Bocchi The Rock!is a 2022 Fall animeabout an introverted high schooler who dreams of being in a band and playing the guitar on stage in front of adoring fans. The series premiered on October 9, and is the anime adaptation of the manga by the same name created by Aki Hamaji.
The first few episodes of the series saw the introverted protagonist, Hitori Gotō, join a band in development, get a part-time job to help raise money for the band’s needs, find a vocalist and teach her to play the guitar, and finally secure a live performance for Kessoku Band. Now that the band is all together as of episode 5, the question can finally be answered: who are Kessoku Band?
RELATED:Bocchi The ROCK! Promotional Videos Released Ahead of Album
The Unit
As one can surmise from the series' premise, as well as the general scene that the characters frequent when it comes to music,Bocchi The Rock!is set to follow the journey of the protagonist and her rock band. While the series does not treat the audience to a full original song before the fifth episode, there is a lot to know about each of the four members. Initially, the band founder Nijika Ijichi had managed to find a bassist, as well as a guitarist who can do lead vocals; however, it is soon revealed that the guitarist goes AWOL for the most hilarious reason.
At its full complement, Kessoku Band isa four-person unitthat consists of two guitarists, a bassist and the drummer. Lead vocals are also handled by one of the guitarists, with back up from the band’s bassist. One of the most interesting things about Kessoku Band is that each member’s surname and role within the band is derived from the name and role of a member of the famous Japanese rock band, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.
The Drummer and the Leader – Nijika Ijichi
The drummer of Kessoku Band is also its founder, Nijika Ijichi, a high schooler who attends Shimokitazawa High School. She dreams of starting a band that goes all the way to the Budokan and beyond. Nijika is an upbeat and cheery young girl who was exposed to band culture at a young age by her older sister Seika, who was once in a band and is currently the manager at a live-house called STARRY.
Nijika is very responsible when it comes to band matters and isoften the mastermind behindsecuring its opportunities and doing admin. She is good at design, and is also responsible for creating Kessoku Band’s logo, posters, and CD covers. Nijika is not good at singing; loves hardcore melodic and Japanese punk rock music; and her drum kit is a Tama Imperialstar 22″ Vintage Red with port-hole, and a Pearl Chad Smith Signature snare drum. Nijika’s last name comes from the name of Kiyoshi Ijichi – the drummer of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, and her May 29 (5/29) birthday is actually a reversal of Ijichi’s September 25 (9/25) birthday.
The Cool Bassist – Ryō Yamada
The second member of Nijika’s Kessoku Band is her best friend Ryō Yamada, who also attends Shimokitazawa High. Ryō has a cool, mysterious aura due to her consistent lack of facial expression, and an androgynous appearance. Ryō plays the bass for Kessoku Band, and also contributes to composition and lyrics. She is considered to be attractive; however, underneath her enigmatic first impression, Ryō is quite eccentric and has a plethora of interests.
RELATED:TOHO Animation Released a Fun Music Video Featuring SpyxFamily’s Anya
Herfavourite manga isJUJUTSU KAISEN, and she describes herself as “a person who likes to be alone.” She was once part of another band but left due to differences in the values held by herself and other bandmates, who ended up making music that they thought would be popular rather than the music they really wanted to make. Ryō uses a Fender Player Series P-Bass PF Polar White. Her name is derived from that of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION bassist and backing vocalist Takahiro Yamada. Her September 18 (9/18) birthday is a reversal of Yamada’s August 19 (8/19) birthday.
The Runaway Guitarist – Ikuyo Kita
One thing that’s unique about Kita is the fact that she’s the only character to have joined Kessoku Band twice. She is a first year student at Shuka High School. Initially joining to get closer to Ryō, who she claims to be in love with, Kita ran away without explaining herself because she was embarrassed to have joined a rock band with a total lack of the ability to play any musical instruments. She felt embarrassed for wasting their time and left without explaining herself; however, she was hilariously brought back to the same place after being encouraged to join Bocchi at her “cool place of work”.
After meeting Bocchi, Kita becomes inspired to actually learn to play the guitar and soon becomes Kessoku’s lead vocalist. Her bubbly and cheerful personality, as well as love for people, not to mention her great singing voice make Kita an invaluable member; however, she still deals with feelings of inadequacy from having to play catch-up with her guitar-playing skills. Ryō remains a major motivator for her, but she gains even more confidence after learning from Bocchi, who she thinks is an excellent guitarist. Her instrument is a Gibson Les Paul Junior Pelham Blue. Kita’s name is based on Kensuke Kita, the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, and like with the other members of Kessoku Band, her birthday, April 21 (4/21) is based on the reversal of his January 24 (1/24) birthday. Kita can be reachedvia her Isosta social mediaaccount “@kita0421”.
The Gloomy Guitar-Playing Lyricist – Bocchi
The titular protagonist ofBocchi The Rock!,Hitori “Bocchi” Gotō is a gloomy first year attending Shuka High School. She is an extremely shy and timid introvert who has never had any friends and has always longed to be part of the in-group. One day, she saw an introverted frontman for a band on TV talk about his experiences, which inspired her to pick up the guitar and teach herself to play with the goal of one day playing for a real band in front of thousands of people who will “go crazy for her”. She dedicated six hours a day to guitar, for three years. Hitori has always wanted to stand out; however, despite her involvement in music, and online presence as “Guitar Hero”, an amateur guitarist with a huge following, Hitori is not able to join a band or make any friends until she is noticed by Nijika, who invites her to play guitar as a replacement for her guitarist who went AWOL.
Hitori’s nickname “Bocchi” was given to her by Nijika and Ryou, and it is directly connected to her given name in that the phrase “hitori bocchi” can be directly translated to “all alone”, which is descriptive of the character’s experiences in life. Hitori is bad at sports, social interaction and tends to hilariously “short-circuit” whenever presented with the prospect of social interaction in any form. Hitori uses a Gibson Les Paul 68 Custom Ebony Ultra Light Aged, which is the same brand as that ofK-ON!main character Yui Hirasawa, albeit a different model. She owns a Shiba Inu that she has named after Jimi Hendrix. Her name is derived from Masafumi Gotō, the lead vocalist, main songwriter and rhythm guitarist of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. Her birthday, Februrary 21 (2/21) is the reversal of Gotō’s December 2 (12/2) birthday.
MORE:Comedy Anime To Watch If You Love Bocchi The Rock!
