Dandadan just tripped over a real rock legend. A fictional metal band in season 2 stirred up fans for looking a lot like X Japan, the show apologized, Yoshiki noticed, and now everyone is talking about... potential collaborations? Yeah, that escalated fast.
What set this off
Season 2, episode 6 drops a new band called HAYASii — a heavy metal group whose whole thing is blasting out exorcisms with music. It is one of the season's big swing-for-the-fences set pieces: they shred so hard they yank Evil Eye's spirit out of Jiji's body. Wild, fun, very anime.
Then fans started clocking the character designs. The band members look extremely close to 80s rock icons X Japan. Not a wink-and-nod close — like, close close. And used without permission.
The apology
After the comparisons blew up, the show's production committee (that is, the cross-company group that actually oversees the anime) posted a statement on Twitter (X) on August 22, 2025, apologizing over the episode's song 'Hunting Soul' and the clear X Japan inspiration.
'We deeply apologize for causing concern regarding the song "Hunting Soul" from the Dandadan anime series... We hoped to capture the same passion as Yoshiki and X Japan, whom we greatly respect. However, we did not contact Yoshiki or X Japan in advance, which was unintentional and caused concern, and we sincerely apologize.'
Translation: they meant it as a tribute, they skipped the courtesy call, and they know that was not great.
Yoshiki weighed in — twice
Yoshiki saw the episode and initially tweeted: 'Eh... doesn't this look like X JAPAN? What do you think, fans?' That post was later deleted, but it definitely poured gasoline on the discourse.
After the apology, though, his tone shifted. He responded directly to the committee's statement with something a lot more optimistic:
'I appreciate the sincere response from the Dandadan production committee... Through positive conversations with the producers, including the possibility of future collaborations, I feel we can build a wonderful future together with all the fans!'
So from 'uh, excuse me?' to 'maybe let's make something together.' That is a plot twist I did not have on my bingo card.
Quick recap of the timeline
- Season 2, episode 6 introduces HAYASii, a metal band that performs exorcisms, featuring the song 'Hunting Soul'.
- Fans point out the band's obvious resemblance to X Japan.
- Yoshiki tweets 'Eh... doesn't this look like X JAPAN?' The post is later deleted.
- On August 22, 2025, the Dandadan production committee posts an apology on Twitter (X), admitting they did not reach out to Yoshiki or X Japan beforehand.
- Yoshiki accepts the apology and publicly floats the idea of future collaborations.
Meanwhile, the show is cruising
Despite the copyright hiccup, Dandadan is having a strong second season. It currently sits at a clean 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of the big summer anime alongside recent seasons of Sakamoto Days and Jujutsu Kaisen.
What’s next
Dandadan season 2, episode 9 lands on August 28, 2025. If you need the exact drop time where you live, check the season 2 release schedule. And yes, I am very curious if HAYASii shows up again — preferably with everyone on the same page this time.