As the second season reaches its midpoint, Dan Da Dan studio Science Saru has been unapologetic about its abundant references to pop culture and music as it adapts Yukunobi Tatsu’s manga, which is also pretty heavy-handed with similar nods and homages. However, the studio recently issued an apology to the Japanese rock band, X Japan, following an homage featured in an episode centered around a power metal exorcism song that may have homaged too close to the sun.
In a post on its official X/Twitter page, the Japanese Dan Da Dan account released a statement about last week’s episode debuting a fictional rock group called Hayasii. Inspired by traditional Japanese Hayashi musicians, Hayasii is a group of glam-metal exorcists hired by Momo’s grandmother, Seiko, to assist her in attempting to exorcise Jiji of the Evil Eye Yokai currently possessing him—hence the aforementioned metal exorcism song, “Hunting Soul”.
In the statement, the studio expressed their homage to the band out of respect, while acknowledging that it had failed to let the band know they were going to pay tribute to them in such an overt fashion, writing the following (which was translated by Japan Anime News on Twitter):
We would like to express our deepest apologies for the concern caused regarding the song “Hunting Soul” featured in the Dandadan TV anime. This song was created with the intention of expressing, within the anime, the kind of passion embodied by Mr. Yoshiki and X Japan—whom our production team holds in the highest regard. In terms of musical direction, it was also produced with the aim of matching the story and scenes of the Dandadan anime and enhancing the overall quality of the work. However, in this instance, we failed to provide Mr. Yoshiki and X Japan with an explanation in advance. This was never our intention, and we sincerely apologize for the concern it has caused. Regarding rights-related matters, we are currently engaged in constructive discussions with the relevant parties. We have already spoken directly with Mr. Yoshiki about this matter, and we are using this opportunity to explore potential creative collaborations for the future. To Mr. Yoshiki, X Japan, all their fans, and to Dandadan fans and everyone involved, we once again extend our heartfelt apologies for the concern this has caused. We kindly ask for your continued support and understanding for this series going forward.
“Hunting Soul” was written by Seiichi Nagai, and produced by Kensuke Ushio with vocals performed by Kishō Taniyama, who was accompanied by guitarist Marty Friedman, with drums by Chargeeeeee and bass by Wakazaemon. In the English dub of the series, Hayasii band leader and vocalist Toshiro was voiced by DragonForce lead singer Marc Hudson.
Before the song’s release, Taniyama provided a statement to Comic Natalie about the song being a homage to famous bands of the genre.
“I guess you could say it’s a serious joke, but when the person doing an homage or parody does it in a flippant way, the audience senses it and it puts them off,” Taniyama told Comics Natalie. “It’s because we’re doing it seriously that people can laugh, so I think we’re all proud that this song has turned out to be something that feels satisfying in line with our intentions, from the music production to the singing. For now, we’ve done everything I can, so all that’s left is for everyone to enjoy it.”
According to a screenshot on the X Japan subreddit, this controversy was spurred by a now-deleted tweet from Yoshiki responding to a guitarist, Marty Friedman, about the song being a tribute out of respect for X Japan. According to the screenshot, Yoshiki wondered if the band name Haysii was mimicking his last name or his father’s name, who he says committed suicide. Fortunately, matters seem to be water under the bridge. According to the Japanese news site Oricon, Yoshiki held a press conference on August 22, addressing the controversy, stating that he and the producers of Dan Da Dan are on good terms.
“I was surprised and maybe not very careful when I first posted, but afterwards I received a call from the producer and we had a very positive conversation. It was an honor to have my work used, and it became a valuable learning experience,” Yoshiki said.
All things considered, Hayasii being X Japan in everything but name only is one of many references Dan Da Dan has made to other pop culture touchstones, especially in the case of Yukinobu Tatsu’s manga. In the manga, Mr. Mantis Shrip’s spaceship originally heavily homaged the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, before getting its design changed to a more generic UFO for the anime. Many of the alien designs in the series draw parallels to kaiju designs from Ultraman and Godzilla, and there’s even been a few choice JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure references.
New key visual for #DANDADAN Season 2! 💚✨ A kaiju…? And a giant robot?! This occult sci-fi rom-com is breaking into a whole new dimension! Don't miss the climax— DAN DA DAN Season 2 is now streaming! 💥 pic.twitter.com/aCAmmbM4w8 — DAN DA DAN Anime EN (@animeDANDADANen) August 21, 2025
The anime’s upcoming arc, which got special trailer treatment, will aim to go even further into its references to kaiju cinema with newcomer characters Vamola and Kinta Sakata going full Ultraman and Super Robot with their upcoming battle—Vamola herself especially is layered with homage, as her Japanese name, Bamora, as well as the design of her giant kaiju suit, give nods to Ultraman‘s Gomora and Red King.
Hopefully future efforts by Science Saru to adapt Tatsu’s ongoing manga will not lead to any more moments of confusion when the subjects of those references find out they’ve been drawn into Dan Da Dan‘s expansive sci-fi meets yokai adventures.