Kizuna (album)

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Kizuna is the second studio album by the Japanese boy band JO1. It was released in Japan by Lapone Entertainment on May 25, 2022, with the digital version available two days earlier on May 23, 2022. The album brings together songs from JO1’s past EPs Challenger, Stranger, and Wandering, along with new tracks and three theme songs. The main promotional single is “With Us,” while promotional digital singles include “Dreamer” and “Move the Soul.” The album also features the tracks Prologue, which ties into JO1’s anime collaborations, and other selections that showcase the group’s evolving sound.

Kizuna was issued in five physical editions and a digital edition. The physical versions include Limited A and Limited B, a Normal edition, an Anime edition, and a Fan Club edition; the digital edition contains all 17 tracks. Limited editions and the Anime edition come with bonus content and artwork, including a Boruto-themed jacket for the Anime edition. Across all formats, the album emphasizes JO1’s message of friendship and resilience, with the overarching theme of “bond” or kizuna.

Promotion and live activities accompanied the release. JO1 performed the songs “Bokura no Kisetsu” and “Move the Soul” on The First Take to promote the album, and they appeared at KCON 2022 Premiere in Japan. A major advertising push included a six-day out-of-home campaign at Shinjuku Station. To support Kizuna, JO1 launched their first arena tour, visiting five cities in September–October 2022, with a total attendance of about 110,000. A Blu-ray/DVD of the final show was released in March 2023.

Kizuna achieved strong commercial success. It debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, marking JO1’s first album to top the Oricon weekly chart. The Recording Industry Association of Japan certified the album Platinum for shipments of 250,000 copies. By the end of 2022, Kizuna had sold over 333,000 physical copies and appeared on year-end ranking lists in Japan.