Man with a Mission

Man with a Mission

Man with a Mission is a Japanese j-rock group from Tokyo, active since 2010. Also known as MWAM and sometimes written in katakana as マンウィズ, the band is identified by its wolf-headed, human-bodied image, which leads to the nickname “wolf band.”

Line-up

The group consists of TOKYO TANAKA on vocals; Jean-Ken Johnny on guitar, vocals, rap, lyrics and composition; Kamikaze Boy on bass, backing vocals, lyrics and composition; DJ Santa Monica on DJ, sampling and composition; Spear Rib on drums; and E.D.Vedder on guitar as support and keyboards. The name E.D.Vedder refers to a different person from Eddie Vedder.

Style and writing

The band’s music is described in the input as j-rock, with references to alternative rock, rap metal, pop rock, pop-punk and nu metal influences. Jean-Ken Johnny and Kamikaze Boy handle much of the songwriting, including lyrics and the basic musical structure. Their songs often use Jean-Ken Johnny for verses and TOKYO TANAKA for choruses. Their official written language uses katakana only, with hiragana appearing only in limited cases.

Formation and early activity

Man with a Mission forms in Shibuya, Tokyo in 2010 and makes its first live appearance on 7 March of that year at Shibuya eggman. It releases its first self-produced three-track single later in 2010 and then issues the mini-album WELCOME TO THE NEWWORLD on FROM YOUTH TO DEATH RECORDS, which marks its national debut. The band is signed to FROM YOUTH TO DEATH RECORDS from 2010, to CROWN STONES from 2011 to 2013, and then to Sony Music Records and Epic Records from 2013 onwards. Its management company is FYD.

Releases and notable songs

In 2011 the band releases the charity song “RAIN OF JULY” after the Great East Japan Earthquake, with proceeds going to disaster relief. That year it also issues the single “NEVER FXXKIN’ MIND THE RULES” and the album MAN WITH A MISSION, which marks its major-label debut. The track “FLY AGAIN” is used as a theme for Mutoma and as an ending theme for Goddotan. Other releases from this period include the mini-album Trick or Treat e.p., which contains a cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the track “Feel and Think.”

The band’s 2012 album Mash Up the World follows, along with singles such as “Distance” and “From Youth To Death.” In 2013, “Emotions” is used for the live-action film Hentai Kamen, while “Database” becomes the opening theme for Log Horizon, and “Wake Myself Again” is used for Judge. The song “Higher” appears in the Japanese version of World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2014 - Aoki Samurai no Chosen, and the band’s character models are added to the Japanese release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2015.

Later work includes The World’s On Fire in 2016, with “Seven Deadly Sins” used for the anime of the same name and “Survivor” selected as the image song for Street Fighter V. “Raise Your Flag” is used for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. In 2017, “Dead End in Tokyo” is co-written, co-composed and co-produced by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy for Shinjuku Swan II. The band also records “My Hero” for Inuyashiki and “Find You” for the live-action version of Anonymous Noise.

In 2018, Man with a Mission collaborates with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra on “Freak It!”, which is chosen as the official song of the Sunwolves Super Rugby team. The single “Take Me Under/Winding Road” follows, alongside the album Chasing the Horizon, which receives an international release. “Break the Contradictions” is used as the theme for New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s G1 Climax. In 2021 and 2022 the band releases the EP One Wish e.p. and the albums Break and Cross the Walls I and Break and Cross the Walls II. In 2023 it records “Kizuna no Kiseki / Koi Kogare” with milet for the anime Demon Slayer. It marks its 15th anniversary with XV E.P. in 2025.

Image, performance and other details

The band presents itself as a group of five ultimate beings with wolf heads and human bodies, and its live shows and promotional material often reflect this image. The intro used for its appearances is Bad Religion’s “Man With A Mission,” and the band’s first label name, FROM YOUTH TO DEATH RECORDS, also appears in its early history. The group performs a Japan Expo rock showcase in 2012, appears at Summer Sonic in 2011, and streams concerts online during its 2020 anniversary activities. It also launches the outdoor festival THE MISSION to mark its tenth year, although the event is later cancelled.