ROF-MAO, the NIJISANJI unit known for its YouTube variety show and its music, will resume activities on Sunday, November 15, 2026 with three members: Kagami Hayato, Fuwa Minato and Kaida Haru. ANYCOLOR, the company that runs NIJISANJI, announced the restart in a press release on November 2, 2026, after the unit’s official X account teased the return with the hashtag #ROFMAO再始動 the day before. The comeback will start with a livestream on the official ROF-MAO YouTube channel, and a fan message campaign will run inside Shibuya Station in the week before the return.
At a glance
- Restart date: Sunday, November 15, 2026, with a livestream on the official ROF-MAO YouTube channel. The start time has not been announced yet and will be posted on the unit’s official X account.
- Members: Kagami Hayato, Fuwa Minato and Kaida Haru.
- Hiatus: the unit paused its activities from May 29, 2026.
- Fan campaign: “ROF-MAO no Senaka wo Osou!” (roughly “Let’s give ROF-MAO a push”), tied to the unit’s 5th anniversary special site.
- Shibuya display: November 8 to 14, 2026, 11:30 to 20:00 JST, at PickUp Ranking Shibuya Chikamichi. Free entry with an online reservation via LivePocket.
- Organizer: ANYCOLOR Inc. Planning and production by CyberAgent’s NEW GREEN team.
Why the unit paused
ROF-MAO began activities in October 2021 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on October 21, 2026, while it was still on break. The unit originally had four members. On May 28, 2026, Kenmochi Toya announced that his time in ROF-MAO would come to an end that day. He used the word “shuryo”, which means completing or graduating from a course, rather than a standard graduation, and he wrote on X that he would keep appearing with the other members in the future. The four members held a last joint broadcast of their variety show Mokuju! ROF-MAO Juku on May 28, and the remaining three members paused their unit activities from the next day.
In a later stream, reported by Real Sound, Kenmochi explained that his main reason for leaving was that he did not want his own particular way of doing things to get in the way of the other members as each of their activities grew. He continues his solo activities as a NIJISANJI liver. The November press release does not repeat the reason for the hiatus; it only gives the pause date and the restart date.
What the restart will look like
The release says only that the restart will be marked by a broadcast on the official YouTube channel and that details will be shared “soon” on the official X account. The official website, which had been quiet during the break, now shows a “COMING SOON” countdown. In its announcement post, the unit repeated its long-standing aim of becoming “cool adults” and said the members want to grow further so that fans’ support can one day become something to be proud of. As of November 2, the channel had more than 1.33 million subscribers, according to Denfaminico Gamer.
The music side of the unit is also worth knowing for newer fans. ROF-MAO released its first mini album, Crack Up!!!!, and then its first full album, Overflow, on October 18, 2023. Overflow contains 11 tracks, including “Ichigeki” and “We Are Pop Star”, which were used as ending themes for seasons 3 and 4 of the variety show. Whether the three-member unit will release new music or continue the variety show in the same format has not been announced.
The Shibuya message display
To celebrate the return, ANYCOLOR is running a campaign called “ROF-MAO no Senaka wo Osou!”. Fans can post digital messages of support on the 5th anniversary special site, and those messages will be shown on a large display at PickUp Ranking Shibuya Chikamichi, on the B2 floor concourse of Shibuya Station (Tokyu and Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line), in front of the Hachiko ticket gate. Visitors on site can also write messages by hand and attach them to the “backs” of the members on the display. Messages may be moved or swapped each day.
- Dates: November 8 to 14, 2026.
- Hours: 11:30 to 20:00 JST. For overseas fans this is 02:30 to 11:00 UTC, 21:30 to 06:00 Eastern (US, starting the previous evening), and 18:30 to 03:00 Pacific.
- Entry: free, but every day requires an advance online reservation through LivePocket. Reservations opened on November 2 at 12:00 JST. Walk-ins are accepted only when slots remain.
- Rules: one reservation per account per day, one successful entry per person across the whole period, no proxy applications, no name or date changes, and no transfer or resale of tickets.
- Note: the display may be stopped if crowds affect station operations, and entry may be limited at busy times.
How overseas fans can take part
Most fans abroad will follow the return through the livestream, which will be free to watch on YouTube. Because the start time is not out yet, the best approach is to follow the official X account (@ROF_MAO) and turn on notifications for the YouTube channel, then convert the time from JST once it is posted. Our guide to following VTuber announcements explains how to set this up so you do not miss a sudden schedule post. The digital message form on the 5th anniversary site is the other way to join in from abroad, since messages sent there are what appear on the Shibuya screen. If you are visiting Tokyo between November 8 and 14, the LivePocket booking page is in Japanese, so plan a little extra time for the reservation.
What we don’t know yet
- The start time and content of the November 15 livestream.
- Whether the variety show and music releases will continue in the same form with three members.
- Whether any new songs, events or goods are planned for the restart or the 5th anniversary.
Related
Sources
- ANYCOLOR press release: ROF-MAO restart on November 15, 2026 (Japanese)
- Dengeki Online: ROF-MAO restart and Shibuya Chikamichi campaign (Japanese)
- Denfaminico Gamer: ROF-MAO to restart with three members (Japanese)
- Real Sound Tech: Kenmochi Toya on leaving ROF-MAO (Japanese)
- Real Sound: ROF-MAO 1st full album Overflow (Japanese)
- ROF-MAO official X
- ROF-MAO 5th anniversary special site
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Reviewed by WVR Inoue on November 2, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Thumbnail: #ろふまお4周年 記念 ダイジェスト映像【Full ver.】 by ROF-MAO / ろふまおチャンネル【にじさんじ】 on YouTube. Shown via YouTube; all rights belong to their owners.
