History Music / PassCode

** Hinako didn't join until around the time this was dropped, but it's purple.
** Thus far, Emily does not have a color – she has been associated with pink, red, and black.

** Kaede can scream rather well, though she's no Yuna. She and Yuna have a ping-pong scream-off during "Club Kids Never Die". They also do this in "Taking You Out".

** The joke subunit "Hiragana-Passcode" plays this hilariously straight, as the members dress in hyper-feminine clothes and sing some of the original 2013 [=PassCode=] songs. Emily sings in falsetto.

** Emily Arima wrote her own scream lyrics for Ladybaby's last year of songs and, being a classically trained pianist, has composed her own short pieces. Following Ladybaby's disbandment, she began writing lyrics for other projects. However, she refers to herself as a ''Screamer''-Songwriter.

Unlike many self-styled Idol groups, [=PassCode=] performs with a live backing band, and has done so consistently since mid-2016. Perhaps in part because of this, the atmosphere at the group's shows is known for being extremely rowdy, with moshing and crowdsurfing normal sights. The girls themselves would traditionally encourage this "freedom" and feed off it, though sometimes the crowds got ''too'' rowdy and the girls would have to announce a request for fans to back off. Additionally, Japan's strict Covid protocols instituted in 2020 following the reopening of public performances ([=PassCode=] happened to be one of the first groups to resume live shows) also put a severe damper on what fans are allowed to do – loud cheering is banned, for example – and their very first pandemic-era shows were all-seated affairs with only clapping allowed, much to the palpable annoyance of the audience and the girls.

As of 2020 the group has toured Japan multiple times, played multiple music festivals – including ''finally'' making it to [=SummerSonic=] in 2019 – and also performed abroad in Taiwan and South Korea. While the majority of their 2020 shows had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, their 2020 single ''STARRY SKY'' reached #1 on the Oricon and Billboard JP charts upon its release that May. In December 2020, they [[https://youtu.be/_ph62MEFznE announced]] a 2021 tour to support their 6th (third "major") album ''STRIVE'' that would culminate in a performance at the prestigious Nippon Budokan on February 12th, 2022 – over a year later.[[labelnote:*]] By coincidence, this date is almost one year to the day after their comrades in Music/BandMaid were ''supposed'' to play Budokan, but the Maids reluctantly cancelled their show and moved it online due to a COVID spike in Tokyo during Winter 2021.[[/labelnote]]

* ''REVERBERATE'' (2022) [-(actually an EP with 4 songs instead of the usual 2-3)-]

* KansaiRegionalAccent: They're all from Osaka (except Emily, who is from nearby Kobe), so it's pretty common during MC segments to hear the girls using Kansai phrasing, especially if they're talking to each other. Kaede and Yuna tend to use the thickest slang.

* [[ExcitedShowTitle Excited Song Title!]]: "Seize the Day!!" and "Rize!"

* BareYourMidriff: Their costumes tend to do this. Sometimes Yuna's would avert it because she's [[{{Shorttank}} so lacking in height]] that a short-shirt is nearly full-length on her.
** The first costumes following Emily's recruitment carry on a tradition going back to Ladybaby of Emily's outfit explicitly and noticeably averting this even as other members ''do'' bare their midriffs. Later on, Emily's costumes also bore midriff.

%%** The joke-unit "Hiragana-Passcode" (see above) takes this up to eleven.

Has [[https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/PassCode an entry]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki, plus a less-comprehensive one [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passcode_(Japanese_idol_group) in English.]]

** The joke-unit "Hiragana-Passcode" (see above) takes this UpToEleven.

** The first costumes following Emily's recruitment carry on a tradition going back to Ladybaby of Emily's outfit explicitly and noticeably averting this even as other members ''do'' bare their midriffs.

** Hinako didn't join until after this was dropped, but it's purple.

** During the 2017 ZENITH Tour Final, Nao opened one song by screaming "Everyone ''fucking'' jump!!", repeating herself in Japanese by chanting 「跳べ！」 ("Tobe!", a harsh imperative for 'jump'). She did it again in 2018's "Taking You Out Tonight" Tour Final.

Known for their energetic stage presence and ensuing wild live shows, tight musicianship and dancing, robotic sound through liberal use of processing, screaming, and ability to fuse multiple genres within a single song, they are often compared to the all-male "electronicore" group [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_and_Loathing_in_Las_Vegas Fear, And Loathing In Las Vegas]] and could credibly be called the Queens of the alt-Idol scene.

Unlike many self-styled Idol groups, [=PassCode=] performs with a live backing band, and has done so consistently since mid-2016. Perhaps in part because of this, the atmosphere at the group's shows is known for being extremely rowdy, with moshing and crowdsurfing normal sights. The girls themselves would traditionally encourage this "freedom" and feed off it, though on rare occasions crowds have gone too far and received rebukes from the girls.

Compare Music/{{Ladybaby}}, a newer younger group of similar style (minus the vocoder); and Music/{{Perfume}}, who also use tech to sound robotic and have been produced by one man since their beginning. Contrast Music/BandMaid, who fit squarely into the hard-rock genre, play their own instruments, and write their own songs – though [=PassCode=] ''has'' performed "Versus" shows with them; and Music/{{Babymetal}}, who started out Alt-Idol but employ multiple composers, focus chiefly on the lead singer, and go out of their way to avoid most Idol trappings.

* SpiritualSuccessor: The 2016 song "from here" to the 2014 song "over there". The video was filmed in the exact same location and features the three remaining members reuniting and meeting new member Hinako.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/passcode_2018_small_6.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''From left to right:''' Kaede Takashima, Nao Minami,\\
Yuna Imada, Hinako Ogami]]

* ''Never Sleep Again'' (2015)[[labelnote:†]] (B-side is "Rize!")[[/labelnote]]

** However, Nao ''also'' said in an early 2017 ''Natalie'' interview that Hirachi had picked her brain in late 2013 about changing the group's musical direction and he ended up using her musical taste as partial inspiration for "Asterisk"
--->'''Nao:''' "He asked me, 'What kind of music do you want to play?' I recommended some of my personal favorite rock bands to Hirachi-san. But at first he told that it was a little too heavy. 'Is it too heavy? Well, I'm an idol,' I thought to myself. About six months later, the loud "Asterisk" was created (laughs). 'It's getting heavier!' I said."

** Emily has been death-screaming nearly as long as Yuna, but didn't begin to refine her technique until she joined Ladybaby in early 2018. By the time LB ended, her screams had improved noticeably, though even her fans agreed Yuna was far beyond her. After Emily succeeded Yuna, her screaming leveled up again – on "Freely", her screams sound like a mix between End-Stage Ladybaby and Yuna.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Even by Alt-Idol standards, [=PassCode=] mixes, mashes, and smashes genres with gleeful abandon. The girls themselves are often singing heavily vocoded J-Pop while the keyboardist (or backtrack) is playing chiptune technopop and the rest of the band are shredding hard rock or speed metal. Add to that mixture Yuna/Emily, who is almost a genre unto herself.

* GetOut: Said outright in a verse for "Never Sleep Again", in English no less – "Get out of my face!"

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Even by Alt-Idol standards, [=PassCode=] mixes, mashes, and smashes genres with gleeful abandon. The girls themselves are often singing heavily vocoded J-Pop while the keyboardist (or backtrack) is playing chiptune technopop and the rest of the band are shredding hard rock or speed metal. Add to that mixture Yuna, who is almost a genre unto herself.

* SelfReferentialTrackPlacement: "4" from ''CLARITY'' is indeed the fourth track on that album. It was also the fourth song on the setlist during the Clarity+ Tour.

** Hear also the progression of Kaede's scream from 2016 to 2019. She still hasn't ''quite'' reached Yuna's level, but she's become an excellent screamer in her own right.

* KansaiRegionalAccent: They're all from Osaka, so it's pretty common during MC segments to hear the girls using Kansai phrasing, especially if they're talking to each other. Kaede and Yuna tend to use the thickest slang.

*** During live performances, the cute intro is cut, instead starting with Yuna screaming.
** "Link", one of their 'lightest' songs, has a ''jazz piano bridge'' in between the rock. Yuna does a few ballet moves during the bridge.

* VocalEvolution: During the first year or so following [=PassCode's=] debut, Yuna's death-voice was… lacking to say the least. She soon stepped up her game and, by the end of 2016, had become everyone's favorite tiny screamer. For proof, just listen to the early music videos – or ''All Is Vanity'' – and then the same songs on ''Locus'' (produced nearly four years later).

* [[Music/{{Ladybaby}} Emily Arima]] (有馬えみり) [-[D.O.B: 1999/3/7]-] (August 2021-present)

For a very brief period in Summer 2015, after Hinako Ogami joined, [=PassCode=] became [[https://imgur.com/hPsWRKD a five-girl group.]] But that October, original leader Yuri Kurohara abruptly left, bringing it back down to a foursome. The lineup remained consistent for nearly six years until main screamer Yuna Imada retired in August 2021 due to declining health.

Compare Music/{{Ladybaby}}, a newer & younger group of similar style (minus the vocoder); and Music/{{Perfume}}, who also use tech to sound robotic and have been produced by one man since their beginning. Contrast Music/BandMaid, who fit squarely into the hard-rock genre, play their own instruments, and write their own songs – though [=PassCode=] ''has'' performed "Versus" shows with them; and Music/{{Babymetal}}, who started out Alt-Idol but employ multiple composers, focus chiefly on the lead singer, and go out of their way to avoid most Idol trappings.

** Hinako didn't join until after that was dropped, but it's purple.

* GratuitousEnglish: Just about every song the group has ever made has some, especially post-Yuri. More often than not, the English is grammatically correct, although the intonation and stress may not be.

* HarshVocals: A core part of the group's sound in 90% of their songs. Yuna Imada was in charge of this until her retirement. More than one person has done a double-take upon hearing the death-voice that comes out of her.

** Nao also likes to scream during live shows but hers is not a true "death-voice" like Yuna's or Kaede's.

** When Yuna announced her retirement in August 2021, Nao's message had prominence after management's and Yuna's. In it, she displayed a high level of empathy for her friend and seemed to imply that she feels [=PassCode=] is ''her'' baby.

* PrecisionFStrike: They've got a few, usually from Yuna while screaming, which she will invariably punctuate during live shows by FlippingTheBird.

* TheUnintelligible: Invoked. Yuna's shout verses are rarely if ever included on official lyric sheets, meaning fans often have to guess what she's screaming at them. She can certainly be more understandable than deep "cookie monster" vocalists, but that's counterbalanced by her shouting often being a mix of Japanese and English.

* Nao Minami (南 菜生) [-[Date Of Birth: 1996/11/27]-]
* Kaede Takashima (高嶋 楓) [-[D.O.B: 1993/12/25]-]
* Hinako Ōgami (大上 陽奈子) [-[D.O.B: 1998/6/22]-]

* Yuri Kurohara (黒原優梨) [-[D.O.B: 1993/10/11]-]
* Yuna Imada (今田 夢菜) [-[D.O.B: 1994/12/17]-]

For a very brief period in Summer 2015, after Hinako Ogami joined, [=PassCode=] became [[https://imgur.com/hPsWRKD a five-girl group.]] But that October, original leader Yuri Kurohara abruptly left, bringing it back down to a foursome, and the lineup remained consistent until Yuna Imada retired in August 2021 due to continued poor health.

* BareYourMidriff: Their costumes tend to do this. Sometimes Yuna's will avert it because she's [[{{Shorttank}} so lacking in height]] that a short-shirt is nearly full-length on her.

* HarshVocals: A core part of the group's sound in 90% of their songs. Yuna Imada is in charge of this. More than one person has done a double-take upon hearing the death-voice that comes out of her.
** Making this all the more amusing is that Yuna is by far the smallest member of the group, at 149cm (4'10⅝"), and also an extremely shy GirlyGirl off-stage.

* VocalEvolution: During the first year or so following [=PassCode's=] debut, Yuna's death-voice was… lacking to say the least. She soon stepped up her game and, by the end of 2016, had become everyone's favorite tiny screamer. For proof, just listen to the early music videos – or ''All Is Vanity'' if one can find it – and then the same songs on ''Locus'' (produced nearly four years later).

* Yuna Imada (今田 夢菜) [-[D.O.B: 1994/12/17]-]

The group's notable former member:

For a very brief period in Summer 2015, after Hinako Ogami joined, [=PassCode=] became [[https://imgur.com/hPsWRKD a five-girl group.]] But that October, original leader Yuri Kurohara abruptly left, bringing it back down to a foursome, and the lineup has remained consistent since.

** Yuna is blue

* AutoTune: Overused for effect to go along with the electronica parts of their songs. They use a different program to create the sound at live shows – probably something like [=VocalSynth=], since the actual "Auto-Tune" software was meant for studio post-production and could not produce such extreme effects in real-time until 2019 (long after [=PassCode=] adopted the style).

** In addition to the shot of her happily devouring curry at the end of the "XYZ" video, she's the only member eating something during the street shots in "Nextage".
** She gets distracted by a plate of ''hanami dango'' during the chase scene of "Ninja Bomber". Hinako rescues her… but Kaede still grabs a skewer and eats it while running.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Through 2014, as seen in the earliest music videos, the girls' costumes consisted of matching rose hoodies and white tanktops with the group's name on it. Each girl had a different logo color. While the shtick has been gone for years, the girls' colors still surface occasionally, e.g. whenever some entity sends them flowers for a show.

** Making this all the more amusing is that Yuna is by far the smallest member of the group, at 149cm (4'10⅝"), and also quite the demure GirlyGirl off-stage.

** Kaede, the tallest member [164cm] and oldest, can scream rather well, though she's no Yuna. She and Yuna have a ping-pong scream-off during "Club Kids Never Die". They also do this in "Taking You Out".

** "Link", one of their 'lightest' songs, has a ''jazz piano bridge'' in between the rock.

* VocalEvolution: During the first year or so following [=PassCode's=] debut, Yuna's death-voice was… lacking to say the least. She soon stepped up her game and, by the end of 2016, had become everyone's favourite tiny screamer. For proof, just listen to the early music videos – or ''All Is Vanity'' if one can find it – and then the same songs on ''Locus'' (produced nearly four years later).

As of 2020 the group has toured Japan multiple times, played multiple music festivals – including ''finally'' making it to [=SummerSonic=] in 2019 – and also performed abroad in Taiwan and South Korea. While the majority of their 2020 shows had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, their 2020 single ''STARRY SKY'' reached #1 on the Oricon and Billboard JP charts upon its release that May.

* AutoTune: Overused for intentional effect to go along with the electronica parts of their songs. They use a different program to create the sound at live shows – probably something like [=VocalSynth=], since the actual "Auto-Tune" software was meant for studio post-production and could not produce such extreme effects in real-time until 2019 (long after [=PassCode=] adopted the style).

For a very brief period in Summer 2015, after Hinako Ogami joined, [=PassCode=] became a five-girl group. But that October, original leader Yuri Kurohara abruptly left, bringing it back down to a foursome, and the lineup has remained consistent since.

* AutoTune: Used for effect. Well, technically the girls use [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocoder Vocoder]] to produce the robotic tone on their voices – Autotune by its nature can't be used in real-time; Vocoder can, and [=PassCode=] uses it ''extremely'' liberally to the point that it sometimes crops in during MC segments at their live shows.
** A few of their songs don't use any manipulation at all, just to show the girls can actually sing.

* NoBudget: The group was this prior to being signed by Universal and ''especially'' before ''All Is Vanity'' came out. It's easy enough to tell simply by watching the earliest music videos – nearly every scene was shot in a tiny room or public places. Also they initially had no choreographer; Nao admitted in one interview they made up dance moves for the earliest songs themselves before they could afford to hire Kohmen.

As of 2020 the group has toured Japan multiple times, played multiple music festivals – including ''finally'' making it to [=SummerSonic=] in 2019 – and also performed abroad in Taiwan and South Korea. While the majority of their 2020 shows had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, their 2020 single ''STARRY SKY'' reached #1 on the Oricon charts upon its release that May.

** A few of their songs don't use any manipulation at all, just to prove the girls can actually sing.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Through 2014, as seen in the earliest music videos, the girls' costumes consisted of matching rose hoodies and white tanktops with the group's name on it. Each girl had a different logo colour. While the shtick has been gone for years, the girls' colours still surface occasionally, e.g. whenever some entity sends them flowers for a show.

** Nao was pink/rose
** Kaede was yellow
** Yuna was blue

* [[ExcitedShowTitle Excited Song Title!]]: "Seize the Day!!" and "Rise!"

** Yuna has stated in interviews that her English skill is poor. Yet she tends to have the most English in songs due to her death-screams.

* TheLeader: Until late 2015 it was Yuri Kurohara. Then she left. Now, though no leader is ''officially'' designated, it's undeniably Nao Minami, the only member remaining from the group's earliest days. She does most of the talking during audience interaction, including "directing" the band, and her profile is listed first on each of the band's official portals even though she's not the oldest member (that's Kaede).

* ThatSyncingFeeling: Hard to believe, but Yuna did not do her own screaming at first because she had zero experience – the earliest songs use someone else's voice for screaming and at early live shows she mimed to a backtrack. She admitted in her interview to feeling guilty about this. By the time of ''Virtual'' and its tour though, the screams are 100% her.