Episode 18 of DAN DA DAN has made waves not just for its over-the-top supernatural fun, but for unintentionally crossing into controversial territory. At the heart of the issue is the new in-episode track Hunting Soul, performed by the fictional in-universe band HAYASii. While fans immediately noticed that the band’s name and lineup clearly mirror legendary rock group X JAPAN, it wasn’t just a light nod—real-life guitarist Marty Friedman confirmed the song was meant as a tribute.
Yoshiki, X JAPAN’s iconic drummer and bandleader, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his surprise and concern. He first responded with humor, writing, “What’s this.. Doesn’t that sound like X JAPAN?” But the tone quickly shifted when he revealed that lawyers had contacted him shortly after the episode aired. He expressed confusion and disappointment over not being notified beforehand, especially since the homage closely mimicked real elements of his band. Yoshiki also noted that previous anime tributes to X JAPAN had sought official clearance.
Adding another twist, Yoshiki tagged several relevant accounts, including Netflix and Hulu, both of which currently stream the series. He also shared a live performance of Kurenai, one of X JAPAN’s most iconic tracks, pointing out similarities in rhythm and style to the anime’s episode.
What complicates matters is that Aniplex, a co-producer of DAN DA DAN, operates under Sony Music, which also handles publishing rights for Kurenai. Whether the company internally approved the homage without informing Yoshiki remains unclear.
Despite the legal uncertainty, Yoshiki has kept a surprisingly open mind. In later posts, he shared that he’s now curious to watch DAN DA DAN and is even considering inviting someone from the project to discuss the musical reference on his YouTube channel. This suggests that while copyright concerns remain unresolved, there could be space for dialogue and collaboration moving forward.
DAN DA DAN continues to be one of the most creatively unpredictable anime titles this season, and now it has unintentionally placed itself at the center of a larger conversation about inspiration, homage, and intellectual property in entertainment.
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