Anime Song Legend Akira Kushida Makes Welcome Return to the Stage; Audience and Performers Lend Their Voices to Close the Show

When anison (anime song) singer Akira Kushida entered the stage carrying fellow singer Masaaki Endo in his arms, the audience screamed with joy.

“Everyone, I’m back!” Kushida greeted the crowd in a strong voice as she looked around the auditorium.

“Welcome back!” the audience responded enthusiastically.

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

In January of this year, Kushida was admitted to the hospital due to acute pancreatitis. When I first heard the news, I thought he would be discharged soon. Hey, it’s Kushida. He may be getting older, but his powerful vocals seem endless. He also did daily strength training using machines he made himself. He once said that he had to reduce the number of sit-ups he did each day after overdoing it to the point where his abdominal muscles became so hard that it was negatively affecting his singing. He smiled as he told me the story. He’s a tough guy full of strength.

However, his hospitalization lasted six months. He had to cancel scheduled concerts and his X-updates became less frequent. His staff contacted me a few times and I was able to read between the lines and know that his battle with the disease was tough.

In the summer, I saw pictures of Kushida sitting in his hospital bed practicing singing by muffling the sounds and working his muscles, but I still thought it would take longer for him to come back since he had been in the hospital for so long.

However, Kushida is like the lyrics of the superhero songs he sings, which are about invincibility. Just days after being released from the hospital, he appeared on stage to meet the audience.

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

“I’m not putting my microphone down yet,” he said firmly, emphasizing every word.

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

The last song played at the concert was “Tsuyosa wa Ai da” (Strength is Love), the closing theme song of “Space Sheriff Sharivan.” It is customary for this series of concerts that a song originally sung by Kushida closes the show. This time, Kushida sang the first half of the song steadily by himself, his voice full of power. The second half was sung by everyone in the hall, including the audience. One line of the lyrics in the second half — “Taoretara tachiagari maeyorimo tsuyokunare” (If you have fallen, stand up and become stronger than before) — sounded very convincing and shook everyone’s hearts. As I watched Kushida sing his heart out with a smile and his fellow singers cheering him on, all sorts of feelings filled my heart and tears welled up in my eyes.

Welcome back, Kushida! That’s the feeling not only for me, but also for all Kushida fans around the world.