The Future Shaped by New Kando Experiences
The People of Yamaha Motor Behind the Netflix Series Tokyo Override
Could you tell us about
Tokyo Override and
Yamaha Motor's role in it?
Tokyo Override is a Netflix anime sci-fi series set in an AI-driven society 100 years in the future. Yamaha Motor selected existing models, such as the YZF-R1 and VMAX, as the basis for the “future vintage” bikes that appear in the story.
Working hand in hand with the animation team, we also helped build the world of this future society. After defining what racing might look like in a world managed by AI, we created the concepts for the bikes ridden by racers 100 years from now and designed the future race bike, the ‘Y/AI.’
You used the "World Building" approach
to develop the setting.
What does that mean in this context?
World-building is a creative method that constructs an entire setting — from its social systems to its culture — and lets characters live and move within it to shape the story organically.
Imagining life 100 years ahead, we explored questions like "What purpose would motorcycles serve in a world where autonomous driving is the norm?" and "How would people relate to mobility itself?"
It became a rare and rewarding process of re-examining the relationship between humans and machines through design.
What inspired the design
of the fictional machine Y/AI?
Amarin, the rider of Y/AI, is a racer who insists on piloting her machine herself — without relying on AI.
We centered the design around the sensations that matter most to her when she rides.
For instance, rather than using electronic suspension control, we deliberately chose a mechanical spring setup to preserve a more direct, physical feel.
Through the character of Amarine, we asked ourselves: What kind of Kando experience would a rider in the future seek?
Designing Y/AI was, in many ways, an exercise in designing future Kando experiences.
How did the concept for
Y/AI's design take shape?
Even as technology evolves, the human body remains essentially the same — which means design that follows human physical sensibility will always be relevant.
With that in mind, we divided the form clearly: the areas a rider touches are organic and tactile, while the rest are distinctly mechanical.
This contrast visualizes our belief that humans and machines can truly coexist — each retaining its own identity while functioning as one.
In a future where AI is everywhere,
what might a "Kando experience" be like?
When AI supports the rider, it can remove distractions, allowing humans to focus more deeply on the act of riding and decision-making itself.
In such a world, AI filters out the noise so people can heighten their senses. There could also be other forms of Kando experiences — for instance, an elderly person regaining independence through automated mobility.
Ultimately, Kando is something we feel through the body.
No matter how far technology advances, it's still the human body that perceives and responds.
That's why cherishing that physical sensitivity will remain essential to delivering true Kando experience in the future as well.
What do you think defines an Kando
that only humans can create —
Kando that AI cannot?
Even if AI tries to simulate emotion, it's still like a roller coaster running along fixed rails.
True emotion arises only from active experiences that engage the human body and motivation.
We believe it is vital to explore how we can preserve human experiences even as we embrace AI.
Designing Kando ultimately means supporting the experiences that move people's hearts.
Yamaha Motor, as a Kando Creating Company, aims to harness the latest technologies to create experiences that move the heart and inspire action—moments where your heart gets moved and your body responds.
Do you have a message
for people visiting this site?
Tokyo Override is an anime built with an exceptionally detailed and carefully crafted world. Beyond the story itself, I hope viewers will pay attention to the machine designs, the way people live in the future, and all the finer details — there’s so much more to enjoy when you look closely.
At the Japan Mobility Show 2025, we also exhibited MOTOLATOR_U, a simulator that lets visitors experience racing in Tokyo 100 years from now alongside the Y/AI. Nearly 1,500 visitors tried the experience, and we received a lot of comments, especially from children, about how exciting it was and fun riding the bike was. We were really pleased with the response to the exhibit.
Through the world and storytelling of Tokyo Override, I hope people will rediscover — even from a brief experience of Kando — that motorcycles are truly cool, and feel the way Yamaha Motor seeks to unleash human potential through people and mobility.
“By envisioning the world 100 years from now, expanding our imagination,
and creating works that bring those ideas into tangible form — that process itself is a reflection of human potential.”
Rather than looking at mobility alone, approaching the future from multiple perspectives became an opportunity
to ask a deeper question:
why something should exist in society,
and what role it must play in the world.
The discoveries and sensibilities gained through this process will,
in turn, be carried forward into Yamaha Motor’s ongoing pursuit of new Kando experiences.
