The Weeknd snuck in a new song in Japan where he allowed fans to hear a new song that samples a very recognizable anime classic. During his performance at Belluna Dome in Saitama on September 19, the singer played a new song that samples ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, ‘ the opening song for Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The event was the first time that The Weeknd’s global After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour started in Asia. For the new song, the singer Yoko Takahashi who was the original singer who sung ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’ for Neon Genesis Evangelion, came to the stage to sing with The Weeknd. She also sing the original song to the audience after he left the stage.
The non- released song has also often been called “Tokyo”; yet, The Weeknd has never officially given it a name and there is no official announced streaming release date, with the song only being available in a live format. The song was also performed again at the second Belluna Dome show on the 20 th of September,
To complement the music there was an equally ambitious idea for an accompanying visual show. Yoko Taro, creative director of the video-games based on the widely successful, and critically acclaimed, NieR franchise provided the huge visual element, combining images evocative of the popular anime series, and surfacing for the NieR games. It gave the spectacle a uniquely Japanese feel: the pop incarnation.
Selecting ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’ as the sample also lends significance to the performance. Written in 1995, it was the first song to play over the opening credits of the seminal anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and has because of this since a live performance by Takahashi, the song’s vocalist, enabled The Weeknd to make the sample a collaboration rather than an added backing track.
The Japan debut was also indicative of The Weeknd’s ongoing desire to use multiple types of storytelling in his work. For example, his current stadium tour has blended music with the addition of epic visual effects, while his recent projects have seen him collaborating with filmmakers, other musicians and creatives.
The new song is further interesting as The Weeknd did diearlier hint that his song Hurry Up Tomorrow, which is said to come out in 2025 might be his last release as The Weeknd. More recently, he revealed that he had heard the call to the retirement and was planning on making music for some time to come. Another new song now unofficial would be another indication that new material remains on his agenda.
“Tokyo” is not the first time The Weeknd has given fans a tease of an unreleased song for the current tour. At the beginning of 2026, he premiered an unreleased collaboration at a gig in Brazil. This Japan gig is part of that trend, with the singer previewing unreleased music on key international shows.
The Weeknd has not revealed a date or official name but the introduction to both his new music, Yoko Takahashi singing and Yoko Taro’s visual design have converted his performance into one of the most memorable sequences of his current run.
