At the final night of CON-CON HONG KONG 2026, the FLOW Hong Kong concert erupted into a citywide singalong when the Japanese rock band launched into the Naruto theme song “GO!!,” and the crowd joined without any prompt.
The band, fronted by dual vocalists KOHSHI and KEIGO and joined by guitarist TAKE, bassist GOT’S, and drummer IWASAKI, returned to Hong Kong after a three-year gap, and the rhythm barely paused all night.
KEIGO even spoke Cantonese with the audience to close the distance, turning familiar anime nostalgia into a live communal moment. For many fans, those songs are not just soundtrack cues but markers of youth and shared memory.
FLOW Hong Kong concert: from Naruto anthems to new directions
FLOW formed in 1998 and, unusually for a long-running Japanese band, the original five members remain together. They have stayed intact for more than 25 years, a rarity that the members attribute to mutual respect and a steady focus on their roles in the group.
Although the band first reached international audiences through anime themes such as those for Naruto, their output has continued to evolve, moving beyond any single label. Their work aims to give songs emotional weight, whether paired with a show or standing on their own.
Melodies born from story
FLOW’s relationship with anime is more than collaboration, it is a creative dialogue. The band says the song “Sign,” used in Naruto, became memorable because it carried characters’ emotions and turning points into melody.
“This had a major connection with Naruto. In the anime, ‘Sign’ appears at important moments for Sasuke and Naruto as they grow; it also ties into scenes with Pain, Jiraiya, and the brotherhood of Sasuke and Itachi. We drew inspiration from those moments and turned it into melody,” the band said.
Evolving sound, familiar roots
Recent songs such as “Living Dead” show the band moving into darker, more fantastical territory, influenced by the dark fantasy series BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-. The band described the track as a creation born from that connection.
They explained, “Working with a property and letting its tone inform the direction of a song gave us new inspiration and determined the song’s path. That process was the most important part of creating this piece.”
That approach lets FLOW extend familiar stylistic elements while refining a more mature musical identity. For them, anime is not a constraint, but a starting point for fresh ideas and continued change.
Longevity built on shared purpose
The members said staying together requires accepting differences and moving toward a common goal, and that loving their parts in the band kept them from giving up. Those bonds, they say, are what have allowed them to keep creating.
Different voices and personalities have blended over time into a natural balance that requires little forced management. That ease of interplay keeps the band together and keeps their music moving forward.
A sound in Hong Kong, heard again
From stage to studio, FLOW presents a direct musical presence that asks for no excessive adornment and invites listeners in. Whether through the collective memory of classic tracks or the darker tones of recent work, the band continues to press forward.
That is perhaps why FLOW’s music stays with listeners. It expands beyond the anime it once accompanied, and it can be rediscovered across time. For longtime fans it is company, for new listeners it is a point of entry, and when those melodies sounded again in Hong Kong, the room was already waiting for the next moment.
In the end, FLOW’s music belongs not only to anime, but to everyone who has ever invested themselves in it.