Gackt is a Japanese vocalist, much loved by non-Japanese fans worldwide. Often, among non-Japanese fans, liking Gackt is synonymous with being a newbie to the genre. For many, Gackt is a
gateway artist; you get your start with him but stop listening to him as they become more aquainted with the genre. In Japan, most people do not like Gackt, they think he is strange.
Gackt first gained popularity as the singer for the visual kei band, Malice Mizer. After he left the band in 1999, his style changed from the dramatic, visual kei style, to a more pop style. Gackt is memorable for his overly "cool" demeanor, having had many plastic surgeries (to look more white; but he looks more like a
Final Fantasy character), and his erratic onstage behavior, including
crazy dancing and fanservice).