During his two stadium shows at the Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Japan, The Weeknd debuted a new song sampling Yoko Takahashi’s theme song for Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The Weeknd is currently on the last leg of his After Hours til Dawn tour, and he went all out for his shows in Japan. The premiere of the song, which appears to be titled “Tokyo,” was accompanied by visuals presented by Yoko Taro, the director-writer behind the 2017 game Nier: Automata. The clip featured visuals from Nier and Evangelion, while the song itself samples Takahashi’s beloved Evangelion theme song, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
The original song (a certified banger, it should be noted) also got a moment to shine, too, as the Weeknd brought out Takahashi as a surprise guest to perform “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” in full. As she performed the song, which was met with huge applause from the audience, the Weeknd could be seen vibing on the side of the stage, fully taking in the moment.
The Weeknd hasn’t been shy about showing his love for Japanese movies, music, anime, and video games in the past.
In fact, he shared a series of posts on his Gene Hackerman Instagram account (incredible name, by the way), earlier this year that showed him meeting up with a few of his idols. Among those he met was Yoko Takahashi. But he also found time to meet director-comedian Takeshi Kitano, musician Tomoko Aran, and director Takashi Miike, the director behind Audition and Ichi the Killer whom he collaborated with earlier this year.
He also shared pictures that showed him going for dinner with Nier creator Yoko Taro and game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is responsible for game series including Armored Core, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.
The Weeknd hasn’t announced a follow-up to his 2025 album Hurry Up Tomorrow yet, but he recently revealed that he’s walked back his plans of retirement and won’t be changing his stage name anymore.
“I had a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it isn’t for me,” he said. “It’s a real privilege to do what I do. There’s nothing else like this job. The gratitude I’ve felt over the last year has been overwhelming. I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I possibly can. The Weeknd isn’t going anywhere.”
