Sakanaction’s overseas breakthrough came from a viral dance meme
Sakanaction has spent more than a decade as one of Japan’s biggest rock acts, yet they were largely ignored overseas — until recently.Thanks to a series of events set off by a preteen busting a move on a boat, the quintet now have a viral global hit. Sakanaction’s splashy arrival into online consciousness also doubles as evidence of the rising status of J-pop in a neighboring country that once routinely banned Japanese content.The story starts in Indonesia in 2025. Rayyan Arkan Dikha made waves after a video of him dancing on the bow of a boat during the traditional race called Pacu Jalur went viral. A clip set to American rapper Melly Mike’s “Young Black & Rich” sent it even further into the world and helped popularize the concept of “aura farming” — Gen Z lingo for “trying to look cool.”
