YOKAI NO YORU

Yokai no Yoru (stylized as Y♡KAI NO YORU, sometimes shortened to Y♡KAI; meaning "Night of the Yokai") is a Japanese indie folk metal/punk rock/electronic rock band formed in 2020. While not a ubiquitous household name, they have gained enough recognition at home and overseas to have toured in Japan and the United States. They have performed songs in English and Japanese. The band is well-known for its overall versatility in utilizing various genres, and also for their signature masks and elaborate outfits worn during all public appearances.

The band consists of three members, all of whom are anonymous and utilize stage names. Their pseudonyms are each based off of folkloric creatures and entities, which also offer inspiration for their stylized electronic masks and outfits worn while performing. Each member possesses a unique signature colour to represent themselves which is also reflected in their costumes. As the band strongly values their anonymity, little is known about their personal lives.

Y♡KAI NO YORU's members are as follows:

• WISP: Uses he/him pronouns, seemingly identifies as male. Pseudonym is inspired by will-o'-wisps, signature colour blue. Usually wears a long light blue wig with a slightly curly texture tied into a low ponytail; it is dyed in a gradient with white at the roots and darker blues on the ends of the hair, so as to resemble a will-o'-wisp's flames. Primary performance mask is decorated with flame-like protrusions and possesses the same palette as his wig; its eyes have black sclera, large black pupils, and cyan irises.
  • Generally performs as vocalist and guitarist (lead or secondary), has also performed with Japanese instruments such as the shinobue, biwa, and koto.
  • Usually sings in a more melodic and/or gentler style to complement WEASEL's harsher vocals, occasionally even in whispering registers as shown in one of his solo songs. Has also shown capacity for more powerful and aggressive vocals, also showcased in a solo song.
  • Appears to be the primary songwriter. Lyrics penned by WISP to be performed as a solo, or with him as the lead singer, tend towards two main sets of themes. The first set is of loneliness, secrecy and burden, and struggles to communicate; a common sentiment in these songs are the beliefs that he does not deserve someone's kindness, and that he is doomed to solitude. The second set is of frustration and anger, specifically at societal injustices and corruption; the lyrics to these often pertain to or call for rebellion, if not outright revolution. When writing for others or for duets, the topics and themes are more varied or general.
  • Appears to be siblings with WEASEL and the bulk of Y♡KAI NO YORU's songs feature the two of them as vocalists. Has yet to perform any duets with or even act as backing vocals for ECLIPSE.
  • When speaking Japanese, uses the personal pronoun "boku," a humble masculine pronoun.
• WEASEL: Has firmly asserted their gender is "weasel," accepts any pronouns. Pseudonym is inspired by the kamaitachi (or sickle weasel) yokai, signature colour red. Usually wears a long, wild and shaggy dark red wig tied into a half-up high ponytail; it is dyed in a gradient with black at the roots and bright red on the ends of the hair, with white crescent-shaped hair clips to resemble the sickle-like claws of a kamaitachi. Primary performance mask resembles the face of a weasel and possesses the same palette as their wig; its eyes markedly resemble that of the Pokemon Sneasel, which WEASEL states was intentional.
  • Generally performs as vocalist and guitarist (lead or secondary), has also performed with a bass guitar and Japanese instruments such as the shamisen.
  • Usually sings in a harsh and/or aggressive style to complement WISP's softer vocals, occasionally described as "animalistic" as they sometimes go as far as snarling and howling as part of their performance. Has also shown capacity for more melodic vocals.
  • Lyrics penned by WEASEL also usually fall under two primary categories: satire and wrath. Their satirical songs are often performed and written more playfully, though occasionally dip suddenly into a harsher tone tinged with genuine anger, described by one critic positively as "as if spitting on the people they're making fun of." Their wrathful songs are performed solo, ramping up in intensity the longer they go on in their performance and in the lyrics themselves.
  • Appears to be siblings with WISP.
  • Uses the personal pronoun "atashi," a casual feminine pronoun used primarily by women, but also sees use by male rakugo performers and some gay men. Also occasionally uses "ore," a casual masculine pronoun.
• ECLIPSE: Primarily uses she/her pronouns but accepts any others, self-identifies as "a girl but I don't give a shit about it." Pseudonym is inspired by the Bakunawa of Philippine mythology, signature colour magenta. Usually wears a shorter black wig styled into a punk updo resembling fins; it is dyed hot pink at the ends and in large chunks to resemble webbing between the spines of a fin. Primary performance mask resembles a dragon or sea serpent, as per Bakunawa's appearance, and possesses the same palette as their wig.
  • Generally performs as bassist, drummer, or keyboardist.
  • Performs punk rock and metal styles like the other two, but shows a stronger inclination towards electronic music, hip-hop, and R&B styles than the other two members.
  • Songs penned by ECLIPSE are almost exclusively for herself to perform solo, and are often entirely in English, such as Kill Kitty. Like WISP and WEASEL, some are critical of the government (various countries and in general) and the rich; ECLIPSE is also more inclined towards writing about sex.
  • It is speculated that ECLIPSE is likely not biologically related to WISP and WEASEL.
  • Openly lesbian and identifies as a butch.
  • Uses the personal pronoun "ore" (occasionally "ore-sama"), a casual masculine pronoun.

Due to the band members' anonymity there has been fervent speculation about their identities, with various soundalike celebrities being suspected despite the band repeatedly claiming they are not celebrities; on Twitter in 2024, WISP posted, "guys. with our masks off we're nobodies. that's why we're wearing them, we wanna keep it that way."

The band has also been the subject of several unsubstantiated theories involving the phantom thief Goemonibi, due to their similar ideologies and, more recently after the ONIBI TV broadcast hijacking, their masks. Online theorists have speculated that the entire band is Goemonibi with each person filling a different role, such as selecting targets and planning heists, penning the "ransom" letters, hacking, executing the heists, and so on. Each member of the band has also individually been accused of being Goemonibi.

This theory is countered by a lack of any substantial evidence, or even insubstantial evidence beyond:

• The band has posted positive opinions about Goemonibi.
• The band shares Goemonibi's distaste for corruption, the government, and the rich— this is a common sentiment in general and especially in punk bands.
• A single WISP song that references ghosts, guilt, and secrecy, containing a line about a "thievery"— the song does not appear to be about a literal crime.
• The band's proclivity for satire and mockery of the rich and corrupt— see bullet 1.
• The band's generosity and proclivity for charity (regularly hosting or promoting fundraisers, providing fans with free concert tickets after incidents with scalpers, and so on).
• WISP's pseudonym and aesthetic being will-o'-wisp inspired, and the "onibi" of Goemonibi being the yokai equivalent of a will-o'-wisp. WISP's performance outfit, wig, and mask also have a similar colour scheme to the onibi logo that Goemonibi uses.
• WEASEL's performance outfit possessing a similar colour palette to Goemonibi's appearance on ONIBI TV.
• The band's use of electronic masks that have subtle animated aspects (like the flickering flames on WISP's mask) and limited capacity to show expressions (eyebrows will move and eyes will squint shut), and Goemonibi's use of an electronic mask during ONIBI TV that could also display various expressions.

There is no indication that any official investigation into the band has been performed.

Other theories suggest that Goemonibi inspired the band's creation and/or WISP's appearance, and/or that the band inspired Goemonibi's ONIBI TV mask. Some theorists speculate that one of (or all of) the members— most likely WISP, given his aesthetic similarity to the onibi logo— was once a victim of one of Goemonibi's robbery targets, and may have met and been supported monetarily by Goemonibi.

There are rumors of a mysterious benefactor (sometimes referred to as "No-one," as per their response when asked their name) who appears before the poor and disenfranchised to provide various gifts (money, food, clothing, etc) while wearing a unique full-face mask. It is widely suspected that "No-one" is related to Goemonibi, and possibly Goemonibi himself, but there is no proof of this. As all of the band's members have alluded to being homeless or else extremely poor at some point in their youths, but none of them appear to have any current monetary struggles, theorists suggest that this benefactor— Goemonibi or not— helped them escape poverty and homelessness. As the benefactor has never been described as looking visually similar to the onibi logo nor do they look like Goemonibi's ONIBI TV appearance, it suggests that if this theory is true, then WISP believes that the benefactor is (or is related to) Goemonibi and modeled his Y♡KAI NO YORU persona after Goemonibi's onibi logo in homage to his savior.

It is widely considered plausible, if not very likely, that WISP took some amount of inspiration from Goemonibi. However, the band has never confirmed nor denied this. WISP could have been inspired by the onibi logo without any personal connection to the thief, or it could have been entirely coincidental, and the inspiration to use unique electronic display masks during performances could be more easily attributed to Daft Punk than "No-one"— they frequently change out their masks and have only been sighted very infrequently wearing anything electronic.

It is also generally accepted there is a high possibility that Goemonibi was inspired by Y♡KAI NO YORU in the design and functionality of his ONIBI TV mask. The major evidence for this rests in the fact that he performed a Y♡KAI NO YORU song during the hijack. Due to the widespread theory that WISP's appearance was inspired by the onibi logo and the undeniable aesthetic similarity (regardless of how true that theory is), most believe that Goemonibi recognized that similarity (and possibly also believed it to be inspired by him) and intentionally gave them a "shout-out" of sorts by mimicking them and performing one of their songs— this is further supported by the fact that the song he chose was a WISP song.

When Y♡KAI NO YORU commented on this, they revealed they were aware of the theories surrounding Goemonibi's possible influence on the band. In a quote tweet to a video recording of Goemonibi performing the song, WISP said simply: "yeah this part was pretty cool. 👍" To this tweet, WEASEL replied "wouldnt it be crazy if everyone online was right about us meeting him but it was only cuz he got an autograph at a signing once" and ECLIPSE in turn added "yeah he was so nervous he started crying and whimpering and when we asked his name he couldnt get it out he was like G-G-G-G-GO… G-G-GO... so we just wrote 'TO MR. JOJO SFX' and called it a day."

Goemonibi would later use Jett Baili's hacked Twitter account to respond, quote-tweeting ECLIPSE's post with: "GUUUUYS YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TEEEEEELLLLLLL :((((("