Yuta Kishi Causes Stir After Commenting on Logo Plagiarism Allegations

Former King & Prince members Yuta Kishi, Yuta Jinguji, and Shiyou Hirano moved to TOBE, which is headed by Hideaki Takizawa, and started their activities as “Number_i.” When they announced their formation in October, controversy arose on SNS because the logo of the group, which mainly consists of “N”, looks very similar to the logo of the band “The BONEZ”. Although the two groups recently released a statement indicating an amicable settlement, Kishi’s X (formerly Twitter) received harsh comments.

On November 20, TOBE uploaded a comment titled “Regarding Number_i’s group logo” on its official X and other sites. The company announced that it had obtained the understanding of The BONEZ and that the group would continue its activities without changing the group logo. 

“The BONEZ, on the other hand, said, “Logos are similar but different,” and “I think it would be good if each side took pride in its own logo,” After the Number_i logo was revealed, some people praised Takizawa’s skill in not neglecting the point that was pointed out on the Internet as “plagiarism,” and in taking the proper steps to deal with the issue.Now that this point has been cleared up, Number_i will be able to get back to full-fledged activities as an artist,” said an entertainment writer.

Meanwhile, on his X, Kishi quoted The BONEZ’s post, “I hope you will support each group!”

There was a series of harsh comments such as:

“From what standpoint are you saying this?”
“The BONEZ accepted your offer and allowed you to use their logo, so the first thing you should do is apologize and thank them.”
“It’s very rude and condescending.”

Kishi is famous for his natural character, but in a sensitive issue like this, he should have chosen his words with a little more consideration for the other party.

Although the logo issue has been settled, other plagiarism allegations have surfaced regarding TOBE, including the first single “Ranshin-” by former Kis-My-Ft2 member Hiromitsu Kitayama, which was released on November 17. 

The melody of the chorus of the song, sung in the same way as in Snow Man’s hit song “Brother Beat” (released in 2022), was criticized as being similar to the part of the song “Na na na na na na na na na na na~”

“Some netizens have also questioned another logo, which is similar to the one used in TOBE’s “Brother Beat” (released in 2022). The reason is that “Tobeban,” a YouTube program featuring TOBE artists, was launched on November 25. The program’s logo, in loose hiragana script with a different color for each letter, was reminiscent of the design of the music variety show “Uta Ban” (TBS), which used to be hosted by Masahiro Nakai and Takaaki Ishibashi of Tunnelsu fame. The logo was also titled “Uta-ban,” and some said, “It looks like the logo for ‘Uta-ban,'” or “Is this an homage?” However, the actual program was a completely different style from “Uta Ban,” so it may have just been a coincidence that they ended up with a very similar logo.”

TOBE has attracted many talents who left the former Johnny’s office (now “SMILE-UP.”), such as Kitayama, Number_i, and former V6 member Ken Miyake. Will it be able to create a new wind in the entertainment world?