World Order (stylised as WORLD ORDER) was formed in 2009 by Genki Sudo and a group of 4 other male dancers following Sudo’s retirement from mixed martial arts. The original line-up consisted of current members Yusuke Morisawa and Hayato Uchiyama, as well as former members Genki Sudo, Ryo Noguchi and Kiyoyuki Sakiyama. Artists active in the techno genre such as Takashi Watanabe and Ken Ishii have helped to create World Order’s musical image. In Japan, after several appearances on popular television programs, World Order’s name recognition has expanded to the general public. The group has gained high praise, particularly from abroad, for their play on the visual stereotype of Japanese office workers and robotic dance performances. In a 2014 interview with the Japan Times, Sudo said, “When we started, I liked the idea of adding a bit of humour to the Hollywood stereotype that all Japanese people are serious so I decided we should dance in a robotic way wearing glasses and suits.”
In December 2009, World Order released their eponymous debut song “World Order” on iTunes. On July 7, 2010, the band released their debut album, World Order. The music video for “Mind Shift” was released on YouTube in July, introducing two new members, Masato Ochiai and Akihiro Takahashi, and making World Order a 7-member group. The band gained recognition for their 2011 song “Machine Civilization,” which was produced in response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. World Order’s “2012” music video, released in October 2011, saw the departure of Kiyoyuki Sakiyama, being effectively replaced by Takeshi Jonishi. It was revealed that members didn’t drink much water to save time visiting the bathroom, however it was very hot weather to be in suits. As a result, 3 members were hospitalised while 2 others were almost hospitalised. They later released a music video for “Aquarius” in May 2012.
On March 13, 2015, saw the music video release of “The History of Voice 2015”, which was a 6-member choreography without Genki Sudo to a shortened 2015 version of “The History of Voice”. On July 27, 2015, the group had travelled to China as a 6-member unit for their “Multipolarity” music video, which featured a secret appearance by Genki Sudo in disguise. In October 2015, Genki Sudo officially resigned from World Order, shortly following the release of “The Next Phase”, as a dance member and lead vocalist, instead choosing to focus on being a director and producer for the group. This led to World Order continuing as a 6-member unit. However, he is still occasionally featured as a member of the group in their new content, despite his departure. Masato Ochiai and Akihiro Takahashi have been put forward as the vocalists of the group. In February 2016, two music videos of “Quiet Happiness” were released, one being set in China, and another in India. In May 2016, a remix of Have a Nice Day was released as a music video, which included Genki Sudo as a performer and only vocalist.
In December 2019, their 10-year anniversary took place. With it came surprise appearances from both Masato and Genki, of which Masato participated in a few choreographies. He danced to Aquarius, replacing Shizu on break; and to Multipolarity, which was kept in 6-member formation as Takuro and Keisuke went for a break. It was revealed that Genki had initially retired from martial arts in order to become a politician, and that World Order was a way for him to convey his political message with music before reaching such goal. In March 2020, in an official announcement, World Order announced a change in their current operations. It is explained that its core members, who have worked on the project since its formation, have since expanded their individual activities into various fields – thus making it difficult to make a schedule together. As such, no members are leaving, nor is the group being disbanded, but future group activities will not have fixed members, but will instead have members ‘on-call’ for events. Although future activities are being planned, their schedules have been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group went inactive during December 2020 and September 2021. In April 2025, Genki Sudo announced a comeback, and World Order posted a new song, ‘Neo Samurai’, to their YouTube channel following three years of dormancy. The music video showcased a return to a 7-man lineup, including Takashi Jonishi and Akihiro Takahashi, both of whom had previously left the group. As of April 2025, World Order’s YouTube channel has amassed over 238 million views and 759 thousand subscribers.
