The quick definition of visual kei idols

Visual kei idols (ヴィジュアル系アイドル) are idol groups that claim to be vkei and/or vkei artists that claim to be idols. Listeners sometimes also apply the label to mens' idol groups who feature former vkei bandmen in vkei-like costumes, but do not claim to be visual kei.

A brief history of visual kei idols

Within visual kei, “idol” is somewhat of a dirty word. Many vkei fans bristle at the idea of openly-commercialized idols who don't play instruments or write their own music. And yet, idol-like commercialization has been a part of visual kei culture since its inception:

In the 1980s, okeshou kei (お化粧系) predecessors appeared in teen magazines and variety programs; and in the 1990s, uber-successful albums were often backed by large promotional budgets. By the 2000s, it was common for bangya to bring gifts to their honmei; and in recent decades, cheki have become a primary income source for bands, with the same reservation systems used by idols.

Even within visual kei, there is a history of osare kei (オサレ系) bands being dismissively called idols by kote kei (コテ系) fans; and those bands being called idols by kurofuku kei (黒服系) fans; and those by heavy metal fans; and those by punk fans; and so on. So, despite a conceptual barrier, idol-like qualities have always been recognized within visual kei.

As such, “visual kei idols” have been an expected movement for decades. In the okeshou kei (お化粧系) era, bands like BUCK-TICK and AURA were treated as if they idols by some publishers. And during the visual kei boom in the late 1990s, some soft visual (ソフビ) bands like SHAZNA were called “visual idols” by BreakOut!. (The term did not take off.)

Through the following decade, the term was usually levied against visual kei bands as a pejorative, but a few self-proclaimed themselves as such. Br@ve was an early example, in 2001, and ALiBi was the most notable, in 2008 (however, fans tended to lump them together with osare kei (オサレ系) bands in real-time).

It was also around 2008 that a small wave of host club bands appeared: AcQuA-E.P., Kabukichou KNIGHT (歌舞伎町ナイト), and Club f-ever, among others. Of course, hosts and idols are not the same, but this did prove that visual kei had room for blatantly commercialized acts.

The early 2010s saw the rise of BABYMETAL, an idol group who infiltrated heavy metal spaces to great success. And although they are not visual kei, their success probably contributed to a string of new attempts to mix idols with visual kei through the 2010s.

Early in the decade, iconic visual kei magazine Cure started a spinoff for idols. Later, idol group READY TO KISS covered a song by visual kei band Arc. In 2017, RIZU (リズ) and Chinameyulu。 (血舐めゆる。), both self-proclaimed visual kei idols, formed under a new idol sublabel created by king zeebra. And in 2018, idol group XTEEN made waves because they were produced EURO of SPEED-iD.

2018 was also the year that underground idol Shiina Pikarin (椎名ぴかりん) became known to visual kei fans. Many of her aesthetic and performance choices were directly inspired by vkei: she even covered Kamiuta (神歌)—a defining song of mid-2000s visual kei by Phantasmagoria—at her lives, and had KISAKI write her second single.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic decimated physical sales, live attendance, and other facets of the music industry. It became a necessity for visual kei bands to branch out if they wanted to survive—and it suddenly became common to see vkei bands mix with non-vkei bands or idol groups in a way that would have been unthinkable a few years earlier.

From then on, there have been several common “types” of overlap between visual kei and idols. In order from “least visual kei” to “most,” these are:

First, girls' idol groups that are not visual kei in looks or concepts, but occasionally cover vkei songs, such as: READY TO KISS or HOT DOG CAT. These would not be visual kei idols, but are a useful touchstone for how typical idols look and sound.

Second, visual kei musicians who produce, write for, or provide support for idol bands, such as: 0.1g no Gosan (0.1gの誤算) drummer Kanzaki Iria (神崎 流空), who runs an idol label; Blu-BiLLioN bassist Haku (珀) who has produced multiple idols; or PENTAGON (ペンタゴン) guitarist taku (拓), who has written for idols. These would not be considered visual kei idols themselves unless they are also in an idol band.

Third, girls' idol groups who look extremely visual kei and have vkei-like atmospheres (according to Japanese visual kei fans), such as: Shiina Pikarin (椎名ぴかりん) or MAD MEDiCiNE. These might be considered visual kei idols, but there is currently no consensus. It might be more appropriate to call them “idols that a visual kei fan might enjoy.”

Fourth (and the largest in terms of numbers), mens' idol groups that clearly look visual kei, potentially sound visual kei, and often feature former vkei bandmen, but do not call themselves vkei, such as: Shuuen DESPERADO (終焉デスペラード), Vice Antoinette, or SADOMAZO (サドマゾ). These are the idol groups most likely to perform at vkei events, and may have the label of visual kei idols “forcibly” applied to them by fans.

Fifth, girls' idol groups who explicitly claim to be visual kei, such as: Konton Shoujo (混沌少女), Kuroi Shoujyo (黒ゐ少女), Aragatta Shoujyo (抗ッタ少女), or GE'LMINATii. These groups call themselves vkei and model themselves after vkei, although visual kei fans may bristle at the idea.

Sixth, mens' idol groups who explicitly claim to be visual kei, and may feature former vkei members, and may have a backing band, such as: Kimino VIRUS (キミノウィルス). These are visual kei in looks and sound, but the core members still act primarily as idols.

And lastly, visual kei bands (i.e. each member plays an instrument) who explicitly claim to be idols, such as: PENDULUM (ペンデュラム), Nora ONE Kareshi (のらワン彼氏), or Kakusei ARIA (覚醒アリア). These are essentially just visual kei bands that are idol-like in looks and behavior.

For vkgy's purposes, only the latter three groups (idols who explicitly call themselves visual kei, or visual kei bands who explicitly call themselves idols) are categorized as “visual kei idols.”

As of 2025, visual kei has been around for 35 years, so this mashing-together with other genres is to be expected. In a sense, it's an honor that visual kei can be “borrowed from” by idols and pop singers in the same way that punk and heavy metal have been.

On the other hand, it's upsetting for many fans to see visual kei—which is still an extremely niche genre in some ways—be co-opted as a “costume” by idols, especially if those idols become more successful than true visual kei bands. Even vkgy's inclusion of “visual kei idols” as a subgenre will likely be controversial to some.

Nevertheless, it is a reality; artists have been attempting to be visual kei idols for decades, and their numbers have rapidly increased in the post-COVID landscape. What remains to be seen is how successful these will be, and whether the “visual kei idol” trend will turn into a lasting subgenre.

Why are they called visual kei idols?

Visual kei idols (ヴィジュアル系アイドル) is self-explanatory and has been one of the suggested names for decades.

What are the other names for visual kei idols?

Several variants have been suggested in the past, such as: Visual Idols (in English); visual idols (ヴィジュアルアイドル); vkei × idol (V系×アイドル); and visudol (ヴィジュドル) {visu[al] + [i]dol}.

There is no agreed-upon name since this is not yet a widely-recognized subgenre; for vkgy we have chosen the one that was the most common and easiest to understand.

What do visual kei idols look like?

Typical idol-like costumes with visual-kei-like hair and makeup; or typical visual-kei-like costumes. More likely than the typical visual kei band to have fewer than (or more than) 5 members. Also more likely to have all female members. Impression seems to always be “cute” or “attractive,” even when in “darker” looks. Sometimes less individualistic than typical visual kei bands: members may be in different silhouettes made from the exact same fabrics, or very similar silhouettes that differ only in the main featured color.

What do visual idols kei sound like?

In short, idol music. Heavy digital backing tracks and emphasis on catchy group vocals. Not heavy except in the case of idols with “dark” concepts. May or may not have instrumentation provided by vkei musicians; if so, it is still downplayed in service of the vocals. Song structures may be vkei-like if written by visual kei musicians.

Are visual idols a legitimate visual kei subgenre?

Self-declared visual kei idols have been appearing since 2020, and in that time there has been a phenomenon where new overseas fans assume certain idol groups to be visual kei based on their costumes (e.g. Zolpidem). There have also been several incidents where idols borrowed aspects of visual kei culture without explicitly claiming to be vkei.

Visual kei researcher Visual Doctor Noru (ヴィジュアル博士のる) maintains a genealogy chart of visual kei which which shows the growth of subgenres over time. In 2024, he tweeted about the worlds of visual kei and idols colliding. However, in response to a poll attached to that tweet, most respondents (visual kei fans) said they did not feel that visual kei idols should be included in his genealogy chart of visual kei.

The same year, vkgy tweeted about the subject of idols and received mixed responses.

In other words, although trends since 2020 point to visual kei idols being a more than just “a handful of groups,” visual kei fans as of 2025 are hesitant to recognize it as a legitimate subgenre.

Visual kei idol alignments

Heavily pop, except in rare cases.

Depends on concept, but often surface-level.

Purposely-designed costumes, always.

Not concerned with instruments or vocal skill.

Built around interactions with fans.

Upbeat, even if not necessarily happy.

Only goal is to energize crowd.

Built around young members/concepts.

When were visual kei idols active?

Rogue artists have existed since 1993, with smatterings around 2007 and 2017. But the trend rapidly increased from 2020 onward. It still seems to be growing as of 2025.

What are the representative visual kei idols?

Not established enough to say for sure. Of those that are definitely visual kei idols (types five~seven as outlined above): Konton Shoujo (混沌少女), Kimino VIRUS (キミノウィルス), and Kakusei ARIA (覚醒アリア).