Performing Friday (Sept. 19) at Belluna Dome in Saitama, near Tokyo, the singer — real name Abel Tesfaye — gave the song its live debut alongside Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi. The track, dubbed “Tokyo,” incorporates elements of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” the 1995 J-pop song Takahashi recorded as the opening theme to the landmark anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
During the segment, Takahashi also performed “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” in full as Tesfaye stepped back and watched from the rear of the stage.
Presented by YOKO TARO ft. YOKO TAKAHASHI pic.twitter.com/a8wUBHV7k6
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) September 19, 2026
The performance was staged as a full multimedia collaboration. The accompanying visuals were directed by Yoko Taro, the creative director behind the NieR video game series, and drew on imagery from both Neon Genesis Evangelion and 2017’s NieR: Automata. Tesfaye credited the piece on social media only as “Presented by YOKO TARO ft. YOKO TAKAHASHI.”
Both debuts are notable given that Tesfaye had spent recent years signaling he might retire the Weeknd name entirely, having billed his 2025 album Hurry Up Tomorrow as his final release under the moniker.
