TOOBOE

Overview

TOOBOE (トオボエ) is the solo project of john (ジョン), a Japanese Vocaloid producer and singer-songwriter. A self-produced multi-creator, he handles lyrics, composition, arrangement, vocals, illustration and video production for his own music, working across anime, J-pop and J-rock. He is known for the Chainsaw Man ending theme "Jōzai" and for "Anata wa Kaibutsu," the ending theme of The Summer Hikaru Died.

Career

Exposed to guitar and piano from a young age, he began composing as a hobby using DTM. Around 2018 he discovered artists such as balloon and NayutalieN, which sparked his interest in Vocaloid music. In April 2019 he uploaded his first Vocaloid song, "Inferiority," to Niconico and YouTube, beginning his career as a Vocaloid producer. His Vocaloid works include "Shunran," "Higan," "Utage," "Rabbit," "Itai no Itai no Tondeke," "Jōzai" and "Shinzō." "Shunran" has passed 1 million plays on Niconico and more than 45 million views on YouTube.

Under the name john he released the albums Angry Dog (August 24, 2019), Rose (December 22, 2019), Miserable (August 21, 2020) and Pink Moon (June 16, 2023).

In September 2020 he launched the solo project TOOBOE, producing his own vocal works and songs for other artists while continuing his Vocaloid activity. An early notable credit was "Masshiro," written for singer yama in 2020, which served as the theme for the ABEMA romance programme Koi Suru Drama ga Mitai: Kiss On The Bed. He released singles such as "Akai Yoru" and "Doku" in 2020, followed in 2021 by the album Senshuraku and singles including "Yūutsu" and "Kūfuku" (with Maeshima Sōshi).

In April 2022 he made his major debut with Mastersix Foundation with the single "Shinzō." On November 15, 2022 he opened his official fan club, Haiboku Club. That year he also composed, arranged and performed "Jōzai" (Tablet) as the fourth-episode ending theme of the anime Chainsaw Man, which used a different ending song for each of its twelve episodes; he also released the EP Jōzai and the collaboration "Re Juu No Buhin" with People 1.

He released "Hakuai" in November 2023, then "Hōkō" (January 17, 2024), the album Stupid Dog (January 24), "Hikari" (February 28), "Itai no Itai no Tondeke" (June 5), "Kire egoto" (September 6), "Collage" with Puffy (October 2024) and "Wonderful World" (November 27). On October 31, 2024 the fan club Haiboku Club was closed and renewed, and the new fan club INUGOYA opened on November 1.

In 2025 he released "First Love" (April) and composed, arranged and performed "Anata wa Kaibutsu" (You Are My Monster), the ending theme for the anime The Summer Hikaru Died (released July 20, re-released August 13, and also the title of an EP). The song was first revealed at AnimeJapan 2025 as part of the main trailer. Tooboe said he explored the story's themes of memory and the discovery that someone close is not who one believed them to be, describing the song as a form of forgiveness extended to the characters. Other 2025 activity includes "Nukegara" (August 6), a guest appearance on Mori Calliope's "Sepia," and the live release TOOBOE ONEMAN LIVE 2025 《RUBY》 (December 17). In 2026 he released "GUN POWDER" (January 11), with the album Evergreen and the singles "BAP" and "Juggernaut" also listed in his discography.

For live shows he performs in a band format with support members: Naoto "MESHICO" Iida (guitar), Park (bass), $hinya (drums), Taito Fujiwara (keyboards), Anamy (lighting) and Takahiro Shiraishi (VJ).

Musical Style

In his Vocaloid work he exclusively uses Hatsune Miku and often creates his own music videos. A hallmark of his tuning is making the voice pronounce the t-row kana as "tsa, tsi, tsu, tse, tso." His dog-related names, john and TOOBOE, reflect his central theme of the "loser dog." His stated driving forces for songwriting are "anger" and a desire to give courage to others. He cites Hideo Okuda as an influence on lyrics and Shikao Suga on composition; seeing Suga's "Gogo no Parade" on television led him to explore solo singer-songwriters such as Masayoshi Yamazaki and Kazuyoshi Saito. As a child he dreamed of becoming a manga artist.