32 Visual kei musicians

Aoi is a Japanese visual kei rock musician.

Gakuto Oshiro , better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.

Hiroshi Morie , known exclusively by his stage name Heath, is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is the bass guitarist of the rock band X Japan. He joined the group in 1992 when ex-bassist Taiji Sawada left the band. Heath stayed with X Japan until the band's dissolution in 1997 and reunited with the band from 2007 onward.

Hideto Matsumoto , better known by his stage name hide was a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He was the lead guitarist of the rock band X Japan from 1987 onward, and a solo artist from 1993 onward. He also formed the United States-based rock supergroup Zilch in 1996.

Hisashi Tonomura , better known by his stage name HISASHI, is a Japanese musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Glay. He is particularly associated with the brand Tokai, designing a series of personal signature guitars, based on their Talbo model.

Hizaki is a Japanese visual kei metal musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as guitarist for the symphonic power metal band Versailles. He is also a member of Jupiter and has a solo career. Before forming Versailles he was in several independent bands.

Hideto Takarai , known by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1991, he is also the lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career.

Kiyonobu Inoue , better known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea. He started his solo career in 1997. Luna Sea disbanded in 2000, and he formed Fake? with Oblivion Dust vocalist Ken Lloyd a year later. In 2005 he left Fake? and founded Tourbillon with Luna Sea vocalist Ryuichi Kawamura and Hiroaki Hayama. He rejoined Luna Sea when they reunited in 2010, and in 2012 formed Muddy Apes with bassist Taka Hirose and guitarist Dean Tidey, both from Feeder, and 8otto's vocalist Maeson.

Jun Onose , better known by his stage name J, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as bassist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea. After they disbanded in 2000 he focused on his solo career, for which he performs lead vocals and bass. He rejoined Luna Sea when they reunited in August 2010.

Yoshihito Wayama , better known by his stage name JIRO, is a Japanese musician best known as the bassist of the rock band Glay. He is also the bassist in the sideband The Predators.

Kamijo is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer. He is best known as lead singer of the visual kei bands Lareine and Versailles. He has also been the head of two independent record labels; the first being Applause Records, and currently Sherow Artist Society since 2006, being renamed to Chateau Agency since 2016. His music covers many genres, Lareine having mainly a baroque pop style, and Versailles a clear symphonic and neoclassical metal sound. He has an extensive discography with the bands Lareine, New Sodmy and Versailles, consisting of 15 albums, and a large amount of EPs and singles. In 2013, Kamijo began a solo career with his debut single "Louis ~Enketsu no La Vie en Rose~".

Ryuichi Kawamura is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor, author and race car driver. He is best known as lead singer of the rock band Luna Sea. After the band disbanded in 2000, Kawamura continued his successful solo career. In 2005 he formed Tourbillon with fellow Luna Sea member Inoran and Hiroaki Hayama. He has recently rejoined Luna Sea, as they reunited in August 2010.

Kaya (迦夜) is a Japanese visual kei musician, who is a vocalist of the electro/dark wave duo Schwarz Stein, and also Meties and Isola under the alias of Hime. Kaya is also known for his androgynous appearance.

Kazuhito Iwaike , known exclusively by his stage name K.A.Z, is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is known for his work with Oblivion Dust, hide with Spread Beaver and Vamps.

Közi is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and DJ. He is best known as one of the guitarists for the 1990s visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After they went on indefinite hiatus in 2001, he formed the industrial rock duo Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career. Közi is currently in the bands Dalle, XA-VAT, ZIZ and Vamquet, while occasionally performing solo shows.

Kyo is a Japanese musician, singer, lyricist and poet. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the metal band Dir En Grey. He was formerly in a string of visual kei rock bands, with the most notable being La:Sadie's from 1995 to 1997. He then started Dir En Grey in February 1997, following La:Sadie's disbandment with three of its members, and formed the experimental rock band Sukekiyo in 2013. Kyo was inspired to become a musician when he saw a picture of Buck-Tick vocalist Atsushi Sakurai on the desk of a junior high school classmate. When he then discovered X Japan he was particularly fond of hide and had his parents buy him the guitarist's black signature model guitar. However, after realizing how difficult it was to play guitar and then bass, he then switched to vocals.

Mana is a Japanese musician, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer, best known as guitarist of the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer from 1992 to 2001. A year after they went on indefinite hiatus, Mana formed his solo project, the gothic metal band Moi dix Mois. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, aims to popularize the Gothic Lolita fashion movement.

Takamasa Ishihara , better known by his stage name Miyavi, is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor known for his finger-slapping style of playing a guitar.

Takanori Nishikawa is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, voice artist, radio personality, and businessman. He performs under the stage name T.M.Revolution (TMR), which stands for "Takanori Makes Revolution" , stemming from the famous '80s pop electronic band TM Network. Despite most of his songs being written by Akio Inoue and composed/arranged by Daisuke Asakura, T.M.Revolution is considered Nishikawa's solo project. Nishikawa is also known for contributions of ending and opening themes to many notable anime and game series.

Tomoaki Ishizuka , known exclusively by his stage name Pata, is a Japanese musician. He is the rhythm guitarist for the visual kei rock band X Japan. He joined the band in 1987, stayed with them until their dissolution in 1997 and rejoined when the band started a comeback in 2007.

Shō Kiryūin is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the Japanese "visual kei air band" Golden Bomber. He also writes, composes and co-arranges all the songs for the band. He plays multiple instruments including guitar, bass guitar and drums, and dabbles in piano and violin.

Yūne Sugihara , born Yasuhiro Sugihara , better known by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He is the lead guitarist and violinist of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989.

Syu is a Japanese musician, best known as leader and guitarist of the metal band Galneryus. He also performs guitar and lead vocals in Spinalcord and was formerly a member of Animetal. On September 29, 2010 he released a cover album named Crying Stars -Stand Proud!-, covering songs from Scorpions, Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen, Skid Row, M.S.G., Racer X and more. It features some of his bandmates from Galneryus and Spinalcord, as well as other well-known musicians like Eizo Sakamoto (Anthem), whom Syu was in Animetal with.

Taiji Sawada , also known mononymously as Taiji, was a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former bassist of the rock band X. X rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement. After leaving X in January 1992, Taiji went on to work with many other bands, including Loudness and D.T.R.

Teru is a Japanese visual kei metal musician, songwriter and artist. He is best known as guitarist for the symphonic metal band Versailles. He is also a member of Jupiter. Before Versailles he was previously in Aikaryu and supported his future bandmate Hizaki in his solo project.

Teruhiko Kobashi , better known by his stage name TERU, is a Japanese musician and singer best known as vocalist of the rock band Glay, for which he was initially the drummer.

Tetsuya is a Japanese musician, best known as the leader and bassist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. Formerly known by the stage name tetsu, on December 1, 2009 he started to use his birth name. While in L'Arc-en-Ciel his name is stylized as tetsuya, whereas in his solo work it is stylized as TETSUYA.

Toshimitsu Deyama , known exclusively by his stage name Toshi, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a co-founder of the rock band X Japan, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is credited as founders of the visual kei movement. Toshi began an extensive solo career in 1992 before leaving X Japan at the end of 1997. By his own admission, Toshi was "brainwashed" by a group called Home of Heart, whose leader would control his musical output for the next 12 years. In 2007, X Japan reunited and began a world tour. Toshi severed ties with Home of Heart in January 2010 and renewed his solo career. His distinctive, impassioned tenor vocals have been compared to those of Steve Perry. In January 2018, he began to use the stage name Toshi Ryugen .

Kazuki Watanabe , known by his stage name Kazuki (華月), was a Japanese musician known as guitarist and lead songwriter of the visual kei rock band Raphael. The group became quite popular, with all their releases entering the top 40 of the Oricon chart, before disbanding after Kazuki died at the age of 19.

Shinya Yamada , better known exclusively by his stage name Shinya (真矢), is a Japanese musician, media personality and entrepreneur. He is best known as drummer of the rock band Luna Sea. Although he released one solo album in 1997, since then he has supported other bands and musicians instead.

Yoshiki Hayashi known by the mononym Yoshiki, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the leader and a co-founder of the visual kei rock band X Japan, for which he is the drummer, pianist and main songwriter. Yoshiki's solo career includes two classical studio albums—Eternal Melody (1993), produced by George Martin, and Eternal Melody II (2005)—and the classical compilation Yoshiki Classical (2013). Described by Billboard as a "musical innovator" and named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history" by Consequence of Sound, Yoshiki has also collaborated and performed with artists such as Bono, will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, St. Vincent, Stan Lee, Roger Taylor, Gene Simmons and KISS, Nicole Scherzinger, and Sarah Brightman.

Jasmine You was a Japanese musician, best known as original bassist of the symphonic metal band Versailles. Jasmine You, then known as Yuu, entered the visual kei music scene in 1998 after joining Jakura, who managed to become somewhat successful before disbanding in 2003. In 2006 he was invited by his long-time friend Hizaki to join his solo project. Soon after he also took part in the theatrical rock show Node of Scherzo, with Hizaki, Kamijo, Juka and Kaya. In 2007 he joined Versailles and stayed with them until his illness and death in 2009.