Backup dancers have a long history with BABYMETAL, going all the way back to their first solo shows, and still being used to this day. Read all about their history and members below.
Table of Contents
2012-2014 – SISTERBONES
They appeared in older “big shows”, especially for Black BABYMETAL songs, as the “SISTERBONES”.
Their first show was LEGEND D where they backed Head Banger (night of 15 mix). Then they appeared in LEGEND 1999, where they backed Yui and Moa in their solo songs. In LEGEND 1997 they backed Yui and Moa during Onedari Daisakusen and played a big part during Head Banger (Night of 15 mix) and BABYMETAL DEATH. Their last shows were at Budokan, where they backed Yui and Moa for Onedari Daisakusen and Song 4 again.
2018 – “Muscle Metal’s”, The Chosen Seven, & “SAYAMETAL”
Since 2014, when they started touring worldwide, BABYMETAL didn’t have any backing dancers at their performances. This was seen as a sign that they were trying to become more Metal and less Idol. However in 2018, when Yui stopped appearing at shows, backup dancers at BABYMETAL shows made a comeback. But this timethere were key differences:
- They appeared at every show, including overseas shows.
- They appeared throughout the entire show.
- They no longer wore completely different outfits to the main members, just slightly different outfits.
At least 1 backup dancer appeared at every show in 2018. For the US and EU tour’s there were 2 (Minami and Minako), nicknamed by some fans as the “Muscle Metals”, making a lineup of 4 with Su and Moa. Then, for the Japan tour, there were 5 (whole list below) making “The Chosen Seven”. Finally, for the last 4 shows of the year, Saya, nicknamed “SAYAMETAL” by fans, was the only backup dancer and essentially “filled in” Yui’s position in the 3 member lineup.
This could be considered a transition period as Yui stopped performing and BABYMETAL tried different formats to see which fit better. Such as shows with 4 performers, 7 performers, and 3 performers; but also different outfits, makeup, hairstyles, and more. By the end it seems they felt that the 3 performer lineup is the best, which led to the creation of the Avengers in 2019 (see the section below).
| Name | First Show | Last show | Number of shows | Social media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minami Tsukui | 2018/5/8 | 2018/10/31 | 19 | Twitter – Instagram – Blog |
| Minako Maruyama | 2018/5/8 | 2018/10/31 | 19 | Twitter – Blog |
| Shoko Akiyama | 2018/10/23 | 2018/10/31 | 5 | |
| Saya Hirai* | 2018/10/23 | 2018/12/9 | 9 | Twitter – Instagram |
| Kotono Oomori** | 2018/10/23 | 2018/10/31 | 5 | Twitter – Instagram |
*Joined Torahime Ichiza in March 2019. She then stopped posting on her own social media (she appears on the Torahime social media and blogs)
**Joined IRONBUNNY in April 2019. She also deleted her social media.
2019-2021 – The Avengers
At the start of the first show of the year (BABYMETAL AWAKENS – THE SUN ALSO RISES) at Yokohama Arena, the kamishibai (video intro) at the show announced that there will be a 3rd member supporting Su and Moa in the shows:
And to support SU-METAL and MOAMETAL
Three brave avengers were summoned by the FOX GOD.
Today, one out of these three CHOSEN DANCERS will be selected
But who will be summoned is something only the FOX GOD knows.
The first to appear was Riho Sayashi, best known for being a Morning Musume member. Meanwhile on Night 2, the 2nd Avenger appeared, Kano Fujihira, who was the Sakura Gakuin president for the 2019-2020 Nendo. Finally, Momoko Okazaki appeared in Taiwan in August and became the 3rd Avenger, she is also an ex-Sakura Gakuin member.
One of these 3 members has appeared at every show since then, filling in the “3rd spot”. The member that appears at each show is random, though Kano only appeared in shows in Japan, while Riho and Momoko appeared overseas as well.
At LEGEND – METAL GALAXY (January 2020), all 3 members appeared on stage for both nights, performing together for the final song each night and rotating for different songs. After that Riho appeared during the first half of BABYMETAL’s European tour with Momoko appearing for the second half. As this part of the tour ended, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, with lots of restrictions being placed by countries around the world, meaning a cancelation of all remaining shows on the tour.
In the meantime, Riho opened an Instagram and signed for a new agency in May 2021, meanwhile Kano graduated in August 2021. At least for now, Riho and Kano haven’t performed again with BABYMETAL, with Momoko being the only one appearing at any shows since the pandemic started.
At 2 of the “10 BABYMETAL BUDOKAN” shows in 2021 (DOOMSDAYS – V & VI), MOAMETAL performed Onedari Daisakusen with four extra dancers, similar to the “SISTERBONES” of pre-2014, and SU-METAL performed Akatsuki with 2 dancers as well. These were the first performances of these songs after several years. [Full Show Report]
In July 2021, it was announced that Momoko would be entering a South Korean reality competition show, Girls Planet 999. At the time, many fans believed that she would no longer participate with BABYMETAL (at least in the near future), and that it marked the end of the “Avengers”. Sadly, she was eliminated in the first round of voting, coming in last of all groups.
However, in January 2023, when BABYMETAL returned from their hiatus for the set of “BABYMETAL RETURNS – THE OTHER ONE -” shows [Show Report], Momoko made a reappearance, along with 3 other dancers who “mirrored” BABYMETAL for the performance of Doki Doki ☆ Morning. According to reports the attendees, the 3 girls are: Miko Todaka (“Su’s Clone”, ex-Sakura Gakuin), Kokona Kato (“Moa’s clone”, Amuse, Ciao Girls) and Sakia Kimura (“Momoko’s Clone”, ex-Sakura Gakuin). Though there was no mention of “Avenger” specifically, but for all intents and purposes, it was like when Momoko was an Avenger.
At the end of the show it was interpreted by many fans that a permanent 3rd member will be added for the “BABYMETAL BEGINS – THE OTHER ONE” shows in April 2023. Many believe this will be Momoko, because she has been the only Avenger to appear in 3 years, performing with BABYMETAL for almost 4 years by now. And also because the show will take place in Yokohama, Kanagawa, where she lived her childhood since she was 3 years old.
| Name | First Show | Last show (so far) | Number of shows | Social media |
| Riho Sayashi | 2019/6/28 | 2020/2/13 | 27 | Instagram – Staff Twitter – Website – Fan Club – YouTube Channel |
| Kano Fujihira | 2019/6/29 | 2020/1/26 | 5 | @onefive Twitter – Instagram – YouTube – Amuse Artist Profile |
| Momoko Okazaki | 2019/8/4 | 2023/1/29 | 47 |
Last updated at the beginning of March 2023
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