When Number_i performed their new song ‘REBON’ on the October 12 broadcast of ‘CDTV Live! Live!’, one line — ‘I seriously don’t need some trophy for trying hard’ — made headlines. The original article claimed fans felt uneasy about the lyric, but reactions on 5ch leaned toward questioning where the quoted comments actually came from, with many offering a more charitable read of what the lyric meant. Opinions remain split on whether it’s dismissing effort itself or pushing fans to demand more than just effort.
October 16, 2026, 8:00 PM
On the October 12 broadcast of ‘CDTV Live! Live!’ (TBS), the three-member group Number_i — Hirano Sho, Jinguji Yuta, and Kishi Yuta — performed their new song ‘REBON.’ But part of the lyrics has since stirred controversy among fans.
The line in question is: “I seriously don’t need some ‘trying hard’ trophy.” Since Number_i fans have long supported the group through music-show voting campaigns and various rankings, some have mixed feelings about a lyric that could be read as dismissing effort and recognition itself.
How do people not notice something's off when it's only one character away from sounding weird, like with 'feel a sense of unease'?
7AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:41
They're just stretching the meaning on their own and then getting disappointed by it.
14AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:43
"You don't have to be number one" (a nod to SMAP's famous lyric making the rounds here).
15AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:44
That's way too sensitive.
92AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:35
Re: #15
Don't just take the Shukan Josei article at face value — it's a fabricated clickbait piece.
"If my fave sang this to me I'd quit being a fan" → a tweet from someone who isn't even a fan.
"Reading it as 'so you don't care about the fans supporting you?'" → a tweet from a male VTuber with 2,500 subscribers who isn't a fan either.
17AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:46
Did the backlash from being forced to play a prince turn them into this?
27AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:52
Re: #17
Guess they just didn't want to do dramas and stuff.
18AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:46
That's a shallow take — that's just reality. It's not some nice world where trying hard gets you rewarded. The real world is full of people who try hard and still fail.
19AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:47
Nah honestly, that whole category of ranking thing is seriously unnecessary.
20AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:47
Isn't it just saying 'trying hard is a given, we're aiming higher than that'? Dunno though.
56AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:07
Re: #20
Exactly. It's the grumbling of an ordinary fan who can't handle being pushed to go all-in — 'if you're only half-supporting us, we don't need you, go all in for real (pay up)' kind of pressure.
21AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:49
Basically it means: Number_i stans (fan nickname), shut up and keep doing the fan-chant dance moves (fan slang for a signature move).
22AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:49
Took you this long to notice? You're all just fodder — exploiting others to line your own pockets is the whole point of capitalism.
23AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:50
Very Gen Z reaction.
59AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:07
Re: #23
You think they're that bright?
24AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:50
If they're writing and composing the songs themselves, then sure, they don't need a 'trying hard' trophy — otherwise they couldn't make a living off it. But for performers who are all about the show, I'd think the 'trying hard' trophy matters most of all.
26AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:51
They talk about going global but end up mostly active in Japan — makes you wonder what the point of disbanding King & Prince even was. Kaito's already set to debut solo under the name KAITO, so it's all over the place.
49AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:02
Re: #26
Isn't the overseas push still to come though??
61AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:09
Re: #26
The whole 'going global' thing is obviously just the official excuse for leaving. Even a regular office worker doesn't honestly spell out their real reason for quitting when changing jobs.
29AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:53
Isn't it just saying trying hard is a given, and what they actually want is solid skill to back it up?
30AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:53
Forget all that — can Japan just put together a group of ridiculously stylish, good-looking men and women already?
31AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:53
Their dancing keeps getting better, but visually it's just a chaotic blur with everyone looking down — noisy. Yeah, great dancers, but I'm already bored of this group.
37AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:57
Re: #31
Well, this fandom does skew toward high looks-scores (slang for good-looking).
32AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:54
Had to laugh that this came from Shukan Josei, famous for being Johnny's lapdog (the talent agency's mouthpiece).
60AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:08
Re: #32
Shukan Josei is actually anti-Johnny's, come on.
33AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:55
Watching these guys gives me serious secondhand embarrassment.
38AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:57
I don't know who exactly, but isn't the lyric written by someone else? I think the lyricist just has no taste.
39AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:58
Comedian Yasuko: "Just being alive is a gold medal" (riffing on her own similar catchphrase mocking participation-trophy culture).
42AnonymousOct 16, 2026 23:59
The 'you don't feel unease, you develop it' grammar-pedant guy strikes again: "It's not that you *feel* a sense of unease, it's that you *develop* one."
72AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:20
Re: #42
But 'feel' and 'develop' mean the same thing here, so that correction is pointless.
67AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:14
'Trying hard' trophy — which award specifically are they even talking about? If it's a jab at the Japan Record Award, which can be fixed by behind-the-scenes favors, fine. But if it's mocking the newly-created MAJ award, that's picking a fight with everyone.
73AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:20
Re: #67
If they're mocking Sakanaction's Yamaguchi — who came back from depression and swept 8 awards — that's just mean-spirited, and frankly these guys have no business talking given their own track record. So it's probably not about MAJ.
69AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:16
Are they even writing these lyrics themselves to begin with? That weird rap part from the trio has always seemed outsourced.
71AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:18
Re: #69
Thought they wrote it themselves, but turns out it's an outside writer who's also supplied lyrics to other Johnny's acts.
75AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:22
It just means they don't need a trophy for effort. What's wrong with that???
83AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:28
Re: #75
Idol fans who've been worn down by people bashing them for liking idols end up falling into this belief that 'trying hard is amazing in itself' — so they take this as an attack on themselves.
86AnonymousOct 17, 2026 00:31
Re: #75
Wanting a Grammy is the uncool part here. If they'd said 'we don't want any awards at all,' that'd make sense.
Background and the Debate
Number_i is a three-member group formed in 2023 by Hirano Sho, Jinguji Yuta, and Kishi Yuta, and they’ve frequently appeared in music-show voting campaigns and rankings. The phrase “trying hard” trophy can be read as referring to exactly that kind of evaluation gimmick, and was reported as a lyric rejecting recognition for effort. The thread split over whether to read the line as “dismissing effort” or as “effort is a given — we’re demanding results beyond that.” There was also skepticism about the headline-grabbing reaction, “if my fave sang this I’d quit being a fan,” with doubts raised over whether it actually came from a real fan — making it hard to confirm from the article alone how accurately it reflects genuine fan sentiment.
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