X Japan could hardly have imagined a more passionate following in its heyday, when the symphonic metal group disbanded in Tokyo in 1997, sparking an atmosphere of national mourning. But could X Japan have been much bigger on the world stage? In a new documentary about the band, Kiss’s Gene Simmons recounts his awe at discovering X Japan, and suggests that had the rockers been American or British, they might have been the biggest band in the world. “We Are X,” in U.S. theaters Friday, explores the rise and turmoil of the band, which rose to unprecedented fame in Japan’s high-flying 1980s. Led by Yoshiki, the physically frail but musically furious drummer, pianist and songwriter, X Japan drew inspiration from the power of arena rock, but with the glam flair of David Bowie and firm foundations in Western classical music. “We Are X” – directed by Stephen Kijak, who previously filmed the Rolling Stones – follows X Japan as the reunited surviving members of the band play New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2014. Yoshiki noted in an interview with AFP that the Tokyo Dome – where X Japan played their farewell concert in 1997 – had three times the capacity of the 18,200-seat Madison Square Garden. “But when it comes to making it all over the world, Madison Square Garden is one of the goals,” he said. – ‘The world wasn’t ready’ – “We Are X,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, shows the band’s first clumsy attempts at international success. The rockers hastily learned English in 1992 and held a press conference in New York to announce a U.S. record deal, but X Japan’s foreign fan base was to remain niche. “It was almost like a mission then,” Yoshiki said of the global expansion. “But we weren’t 100 percent sure we could make it because the world wasn’t ready.” Yoshiki, 50, believes X Japan’s development could have been different if the band had been formed later. “We now have the same chance of success as those born in America and England.” Over the past 30 years, Japanese culture from sushi to Pokemon has taken over the world and the internet has changed the way music is distributed, he said. “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper Psy is the most-watched video of all time on YouTube. His horse-riding dance draws an audience that barely understands a word. “Nowadays, anything can happen, thanks to the internet and everything,” Yoshiki said. “The world has somehow changed so that any artist from Japan or anywhere else – China, anywhere in the world – can make it and become a globally known artist.” – The darkness behind the fame – The documentary also shows the darkness lurking behind X Japan’s fame. Yoshiki, who had been sickly since childhood and suffered frequent broken bones, is haunted by his father’s suicide and takes out his aggression in music. With X Japan, he would sometimes writhe in pain on stage, and audiences would mistake him for an actor. And just months after X Japan split, lead guitarist Hideto Matsumoto, better known as “Hide,” was found hanged, and his fans threw themselves into his funeral procession. His death was ruled a suicide, although Yoshiki claimed in the documentary that Hide died accidentally while doing “neck stretching exercises.” “We Are X” also shows the reconciliation between Yoshiki and singer Toshi, whose decision to leave the group sparked the 1997 split. Toshi explains in the documentary that he was brainwashed by a cult that made him ashamed of performing and took away his money. Yoshiki, who composed a work for piano and strings in 1999 to mark the 10th anniversary of Emperor Akihito’s accession to the throne, has remained committed to classical music and recently announced performances at Carnegie Hall in 2017. “I don’t know how long my career will last,” he said. “But I will do my best and also open the door for artists of the next generation.”