Butter-Fly
1999 single by Kōji Wada
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"Butter-Fly" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Kōji Wada as the opening theme song to Digimon Adventure. The song was released as Wada's debut single on April 23, 1999.
- "Seven"
- "Seven" (10th Memorial Version; Strong Version)
- 4:14
- 18:14 (Strong version)
| "Butter-Fly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cover of the original 1999 single | ||||
| Single by Kōji Wada | ||||
| from the album All of My Mind | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | April 23, 1999 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, anison | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Interchannel | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Kōji Wada singles chronology | ||||
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Background and release
"Butter-Fly" was the theme song to the 1999 film Digimon Adventure,[1] performed as a ballad.[2] "Butter-Fly" was later re-worked as a rock song, and its rock iteration became the opening theme song to the television series of the same name.[2] It had been the first time Wada had performed a rock song.[2]
Originally released on April 23, 1999,[1] the single was re-released on August 1, 2004 with new CD artwork to commemorate Digimon Adventure's 5th anniversary.[3][4] The success of the song gave Wada the title "Immortal Butterfly Anime Song Singer."[5]
Other versions
"Butter-Fly (Strong Version)" was released on April 22, 2009 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Digimon franchise as well as the 10th anniversary of his debut with the song.[6][7] It was his first single in three years after "Hirari" and charted on Oricon Weekly Singles for one week.[7]
"Butter-Fly (tri. Version)" was released on November 25, 2015 as the theme song for the Japanese version of the anime film series Digimon Adventure tri.,[8] and the single was his last release before his death on April 3, 2016.[9] A second version of "Butter-Fly (tri. Version)" was released as a tribute on May 1, 2018 as the ending theme to Digimon Adventure tri.: Chapter 6: Future, the final installment to the Digimon Adventure tri. film series, as well as the final part of the film.[10] The song was performed by AiM, Ayumi Miyazaki, and the eighteen main cast members of tri., along with posthumous archive audio of Wada.[10][11]
Reception
Cover versions
The cast for the male characters in Digimon Adventure performed "Butter-Fly" and released it with the We Love Digimon Music CD box on December 25, 2002.[13] The release was to commemorate the franchise's 100th CD release.[13]
The song has also been covered by Masaaki Endoh in his album Enson.
Halko Momoi covered "Butter-Fly" on her 2008 cover album More & More Quality Red: Anime Song Cover.[14]
Nagareda Project released a cover version on their album, Nagareda PPP, on August 8, 2012.[15]
Idol group Sea*A released an English version of "Butter-Fly" on their eponymous debut album, Sea*A, on March 27, 2013.[16]
Idol group Trefle performed a cover version of "Butter-Fly" and released it as their debut single on November 18, 2015, which charted at #78 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.[17] The song served as the opening theme song to the show Animemashite.[17] They performed the song at Anison History Japan!!.[18]
On September 2, 2019, Vocaloid Hatsune Miku released a cover, as part of a collaboration event with the Digimon franchise.[19]
On August 15, 2025, YouTube channel The First Take released a cover by a unit named ANISAMA FRIENDS, composed of artists Masayoshi Ōishi, Masami Okui, as well as bands angela, TrySail and FLOW (selected for their importance in Animelo Summer Live[20]).
Track listing
All songs arranged by Cher Watanabe.
1999 and 2004 versions
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Butter-Fly" | Hidenori Chiwata | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Seven" | Kouhei Koyama | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Butter-Fly" (original karaoke) | 4:18 | |
| 4. | "Seven" (original karaoke) | 4:17 | |
| Total length: | 17:12 | ||
Strong version
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Butter-Fly" (Strong Version) | Hidenori Chiwata | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Seven" (10th Memorial Version) | Kouhei Koyama | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Butter-Fly" (Strong Version; original karaoke) | 4:30 | |
| 4. | "Seven" (10th Memorial Version; original karaoke) | 4:37 | |
| Total length: | 18:13 | ||
tri. version
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Butter-Fly" (tri. Version) | Hidenori Chiwata | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Butter-Fly" (tri. Version; original karaoke) | 3:45 | |
| Total length: | 7:30 | ||
Charts
1999 version
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Strong Version
tri. Version
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