Kenshi Yonezu released the music video for "Karasu" (烏, "Crow") on June 18, 2026, giving fans their first look at the visual storytelling behind this year's official NHK World Cup theme song. The video, directed by Tomokazu Yamada, goes far beyond typical sports anthem imagery—it's a meditation on what we don't see when we watch the beautiful game unfold.
If you've been curious about what makes this music video different from the usual World Cup fare, or what Yonezu meant when he described the song as "surprisingly personal" despite its grand purpose, we've got the full breakdown of the concept, the release timeline, and where you can experience it yourself.
The Quick Version
- The music video for "Karasu" premiered on June 18, 2026, directed by Tomokazu Yamada
- The song serves as NHK's official theme for FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage, which kicked off on June 12
- The digital single was released on June 15, 2026, timed to Japan's opening match against the Netherlands
- The MV explores "the individual within the collective," visualizing the unseen hours of preparation behind every moment on the pitch
- Yonezu personally drew the artwork for the single's jacket
What Makes This Music Video Different
The "Karasu" music video does something we rarely see in sports anthems: it makes visible the accumulation of time that exists beneath the surface. While most World Cup themes focus on the spectacle of the tournament itself—the roaring crowds, the decisive goals, the trophy lifts—Yamada's direction turns the camera toward something quieter and more profound.
The visual narrative centers on the tension between the individual and the group, a theme Yonezu himself emphasized when discussing the song's creation. He explained that he wanted to honor people who "stand firm and look straight ahead within the big structure of soccer" while remaining healthy individuals even as part of a collective team. That philosophy runs through every frame of the music video.
What we're seeing on screen is reportedly a visual exploration of how a person exists inside a structure—whether that's a formation on the field, a national team system, or the vast machinery of a World Cup. The video makes tangible all those morning training sessions, the repetitive drills, the small moments of doubt and determination that never make it into highlight reels but form the foundation of everything we celebrate when we watch the game.
The Song's Journey to the World Cup Stage
We first heard "Karasu" on May 10, 2026, when it premiered during NHK's "Sunday Sports" broadcast at 9:50 PM. That marked the beginning of its run as the network's official soccer programming theme, but the real milestone came on June 15, 2026.
That Monday morning, as Japan prepared to face the Netherlands in their World Cup opener at 5:00 AM Japan time, "Karasu" became available as a digital single. The timing wasn't coincidental—Yonezu and his label Reissue Records deliberately synchronized the release with that first whistle, allowing the song to enter the world at the same moment millions of Japanese fans were gathering around their screens, hearts pounding with anticipation.
The digital release came with a lyric video (short version) and two new artist photographs, giving fans multiple ways to connect with the work. On June 14, just hours before the drop, Reissue Records unveiled the jacket artwork—a drawing Yonezu created himself, adding another layer of personal touch to a project he's described as more intimate than he initially expected.
Why Yonezu Called This Song "Surprisingly Personal"
When Kenshi Yonezu sat down to write a soccer anthem, he approached it with a question: what kind of song should he make, in this era, for a sport he's loved for years? The answer surprised him. Despite writing for one of the world's largest sporting events—a tournament watched by billions, soundtracking a massive broadcast operation—the song that emerged felt deeply individual.
In his official statement, Yonezu revealed that his goal was to create something for people navigating the paradox of team sports: how do you remain fully yourself while surrendering to something bigger? How do you maintain your individual vision when you're one piece in an eleven-player puzzle, one team in a thirty-two-nation tournament, one moment in a century of World Cup history?
"Karasu" grapples with that question not by resolving it, but by honoring it. The crow of the title—a solitary, intelligent bird often seen in groups—becomes a fitting symbol for this exploration. We're reminded that every collective achievement in soccer, from a well-executed counterattack to a World Cup victory, is actually the convergence of individual moments of courage, skill, and choice.
The World Cup Context That Shaped the Video
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which opened on June 12, 2026, provides the immediate backdrop for both the song and its music video. This tournament marks a historic expansion—the first World Cup with forty-eight teams, co-hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For Japanese viewers watching on NHK, "Karasu" has become the sonic thread connecting every broadcast, every pre-game analysis, every post-match interview.
Japan's campaign began on June 15 against the Netherlands, broadcast on NHK General, BSP4K, and NHK ONE. As fans settled in for that early-morning kickoff, many would have just discovered the full version of the song that had been building anticipation for weeks. The music video's emphasis on unseen preparation takes on extra resonance in this context—we're watching a team that trained for years for these ninety-minute opportunities, and Yonezu's visual narrative asks us to hold both timescales in our minds at once.
Where You Can Watch and Listen
The official music video for "Karasu" is available on YouTube, where it was posted following the June 18 announcement from Reissue Records' verified account. The digital single can be found on major streaming platforms, having been released on June 15, 2026.
Beyond the full music video, a shorter lyric video was also released alongside the digital single, giving fans a text-focused alternative for following along with Yonezu's words. Both versions offer different entry points into the work—the full MV for those wanting Yamada's complete visual interpretation, the lyric video for listeners focusing on the poetry of the language itself.
As the World Cup continues, you'll hear "Karasu" throughout NHK's soccer coverage, where it serves as the network's official theme across all their tournament programming.
Yonezu's Broader 2026 Moment
The "Karasu" release arrives during a particularly active period for Kenshi Yonezu. Around the same time as the World Cup theme's debut, footage emerged of Yonezu performing "IRIS OUT" at the Music Awards Japan 2026, where he reportedly took home six awards. It's a reminder that while "Karasu" represents his most public-facing work this year—heard by millions during one of the world's biggest sporting events—it's just one piece of a larger creative output.
This dual presence—intimate artistry and mass-cultural relevance—seems fitting for an artist whose World Cup anthem ended up being "surprisingly personal." Yonezu has built a career on refusing the either/or choice between artistic depth and popular reach, and "Karasu" continues that tradition by being both a stadium-ready anthem and a quiet reflection on individual identity.
What People Are Saying
"The way this MV shows all the behind-the-scenes moments, the early mornings, the repetition—it made me tear up thinking about what the players sacrifice that we never see during the actual matches," one fan wrote in response to the video's release.
Another viewer noted, "Yonezu-san always finds a way to make huge themes feel personal. Even a World Cup song becomes something about how we all navigate being ourselves inside bigger systems, whether that's a team or a job or a family."
"I love that the artwork is his own drawing," a longtime follower commented. "It's such a small detail but it shows how much of himself he puts into even the commercial work. Nothing is just phoned in."
One reaction from a soccer fan captured the video's resonance with the sport itself: "This is what we mean when we say football is beautiful. Not just the goals, but everything that goes into making those moments possible. The invisible work. The individual determination inside team success."
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the "Karasu" music video released?
The music video premiered on June 18, 2026, following the digital single's release on June 15, 2026.
Where can I watch the "Karasu" music video?
The official music video is available on YouTube, posted by Kenshi Yonezu's label Reissue Records.
Who directed the music video?
The "Karasu" music video was directed by Tomokazu Yamada, who crafted a visual narrative exploring the relationship between the individual and the collective in soccer.
Is "Karasu" only for the World Cup, or will it continue as NHK's soccer theme?
The song serves as NHK's soccer theme for their 2026 programming, which includes but extends beyond the World Cup coverage. It premiered during regular soccer programming on May 10, 2026.
What does "Karasu" mean?
"Karasu" (烏) means "crow" in Japanese. Yonezu hasn't explicitly explained the symbolism, but crows are known for their intelligence and for appearing both as individuals and in groups—fitting the song's themes of individual identity within collective structures.
The Lasting Image of Invisible Time
What Kenshi Yonezu and Tomokazu Yamada have created with "Karasu" is more than a World Cup anthem—it's a meditation on what it costs to be part of something magnificent. As the 2026 tournament unfolds across North America and as Japanese fans watch their team navigate the world's biggest sporting stage, this song asks them to see not just the spectacle but the hidden foundation beneath it.
The music video's focus on visualizing "the accumulation of time that is not visible from the surface" gives us a new lens for watching the tournament itself. Every pass, every save, every tactical decision we see during those ninety minutes represents thousands of hours we didn't see—and perhaps that invisible preparation, that individual commitment within team structures, deserves its own anthem.
Whether you're a longtime Kenshi Yonezu fan, a World Cup enthusiast, or someone curious about how music and sport intersect, "Karasu" offers something worth your time. The full music video awaits on YouTube, ready to show you what lies beneath the surface of the beautiful game.
