1991–1993: Formation

The duo first met each other during a Hikaru Genji concert at Yokohama Arena on May 5, 1991.^[3] From then on, the two began to appear together in magazine photoshoots together though they did not have a formal name, going through several temporary names such as Johnny's Kansai Group, Domoto Brothers and W Domoto, before being introduced as Kanzai Boya by the end of 1992 when they were backup dancers for SMAP.^[4][5] On the first episode of SMAP's variety show Kiss Shita? SMAP, which began on April 4, 1993, SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai announced that their name was to be "KinKi Kids" when the two joined the show as regulars.

1994–1996: Breakthrough, variety shows and dramas

From July 1994 to September 1994, Koichi and Tsuyoshi both appeared in their first drama together called Ningen Shikkaku, which had a peak rating of 28.9% on its final episode.^[4][6] The duo gained popularity in a short time and held their first concert at the Budokan on December 31, 1994.^[3] In 1995 and 1996, Tsuyoshi played Kindaichi in dramas Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo 1 and 2, while Koichi also starred as main roles in dramas Ie Naki Ko 2 and Ginrō Kaiki File, which all achieved average rating of more than 20%.

From April 1996 to June 1996, the duo once again starred together in the drama Wakaba no Koro, playing friends with very different backgrounds. Tsuyoshi played a boy with an alcoholic father who works to take care for his younger siblings while Koichi played a boy who comes from a wealthy yet unloving family. One of the most watched music varieties in Japan LOVE LOVE Aishiteru hosted by KinKi Kids and Takuro Yoshida started to air since 1996, creating a boom of studying guitar among the Japanese younger generation. The duo also had their name-entitled variety shows such as Sore Ike KinKi Daiboken and Sore Ike KinKi Daihoso in 1996. On December 31, 1996, they performed as supporting guest for Masahiko Kondō in Kohaku Uta Gassen, singing part of "Midnight Shuffle", which was the theme song of Koichi's drama Ginrō Kaiki File.

1997–1999: Debut and Million-selling hits

Despite holding concerts and having several high-rating varieties and dramas, the duo did not made their CD debut until July 21, 1997. They debuted with a double release of a single "Garasu no Shōnen" and an album A Album. According to Oricon, both went on to sell over one million copies,^[3][7] making the duo the second artist whose first single and first album both sold over one million copies.^[7] From August 23 to August 24, they were appointed the main personality hosts for NTV's annual telethon 24-Hour Television. From October 18 to December 20, KinKi Kids starred in their third drama together called Bokura no Yūki Miman City, and the theme song "Aisareru Yori Aishitai", which was also their second single, was released on November 12. This single ranked No.1 for 4 weeks in Oricon in total and sold over a million copies by the end of its chart run.^[7] By the end of the year, Garasu no Shōnen ranked 2nd on the annual Oricon charts, behind Namie Amuro's "Can You Celebrate?".

In 1998, KinKi Kids, along with fellow Johnny's groups V6 and TOKIO, came together to form a special charity-oriented group called J-FRIENDS,^[4] in which they collaborated with famous musicians such as Maurice White, Diane Warren, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Jackson.^[8][9][10] J-FRIENDS's single "Ashita ga Kikoeru/Children's Holiday", released on January 21, 1998, went on to sell over a million copies and ranked 12th on the annual Oricon charts by the end of the year.

The duo's singles "Zenbu Dakishimete/Ao no Jida" released on July 29, 1998, peaked in No.1 for 4 consecutive weeks and ranked 10th on the annual charts with more than a million sales. Furthermore, their 1997 single "Aisareru yori Aishitai" managed to rank 8th on the annual chart. On December 31, 1998, KinKi Kids held concerts in Tokyo Dome and started to hold Tokyo Dome concerts during New Year every since until 2016. In 1999, the duo's 7th single Flower ranked 10th on the annual Oricon charts for selling over a million copies, making it the duo's fourth million-selling single. The duo was invited to perform as a special guest on Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31, 1999.

2000–2003: Asian tours and Guinness World Record

The year 2000 saw the duo's first Asian tour in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which was held at Taipei 101 and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre respectively and ran from February 22 to February 27,^[11] and their second million-selling album KinKi Single Selection.^[12] The duo released their 9th single "Sukininatteku Aishitteku" on March 8, 2000, with the lyrics written by Tsuyoshi and the music composed by Koichi, reaching No.1 in Oricon, making them the first Japanese idol artist to have a No.1 single composed by oneself.

After all 13 of KinKi Kids' singles since their debut ranked the first in Oricon, they were listed in the 2002 edition of the reference book Guinness World Records for having the record of the most consecutive number-one singles since their debut single.^[13] It was the first case for a musical artist in Japan to be recognized by the Guinness World Records.^[13] Irish group Westlife was listed as this record holder by the Guinness World Records before the duo's accreditation because of making seven consecutive UK number-one singles since their debut as a group.^[13]

From December 26, 2002, to July 28, 2003, KinKi Kids held their first five dome tour "KinKi Kids Dome F Concert 〜Fun Fan Forever" in Tokyo Dome, Osaka Dome, Nagoya Dome, Fukuoka Dome and Sapporo Dome.

2004–2006: "Anniversary" and KinKi Single Selection II

On December 24, 2004, KinKi Kids released their 20th single "Anniversary" and second compilation album KinKi Single Selection II, both ranked the first in Oricon's single and album chart. This was the seventh time a single and an album of one artist ranked the first in Oricon at the same time, and was the duo's second such achievement after their debut single and album. Moreover, "Anniversary" managed to rank the 6th on the 2005 annual chart. The duo held concerts "KinKi Kids H TOUR -Have A Nice Day-" at Osaka Dome and Tokyo Dome from December 24, 2005, to January 1, 2006. With 24 concerts held at Tokyo Dome, they overtook The Rolling Stones to become the artist to hold the most concerts at the Dome.

2007–2008: 10th anniversary

To commemorate their 10th anniversary on July 21, 2007, KinKi Kids released a best-hits album entitled 39 on July 18, 2007. The numbers three and nine are pronounced as "San Kyū" (三九) in Japanese and sound similar to "Thank You" in English, signifying KinKi Kids' gratitude to their fans for their support for the past 10 years. The album features the top 11 song favorites, as voted by fans as well as two individual 14-song favorites lists from Koichi and Tsuyoshi, coming to a total of 39 songs, hence the title.^[14] 39 went on to sell about 301,000 copies in its first week.^[15] In the same month, the duo was once again recognized by the Guinness World Records for their feat of achieving the most consecutive number-one singles by extending their own record to twenty-five number one singles since debut.^[16][17] On July 22, 2007, the duo held their 10th anniversary concert at Tokyo Dome, which drew a crowd of about 67,000 fans, making it the biggest concert ever held at the Dome. The record was previously held by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi in 1992 when his concert drew an audience of 65,000.^[18]

On May 31, 2008, the duo announced their first summer tour in eight years. The tour started at Tokyo Dome on July 21, 2008—coinciding with their 11th anniversary—and extended the duo's record for holding the most Tokyo Dome concerts.^[19][20]

2009–2015: J Album, K Album, L Album and M Album

They released their 28th single "Yakusoku" (約束, "Promise") on January 28, 2009, which debuted at the top of the Oricon charts, not only extending their Guinness record but also improving their own Oricon record for the most consecutive years with a number-one single.^[21] The duo's 29th single "Swan Song" (スワンソング, Suwan Songu), released on October 28, 2009, debuted at the top of the Oricon charts, extending their record.^[22] Their 14th album J Album was released on December 9, 2009, ranked the first in Oricon. At the end of 2010, the duo released their 30th single "Family: Hitotsu ni Naru Koto" (Family ～ひとつになること, "Family: To Become One"), with the lyrics written by Tsuyoshi and the music composed by Koichi. Their 31st single "Time," also used as the theme song for Dynasty Warriors 7, has extended their Guinness World Record again. The duo released K album on November 9, 2011, which debuted at the top of Oricon charts. KinKi Kids started year 2012 with a new single "Kawatta Katachi no Ishi" (変わったかたちの石, "Odd-shaped stone").^[23] The duo released their 16th and 17th album L Album and M Album on December 4, 2013, and December 10, 2014, both ranked the first in Oricon.

2016–2017: 20th anniversary

The duo started their 20th anniversary by the release of single "Bara to Taiyou" on July 20, 2016, followed by the release of album N Album on September 21, 2016, and single "Michi wa Tezukara Yume no Hana" on November 2, 2016, all ranked the first in Oricon. From September 29 to November 12, 2016, KinKi Kids held their first Arena tour in 16 years, returning to the Budokan where they had first concert in 1994. On December 31, 2016, the duo made their first appearance on Kohaku Uta Gassen as formal participant (although they have performed there in 1996 and 1999 as guest), performing their debut single "Garasu no Shonen". On July 12, 2017, the duo released their 38th single "The Red Light", which reached No.1 on the Oricon charts. With No.1 winning singles every year since 1997, KinKi Kids overtook B'z to become the artist to have the most consecutive years with a Japanese No.1 single. The duo held their 20th anniversary events on July 15 and 16 at Yokohama Stadium.^[24] On 21 July 2017, the day commemorate the 20th anniversary of debut, the sequel of 1997 drama Bokura no Yūki Miman City starred Koichi and Tsuyoshi was aired as a special drama Bokura no Yūki Miman City: 2017 on NTV, and the music show LOVE LOVE Aishiteru, hosted by KinKi Kids and ended in 2001, revived for one night only in Fuji Television.

2018–2021: "Topaz Love" and O Album

KinKi Kids released their 39th single "Topaz Love/Destiny" on January 24, 2018, which is their third self-composed single (lyrics by Tsuyoshi and music by Koichi). It reached No.1 again and is the best-selling single for the duo since 2009. The five succeeding singles released between 2018 and 2022 all reached No.1, extending their record of the most consecutive No.1 singles since debut and the most consecutive years with a Japanese No.1 single to 44 works and 26 years respectively. The duo released their first studio album in four years on December 23, 2020, ranked No.1 in Oricon, which is their 20th No.1 albums. Releasing 21 albums of which 20 reached No.1, they tie up with Ayumi Hamazaki to become the artist who has the third most No.1 albums in Japan.

2022: 25th Anniversary

On March 16, 2022, KinKi Kids released their first single for their 25th anniversary celebration: "Koujundo Romance", with lyrics written by Takashi Matsumoto. The single became the 44th No.1 winning single for the duo.^[25] In commemoration of their 25th anniversary, an official YouTube channel for KinKi Kids was created, making the duo's music videos available on the streaming platform.^[26] On July 21, the music show LOVE LOVE Aishiteru hosted by KinKi Kids revived again, which also marked the last television appearance for the co-host Yoshida Takuro. The duo celebrated by performing their debut single "Garasu no Shōnen", featuring the special unit "Johnny's Seniors", consisting of SMAP's Takuya Kimura, 4TOPS' Shunsuke Kazama, and Toma Ikuta back dancing for KinKi Kids.^[27] With the release of the No.1 winning single "Amazing Love" on July 21, 2022, the total sales of KinKi Kids' single exceeds 20 million.^[28]

Studio albums

Tokyo Tower lightup celebrating Kinki Kids new album "P album" with their colors, red and blue^[29]

• A Album (1997)
• B Album (1998)
• C Album (1999)
• D Album (2000)
• E Album (2001)
• F Album (2002)
• G Album: 24/7 (2003)
• H Album: Hand (2005)
• I Album: ID (2006)
• Phi (2007)
• J Album (2009)
• K Album (2011)
• L Album (2013)
• M Album (2014)
• N Album (2016)
• O Album (2020)
• P Album (2023)

Television (as host or regular)

Television (as actors)

Movies

• 1992: 200X Nen Sho
• 1994: Shoot!

Stage

• 1993: Another

Dubbing roles

• 2013: Rush, as James Hunt (Koichi) and Niki Lauda (Tsuyoshi) (Japanese dub #1)^[30]