Oricon News Survey: Which idol member graduation had the largest impact?

With the announcement made by Ikoma Rina that she is graduating from Nogizaka46, there have been numerous popular idols that have graduated from their group that has no doubt left an impact.

From Hashimoto Nana’s graduation from Nogizaka46, Watanabe Mayu’s graduation from AKB48, Ariyasu Momoka from Momoiro Clover Z. Tsugunaga Momoko from Berryz Kobo, to name a few.

With idol graduations becoming a big topic, Oricon News recently conducted a survey among 1,000 general users from men and women in their teens to 50s about which idol graduation left an impression.

The result was as follows:

• Maeda Atsuko (AKB48) – 15.9%
• Yamaguchi Momoe – 13.5%
• Mori Katsuyuki (SMAP) – 7.8%
• Tsugunaga Momoko (Berryz Kobo) – 7.2%
• Candies – 6.0%

Maeda “Acchan” Atsuko was the ace of AKB48 and as the center of AKB48, she was an idol that was part of AKB48’s rise to worldwide popularity and a graduation that had a major impact not just to fans in Japan but also around the world.  From those surveyed, the majority of those who voted for Maeda were men who were teenagers and men who were in their 30s.

For men in their 40s and 50s, Yamaguchi Momo was their top selection.  The popular idol singer of the ’70s announced her engagement to actor Tomokazu Miura and retired from the entertainment world at the age of 21.  In her final concert at Nippon Budokan, Yamaguchi left an impression when she left the microphone in the center of the stage after the final song and that was the last time anyone would ever see Yamaguchi Momoe perform and it became a legendary exit.

Mori Katsuyuki debuted as a member of SMAP in 1991 and was one of the main vocalists along with Kimura Takuya.  As the group were super popular and had the top show “SMAP x SMAP” in 1996, Mori’s graduation from the group to pursue a career as a Motorcross racer.  The graduation of Mori was one of the most depressing things to see on television as each member broke down crying while singing “BEST FRIEND” and it was something that not typically seen live on television, especially with a boy band.

Tsugunaga Momoko was a member of Berryz Kobo, Buono! and Country Girls.  A popular member of the group, Tsugunaga would retire from the entertainment industry in 2017 at the age of 25.  Despite her popularity as an idol, Tsugunaga wanted to go to college and pursue a path of early childhood education.

One of the biggest shocks in the ’70s was the graduation of the idol trio, Candies (which consisted of Ito Ran, Tanaka Yoshiko (a.k.a. Sue) and Fujimura Miki.  In July 1977, the trio announced at the end of their live concert that they were ending the group.  The following year, 55,000 fans filled Korakuen Stadium and many will remember their words, “Futsu no onnako ni modoritai” (We want to return to being ordinary girls).

In 2008, there were rumors that the group would be reuniting but due to their busy schedules, it would never happen.  Tanaka Yoshiko would unfortunately pass away from breast cancer in 2011.  Ran and Miki delivered the eulogy at Tanaka’s funeral and revealed that all three members never had the chance to reunite but they always desired to perform together once again.

But from this survey, it was learned that a final performance at a concert or a graduation of a member or a group left an impact on fans, even decades after their graduation.

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