King & Prince’s Continued Success Faces Challenges with Fan-Induced Delays and Venue Fire

King & Prince’s Nagase Ren, who had been on hiatus since May 29 for treatment of an ear injury, resumed activities on June 12. The group faced a series of setbacks, including a major news incident in May when attendees of their event at Kirara Park in Yamaguchi Prefecture were stranded due to transportation issues. Additionally, a leak of past private recordings caused further trouble.

Originally, King & Prince was a six-member group: Iwahashi Genki, Kishi Yuta, Jinguji Yuta, Takahashi Kai, Nagase Ren, and Hirano Sho, debuting with the single “Cinderella Girl” in May 2018. However, Iwahashi, who had long struggled with panic disorder, began a hiatus in November of the same year and later left the group in March 2021 without returning.

The group, now a five-member ensemble, continued to release CDs and tour successfully. However, on November 4, 2022, Kishi, Jinguji, and Hirano announced their departure from King & Prince. They left the group on May 22 of the following year and transferred to the talent agency TOBE, led by Hideaki Takizawa, where they now perform as the unit Number_i.

The remaining two members of King & Prince have strengthened their bond and diversified their activities. They concluded their fifth anniversary with an event called “King & Prince to Uchiage Hanabi,” which synchronized music and fireworks. The event on April 11 at Chiba’s ZOZO Marine Stadium was successful.

However, on May 22, during the Yamaguchi performance, fans faced difficulties reaching the venue at Kirara Park, located about 15 minutes by taxi from JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station. Due to heavy traffic, some fans missed the last Shinkansen and were forced to wait at the station. Reports indicated that over 1,000 people were stranded. The event’s official website issued an apology the following day.

Additionally, Nagase missed the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT event “WE ARE! Let’s get the party STARTO!!” at Kyocera Dome Osaka on May 29 and 30 due to health issues. He sustained an ear injury while preparing for the May 29 performance, experienced dizziness, and underwent surgery. He announced a temporary hiatus but resumed activities on June 12.

“King & Prince, facing one problem after another, encountered a new issue around June 1. Suddenly, an audio recording of what seemed to be off-the-record conversations from the five-member era was leaked on social media. The recording mainly featured Kishi, Jinguji, and Hirano discussing adult videos and other topics typical of teenage boys, filled with risqué talk.

 

Although the content didn’t particularly damage current members Takahashi and Nagase, the fact that private conversations outside of work were recorded left fans in shock.”

 

Additionally, there have been other concert-related accidents and troubles surrounding King & Prince. 

 

“In September 2018, during a concert in Miyagi, a large number of King & Prince fans rushed to Sendai Station. Ignoring station staff’s warnings, some fans even clung to the shinkansen that the members were on, trying to peek inside, which caused a delay of about seven minutes. While King & Prince themselves were not at fault, the group gained a negative image for inconveniencing general passengers.”

 

Moreover, on August 6, 2022, while King & Prince was holding a concert at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center (Kitayell), a small fire broke out inside the venue from equipment hanging from the ceiling. The performance was cut short, and the evening show was also canceled, though the next day’s performance proceeded as scheduled.

 

King & Prince has faced numerous challenges since their debut. It is hoped that Takahashi and Nagase will move forward with their fans and continue to advance.

 

 

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