Rising global boy group ONE OR EIGHT has officially touched down in the Philippines, marking their highly anticipated Manila debut with their ONE OR EIGHT Special SHOW CASE 2026 in Asia -V8-.
Formed in Japan and debuting in August 2024, the eight-member ensemble comprising MIZUKI, NEO, REIA, RYOTA, SOUMA, TAKERU, TSUBASA, and YUGA takes their group name from the traditional Japanese expression “ichi ka bachi ka” (“all or nothing”). Anchored by their core motto “BET ON YOURSELF,” the group has rapidly carved out an international presence. Their viral hit “TOKYO DRIFT” surpassed 300 million views and 200,000 user-generated posts on TikTok, paving the way for the release of their first EP, EN-GÏNE, in September.
During a press briefing ahead of their performance, the group sat down with local media to discuss their connection to Filipino fans, their creative identity, and their vision for future collaborations.
Addressing their first time performing in the Philippines, member Neo expressed the group’s excitement about feeding off the legendary energy of Filipino audiences.
“It’s really our first time in Manila, and we’re so excited. We actually had a song with SB19 Felip, referring to ‘KAWASAKI’. Great rapper, great artist. We’re so honored to have him on our track,” Neo shared. “We’ve heard a lot of good things about the fans in the Philippines. They’re really enthusiastic, they really have good energy, and they love to sing… We’re so excited to sing our songs with our fans and exchange energy with each other.”
When asked to summarize ONE OR EIGHT’s collective identity in a single phrase, Tsubasa highlighted the Japanese concept of constantly pushing limits.
“In Japanese, the word that we’ve selected is ‘to challenge.’ To challenge is something we really liked since the very beginning,” Tsubasa explained. “By experiencing different challenges, it’s not something to be shy or embarrassed about. But accepting these challenges, having fun… we want to share this feeling with the fans.”
Adding to how the eight members maintain unity despite distinct personalities, Souma noted that their shared history living and training together laid a deep foundation:
“Even before we started living with each other, we were inside the same house; we even had to go to the same lessons altogether,” Souma said. “So before even matching with each other, what we see more is making sure that the fans experience the ‘to-challenge’ concept.”
Discussing their recent EP EN-GÏNE and its standout track “TRANSLATE,” Ryota broke down the symbolism behind the record and how the creation process pushed each member outside their comfort zones:
“Engine is something that you push forward, you put the gas pedal in. So we want to push and push until it reaches the very limits,” Ryota detailed. “In making different types of songs… vocal members tried rapper roles, and rapper members tried vocal roles. In this theme, we were able to experience different faces of ourselves.”
For first-time listeners, Yuga recommended starting with their flagship track “TOKYO DRIFT” for its high-velocity performance, alongside his personal recommendation, “365.”
Reflecting on their journey since debut and their evolution through live touring, Takeru emphasized how technical hurdles and fan interactions built their mental fortitude:
“The biggest thing that we’ve grown was experience, mental capability, as well as mental strength… During performances, there may be a sound error or mic issues. Through these experiences, we were able to grow. The support from fans connects to our mental strength, enabling us to put out maximum performances.”
Looking ahead, Mizuki revealed the group’s interest in deepening ties with the Philippine music scene—specifically calling out P-Pop groups SB19 and VXON:
“SB19 and VXON, an artist that created a Japanese song… We actually had a TikTok a while ago where we collaborated. Personally, we hope we will be able to collaborate in a performance with VXON with a Japanese song, or the other way around, where ONE OR EIGHT can perform an English song with VXON.”
Closing out the briefing, Reia delivered a heartfelt message to their local fanbase (known as 1DERZ):
“As everyone might know, this is our first time in Manila… We want to make sure the fans feel that they won’t regret, that they’ll be happy that they chose to come with ONE OR EIGHT. We’re really very thankful for the fans coming to us.”