History Music / BabyMetal

* [[WidgetSeries Widget Musicians]]: Three {{Idol Singer}}s mix pop music with HeavyMetal. It's very weird and very Japanese, and… well, it ''works'' and has gained quite a dedicated following.

* OdangoHair: The Avengers wear their hair in a variation of this style, with the hair on the back being let down.

* MoneySong: "Onedari Daisakusen" ("Begging Strategy") offers practical advice to teens on how to extract extra pocket money from one's father with a well-timed shoulder-massage/flattery combo. Said flattery include praising him for his hard work and ultimately declaring that one ''wants to be her father's bride'' (obviously in a LikeParentLikeSpouse sense, not ParentalIncest). Audiences have been known to make it rain with fake money whenever this song is performed. The video interlude before this song at the 2016 Wembley concert strongly implied that as the girls were growing up it would not be performed in future[[note]]It was performed once more at the 2016 Tokyo Dome concerts as they were going through all their album songs (Japanese versions) over the two nights.[[/note]].

Originally a subunit of Junior-Idol group Music/SakuraGakuin, Babymetal [-(also stylized as BABYMETAL or [=BabyMetal=])-] was formed by the members of the Heavy Music Club (Juonbu) of Sakura Gakuin under the concept of a fusion of heavy metal and Idol music, now known as "kawaii metal". They are known for their energetic live shows which feature intricate yet fun choreography mixed with soaring vocals from lead singer Suzuka "Su-Metal" Nakamoto, backed up by a quartet of some of Japan's top metal musicians. Officially, they claim belief in "The Fox God" who brought them to metal and uses them as conduits to spread its message of "love and joy through metal" across the world. Instead of the standard devil horns, they use a modified "kitsune" sign (seen in the photo at right).

* IWillFindYou: "Kingslayer" can be interpreted to be about finding the titular Kingslayer, or Angel of the Blade, and help them defeat an [[AIIsACrapshoot evil AI]] that has [[TakeOverTheWorld taken over the world]].

* IWillFindYou: "Kingslayer" can be interpreted to be about finding the titular Kingslayer, or Angel of the Blade, to defeat an [[AIIsACrapshoot evil AI]] that has [[TakeOverTheWorld taken over the world]].

* ZettaiRyouiki: Grade B when wearing socks. Non-operative when their costumes employ stockings or have ditched the tutus for battle-dresses or whatever.

In reality, Key Kobayashi (known as [=KobaMetal=]), a producer at the Amuse talent agency and a longtime metalhead with connections in Tokyo's underground metal scene, discovered Suzuka during her time as one of the [[Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren Karen Girl's]]. Realizing her potential, he decided to form a group around her once Sakura Gakuin began in 2010, figuring her unusually powerful voice would be a good fit for metal. Yui and Moa were chosen as backup due to their unique chemistry – the same reason they were often featured together during Sakura Gakuin – and also their smallness, as Koba liked the idea of Su being flanked by two tiny girls.[[labelnote:*]] Koba lucked out there as Yui and Moa ''both'' turned out to be very late-bloomers, ended their growth periods close in height (Yui is ~2cm taller), and are ''still'' shorter than Su – albeit by an inch or less in Yui's case. Su's trademark high ponytail and use of 1" heels during performances make her appear taller than she actually is (160cm/5'3").[[/labelnote]] At the time, none of the trio knew what HeavyMetal was. They would quickly learn.

* RecurringRiff: "Over The Future", the opening song for the anime adaptation of ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'', comes up quite a bit in the group's early years. The song is Suzuka's first single as a member of an Amuse group (Karen Girl's), and inspired Yui to become a singer.[[labelnote:*]] According to her, this and other Karen Girl's songs helped her endure when a member of her family was critically ill.[[/labelnote]] Yui and her best friend Moa auditioned for Sakura Gakuin by performing a dance cover of that song.[[labelnote:*]] Since Suzuka was the third and youngest member, her spot in the choreography was left vacant by the two, which some fans see as {{Foreshadowing}}.[[/labelnote]] Finally, the three of them performed a metal cover version of the song, called the "[[Music/YngwieMalmsteen Rising Force]] version", as Babymetal in 2012.

* MissingEpisode: The 2017 show at the Hollywood Palladium was recorded but never released, most likely due to a rights issue with Warner Bros.

** "Sis. Anger" has "''Baka yarō!''" ("You dumbass!").

* FanWebcomic: There are several, such as ''Webcomic/LetsPlayWithBabymetalchan'' and those by Hirokazu Sato.

Beginning in 2012, sporadically at first but permanently from 2014 on, the girls are backed while touring by the Kami Band. While its lineup is not fixed due to availability issues, some of its members are almost guaranteed to be onstage at live shows.

Babymetal has toured internationally every year since 2012[[labelnote:*]] (though the only performing they did in 2012 and 2013 outside Japan was at conventions in Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia; 2014 was the first year they did a true international tour)[[/labelnote]], and sold out almost every venue they have headlined. The girls hold several records in Japan and elsewhere as the youngest group to play at [insert venue or show here]. They are to date the first and only Japanese group to headline London's Wembley Arena, as well as to perform on American late-night television during ''Series/TheLateShowWithStephenColbert''. They are also the first Japanese act to make it onto Billboard USA's main Top-40 list since '''''1963''''' with their second album ''Metal Resistance''.

All three Avengers took fans completely by surprise for various reasons. Though almost no one saw them coming, they have been warmly and often enthusiastically received in preparation for the band's major two-stage world tour.

* RecurringRiff: "Over The Future", the opening song for the anime adaptation of ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'', comes up quite a bit in the group's early years. The song is Suzuka's first single as a member of an Amuse group (Karen Girl's), and inspired Yui to become a singer.[[labelnote:*]]According to her, this and other Karen Girl's songs helped her endure when a member of her family was critically ill.[[/labelnote]] Yui and her best friend Moa auditioned for Sakura Gakuin by performing a dance cover of that song.[[labelnote:*]]Since Suzuka was the third and youngest member, her spot in the choreography was left vacant by the two, which some fans see as {{Foreshadowing}}.[[/labelnote]] Finally, the three of them performed a metal cover version of the song, called the "[[Music/YngwieMalmsteen Rising Force]] version", as Babymetal in 2012.

** Su has a weird tendency to invert this. She has a history of mouthing lyrics even when she ''isn't'' meant to be singing. The full-group dance of "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" from that same 2010 show is a good example, as is her duet with [[Music/JudasPriest Rob Halford]] nearly six years later where she mimed his part of "Breaking The Law".

** The album ''Metal Galaxy'' features Alyssa White-Gluz of Music/ArchEnemy, Joakim Broden of Music/{{Sabaton}}, Tim Henson and Scott [=LePage=] of Music/{{Polyphia}}, and Tak Matsumoto of Music/{{Bz}}.

** "Akatsuki" is a tribute to Music/XJapan's "Kurenai", while the theme of "No Rain, No Rainbow" is similar to "Endless Rain".

** "Syncopation" is about the [[SongOfManyEmotions many emotions]] felt when falling in love, called the "syncopation of love". The live performances usually begin with a HeartbeatSoundtrack, complete with EKG visualization.

Originally a subunit of Junior-Idol group Music/SakuraGakuin, Babymetal [-(also stylized as BABYMETAL or [=BabyMetal=])-] was formed by the members of the Heavy Music Club (Juonbu) of Sakura Gakuin under the concept of a fusion of heavy metal and Idol music, now known as "kawaii metal". They are known for their energetic live shows which feature intricate yet fun choreography mixed with soaring vocals from lead singer Suzuka "Su-Metal" Nakamoto, backed up by a quartet of some of Japan's top metal musicians. Officially, they claim belief in "The Fox God" who brought them to metal and uses them as conduits to spread its message of "love and joy through metal" across the world. Instead of the standard devil horns, they use a modified "kitsune" sign (seen in the photo at right). If Music/{{Gwar}} would be TV-MA, Babymetal would be TV-Y7.

Originally a subunit of Junior-Idol group Music/SakuraGakuin, Babymetal [-(also stylized as BABYMETAL or [=BabyMetal=])-] was formed by the members of the Heavy Music Club (Juonbu) of Sakura Gakuin under the concept of a fusion of heavy metal and Idol music, now known as "kawaii metal". They are known for their energetic live shows which feature intricate yet fun choreography mixed with soaring vocals from lead singer Suzuka "Su-Metal" Nakamoto, backed up by a quartet of some of Japan's top metal musicians. Officially, they claim belief in "The Fox God" who brought them to metal and uses them as conduits to spread its message of "love and joy through metal" across the world. Instead of the standard devil horns, they use a modified "kitsune" sign (seen in the photo at right).

* AlternateCharacterReading: In the official lyrics for "Road of Resistance", the last chorus line is written as 燃える鋼鉄魂 (''moeru koutetsu tamashii'' "burning soul of steel") but the given reading (and what Su always sings) is 燃えるアツいハート (''moeru atsui haato'' "burning passionate heart").

** During LEGEND S, Suzuka's narration explicitly invokes this about Light, referencing a "Light of Hope" and a "Light of Despair". It's a veiled reference to the atomic bombing of her hometown (Hiroshima) 72 years earlier, an incident still commemorated annually there and which her ancestors survived.[[labelnote:*]]When in Sakura Gakuin, she did a presentation about the bombing and had also asked her fellow members to observe a minute of silence on August 6, 8:15 AM. She has strong personal feelings about the event.[[/labelnote]]

In addition to their headline shows, which can range from the stripped-down (most of their foreign shows plus 2017's Five Fox Festivals) to the incredibly elaborate (Budokan, Trilogy, Tokyo Dome, Hiroshima), they have also served as opener to several bigger acts they have met and sometimes become friends with during their travels to various music festivals over the years. This includes Music/LadyGaga, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, and Music/{{Korn}}. They have also collaborated with Music/DragonForce (with whom they are close), Music/Sabaton, and Rob Halford of Music/JudasPriest. The undeniable musical chops of the Kami Band coupled with the professionalism and pleasant personalities of the girls has led to the group earning the approval of many of the top names in metal and hard rock.

In addition to their headline shows, which can range from the stripped-down (most of their foreign shows plus 2017's Five Fox Festivals) to the incredibly elaborate (Budokan, Trilogy, Tokyo Dome, Hiroshima), they have also served as opener to several bigger acts they have met and sometimes become friends with during their travels to various music festivals over the years. This includes Music/LadyGaga, Music/{{Metallica}}, Music/RedHotChiliPeppers, and Music/{{Korn}}. They have also collaborated with Music/DragonForce (with whom they are close), and Rob Halford of Music/JudasPriest. The undeniable musical chops of the Kami Band coupled with the professionalism and pleasant personalities of the girls has led to the group earning the approval of many of the top names in metal and hard rock.

* RunningGag: Su and Moa took to making funny faces to each other during the interlude of "Megitsune", when Su's face is obscured by her fox mask. Kano was even [[https://i.imgur.com/ViTWlNJ.gifv briefly distracted]] by one of those exchanges.