Start here · Updated for 2026
A Beginner’s Guide to BABYMETAL
The members, music, history and live experience—explained clearly, without requiring a degree in Fox God lore.
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What is BABYMETAL?
BABYMETAL is a Japanese metal group built around the voices, choreography and personalities of SU-METAL, MOAMETAL and MOMOMETAL.
The project began in 2010 inside Sakura Gakuin and developed a sound that places bright melodies, pop hooks and tightly synchronized dance over heavy guitars, electronic production and many different branches of metal. What started as an experiment became an international touring act with its own visual language and theatrical mythology.
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Meet the members
SU-METAL
Vocal & Dance · the central voice of BABYMETAL.
MOAMETAL
Scream & Dance · performance and crowd connection.
MOMOMETAL
Scream & Dance · official member since 2023.
Where is YUIMETAL?
YUIMETAL was a founding member and performed with the group until 2018. After her departure, BABYMETAL continued as SU-METAL and MOAMETAL with rotating supporting dancers known by fans as the Avengers. Momoko Okazaki, one of those Avengers, became MOMOMETAL and joined the official lineup in 2023.
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Start with these songs
There is no single song that explains the whole group. Try a short route based on what you want to hear.
The foundations
- Megitsune
- Gimme Chocolate!!
- Road of Resistance
Heavy and dramatic
- KARATE
- Monochrome
- METALI!!
The global era
- RATATATA
- from me to u
- Algorism
Classic solos & duos
- Akatsuki SU-METAL solo
- Onedari Daisakusen BLACK BABYMETAL
- 4 no Uta BLACK BABYMETAL
- Sis. Anger BLACK BABYMETAL
Classic-era note: BLACK BABYMETAL was the duo of YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL, while songs such as “Akatsuki” gave SU-METAL a solo spotlight.
Whenever possible, watch the official live versions too. BABYMETAL’s staging and audience interaction are a major part of the music.
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The albums
BABYMETAL
The explosive introduction: playful, chaotic and full of songs that established the group’s identity.
METAL RESISTANCE
A more focused metal record built for increasingly large stages.
METAL GALAXY
A wide-ranging journey through international styles and collaborations.
THE OTHER ONE
A darker concept album exploring ten parallel worlds.
METAL FORTH
A collaboration-driven global chapter and the first album era with MOMOMETAL.
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A short history
BABYMETAL forms as Sakura Gakuin’s Heavy Music Club and develops into a standalone project.
The debut album, Sonisphere, Wembley Arena and major world tours turn the group into an international phenomenon.
YUIMETAL leaves the group. SU-METAL and MOAMETAL continue, later joined onstage by the Avengers during the METAL GALAXY era. The COVID-19 pandemic then disrupts international touring.
After ten 10 BABYMETAL BUDOKAN shows and the group’s tenth-anniversary cycle, live activities are “sealed” on October 10, 2021. BABYMETAL rests from live performance for about fifteen months before returning at BABYMETAL RETURNS in January 2023.
BABYMETAL releases THE OTHER ONE and welcomes MOMOMETAL as the third official member. At BABYMETAL RETURNS, three younger counterparts appear during “Doki Doki ☆ Morning,” offering the first glimpse of the concept later introduced as METALVERSE.
METAL FORTH expands the collaboration era while BABYMETAL continues worldwide touring and festival appearances.
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The live experience
The Kami Band
Live instrumentation is performed by highly skilled supporting musicians collectively called the Kami Band. The lineup can change by tour, region or schedule; they are not a separately fixed four-member band. Read the complete guide →
Audience participation
Expect coordinated gestures, chants, call-and-response sections and—depending on the song and venue—circle pits or a Wall of Death. Participation is voluntary.
First-show advice
Use hearing protection, check the venue’s bag and camera rules, stay hydrated and respect anyone who does not want to enter a pit.
Theatrical presentation
Intro films, costumes, lighting and stories connect concerts into eras. You can enjoy the show without understanding every piece of lore.
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Lore and useful terms
Fox God
The fictional guiding force used in BABYMETAL’s theatrical stories and announcements. “Only the Fox God knows” usually means that something has not been revealed.
Kitsune sign
The fox-hand gesture associated with the group. It visually resembles metal horns, but forms the face of a fox.
THE ONE
A recurring song and the name used for the idea of BABYMETAL fans uniting across borders. It has also been used for official membership programs.
Avengers
Supporting dancers who alternated beside SU-METAL and MOAMETAL after YUIMETAL’s departure. Momoko Okazaki later became MOMOMETAL.
Legend
A title frequently used for special BABYMETAL concerts or chapters in the group’s story.
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What is METALVERSE?
METALVERSE is a separate, related multiverse project from Amuse with its own members, songs, concerts and visual identity. Its concept was first glimpsed at BABYMETAL RETURNS on January 28–29, 2023, when three younger counterparts appeared during “Doki Doki ☆ Morning.” The project had not yet been publicly introduced under the METALVERSE name.
Its first officially announced appearance as METALVERSE took place at SUMMER SONIC Tokyo on August 20, 2023.
The official 2026 lineup is MIKO, SAKIA and COCONA. METALVERSE should not be described as new BABYMETAL members or simply as “junior BABYMETAL.”
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