[1] The band's name corresponds to the French term for harlequin, a clownish stage character whose origins are often located in the theatrical tradition of the Italian commedia dell'arte.

[3][4] In April 2019, a Japanese music website Real Sound stated that Arlequin and Dezert had the potential to rise and become the "two big guns" of their visual kei generation, like X Japan and Luna Sea or Dir En Grey and Pierrot before them.

[5] In addition to a variety of singles and EPs, Arlequin has released five albums to date: Near Equal (2014), Utopia (2016), Bless (2018, mini-album), The Laughing Man (2020), and Monster (2022).

In July 2016, vocalist Aki was forced to withdraw from scheduled live performances to recover from chronic vocal cord inflammation due to overuse of his voice.

[12] According to their band name, the members almost exclusively present themselves in heavy makeup and colorful, clownish costumes, with vocalist Aki miming the role of a crying clown.