Anime Song Legend Akira Kushida Makes Welcome Return to Stage; Crowd, Performers Lend Voices to Close the Show

By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Specialist

12:00 JST, September 13, 2024

When anison (anime song) singer Akira Kushida came on stage holding the shoulder of fellow singer Masaaki Endo, the ecstatic crowd screamed.

“Everyone, I’m back!” Kushida greeted the crowd in a powerful voice while looking around the auditorium.

“Welcome back!” the audience responded wildly.

It was Aug. 10 at Zepp DiverCity in the Odaiba district in Tokyo, and “Superhero-Spirits 2024,” an Anime Japan Fes concert of theme songs from tokusatsu superhero TV shows, was taking place. Kushida, who made a surprise appearance in the finale of the concert, is known for singing the theme songs of such tokusatsu classics as “Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan” and “Uchu Keiji Gavan” (“Space Sheriff Gavan”) as well as the TV anime “Kinnikuman” (“Mr. Muscleman”). His popularity transcends borders, as he has a big following overseas, particularly in Brazil and France.

In January this year, Kushida was hospitalized for acute pancreatitis. When I first heard the news, I thought he would be quickly discharged. Hey, it’s Kushida. He may be getting older, but his powerful singing prowess seems to know no end. He also did daily strength training using machines that he made himself. He once said he had to reduce the number of sit-ups he did every day after overdoing it to the point that his abs became so hard it had an adverse effect on his singing. He was smiling when he told me the story. He is a tough guy full of power.

However, his hospitalization ended up lasting six months. He had to cancel scheduled concerts, and his X updates became infrequent. His staff contacted me a few times, and I could read between the lines and knew his battle with the disease was a tough one.

Come summer, I saw photos of Kushida practicing singing in his hospital bed by muting the sounds and training his muscles. Still, I thought it would take longer for him to make a comeback considering he was hospitalized for such a long time.

However, Kushida is just like the lyrics of the superhero songs he sings, which are about invincibility. Only days after being discharged from the hospital, he showed up on stage to meet the audience.

In fact, I heard that no one knew what he would do at the concert until the day of the appearance — whether he would just say a greeting or actually sing. But Kushida stood in front of the audience with his feet planted firmly on the stage, even though Endo had lent him his shoulder. He had become very thin, but the strong tone of his voice was just the same as before he was hospitalized.

“I won’t put down my mic just yet,” he said resolutely, stressing each word.

The audience gave him thunderous applause. Some were seen wiping tears from their cheeks. The anison singers on stage were all smiles, showing how happy they were to be reunited with Kushida, the leader of the Superhero-Spirits concerts.

The last song performed at the concert was “Tsuyosa wa Ai da” (Strength is love), the ending theme song of “Space Sheriff Sharivan.” It is the norm at this series of concerts that a song originally sung by Kushida wraps up the show. This time, Kushida sang the first half of the song steadily on his own, his voice filled with vigor. The second half was sung by everyone at the venue, including the audience. One line of the lyrics in the second half — “Taoretara tachiagari maeyorimo tsuyokunare” (If you’ve fallen down, stand up and become stronger than before) — sounded very convincing and rocked everyone’s heart. As I watched Kushida singing his heart out with a smile and his fellow singers cheering him on, all sorts of feelings filled my heart and tears welled in my eyes.

Welcome back, Kushida! That is the feeling not only of myself but all the Kushida fans in the world.