Japanese broadcaster NHK’s yearly music show Kohaku Uta Gassen kicks off on New Year’s Eve and will include a stacked lineup of performers belting out popular songs. NHK posted the full song list for the event on Thursday. Some of those songs announced will include numbers, performers, and even characters linked to anime series like Demon Slayer, One Piece Film Red, and Spy x Family.
The Kohaku Uta Gassen (“Red and White Song Battle“), also known as “Kohaku” is a yearly New Year’s Eve entertainment program produced by NHK. First airing in 1951 over radio, the show has aired continuously, with this year’s being the 73rd installment. Performers for Kohaku are invited by NHK from the most popular and successful singing acts in Japan’s music industry. During Kohaku, the performers are divided into the Red (all-female and female-led acts) and White (all-male and male-led acts) teams, and “compete” by singing their respective songs. A panel of judges and audience entries then decide which group performed better. Despite declining ratings in recent years, Kohaku remains one of the most popular music shows in Japan.
The list of performers in this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen includes several on both teams singing songs tied to anime series. The Red team includes Aimer singing “Zankyo Sanka,” the theme song to Demon Slayer‘s Entertainment District arc, and Ryoko Shinohara singing a new version of “Itoshisa to Setsunasa to Kokoro Tsuyosa to,” a song long associated with the Street Fighter series. Singer Ado will also perform as Uta from One Piece Film: Red, singing “New Genesis”.
The White team will feature Gen Hoshino singing “Kigeki,” the first ending theme for Spy x Family. Band Snow Man will perform “Brother Beat,” which was on the soundtrack to the live-action adaptation of Osomatsu-san. Finally, the “Special Corner” performances unlinked to specific teams will have Kiyoshi Hikawa performing “Genkai Toppa x Survivor“, from Dragon Ball Super.
Other artists with anime credits like Milet and Official HIGE DANdism will perform, though not songs from anime specifically.
The 2022 Kohaku Uta Gassen airs on December 31, 2022 in Japan and internationally via NHK.
