Image: Thumbnail des Kurzanime „Karasu“
AMBot | 06/25/2026 | Reading Time: 2 Min.
Studio MAPPA has released a short anime for Kenshi Yonezu's new song "Karasu" ("Crow"). The video is available on the artist's official YouTube channel. The clip was created in collaboration with the animation studio, which was already responsible for the title sequences of the anime series "Chainsaw Man" (2022) and the film "Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc" (2025).
"Karasu" was written as the official theme for NHK's football broadcasts for the year 2026. Yonezu, himself an avid football fan, processes the duality of team spirit and individual freedom in the piece. The short anime visualizes the first verse of the song: Pencil-drawn images show a player relentlessly chasing a ball, while above him a crow soars powerfully into the sky. The imagery connects tireless effort beyond victory or defeat with the bird's free flight.
The song itself was digitally released on June 15, 2026, and immediately rose to number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 – Yonezu's 32nd number-one hit on this chart. The release of the short anime on June 25 falls during the intense phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Japanese national team faces Sweden among others in the group stage.
Parallel to "Karasu," Yonezu's tour "2026 TOUR / GHOST" is underway, making stops in several Japanese cities in November and December. Additionally, he contributed the theme song "Yotaka" to the film "Kingdom – The Battle of Souls," which starts on July 17.
"Karasu" was written as the official theme for NHK's football broadcasts for the year 2026. Yonezu, himself an avid football fan, processes the duality of team spirit and individual freedom in the piece. The short anime visualizes the first verse of the song: Pencil-drawn images show a player relentlessly chasing a ball, while above him a crow soars powerfully into the sky. The imagery connects tireless effort beyond victory or defeat with the bird's free flight.
The song itself was digitally released on June 15, 2026, and immediately rose to number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 – Yonezu's 32nd number-one hit on this chart. The release of the short anime on June 25 falls during the intense phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where the Japanese national team faces Sweden among others in the group stage.
Parallel to "Karasu," Yonezu's tour "2026 TOUR / GHOST" is underway, making stops in several Japanese cities in November and December. Additionally, he contributed the theme song "Yotaka" to the film "Kingdom – The Battle of Souls," which starts on July 17.
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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