TOP 5 Japanese Shred Guitarists 🎌

Some may consider Japan the home of shred guitar. Plenty of the most famous shredders have made their way over to Japan in their twilight years; Gilbert, Friedman etc.

Well it also turns out, unsurprisingly, that Japan has some pretty ferocious face melters and in this video we take a look at our top 5.

Remember ... this is my personal top 5, and I am not the Guiness Book of World Records, so this is an opinion from some random guy who makes YouTube videos ... so take it as a bit of fun.

#shredguitar #guitarsolo #japan

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0:44 - Takayoshi Ohmura
3:58 - Syu
5:47 - Kelly Simonz
9:02 - Yas Nomura
11:24 - Yo Onityan

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[zultomanto]

Syu is the best for me, his career with Galneryus is simply spectacular. He´s not only a godly guitarrist but also a grenius composer.

[oyc]

Syu is my favorite out of them, insanely technical while still being stankface-ingly melodic. His solos just hit right and his use of chromatic passing notes in solos is just *chef kiss*

[Dark_Lord_Mr_B]

I'd have had Mikio Fujioka in there. He may be gone, but he'd earned his name of "Little God."

[DannyHood-j]

Back in 1987 I lived LA. KNAC Long Beach was heavy metal radio station before ‘Z rock’ came out 89 or 90? No radiostation in the world (I knew) of played ‘angel of death’ at 6: am. KNAC was a lifestyle, gave information to all local metal bands and clubs in southern calif . Every Sunday night KNAC played ‘beast from the east’ Japanese metal bands. Japanese bands were always worth listening for guitar solos alone

[greekfreak]

No Akira Takasaki, seriously?!
He's like the godfather of Japanese shred guitar and still going strong.
Also worth mentioning, there are a ton of insanely talented female Japanese guitar players.

[neoclassicalfanatic]

Syu is one of the greatest shredders of all time tbh
He's the complete package, a good composer, a scary guitarist and has one of the best sense of melody I've seen in any guitarist.
Many people don't like the music style he plays because it can sound cheesy sometimes
But in my opinion, in the modern guitar scene, syu is unparalleled, not just in Japan.

[LoePenzz]

My review of this, no offense if y disagree:
- Syu definitely the best overal, he's all about complete package shred, slow, melodic, mimic/ekspresion, high control, timing, etc. He's not only cares just about guitar but has big responsibility as composer & take his band into the top game in the business.
(Honorably mention Akira Takasaki of Loudness, who share the same duty as him).

- Takayoshi Ohmura, I've find there's kinda similarity playing style with Syu with less emotional mimic, slow, melody. But he has way lighter responsibility than him.

- Kelly Simmons, kinda lack of originality. Sounds like cover guitarist. 90% of his style playing other guitarist style with rarely improve within own style. His performance with Kamijo were better than in this clip, got his own style shine.

- The number 2 & 1. Typical your nonsense circus guitar player. I'm tired seeing this type of guitarists, especially there's a lot of bedroom & YT guitarists doing similar in the same path. They should be in notable band/backing band musician instead showing this one prominent style.

[johnp.johnson]

Akira Takasaki (Loudness)
Atsushi Yokozeki (solo, The Bronx, Lance of Thrill)
Hideaki Nakama (solo)
Hiroya Fukuda (Anthem)
Hiroyas "Iron" Chino (Iron Attack!, Lightning)
Isao Nakayama (Cerveteri)
Katsu Ohta (Ark Storm)
Kikyo Oikawa (Mardelas)
Kouta (Thousand Eyes, Dragon Eyes, ex-Thousand Leaves)
Norifumi Shima (Concerto Moon)
Satoshi Katada (solo)
Takayoshi Ohmura (solo, Marty Friedman, Baby Metal)
Toru Noya (Thosuand Eyes, Tears of Tragedy)
Yuji "You" Adachi* (Dead End)
Akihito Kinoshita (Saber Tiger)
Akira Kajiyama (Precious, Goldbrick)
Ejima Harushi (Polkadot Stingray)
Gentaro Satomura (solo, Naked Machine)
Hideshi Ueki (Rachel Mother Goose, Agnes, KREENAKOORIE)
Issei Ambo ()
Kelly Simonz (solo)
Masahiko Kuroki (Wolf, Masahiko Kuroki Band)
Myu (Imy)
Niya (Unlucky Morpheus)
Syu (Galneryus)
Takeshi (uncrowned)
Daisuke Kurosawa
Naoki Morioka

*Females*

Narumi / solo / ex-Lonesome Blue, ex-Destrose, ex-Disqualia,
Li-sa-X / KOIAI, ex-Li-sa-X Band
Hazuki / Nemophila
Midori Tatematsu / Lovebites
yuki / East of Eden, D_Drive
Miyako Watanabe / Lovebites
Erika Van Halen / Whiskey Dust
Mitsuru Madaseka / ex-Bridear
Hanako / octaviagrace
Misato "Misa" Ono / ex-Bridear
Sakura Yoshida / Hagane
Haruka "Hal-Ca" Noma / Asterism
Omi / ex-ExistTrace
Tomoko "TOMO-ZO" Midorikawa / Doll$BoXX, Gacharic Spin Blood
Saki / Nemophilia / ex-Mary's
Ayumi / Bridear, ex-Astrovery

Misaki / ex-Bridear
Mayto / Hagane
Moe / Bridear
Ayano / (ex-G∀lmet)
Ruki / (ex-G∀lmet)
Shoka / Allinone
Miki "Sun-go" Igarashi / Show-Ya
Kaho / fleufleu
Marin Miyazawa / ex-Lovendor
Toki / Aldious
Yoshi / Aldious
Yui / ex-Cyntia
Yui / ex-TELECiDE
Kana / Letitout-lelia
EITA / ex-Gacharic Spin
Gina / BabBubble
Rie aka Suzaku / solo

[jimshomestudio]

All of them are amazing for certain but Mikio Fujioka has the music I enjoy. Always thought Ohmura was incredible. They all are. Just to watch his stage presence. I will NEVER be anywhere close to this good. Never.

[TDSG]

Akira Takasaki - Loudness
Mikio Fujioka - Babymetal
Syu - Galneryus
Jinya - Unlucky Morpheus
Midori - Lovebites

[sotheary]

I'll always have soft spot for Akira Takasaki. He may not be the fastest or most technical player compared to today's players, but Loudness was one of the first Japanese metal bands to be known worldwide, including the US back in the 80s.

[thestampium]

Syu is my favourite Japanese metal guitarist

[tereora]

Where is Akira Takasaki??? Best of the best Japanese guitarist

[kimbah_]

Norifumi Shima - Concerto Moon
Katsu Ohta - Ark Storm

[robertriggs]

A list of great Japanese shredders has to include Akira Takasaki.

[Tony-shakespearean]

I felt need to point out how genius Yas Nomura actually blended fast alternative picking + oull-off legato into sweep picking. He does a legit sweep picking, then does different things, with more than 1 note ofc, with different string in that speed. I am so stunned.

[davidkiefer]

All great players for sure but how can you not have AKIRA TAKASAKI at number 1??? I know you did disclose that this list is your “personal “ choices but come on dude, Akira is the one that started it all in the East. He has always been a constant shredder and he is still doing it now in top form! All these players on this list are heavily influenced by Takasaki... But hey, it’s your list man. I just cannot see how you didn’t have him there at all...

[elgreco]

Syu is the best of them all. He has the whole package.

[Metalhead_P]

As someone else mentioned, Norifumi Shima should be a candidate for inclusion as well.

Akio Shimizu (of the legendary band Anthem) is another one. Maybe not quite as fast as some of the others mentioned here, but still very fast and very precise. Very melodic shredding.

As for the ladies, Miyako and Midori from Lovebites, Toki and Yoshi from Aldious, Saki from Mary's Blood, Rie a.k.a. Suzaku, Halca (Haruka) from Asterism, and Yuki from D_Drive are no slouches themselves. And, of course, there is the perpetually cheerful Li-sa-X. (And there are more where those came from.)

[dorun]

Leda-DELUHI
Norifumi Shima-Concerto Moon
Shiren-Unlucky Morpheus
Jinya-Unlucky Morpheus
Karukan-Onmyoza
Luke Takamura-Seikima-II
IRON-CHINO-LIGHTNING
Nozomu Wakai-Nozomu Wakai's Destinia