Vol.5 – TSUTAYA RECORDS variant

Volume 5 cover variants given as a bonus for purchasing the music CD “Tribute To Krauser II – the metal mix” (featuring numerous Japanese artists reinterpreting the songs from the manga) at TSUTAYA stores.

Ever wonder how DMC #5 ended up with not one, but three insane variant covers at Japan’s biggest music&entertainment stores? Let’s rewind.

Practically unknown abroad, Detroit Metal City exploded as a phenomenon in Japan. Its mix of over-the-top comedy, surreal situations, and an irresistibly charismatic protagonist quickly captivated audiences from the very first release. What set DMC apart was its inherent musical element capable of transcending the boundaries of the manga. This allowed the Japanese to do what they do best: turn a successful manga into a multifaceted multimedia IP, with anime, figures, commercial campaigns, live-action movie, CDs, video games, and much more.

2008 marked the height of the project, with a tribute CD, the anime, and the live-action film plus its soundtrack being released within just a few months. It was then that the three giants of music and entertainment teamed up for a promotional campaign: by buying the tribute CD – which came out on the exact same day as Volume 5 – fans would get a bonus cover in each store’s signature color

• Yellow for Tower Records
• Pink for HMV
• Blue for Tsutaya Records

All incredibly rare, these covers comically mirrored the regular Volume 5 cover, with the protagonist screaming into the microphone… but without his iconic death metal singer makeup.

Ode to Krauser.