This was not on anyone’s 2026 bingo card.
1 hour ago
TV Chosun isn’t exactly the trendiest or most youth-driven network, and its Trot Death Match: Golden Friday is a competition program rooted firmly in Korea’s traditional trot scene—hardly the place fans would expect an anime theme song legend to pop up.
“Trot Death Match: Golden Friday” | TV Chosun
So when Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi—best known as the voice behind Neon Genesis Evangelion’s iconic opening, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”—suddenly appeared on the show, viewers were left completely stunned.
| @yoko_takahashi_official/Instagram
Clips of her appearance quickly spread online, with many questioning how an anisong icon ended up on a trot survival program in the first place. For longtime anime fans especially, seeing the voice behind one of the most legendary openings in anime history on a stage typically reserved for trot hopefuls felt surreal.
| theqoo
- Her voice is still amazing.
- Whoa, how did they book her?! This is insane.
- Wow.
- This is freaking awesome, seriously.
- I cannot believe this happened…
- Wow, this is huge.
- Huh? On a trot show??????????
- Not even kidding—on a trot show…? How in the world did they get her on the show?
| theqoo
- Daebak.
- Wow, daebak. I know all the lyrics to this song even though I don’t know what it means.
- This is crazy?? LOLLLLL.
- My mom was like, ‘Someone famous is on TV.’ And when I went to see, I was shocked because I recognized her face LOLLLLL.
- No way?!
- Wow, this is insane.
- How does her voice still sound exactly the same?
- Her songs are good no matter when you listen to them.
Her appearance came as part of the Seollal special “Korea–Japan Death Match,” a large-scale crossover event pitting representatives from both countries against each other. The February 13 broadcast recorded 5.4% nationwide ratings (peaking at 5.7%), ranking No. 1 among variety programs in its time slot across both terrestrial and cable channels. In other words, the unexpected appearance didn’t just shock fans—it helped ignite one of the show’s biggest nights yet!
Watch her full performance here: