NoB
Nobuo Yamada | |
|---|---|
 Nobuo performing at Cartoonist Festival 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | NoB |
| Born | January 20, 1964 |
| Origin | Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | August 9, 2025 (aged 61) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Formerly of | |
Nobuo Yamada (山田 信夫, Yamada Nobuo; January 20, 1964 – August 9, 2025), also known by the name NoB, was a Japanese singer. He was the lead singer of the band Make-Up and a member of Project.R.
Career
As a solo artist, he recorded the opening themes for the Super Sentai series GoGo Sentai Boukenger and Tensou Sentai Goseiger as well as the mini-series Super Sentai Strongest Battle.
With Make-Up, Yamada recorded several songs for the anime Saint Seiya, including the first opening theme, "Pegasus Fantasy", which he composed and wrote the lyrics for,[1] and the first ending theme, "Blue Forever". The songs were released in the albums Saint Seiya Hits I, which also featured Mitsuko Horie, and Saint Seiya '96 Song Collection. He also recorded the song "Never" for the Saint Seiya film Heaven Chapter ~ Overture.
In 1998, Yamada formed P.A.F. with X Japan guitarist Pata. According to Pata, he was planning to work as a solo artist and initially only had Yamada help by writing lyrics and providing temporary vocals for demos. Then while recording and wondering who should sing, the guitarist realized he should just ask Nob to be an official member. The duo is named after P.A.F. guitar pickups.[2] They released two studio albums, one mini-album, one live album, and two singles.
In July 2007, Yamada performed alongside Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endoh, Yoko Ishida, Kōji Wada, and MoJo at Anime Friends, an anime convention in Brazil. Afterward, he performed at Anime Friends and events in nearby cities, such as Fortaleza and Brasília.
In 2019, Yamada performed the theme song for the mini-series Super Sentai Strongest Battle. In 2020, he participated in Mary's Blood's heavy metal cover of "Pegasus Fantasy" for their 2020 cover album Re>Animator.[3] He sang it as a duet with their lead vocalist Eye, whom he had coached as a vocalist for the last ten years.[4]
Illness and death
On February 25, 2025, Yamada announced that he had been diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2018. As a result, he cancelled his appearances at the Tarō Kobayashi Festival on March 8 and the "Saint Seiya 'Pegasus Fantasy' Grand Finale' in Mexico from March 29 to 30.[1]
Yamada died at 1:39 PM (JST) on August 9, 2025, at the age of 61. His death was announced by his agency two days later.[5]
References
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (February 27, 2025). "Nobuo Yamada Reveals Cancer Diagnosis, Performance Cancellations". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^ Pata (2024). Pata: Yopparai no Kaikoroku. Rittor Music. p. 180. ISBN 978-4-8456-3968-7.
- ^ "Mary's Blood、アニソンカバーアルバムをリリース". Barks.jp (in Japanese). July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "Mary's Blood – Interview (2020)". UniJolt. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "アニメ『聖闘士星矢』主題歌担当のNoB（山田信夫）さん、死去 腎臓がんのため 61歳". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
External links
- Official site (in Japanese)
- NoB at IMDb
- Nobuo Yamada on Anison Database (in Japanese)
- NoB on Anison Database (in Japanese)
- Nobuo Yamada discography at Discogs