FLOW is a Japanese rock band that got its start all the way back in 1998. Well, technically, they began in 1993 when brothers Kōshi and Take first decided to make music together! But it wasn’t until 1998 that the actual band FLOW was born when the brothers were joined by Keigo, Gotō, and Iwasaki. Kōshi, the older of the two original brothers, is the vocals and rhythm guitar. His younger brother Take takes the lead guitar. Keigo is the second vocalist, with Gotō on the bass and Iwasaki on the drums. It took a few years before the group was able to release their first single, “FLOW #0,” in 2002.

But after that, things started moving much faster. By 2003, FLOW was already in the top ten on the music charts in Japan and their first full album, “Splash!” debuted at number two the same year. Two years later, their songs were staying on the charts for weeks. FLOW had a major record label by then with Ki/oon Records, and was well on the way to a secure future. It wasn’t long after that that FLOW started to get involved in the anisong industry. By 2006, they were playing at AnimeFest in Texas, and from there they started to land more and more anime hits.

Now onto the fun stuff - where can you hear FLOW in the otaku world?

The answer to the above question is all over the place! But let’s back up and talk about the beginning. FLOW’s first big anime songs were “GO!!” and “Re:member,” both of which were openings for Naruto. Their singles “Days” and “Realize” were the main themes for the Eureka Seven anime and video game respectively. These songs were popular enough to get FLOW invited to perform at anime conventions in America, and served as the beginning of a lucrative anisong career. From there in 2006, FLOW produced “Colours,” the first opening of an anime that would go on to be internationally famous—Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. FLOW went on to sing openings and endings for Naruto Shippuden, Beelzebub, Samurai Flamenco, The Seven Deadly Sins, and more.

FLOW’s music is also featured in video games and Japanese dramas! One of the most famous of these songs is “Cha-la Head-cha-la,” which was originally used for a Dragonball Z movie and would go on to be the main theme for both Dragonball Z: Battle of Z and Dragonball XenoVerse video games. As recently as 2019 FLOW’s song “Break it down” served as the theme for the game Naruto x Boruto Ninja Tribes. If you like Japanese dramas, you can hear FLOW’s song “Neiro” as the theme for Sachiiro no One Room. So while FLOW may be best known for their anime music, they’ve left their mark in the drama and video game worlds, too!

FLOW has since performed all around the world for anime fans, including in America, France, Germany, and Brazil. Their fan base reaches far beyond the borders of Japan due to their heavy influence in the otaku world. Their first world tour in 2015 took them to seven countries outside of Japan. They’re certainly come a long way from two brothers jamming together back in the early 90s, that’s for sure!