THE PRIMALS Bassist Eikichi Iwai Dies Suddenly
Eikichi Iwai, bassist for the Final Fantasy XIV official band THE PRIMALS, died suddenly, the game's official X account announced on November 11, 2026. The band is led by sound director Masayoshi Soken.
3 sources 6h ago
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer.
Why it matters
Iwai played two roles in the same week: he was on stage with THE PRIMALS at the Tokyo fan festival on November 1, and he was the bassist whose band Chirinuruwowaka had a tour starting November 14, so his death touches both the FFXIV live schedule and a separate rock act's calendar.
Key Facts
- Eikichi Iwai, bassist of the Final Fantasy XIV official band THE PRIMALS, died suddenly, the game's official X account announced on November 11, 2026.
- THE PRIMALS is led by Final Fantasy XIV sound director Masayoshi Soken.
- Eikichi Iwai performed with THE PRIMALS at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in TOKYO on November 1.
- Eikichi Iwai was also the bassist of rock band Chirinuruwowaka, which canceled all dates of a one-man tour that was scheduled to begin on November 14.
Iwai had performed with THE PRIMALS at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in TOKYO on November 1. The announcement said the news left the band members and the FFXIV development and operations team in deep sorrow, and that they pray for his soul. Iwai was also the bassist for rock band Chirinuruwowaka, which announced his death the same day and canceled all dates of a one-man tour that was scheduled to begin on November 14. The FFXIV account's post asked fans to keep supporting THE PRIMALS and said the members were still taking in what Iwai left behind.
Chirinuruwowaka announced the death on its official website the same day, and the band's statement was the one that carried the tour cancellation. The FFXIV post came from the Japanese account @FF_XIV_JP.
The full text of that post reads: "He had just shown a stunning performance on stage at the recent Japan Fan Fest, so the sudden news has left us simply shocked, and all members as well as the FFXIV development/operations team are filled with deep sorrow. While we take in what Eikichi left behind, for now we simply pray for his soul." The message is signed by THE PRIMALS members and staff together with the Final Fantasy XIV development and operations team.
Iwai's last billed appearance with THE PRIMALS was the November 1 Fan Festival 2026 in TOKYO set. Coverage of the death ran on game outlets in Japan within hours of the post, with 4Gamer.net leading on his Chirinuruwowaka role and GAME Watch and Denfaminicogamer leading on THE PRIMALS.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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Sources
- 4Gamer.net チリヌルヲワカのベーシスト，イワイエイキチ氏が急逝。「FFXIV」のオフィシャルバンド・THE PRIMALSでも活動
- GAME Watch (Impress) THE PRIMALSのベーシスト、イワイエイキチ氏が急逝。「FFXIV」公式Xが公開
- Denfaminicogamer 『FF14』公式バンド「THE PRIMALS」のベーシスト、イワイエイキチ氏が逝去。先日の日本ファンフェスにも出演していた