SUPER BEAVER

Overview

SUPER BEAVER (abbreviated SPBV) is a four-piece Japanese rock band formed in 2005. They are part of murffin discs' label [NOiD] and are signed to Sony Records. Their official fan club is the SUPER BEAVER Friends Association (友の会). The band is best known for "Shinkokyū" (深呼吸), an ending theme for Naruto Shippuden; "Rashisa" (らしさ), an opening theme for Barakamon in 2014; and "Hitamuki" (ひたむき), used in the sixth season of My Hero Academia in 2022. They also performed the theme songs for all three live-action Tokyo Revengers films.

The name came about when guitarist Ryota Yanagisawa suggested naming the band after an animal; "Beaver" was chosen and the catchy "Super" was added, with no deeper meaning. Had a friend of vocalist Ryuta Shibuya had his way, the band would have been called "Thumbtack" (画鋲). The members are high-school seniors and juniors, and drummer Hiroaki Fujiwara is Yanagisawa's childhood friend. SUPER BEAVER is the first band on [NOiD], a private label founded by Shibuya eggman staffer YUMA.

Career

Formation and indie years (2005–2008)

On April 1, 2005, vocalist Ryuta Shibuya, bassist Kenta Uesugi and guitarist Ryota Yanagisawa, joined by drummer Hiroaki Fujiwara, formed the band and began playing in Shimokitazawa and Shibuya. They won the Audience Grand Prize at the national finals of TEENS' MUSIC FESTIVAL 2005, and in 2006 took both the Grand Prize and the Audience Prize.

In March 2007 they sold out their first headline show at Shimokitazawa CLUB251, and on December 5 released the mini-album "Nichijō" (日常). The second mini-album "Shinkei" (心景) followed on November 5, 2008, and the final of their first national tour, at Shibuya O-WEST, sold out.

Major label years (2009–2011)

They made their major debut on June 3, 2009 on EPIC Records Japan with the single "Shinkokyū", used as an ending theme for Naruto Shippuden, while the B-side "Michishirube" (道標) was used in Naruto's early series, a first-ever simultaneous tie-up. The singles "Futatsu no Tabiji" and "Shiawase" followed, and the first full album "Kōfuku Kidō" (幸福軌道) arrived on November 25. In 2010 they toured nationally and released the mini-album "SUPER BEAVER" in October; they also contributed the unreleased song "Sasayaka na" to the fictional band in the film Solanin. In autumn 2011 they left their label and agency, played over 100 shows a year, and toured with BLUE ENCOUNT and ircle.

Independent label era (2012–2013)

In April 2012 they founded their own label, I×L×P× RECORDS, and released the venue-only single "Yorokobi no Ashita ni". The second album "Mirai no Hajimekata" arrived on July 11, followed by a national tour. On April 3, 2013 they released the mini-album "Sekai ga Me o Samasu no nara" and toured, then held the Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka "Tokai no Rakuda" tour in autumn.

[NOiD] and "361°" (2013–2014)

On October 6, 2013 the rock label [NOiD] was established and the band joined it. After the venue-only "Anata (Another Ver.)" in December, the third album "361°" came out on February 12, 2014 as the label's first nationally distributed release. "Rashisa / Watakushigoto" followed on September 24, with "Rashisa" becoming the Barakamon opening theme.

Breakthrough (2015–2017)

The fourth album "Aisuru" (愛する) was released on April 1, 2015; the tour sold out more than ten shows, and their largest headline show to that point at Akasaka BLITZ sold out immediately. From January to March 2016 they released three consecutive one-coin singles ("Kotoba", "Urusai", "Aoi Haru"), and the 10th-anniversary show "Tokai no Rakuda SP" in April was their first Zepp DiverCity headline show, a sellout. The fifth album "27" (June 1, 2016) gave them their first Oricon weekly top 10 placing, and all 27 dates of its tour sold out. Their first live DVD, released in October, topped the Oricon weekly music DVD chart.

In 2017 they released "Utsukushii Hi / Zenbu" (January) and their first digital-only single "Hinata" (April). That month Shibuya became host of "Shibuya Ryuta's All Night Nippon 0 (ZERO)". They played headline shows at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall and Osaka-jo Open-Air Concert Hall, and launched the fan club on May 22. The mini-album "Mannaka no Koto" (September 6) reached No. 6 on the Oricon weekly album chart, their highest to date, and all 27 tour dates sold out. In October they released "Niji", the opening theme for the drama Seto and Utsumi.

Budokan and "Kansei Zenya" (2018–2020)

On April 30, 2018 they played their first solo show at Nippon Budokan, which sold out on the day of general sale. The sixth album "Kansei Zenya" (歓声前夜), released June 27, became their best-selling release, and their first national one-man tour sold out all 14 shows. In November they released "Yokan", the theme of the drama We Are Miracles. In 2019 they ran hall/live house and multi-band tours, and the final of the 2019–2020 one-man tour at Yoyogi National Gymnasium's First Gymnasium was the largest venue of their career at the time. In 2020 they re-signed with a major label.

Recent activity (2022–2026)

"Hitamuki" was used for My Hero Academia in 2022. For the live-action Tokyo Revengers films they performed "Namae wo Yobu yo", "Gradation" (Bloody Halloween – Destiny) and "Hakanakunai" (Bloody Halloween – Decisive Battle); From THE FIRST TAKE versions of the latter two were released in December 2023. Further releases included "Atai Senkin" (December 2023), "Shiawase no Tame ni Ikite Iru dake sa" (January 2024), the album "Ongaku" (February 2024) and "Kirei da" (May 2024). In 2025 they issued "Namida no Shōtai" (January), "Kataomoi / Namida no Shōtai" (March), "Manazashi" (May), "Shujinkō" (June) and "Hito to shite (AA1)" (October). Marking their 20th anniversary, they released the live album "Tokai no Rakuda SP at ZOZO Marine Stadium" in October 2025 and "Acoustic Album 1" in December. "Ikigai" (December 22), written for Fuji TV to support athletes at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, had its music video reach 1 million views by January 22, 2026. The single "Sanzen / Ikigai" followed on February 11, 2026. The band also hosts the radio show "Beaver Locks!" on Tokyo FM/JFN 38 every Friday at 10:30 PM.

Musical style

SUPER BEAVER centers on Japanese rock and is widely known through anime, drama and film tie-ins. Their approach is built around live performance, with more than 100 shows a year and tours that regularly sell out, and they have broadened their reach through numerous multi-band and split tours.