A Sold-Out Hall Resonates with Japanese Rock Beyond Language Barriers
ASH DA HERO appeared at Animefest 2026 in Brno, Czech Republic on May 23, delivering their first-ever European performance. In front of a packed local audience, the band performed 12 songs plus an encore, creating overwhelming excitement that transcended language barriers.
ASH DA HERO took the stage at the large-scale anime convention Animefest 2026, held in Brno, Czech Republic on May 23. The venue was the main stage of the Brno Exhibition Centre. At this event, where local fans gathered around their shared love of Japanese anime, manga, games, and cosplay, ASH DA HERO delivered their first performance in Europe. Crossing borders and language barriers alike, the band captivated the audience purely through the raw energy of their music.
Even before the show began, the venue was filled with anticipation from fans eager to see a Japanese rock band live. Some audience members were singing along to Japanese lyrics, some had discovered the band through anime, and others were experiencing ASH DA HERO for the very first time. As the opening SE “Super Sonic” echoed through the hall, the focused anticipation instantly transformed into loud cheers.
The first song, “YELLOW FEVER DANCE,” immediately ignited the room the moment ASH’s voice rang out. Sato’s grooving basslines, WANI’s tight and powerful drumming, and Dhalsim’s DJ sound combined to vividly present ASH DA HERO’s genre-crossing style of rock, punk, and hip-hop from the very beginning. During “LA VIDA LOCA,” even without fully understanding every lyric, the audience naturally moved together with the beat and energy. The sound connected, the heat spread, and little by little the entire hall became absorbed into ASH DA HERO’s rhythm.
One of the early highlights was “MANIFESTO.” The fierce sound and ASH’s sharp vocals collided head-on, sending the stage’s intensity directly into the crowd. Even though the lyrics were in Japanese, the determination, conviction, and forward-driving spirit embedded in the songs clearly reached the audience. More fists rose into the air with each song, and the cheers only grew louder. There was no sense of distance usually associated with an “overseas performance” — only a powerful unity created by people sharing the same music at the same moment.
During the first MC, ASH greeted the local crowd using some Czech phrases. Even though the words were not perfect, the sincere effort to communicate in the audience’s own language immediately brought the stage and crowd closer together. At that moment, the barrier of language visibly began to disappear.
Midway through the set, the band also performed songs perfectly suited for an anime convention setting. Their covers of FLOW’s “GO!!!” and Hironobu Kageyama’s “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” sparked huge reactions throughout the venue. Hearing iconic anime songs performed through ASH DA HERO’s unique filter pushed the crowd’s excitement even further. It was a scene that could only happen at Animefest — Japanese anime songs being celebrated passionately by fans in the Czech Republic.
As the second half of the show unfolded, the stage grew even more intense. The band performed “Harmonics,” originally featured in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie, followed by “BELIEVERS,” the opening theme song for the currently airing TV anime Wistoria: Wand and Sword Season 2. The song’s themes of overcoming inferiority and inner conflict resonated deeply with the audience beyond the context of an anime tie-in. Every time ASH’s voice soared powerfully across the venue, the crowd answered with massive cheers, making the emotional impact of the songs even stronger.
With “Octave” and “Beast Mode,” the band fully unleashed their aggressive live-band energy. The low-end groove and explosive stage performance drove the audience into an even greater frenzy. Then came “Judgement,” a song that likely connected especially strongly with fans who discovered ASH DA HERO through the TV anime Blue Lock. In that moment, the venue reached one of its biggest peaks of excitement. Far away from Japan, in the Czech Republic, the connection between anime and music had undeniably taken shape right before everyone’s eyes.
In a later MC, ASH spoke sincerely about how the world today cannot necessarily be called peaceful, yet emphasized the band’s desire to continue shouting messages of love and peace through music. Those words quietly but powerfully reached everyone in the venue regardless of nationality, language, or culture. Carrying that message forward, the band then performed the English version of “Everything.” After building excitement primarily through Japanese-language songs, this moment became one of the symbolic highlights of the night — not only transcending language barriers, but actively using language to connect even more deeply with the audience.
The final song of the main set was “PARADE.” It transformed all the accumulated energy of the night into a celebration, fully uniting the stage and audience as one. Despite being ASH DA HERO’s very first European show, there was no feeling of unfamiliarity — only the sense that everyone already shared the same passion. When the song ended, loud “ASH DA HERO” chants erupted throughout the hall as the band temporarily left the stage.
Even after the members disappeared backstage, the chants continued nonstop. Responding to the audience’s passion, the band returned for an encore performance of one of their signature songs, “Judgement.” As the explosive sound rang out one final time, the venue’s excitement reached its absolute peak. The encore symbolized how wholeheartedly the Czech audience had embraced ASH DA HERO.
What ASH DA HERO left behind in the Czech Republic that night was more than simply a successful overseas performance. It was proof that Japanese rock music, with anime culture as a gateway, can truly move people’s hearts beyond both language and distance. Their performance at Animefest 2026 marked a major first step into Europe — and the echoes of that night in Brno strongly suggested an even bigger future ahead for ASH DA HERO worldwide.
SETLIST
- Super Sonic
M1. YELLOW FEVER DANCE
M2. LA VIDA LOCA
M3. MANIFESTO
MC
M4. GO!!! (cover)
M5. CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA (1cho cover)
MC
M6. Harmonics (NEW)
M7. BELIEVERS
M8. Octave
M9. Beast Mode
M10. Judgement
MC
M11. Everything (ENG ver.)
M12. PARADE
- Judgement
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Release Information
ASH DA HERO 3rd Single “BELIEVERS” is now available on various music streaming services!
▼Click here for various music streaming services:
https://lnk.to/ADH_BELIEVERSPR
▼”BELIEVERS” Music Video
■ASH DA HERO Profile
Formed in September 2021. Their must-see live performance is delivered by the overwhelming vocalist ASH, whose music is rooted in ROCK, PUNK, and HIP HOP and expressed through a chameleonic style, along with the distinct individuality and presence of Sato (Ba.), WANI (Dr.), and Dhalsim (DJ). They are a one-of-a-kind mixture band where the four members’ talents and roots miraculously intersect.Formed in September 2021. Their must-see live performance is delivered by the overwhelming vocalist ASH, whose music is rooted in ROCK, PUNK, and HIP HOP and expressed through a chameleonic style, along with the distinct individuality and presence of Sato (Ba.), WANI (Dr.), and Dhalsim (DJ). They are a one-of-a-kind mixture band where the four members’ talents and roots miraculously intersect.
・Official HP：https://ashdahero.com/
・Official YouTube Channel：https://www.youtube.com/user/ASHDAHERO
・Official X：https://x.com/ashdahero
・Official Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/ashdahero__official/
・Official TikTok：https://www.tiktok.com/@ashdahero_official
・Official Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/ASHDAHERO
・Official Weibo：https://www.weibo.com/ASHDAHERO