Medalist x Kenshi Yonezu "BOW AND ARROW" Manga & Music Collab Music Vi

A special collaboration has been revealed between the manga Medalist and Kenshi Yonezu, the artist behind the Medalist anime's opening theme, "BOW AND ARROW!"

On June 23, 2025, a special music video blending manga and music premiered on Kodansha’s official YouTube channel.

Shop official Medalist merch here!

Medalist x Kenshi Yonezu "BOW AND ARROW" | Special Music Video Revealed!

The music video highlights the deep bond between Inori, a young girl devoted to figure skating, and her coach Tsukasa, who faced hardships during his own time as an athlete. It captures the moments they’ve shared and their unwavering determination to chase the gold medal together.

The video opens with a striking scene of Inori standing alone on the rink. Blending manga with live-action footage filmed at a real skating rink, the video brings the world of Medalist to life in a unique way. As the song reaches its end, Inori delivers a special line created exclusively for this music video: a moment not found in the original manga.

In this special music video, creator Tsurumaikada's distinctive penwork vividly conveys the characters' overflowing emotions, the dynamic motion of skating, and the traces of dreams and effort etched into the ice. Combined with the music, it delivers a new and emotional experience for viewers.

What is Medalist?

Medalist follows the story of Inori Yuitsuka, a young girl with a blossoming talent for figure skating, and Tsukasa Akeuraji, a coach still finding his own footing. The two team up with their sights on the ultimate goal of becoming glorious "medalists."

The original manga by Tsurumaikada won the Next Manga Award in the Comics category in 2022, as well as the 48th Kodansha Manga Award in the General category. A TV anime adaptation aired from January to March 2025 on TV Asahi’s NUMAnimation programming block, with a second season already in production.

As of now, 13 volumes of Medalist by Tsurumaikada have been released.

▲Cover art for volume 13, the latest release.

Music Information

Kenshi Yonezu’s single “Plazma / BOW AND ARROW”, released on June 11, has reached No. 1 on the Oricon weekly singles chart, and topped multiple weekly rankings since its debut. It also recorded the highest sales for a solo artist in this fiscal year.

On the release day, Tsurumaikada shared a stunning celebratory artwork to mark the collaboration between the Medalist TV anime and Mobile Suit Gundam. The post on the official X account garnered over 10 million impressions and lots of positive feedback from fans.

✧₊本日シングル発売！
　　　お祝いイラストを公開🥇₊✧

TVアニメ『#メダリスト』
第1期OP主題歌を含む #米津玄師さんの
両A面シングル
「Plazma / BOW AND ARROW」が本日発売！

リリースをお祝いし、つるまいかだ先生から
超豪華なイラストが到着！
ぜひCDをお買い求めくださいね✨… pic.twitter.com/7mIRP2sDF3
— 『メダリスト』TVアニメ公式⛸🏅 (@medalist_PR) June 11, 2025

Translation: ✧₊The single is out now! Check out this celebratory artwork🥇₊✧ Out now! Kenshi Yonezu’s double A-side single “Plazma / BOW AND ARROW” features the opening theme for season 1 of the TV anime #Medalist. To celebrate the release, we’ve got a gorgeous artwork from Tsurumaikada-sensei! Don’t forget to grab your copy of the CD✨