Line #28 Music/Kyo


1	[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dir-en-grey-dir-en-grey-16803786-500-721_701.jpg]]
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3	[[SelfProclaimedLiar Tooru Nishimura]] (born February 16, 1976), who goes by his stage name Kyo, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and poet, best known as the frontman and vocalist of the post-VisualKei heavy metal band Music/DirEnGrey. Prior to this, he has been a vocalist for the short-lived alternative rock band La:Sadie's and a roadie for the influential Visual kei band Music/{{Kuroyume}}.
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5	Kyo is widely known in the heavy metal scene as one of the most talented and versatile vocalists currently active; his style, which ranges [[SopranoAndGravel from melodic singing to his signature unclean vocal style]], combining [[HarshVocals guttural death growls]], [[MetalScream screaming]] and [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl high-pitched shrieks]]. His frequent hospitalizations can be attributed to this vocal style: he has been hospitalized for hearing problems in 2000 (his left ear has remained partially deaf) and, in 2006 and 2009, received surgery for inflamed vocal cords. Of equal notoriety is his manner of performance, which involves plenty [[ParanoiaFuel of]] [[NightmareFuel shock]] [[NauseaFuel elements]] such as fake ([[NauseaFuel and real]]) vomit, convulsive-zombie-like twitching, large, open wounds of varying levels of authenticity, heavy makeup resembling [[BlackMetal corpse paint]], and various acts of [[SelfMutilationDemonstration self-mutilation]]. However, he has recently toned down this violent stage persona.
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7	Kyo writes poetry, and has released two volumes of poetry through the Media Factory label.
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9	----
10	'''Kyo provides examples of'''
11	* AffectionateNickname: Warumono, a nickname popularized by fellow bandmate Shinya.
12	* AmbiguousGender: During his early days as a Visual kei musician.
13	* AxCrazy: Onstage. Actually a very nice guy offstage.
14	* BadLiar: He has a fondness for telling lies during interviews. They come across as being funny, however, to the point where it isn't all that difficult to not take him very seriously. See SelfProclaimedLiar below.
15	* BerserkButton: Dislikes milk for some reason.[[note]]Has evolved into a minor MemeticMutation among fans[[/note]] Also has a [[TheNapoleon problem with his height]].
16	** ''Don't call him "kawaii" (cute).''
17	* ButtMonkey: Very much so. He is often picked on by his bandmates for [[{{Jerkass}} messing]] [[ForTheLulz around]]. Kaoru also made fun of [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl his]] [[HellIsThatNoise singing]], too.
18	* CarefulWithThatAxe: If his singing can be described, it's this.
19	* ClusterFBomb: Many of his lyrics are [[RefugeInAudacity highly explicit and contain loads of profanity]]. [[{{Narm}} It's hard not to laugh at how he delivers them, though]]
20	* DudeLooksLikeALady: Early in his career.
21	* ElegantGothicLolita: During his early days, but averted in recent years.
22	* {{Emo}}: Implied, as he has made it a point to [[{{Wangst}} never write happy lyrics]]. Arguably due to being BornUnlucky and a [[TheWoobie woobie]]. It shows somewhat in his visual style, more specifically, his side-swept hair. Apparently he also listens to American post-hardcore/screamo bands.
23	* {{Expy}}: Early in his career, he was a Music/{{Kiyoharu}} clone, later on he copied many other artists such as Ume from Music/TokyoYankees, Music/{{hide\|toMatsumoto}} and Music/TMRevolution before adopting his own visual style.
24	* FollowTheLeader: He was inspired to become a Visual kei musician when he saw a picture of Music/BuckTick vocalist Atsushi Sakurai on the desk of one of his classmates. Also, early in his musical career, he was once an {{Expy}} of Kuroyume vocalist Music/{{Kiyoharu}}.
25	* FunSize: He stands at around 5'2"/5'3", around the same height as a 14 year-old girl.
26	* GratuitousEnglish: Very, ''very'' often in his lyric writing.
27	* HandicappedBadass: He ''screamed his own eardrum out'' early in his career, and had to undergo multiple surgeries on his vocal cords due to his insane voice acrobatics. Kyo even lampshaded this in one interview, saying that "even if he loses his voice, he will still find ways to express himself"
28	* IncrediblyLongNote: One of the masters of this in the modern Japanese metal scene. There are only five Japanese vocalists who can come close at holding a note as long as Kyo does - [[Music/ToshimitsuDeyama ToshI]] of Music/XJapan, Ryuichi Kawamura of Music/LunaSea, Eizo Sakamoto ex-Anthem, Koshi Inaba of Music/{{Bz}} and Yama B ex Music/{{Galneryus}}.
29	* IndecipherableLyrics: Especially when he sings in English, but even his Japanese lyrics aren't easy to decipher even for people who speak the language, in part because, being from Kyoto, he speaks in a weird dialect, and in part because he dropped out of school, meaning he never completely learned to speak his own language correctly in the first place.
30	* ManlyTears: While Kyo sings many songs in a wailing, weeping like manner, there are times when it's obvious that it isn't part of his act. There are several live performances where he is visibly in tears.
31	* ManOfAThousandVoices: Joins the ranks of [[Music/ScarSymmetry Christian Alvestam]], [[Music/{{Korn}} Jonathan Davis]], Music/DevinTownsend, [[Music/CattleDecapitation Travis Ryan]], Music/MikePatton, [[Music/{{Benighted}} Julien Truchan]], and [[Music/EnterShikari Roughton Reynolds]] as one of the most versatile metal vocalists currently active.
32	* TheMentor: Not only [[Music/YoshikiHayashi Yoshiki]], but Kyo was also [[AscendedFanboy a roadie]] for Music/{{Kuroyume}} (see above), whose influence is very obvious on Dir en Grey's first few releases.
33	* MetalScream: Every single type and beyond, and to top it all off, he [[SopranoAndGravel switches effortlessly between the various types]].
34	* MrFanservice: He would often [[WalkingShirtlessScene take off his shirt/top/whatever he wears on his torso to show off his body]] and his tattoos as a form of fetish.
35	* MotorMouth: Whenever he sings in GratuitousEnglish.
36	* NoIndoorVoice. One of the LOUDEST metal vocalists in the active scene.
37	* OlderThanTheyLook: Has the looks of a boy in his late teens despite being in his late forties.
38	* OneNameOnly: Along with the rest of Dir en grey, and most visual kei/Japanese musicians in general.
39	* OurZombiesAreDifferent
40	* PintSizedPowerhouse
41	* PissTakeRap: This is how he usually delivers his GratuitousEnglish, though he [[MotorMouth raps surprisingly well]]. He can also do Japanese rapping, and he can even rap while screaming his lungs out.
42	* RefugeInAudacity
43	* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic: Inverted: he's tiny, cute, stylish and youthful-looking for his age. He's also known for being both a NiceGuy and a ShrinkingViolet. You wouldn't normally expect such a person to sing songs such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hysCqjnHHZ4 this]].
44	** Subverted to epic results during their Eroguro kei era, and once again during their most recent tours, with his return to a "zombie" image.
45	* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: The crowning example in VisualKei and modern metal, with his long, wailing shrieks increasingly becoming a staple of his vocal style.
46	* SelfBackingVocalist: The only person who can provide backing vocals for him is himself, no matter how hard his bandmates try.
47	* SelfProclaimedLiar: He's repeatedly admitted to being this in interviews, including going as far as to state that he always lies in interviews for fun.
48	** This even goes toward ''his name''. Many people credit him as either Tooru Niimura or Tooru Nishimura, but [[LostInTranslation neglect to realize]] that Tooru Niimura is the name of a relatively famous Japanese pornography director, and that Kyo signed his name as Tooru Niimura on several occasions as a joke. That, in addition to Nishimura being a botched translation of the surname Niimura, has caused some confusion among international fans as to what his name is. Given that Kyo himself has blatantly admitted that [[ConsummateLiar we should never believe anything he says,]] not even the Japanese fans know what Kyo's real name is. The only thing people can agree on is his stage name being an homage to Kyoto, where he was born.
49	* ShrinkingViolet: Kyo is an extremely reserved person. The only person in the band closest to him is Music/{{Shinya}}, also a ShrinkingViolet.
50	* [[SopranoAndGravel Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone and Gravel]]: See ManOfAThousandVoices above.
51	* SpiritualSuccessor: Many people find him as this to Music/MikePatton.
52	* StageNames: His stage name comes from his birthplace ('''Kyo'''to)
53	* StartMyOwn: He has formed an experimental metal side project called "Sukekiyo" which, apparently, is a revival of the "classic" Dir En Grey style.
54	* TheUnintelligible: Even the ''Japanese'' don't understand him sometimes.
55	* VisualKei: Has always been a part of the scene, even after going post-Visual kei.
56	** He returned to Eroguro during the Tabula Rasa and Ghoul tours.
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Context Music / Kyo