Underground Idols Banana Monkeys release T-Shirt depicting fallen members of other groups

To promote their upcoming One Man Live, the Banana Monkeys released a new t-shirt in which The group is depicted charging through a battle field over the corpses of members who graduated from notable Idol groups.

【ワンマンTシャツ完成！】

マイナビBLITZ赤坂ワンマンのTシャツデザインが完成しました、タイトルは『飼育員を導くバナナモンキーズ』Tシャツです！

3月14日（ワンマン当日）より販売を開始します。VIPチケット購入者はこちらにメンバーからのサインが付きます！#ばなもんブリッツ pic.twitter.com/RzWgOq7kuP

— THE BANANA MONKEYS (@info_banamon) March 4, 2019

Due to the detail of the costumes, some Idols are obvious, while others are a bit obscure. All of them have been identified.

2枚目・3枚目は元メンやからどうでもいいけど4枚目はアミューズとメイトに喧嘩売ってる意識あるのか？#BABYMETAL #星歴13夜 #ばなもん #バナモン pic.twitter.com/yT14ltoR4d

— ひろぴこ@क्लेश (@monsalvat72) March 4, 2019

From left to right:

Ariyasu Momoka (元ももクロ有安) *Graduated from Momoiro Clover Z in January 2018.

Yumemi Nemu (ねむきゅん) *Graduated from Dempagumi.inc in January 2019.

Nel Nehru (ネル・ネール) *Graduated from BiS in January 2019.

YUI Metal *Graduated from Baby Metal in October 2018.

In some cases, only a prop or piece of a costume is represented because the entire group disbanded. In between Momoka and Nemu, you can see:

Vanilla Beans (バニビ) *Disbanded in 2018. Wig is shown.

 PASSPO☆ *Disbanded in September 2018. Hat is shown.

It's hard to read, but above YUI Metal, it looks like ゼアゼア which is the abbreviation for "There There Theres" which disbanded in February 2019. While no specific member is portrayed, you can just make out the wings of the costume.

Lastly, the girl in the far left section above Momoka holding a baseball is believed to be former Banana Monkeys member, Miru Haruno. Apparently, she was fired, so this rubs salt into the wounds. She's wearing their previous uniform.

The Banana Monkeys are known for courting controversy. This is the same group that held a fan party in a Love Hotel, had an indirect kissing event, and a sexual harassment scandal that may have been staged. For those unfamiliar, indirect kissing is when you place something like a piece of clear plexiglass between the lips of two people kissing. Here are some pics from the event.

こいつ、アイドル二人とキスしたんだけど笑#ばなもん24 pic.twitter.com/6yRTvl44mN

— kevin (@kevinsfc8) November 25, 2017

While some found the idea interesting, others think the shirt is a bit tasteless.

バナモンTシャツ 表現として悪いモンではないんだろうけど率直に不快だな

— 抹茶ん (@RKASAMminnasuki) March 5, 2019

"While the presentation isn't bad, honestly, its unpleasant"

てか黄色の子、知らない子なんだけど元バナモンのメンバーで今は別のグループで現役で活躍している子らしくてこれが一番失礼じゃない？マジでこれ一番酷くない？

— ラジオ木曜までに絶対に聞かないとしぬ (@___crs__world) March 5, 2019

"I don't know her name, but isn't that girl a former Banana Monkeys member?

She's in another group now, so this is pretty rude.

Seriously, isn't this the worst?"

Some people are upset because they misunderstood the message. They interpreted the image as the Banana Monkeys fighting against the other Idols, when they're supposed to be allies. Someone pointed out that they most likely took inspiration from the painting "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix. 

バナモンのTシャツに怒ってるツイートが散見されるけど、元ネタを知らないで怒ってる人もいるようなので解説
ドラクロワの【民衆を導く自由の女神】という有名な絵画のパクリなんだけど、足元に倒れている人たちは敵ではなく同志な訳ですよ

— くコ:彡(イカ) (@ossan9314) March 5, 2019

At the very least, Banana Monkeys gave Idols fans an art history lesson.