(Photography by James Chen)
With over twenty years of significant contributions to the world of anime music, there is no doubt that FLOW has legendary status within this niche of Japanese music. They were the perfect choice to headline Anime Expo 2025’s J-POP SOUND CAPSULE event on July 3 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marking the return of Anisong World Matsuri.
Perhaps most recognized for their association with the “Naruto” franchise, FLOW’s energetic sound blending rock, pop punk, and hip-hop has resulted in the creation of a large volume of beloved theme songs for various series including “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, “Eureka Seven”, and “The Seven Deadly Sins”.
FLOW are:
    KOHSHI and KEIGO on vocals
    TAKE on guitar
    GOT’S on bass
    IWASAKI on drums
For this J-POP SOUND CAPSULE appearance, GOT’S was not able to be present and so the band was joined by Isamu Takita as support on bass.
The energy in the venue spiked instantly the moment the band kicked off their set with “Re:member,” launching the crowd into a frenzy of waving lightsticks and synchronized jumps. FLOW kept their feet firmly on the gas pedal, transitions effortlessly into a thunderous cover of Dragon Ball Z’s iconic opening theme “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA”.
Code Geass fans flew into an absolute frenzy upon hearing the opening chords of “COLORS.” Vocalists KOHSHI and KEIGO commanded the room with flawless twin-vocal chemistry, trading verses and engaging the audience at every turn.
FLOW then performed the recently released “Alright!!!”, their 40th single, which is featured in the anime “From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman” as its ending theme. The song carries a message of self-reflection, growth, and determination that heavily mirrors the journey of the anime’s main character, Beryl.
The headlining set continued on with a string of iconic hits from the Naruto universe, starting with a high-energy cover of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s “Haruka Kanata”. The song is perhaps best known as an opening them for the anime adapation of “Naruto”. The sequence jumps far ahead in the Naruto chronology and Flow perform their 38th single, “Gold”, which is featured as the tenth opening them for “Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.”
The emotional peak of this part of the show arrived with “Sign”, the legendary opening theme for “Naruto Shippuden.” The entire auditorium was singing along to every word, creating a genuinely magical, unifying moment between the band and huge crowd of longtime fans.
Just when it seemed like the energy couldn’t possibly get any higher, FLOW took the showcase to an entirely different level by welcoming fellow rock powerhouses GRANRODEO to the stage. The combined musical force of both bands resulted in a spectacular, heavy-hitting collaborative segment.
Together, they ripped through dynamic performances of their joint hit singles “Howling” and “7-seven-”, trading scorching guitar solos that left the crowd absolutely breathless.
For the grand finale, FLOW unleashed their ultimate weapon, “GO!!!” This legendary opening song for “Naruto” turned the stage into a massive, star-studded celebration of anime culture.
The members of FLOW were rejoined by GRANRODEO and accompanied by the incredible ensemble of the night’s earlier performers, including Hiroshi Kitadani, TOGENASHI TOGEARI, Sakurazaka46, and ASTERISM, who sang along and jumped along to this finale for the night.
FLOW and GRANRODEO join forces again to sing and scream the iconic “Fighting Dreamers” chorus along with thousands of fans, with the whole spectacle culminating in one final grand synchronized leap, bringing this wonderful celebration of anime music to a close.
