15 years of precious moments across the globe

MAN WITH A MISSION marks their incredible 15-year anniversary by celebrating with “XV EP Across the Globe“, embarking on a Japan tour, and preparing for a long-awaited European tour.

From unforgettable live shows in North America last year to reconnecting with fans overseas, we spoke with guitarist and vocalist Jean-Ken Johnny to reflect on the band’s journey, iconic wolf image, and the passion that keeps their music alive worldwide.

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It’s incredible to see MAN WITH A MISSION reaching its 15th anniversary.

Thank you very much; I appreciate that.

You celebrated the anniversary with your EP “XV EP Across the Globe”, can you tell us about that?

Yes, as you already noted, it’s our 15th anniversary as MAN WITH A MISSION, and this time, we aimed to make a memorable EP.

Usually, the bassist and I are the main composers, but this time, each and every song was written by different members. Because of that, the EP is full of variety compared to our previous ones.

So far, we’ve toured Japan and had a lot of fun, but now we finally have the chance to come back to Europe, and we can’t wait for it!

We look forward to it as well! Would you mind sharing the approach you took when composing for the EP?

Although [the main part of the EP only included] four songs, we really wanted to show the listeners the type of music we make.

Our musical style incorporates alternative rock, but at the same time, a little bit of rap metal, rap hard rock, and even ballads. We wanted the four songs to have each character, but also have variety at the same time.

It was great to see that every member chose to incorporate all these elements into this EP. The four songs are full of variety, and we’re really proud of what we created.

Was there anything specific that you wanted to express by providing such variety for the EP?

I’m not entirely sure about the other members, but we were all focusing on the influences and the inspiration [that we grew up listening to]. I think it came out well.

The music production process was spontaneous, and everyone felt relaxed and stress-free. We brought our ideas to the table and built it up little by little. It was a really enjoyable recording process.

That’s great to hear. There are a lot of live performance recordings that you put into the EP as well. How did you decide which songs to include from those monumental moments that you had in North America?

The recording was live in Mexico, and the audience was really crazy. Every time we visit Mexico, they’re so loud and enthusiastic that we can’t even hear our own monitors [laughs], but we really enjoy it. That’s why we chose that location for the live recording.

While we, of course, want people to listen to our music, we also want them to feel the atmosphere and enthusiasm of our live shows. We are really proud of the crowd that joined us that day.

The response was really incredible, and we could truly feel the enthusiasm from the live recordings!

With the EP released in Europe and the UK, it has gotten a little bit of a special treatment, featuring a unique tracklist for both the vinyl and CD editions, right?

Yes! We had the opportunity to release from [the German-based label] Century Media. A lot of bands we’re friends with have released music through that label as well, and we’ve been hearing a lot of good things about them, so we are really proud to join their team. I hope this will allow more people the chance to listen to our music.

MAN WITH A MISSION has, of course, been globally oriented since the very beginning, such as releasing music through the UK-based label JPU Records. Now, with Century Media Records, a German label with a metal focus, are there any implications for your musical style direction?

We never worried about that. Although we are not completely heavy metal, we are a band that combines a lot of genres, like a hybrid rock style.

We weren’t really bothered by whether the label was metal-focused, you know? They loved our music, we loved how they spread it, so that’s how it just happened.

That’s great to hear! As we mentioned before, you’re celebrating 15 years as a band, and that also means that you’ve been in your wolf skin for 15 years.

Of course. We’ve been that way from the very beginning, you know?

[Everybody laughs]

That’s true! How do you feel your wolf appearance has influenced your career in this human-dominated world?

Of course, we want people to focus on our music, much more than how we appear. But as we obviously look different from normal bands, it’s kind of eye-catching and iconic at the same time. People immediately notice that we’re wolves, with the head of a wolf and the body of a human.

I guess, it really allows people to focus on the music a lot more. For example, if you’re from a different country [than the band], people might [immediately start] thinking that, “Oh, they came from Japan”, or “They came from Europe”, or “They came from America”.

While I wouldn’t say that it bothers me, there’s always a prejudice about countries and culture. I guess, the wolf image gets rid of all the preconceived notions and allows the audience to purely focus on the music. I think that helped us a lot during our career.

That’s a very interesting aspect that we haven’t thought of. The next question might be a little bit odd, but if you were to be reborn as an animal, what animal would that be?

[Laughs] I never had that question before.

We’re proud of being wolves, so we never thought about it… I guess it’s a lot easier for us to be a normal human beings, but we’re proud of what we are now.

MAN WITH A MISSION striking new visual features five wolves intricately carved into stone.

That’s a fair answer [laughs]. Your recent artist photo, and even on stage at your recent Japan tour, featured a Wolf Mount Rushmore. What was the concept and idea behind it? Any symbolic meaning?

We didn’t try to imply anything; there wasn’t any message. We just thought it was crazy and a lot of fun to look at. Everybody immediately noticed how it’s a parody of the colossal sculpture of the presidents, so it was just for fun.

I believe a lot of people enjoyed it and had fun looking at it, especially with all the laser beams coming out of the wolves’ eyes.

It was just for fun. No kind of deep message [laughs].

Okay, got it! We thought it was a really fun play to see that.

Thank you very much.

MAN WITH A MISSION at “PLAY WHAT U WANT TOUR 2025”, Aichi Sky Expo Day1.@imdaisukesakai

At the same tour, you introduced the concept “PLAY WHAT YOU WANT”, allowing fans to vote for the top 15 songs to be included in the setlist. Did the final results surprise you in any way?

Honestly speaking, not that much, because most people voted for the famous songs, typically the ones that have tie-ins with animations or dramas, [or songs that have gained more attention on] YouTube.

Since it’s been 15 years, a lot of people probably also tried to vote for the songs that we haven’t performed much. A couple surprised us, but generally speaking, most people love the classics and the well-known ones.

Yeah, that makes sense. For you personally, was there a song that you hoped would rank higher?

Whenever we do these voting-type setlists, I personally prefer to play songs we seldom perform. It’s been 15 years, so I was kind of hoping that people were getting a little tired of the main setlist we typically perform at festivals. However, it was a lot of fun just performing what our fans wanted to hear.

Continuing with the topic of tours, you’ll also be touring Europe as we briefly touched on previously. What kind of expectations do you have for this time?

It’s been quite a while since we last toured in Europe. We had the chance to go to London, but for some countries, it’s been a long time since we were last there. I’m really looking forward to meeting the audience that is eagerly waiting for us.

I’m probably just going to enjoy the moment.

That’s great. As you’ve been performing on stage for so many years, do you feel that your mindset has changed compared to the early days of your career?

Talking about expression and emotion we have on stage: I believe and ideally hope that it never changes—we would never change that. It’s all about making music and touring all over the world—that’s what we wanted to do when we formed the band. I guess that passion—no, I truly believe that passion never fades. That never changes.

But I guess it’s been 15 years… The more we make music and the more we tour, the more precious it becomes each and every day. Even though we are an ultimate life form, we, like normal human beings, always think about how much longer we can do this or how much more the audience wants from us—the music scene itself. The energy never fades, but the preciousness of the moment… It’s probably growing a lot more than it did before.

So you feel a stronger appreciation every time you perform on stage?

Yeah, that’s correct. I’d put down words like that.

Got it! Seeing that you guys are wolves, for humans like us, it can be hard to read your expressions on stage. How do you overcome that? Is there anything you do intentionally?

For me, I’m the one who speaks, so I think a lot of people can understand and recognize what I feel.

When you’re listening to music, expression and facial cues matter, but there’s likely a lot more conveyed through the vocals, the sound, and the performance itself. I’m not really worried about the audience not being able to read our emotions or the things we want to convey to them.

That’s great to hear, it spreads through the air. And Anime is also a very good medium to spread your music.

Oh, definitely.

Not only in Japan; it spreads across the entire world. Personally, for me, I see it as a good medium, but there’s still some limitations to it.

Oh really?

Have you explored other approaches that could tap into areas that anime may not fully address?

As you said, animation is definitely one of the most nurtured and mature cultures that Japan spreads all over the world, and we have a lot of good stories and scripts that come from animation.

I think it’s probably the most cutting-edge culture that Japan has ever created in the world. Nowadays, a lot of people are killing to get an anime tie-in. But as I said, limitations—I’m not sure if there are any limitations to that. It’s only a way to spread your music.

We always appreciate the collaboration with the projects we partner with. It doesn’t have to be animation, but I am a big fan of this culture, so I’m just enjoying it.

We have no barriers when it comes to teaming up with animated works.

That’s a refreshing take, thank you for sharing this. Do you have any specific anime that you’re into right now?

Oh! There’s so much going on in Japan right now. I have a radio broadcasting program where I have to introduce a new animation each and every week, so I have to learn a lot [laughs].

[I’ve recently gotten into] the latest Gundam series [“Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX”] that was released. It’s the newest one, but it actually reflects a lot of the stories that were present in the very first, original Gundam series.

I really appreciate how the creators, the novelist of the Gundam series, were trying to carry the story into the new era. It’s a great approach, even in music. It’s all about creating something new, breaking away from the old form while also inheriting and honoring what came before. I guess, that was a good challenge for this Gundam series, and I really enjoyed it.

It’s also quite a progressive anime, as it now focuses on female protagonists

Oh, definitely.

Speaking of shows, I don’t know if the international readers are aware of this, but you appear in a lot of variety shows, right?

Sometimes. Yeah. [Laughs]

[Laughs] And they’re pretty funny and comedic.

Oh, thank you. I appreciate that.

[In a sarcastic tone] That means a lot more than compliments about our music.

[Everybody laughs]

It’s also funny how you are the only member from the band who speaks, but it’s still a great show. So I wanted to ask, do you have any highlight moments that you would like to share?

Oh, on the variety shows? Everybody always tries to pick on why we look like this and it’s always tough to answer, but it’s a formal question, so we deal with it a lot.

It’s really good to take part in variety shows because, of course, we want people to listen to our music. At the same time, we just want people to have fun, and we are definitely icons that everybody can just laugh at. But we also want them to focus on our music as well, so it’s always a pleasure.

One time, I took part in a music and variety show that was held by a really famous comedian duo called “Downtown”. They are legendary comedians in Japan. I was always imagining if I confronted them, if I encountered them, I would respond like this and joke like this. When that happened, it was just a lot of fun.

The legendary comedy duo “Downtown”

How do you feel like you performed at that show?

It was great! The performance… I didn’t even care about performing the music. I just enjoyed talking to them because I’ve always watched their comedy shows and stuff like that.

Was that like a childhood dream come true?

I am a wolf, so I’m not really sure if I should say that, but yeah, it was a part of my dream come true.

That’s cool. What’s the next goal that you’re aiming for?

So far, it’s been 15 years, and we are really happy, cherishing the moments we’ve had as a band. That has always been what we wanted to do. We listened to our hero bands and musical influences, and we always aspired to be like them.

Right now, we’re enjoying and savoring every moment. However, I have never set a specific end goal for myself; it’s always been about pursuing whatever comes our way. We can’t quite express it in words. Whenever we watched live shows at festivals like Woodstock or Glastonbury, we just wanted to feel that atmosphere.

Even if we were to reach those great heights, we will still continue. It never ends, and that’s the beauty and magic of it. We may never be fully satisfied, but it’s the pursuit itself that is the most enjoyable.

You mentioned being influenced by your hero bands; since MAN WITH A MISSION has been active for 15 years, we’re certain that you’ve become the hero band for a lot of people by now.

[In a modest tone] I’m not sure about that, and I never thought about it, but it’s all about circulation and inheriting the beauty of music. It’s also about making progress and innovating at the same time, and I’m really proud if someone thinks of us that way.

I’m not really sure [if that’s the case], but if so, I appreciate it.

We’ll see if we get more animal types of bands in the future?

Okay, so they are surely inspired by us [laughs]?

Yeah [laughs]! Lastly, would you mind leaving a message to your overseas fans?

This is Jean-Ken Johnny from MAN WITH A MISSION speaking. It’s a pleasure to be on this program right now, and I believe it’s been a while since we last toured in your country. We are really stoked and looking forward to meeting you all.

It’s been 15 years, and we always appreciate your support, your love, and your passion for music. We’ll keep on going, and I hope you all do too.

Thank you very much for [reading], and we can’t wait to meet you!

We’d like to thank Jean-Ken Johnny for always being so generous with their time to speak with us about their music and international endeavors!

If you’re interested in the new EP, you can pre-order the EU and UK version of “XV EP Across The Globe” via Century Media Records. This version includes exclusive content and will be out on September 19, so be sure to mark your calendar! Catch the release listings further down below for more details.

🗓 Date📍 Location🌎 Country🎶 Venue🔗 Info

October 02

London🇬🇧 United KingdomO2 Shepherd’s Bush EmpireTickets

October 03

Manchester🇬🇧 United KingdomO2 RitzTickets

October 05

Birmingham🇬🇧 United KingdomXOYOTickets

October 08

Berlin🇩🇪 GermanyMetropolTickets

October 10

Eindhoven🇳🇱 NetherlandsEffenaarTickets

October 11

Paris🇫🇷 FranceSalle PleyelTickets

October 14

Frankfurt🇩🇪 GermanyBatschkappTickets

October 15

Lyon🇫🇷 FranceLe TransbordeurTickets

October 17

Cologne🇩🇪 GermanyE-WerkTickets

October 18

Hamburg🇩🇪 GermanyMarkthalleTickets

October 21

Prague🇨🇿 CzechiaLucerna Music BarTickets

October 23

Munich🇩🇪 GermanyBackstage WerkTickets

October 24

Vienna🇦🇹 AustriaSimm CityTickets

View details
Stream

Vertigo

Circles

REACHING FOR THE SKY

whispers of the fake

INTO THE DEEP

Merry-Go-Round

Seven Deadly Sins

blaze -Acoustic Ver.-

Dark Crow

Dead End in Tokyo

My Hero

Kizuna no Kiseki

絆ノ奇跡

View details
Stream

Vertigo

Circles

REACHING FOR THE SKY

whispers of the fake

INTO THE DEEP

Merry-Go-Round

Seven Deadly Sins

blaze -Acoustic Ver.-

Dark Crow

Dead End in Tokyo

My Hero

Kizuna no Kiseki

絆ノ奇跡

View details
Stream

Vertigo

Circles

REACHING FOR THE SKY

whispers of the fake

INTO THE DEEP (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Merry-Go-Round (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Seven Deadly Sins (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

blaze -Acoustic Ver.- (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Dark Crow (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Dead End in Tokyo (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

My Hero (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Kizuna no Kiseki (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

REACHING FOR THE SKY (“PLAY WHAT U WANT TOUR 2025 in Japan”)

Vertigo (“PLAY WHAT U WANT TOUR 2025 in Japan”)

View details
Stream

Vertigo

Circles

REACHING FOR THE SKY

whispers of the fake

INTO THE DEEP (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Merry-Go-Round (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Seven Deadly Sins (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

Kizuna no Kiseki (“North America Tour 2024 “Kizuna no Kiseki” in Mexico”)

15 years of precious moments across the globe

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