穢土転生 literally means “reincarnation in the impure world,” but it is best known as a forbidden resurrection technique from Naruto that brings the dead back to life. In the lyric “死んだ friends 穢土転生,” Number_i uses this dramatic anime reference playfully to imagine dead friends returning, making the phrase especially memorable and culturally rich.
"REBON" is Number_i showing off, and it's a lot of fun. The title mixes "reborn" with bon, and the song opens on 生まれ変わって (being reborn). Right away they want to reload even the memories that dried up. Then comes the cheekiest line: 頑張ってるで賞とかまじいらねーから掴むグラミー賞 (we really don't need some "nice try" award, we're grabbing a Grammy). 頑張ってるで賞 is a jokey name for the participation prize you hand to a kid who tried hard, and まじいらねー is very casual slang for "seriously don't need it." Then they say it outright: Japan to the world, and 3年経っても N_i is GOAT (even after three years, Number_i is the greatest of all time).
The verses pile on comeback images. They come back まるでピンチから帰ってきたウルトラ (like Ultraman returning from a tight spot), the Japanese TV hero who always turns a losing fight around. They 蘇る like a zombie (come back to life like a zombie), and they don't care what outsiders say: 外野から何言われても俺らそれでいいのだ (whatever people on the sidelines say, we're fine with it). 外野 means the outfield, and here it means people who aren't involved. Watch for the pop-culture nods: 穢土転生 (Edo Tensei) is the resurrection jutsu from Naruto, which they use to bring back "dead friends". 世界の中心で i を叫べ (shout "i" at the center of the world) plays on the famous Japanese title Crying Out Love in the Center of the World, with the "i" from Number_i standing in for 愛 (love), which is also pronounced ai. ルーモス is "Lumos", the light spell from Harry Potter, so this mic lights up the whole venue. Then they jump to Tokyo's Shibuya with ハチ公前 (in front of the Hachiko statue, the famous meeting spot) and Times Square 咲く3本の盆栽 (three bonsai trees blooming in Times Square). The three bonsai are the three members, and it's a sweet image.
The chorus is where the bon wordplay goes wild. 煩悩 (bonnō, earthly desires), 音頭 (ondo, a folk dance rhythm from Bon festivals), blonde, and bonjour all chime together. 上がりだす音頭 36.5℃ (the dance beat rising, 36.5°C) is body temperature, so the party feels hot and alive. お前の五感 full control (full control of your five senses) is confident to the point of being a bit much, and that's the point.
Number_i is a Japanese trio of Sho Hirano, Yuta Jinguji and Yuta Kishi, formed in October 2023 under the agency TOBE.
Their debut single "GOAT" came out on January 1, 2024, and that April they played the Coachella festival in California.