Puffy, a Japanese pop rock duo consisting of singers Ami Ōnuki and Yumi Yoshimura, formed in Tokyo in 1995. Both members were scouted by Sony-affiliated talent agencies in the mid-1990s. Their debut single "Asia no Junshin" was released in 1996 and sold 1 million records, marking a significant breakthrough for the duo. Puffy's first album amiyumi followed in July 1996, produced by Okuda Tamio and Andy Sturmer. The duo gained mainstream success in Japan with their second album JET CD, released in April 1998. Their single "愛のしるし" was a notable release from this period. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to avoid legal naming conflicts with Sean Combs. The duo's animated series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premiered on Cartoon Network in November 2004, featuring fictionalized versions of Ōnuki and Yoshimura. Throughout their career, their work has been recognized with several cultural milestones, such as their song "はじまりのうた" being used as the ending theme of the eighth Pokémon film in July 2005. Puffy released numerous albums and singles, including "日和姫" (2009), PUFFY AMIYUMI × PUFFY (2009), and Thank You (2011). Puffy AmiYumi performed at Anime Boston in January 2017 as part of their Not Lazy tour. In 2021, almost a decade after the release of their last album, the duo returned with the full-length The Puffy, released via Warner Music Japan.
