longtime collaborators on the shoot.
Who is Daoko?
Daoko (ダヲコ) is a Japanese rap singer and songwriter born in 1997 in Tokyo. She first gained attention for tracks she posted to the “nico rap” community on Niconico, and released her debut album, “HYPER GIRL -Mukougawa no Onnanoko-,” in 2012. She made her major label debut under the name DAOKO in 2015, the same year she graduated from high school, and is known for blending poetry reading, layered vocal harmonies, and rap into a dreamy sound. She first appeared on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, the broadcaster’s annual New Year’s Eve music special, in December 2018. Daoko has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Kenshi Yonezu, Yasuyuki Okamura, Beck, Yasutaka Nakata, Scha Dara Parr, and MIYAVI. She established her own management office, Tefutefu, in 2019, and has released music independently under the name Daoko since founding her own label in 2021. She has also performed with the band QUBIT since April 2023, and released her first full album in roughly four years, “Slash-&-Burn,” in May 2024. Beyond music, Daoko has written fiction, held solo art exhibitions, and worked as an actress.
