On November 20, DEVILOOF shared the difficult news that drummer Kanta will be leaving the band. He will remain with them until December 13, the day of their 10th-anniversary performance. It could also be noted that Kanta officially joined on December 9, 2018, making this an especially meaningful moment to close out his time with the band.

In the official statements released in Japanese and English, Kanta says he chose to step away to “pursue a different path moving forward”. He explained that he has reached a point where he is mature enough to take on challenges on his own, while still recognizing how much he has relied on his bandmates until now.

On his secondary X (Twitter) account “@kantaman_sub“, which normally takes on a comedic persona, Kanta mentioned that he had prepared a different message for fans there but decided to rewrite it after receiving an overwhelming number of heartfelt reactions. As this statement isn’t out yet, make sure to follow his secondary account to keep updated!

DEVILOOF’s official statement

Thank you for your continued support of DEVILOOF.

We regret to announce that KANTA will be leaving DEVILOOF following our one-man live show at Shibuya Stream Hall on Saturday, December 13, 2025.

We sincerely apologize to our fans and everyone involved for the sudden nature of this announcement.

Kanta has expressed his wish to “pursue a different path moving forward”. After careful deliberation among the members and staff, we have decided to respect his strong determination and accept his departure.

As bandmates who have shared this journey with him, we are of course saddened by his decision, but we fully support him and will continue moving forward ourselves.

Although our paths will now diverge, we hope you will continue to support both Kanta and DEVILOOF in their future endeavors.

The band is already preparing for its next chapter, and we will share updates regarding our future lineup in due course.

Drummer Kanta

Hello, this is KANTA-man, drummer of DEVILOOF.

Hope you had a nice day, and I apologize in advance for a sudden, shocking announcement.

I have decided to leave DEVILOOF after our show on December 13 at Shibuya Stream Hall. I regret to share such disappointing news with everyone who has supported us all this time, but I truly want to thank you all for these past seven years.

Thinking back to that day seven years ago, when I was ready to quit music entirely, then met our leader DAIKI who convinced me to join the band—everything began from that moment. I didn’t have a particularly memorable youth as a student and even after entering the working world, my days were just ordinary and uneventful. But from that moment on, my everyday life suddenly burst with vibrant colors, so powerfully.

Looking back on my seven years with DEVILOOF, I gained countless invaluable experiences—both challenging and heartwarming—that are impossible to fully recount. During those days, I met many of our devoted fans and you showered someone like me with immense affection. Through DEVILOOF, I met all of you, and through all of you, I was able to immerse myself in the band and spend incredibly fulfilling days. And for that, I’d like to express my deepest gratitude from the bottom of my heart.

Seven years is long enough for people and things to change dramatically. Although DEVILOOF will continue to grow for years to come, for some, it’s simply challenging to keep up with this type of incredible pace of growth. Needless to say, mastering world-class technology while representing Japan is no small feat. I feel truly sorry that I need to step down from this relentless spiral of challenges. But from this point on, I’m going to cheer on DEVILOOF, just like any other fans, as the band take on the world.

Going forward, I will walk a different path from DEVILOOF. I cannot keep letting smart DAIKI handle everything for me, piggybacking on hardworking and talented KEISUKE, and relying on kind and dependable RAY. Now that I’m old enough, I should to be able to think on my own, work hard with integrity, stop looking only upward and start moving forward, look into the eyes of people around me, and cherish my family, close friends, and my people.

I do feel pretty anxious, but with my experiences spent together with DAIKI, KEISUKE, RAY and AISAKU, as well as huge love from all my fans, I believe I can somehow make it through.

Thank you so so much for these past seven years!

I love you all!!

Goodbye for now,

KANTA-man

Vocalist Keisuke

To everyone who has always supported DEVILOOF,

Thank you so much for your constant support.

We sincerely apologize for having to deliver news like this.

A cherished member who spent seven long years with us—sharing the same views, facing the same obstacles, and racing toward the same dream—has chosen a new path today.

Looking back on the days spent with him, the memories are far too many to express in a single word.

The days when we didn’t know left from right, the days we were chased by equipment trouble, the days we stood on stage without sleep during overseas tours, the days we all pushed through together while nearly being overwhelmed by the sound—every one of those moments was shared with him.

There are songs that wouldn’t have existed without his drums, nights that were saved only by his words, and the DEVILOOF you see today exists because he was there.

That’s exactly why, when I heard his decision, I honestly felt like a hole had been punched in my chest.

It would be a lie to say I’m not bitter.

But more than anything, I want to respect from the bottom of my heart the answer he reached after struggling for so long and facing his life head-on.

People grow, circumstances change, and paths naturally diverge.

And I believe this kind of pain isn’t only sorrow—it’s also something necessary to move forward.

Kanta will walk a different path from now on.

But what he left behind in this band will continue to live within us forever.

And I will keep singing, carrying the seven years he spent drumming beside me in my heart.

 

Lastly—

Kanta, thank you so much.

I can’t even count how many times your drumming and your presence saved me.

Wherever you go from here, please live proudly, never losing your true self.

I look forward to the day we can laugh together again, maybe while talking about music.

 

And to everyone who supports us—

We hope you will warmly accept this decision.

DEVILOOF will not stop.

We will continue to work harder than ever and bring you the best sound we can.

We truly appreciate your continued support.

Guitarist Ray

We know many of you were looking forward to our 10th-anniversary show.

I, too, had been truly looking forward to this day, but sadly, it has become a farewell moment.

As both a bandmate and a friend, I have many mixed emotions, but we have decided to respect and honor his decision.

We are deeply grateful for all that he has contributed to our activities so far, and we wholeheartedly support his future endeavors as drummer Kanta.

Bassist Daiki

I’m truly sorry to have to make this announcement.

I had hoped to continue playing in the band with Kanta forever, if possible. But this is the path he has chosen for himself.

We discussed it many times as a band, and I struggled with it deeply To be honest, I even considered the future of the band itself.

However, thinking of everyone who supports and believes in DEVILOOF, the path the band has taken and the path we will walk, the goals we have yet to achieve, and my own passion and ambition for music, I have renewed my resolve that the band must go on. I refuse to let it end here.

I hope you will continue to support both our futures.

For overseas fans hoping to see DEVILOOF with the current lineup one last time, their European tour “THE UNHOLY” kicks off next week. The full schedule of dates is listed below.

If you haven’t yet caught our recent interview with the band, they open up about the European tour and the challenges they overcame to make it happen. Click here to read the interview.