Following the arrest of Kadio Shirai, commonly known as Kahadio, Alien Liberty International's (ALI) "Teenage City Riot" has been removed from the opening of The World Ends With You: The Animation. This was a last-minute change, as the anime was set to run with the intro, but removed it shortly after the arrest. The decision was confirmed by TWEWY Anime in conjunction with Sony Music and Square Enix.
Kahadio, Alien Liberty International's drummer, was arrested on April 4. Initial charges were unknown, but sources report that Kahadio's arrest was for his part in alleged bank fraud. Kahadio was allegedly receiving cash from ATMs as part of a scam.
Japan has a history of adjusting releases due to alleged criminal activity. Sega adjusted the face of a character in the game Judgment due to the original actor, Pierre Taki, being arrested for drug use. Taki was also the Japanese voice of Olaf in Disney's Frozen and Kingdom Hearts 3, which were changed due to the arrest and subsequent findings.
While the charges have yet to be proven in a court of law, one might find the reaction to be a bit archaic, as the removal of the song from The World Ends With You anime was for an alleged non-violent offense. Some might argue that while jail time would be appropriate if Kahadio is found guilty, the removal of the song from the anime's intro is a bit of an overreach. Others might suggest that the use of the song might make all companies involved seem culpable, or condoning said actions.
Alien Liberty International has performed music for other anime, namely the Netflix hit BEASTARS, as well as Jujutsu Kaisen, and Noblesse. It is yet to be reported if these productions will have a similar removal of music from the band.
The World Ends With You: The Animation is available now on Funimation.
Sources: TWEWY Anime, ANN