Much of their popularity comes from their enigmatic, mysterious presence on and off stage, coupled with a scarcity of official releases and information on the band, an abnormally high amount of live bootlegs from throughout their career, and a strong cult following.

[4][5] Les Rallizes Dénudés were formed in 1967 by a group of students in Doshisha University's Light Music Club in Kyoto, Japan, continuing until 1996 to exist around the core and only persistent member, Takashi Mizutani.

Influences like Blue Cheer, Captain Beefheart, The Velvet Underground, and French chanson artists like Antoine greatly shaped the late-60's early-70's sound of the band and Mizutani's creative direction,[6] resulting in music similar to that found on albums like White Light/White Heat or The Stooges.

[15] By the late 1990s, some indie record labels like Cragale[16] began to distribute CDs and cassette tapes of Les Rallizes Dénudés performances from throughout the band's history.

[17][18] Les Rallizes Dénudés listening parties were held in the United States as early as 1999, and one of the earliest references to the band in print can be found in a Wire article from the same year.

[21] A 2012 deep dive by the Red Bull Music Academy titled "In Search of Les Rallizes Dénudés" centered on the band, written by Grayson Haver Currin.

[24] The website states on its homepage that Mizutani passed away in 2019,[25] and this is further supported by statements from Aquilha Mochiduki, a photographer associated with Les Rallizes Dénudés since 1970.

In the same month, Enter the Mirror: A Celebration of Les Rallizes Dénudés, a tribute event, was announced, organized by Temporal Drift, Empty Bottle, and endorsed by The Last One Musique.

It took place at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago on the 17th June 2023 and consisted of Les Rallizes Dénudés inspired performances by Cindy Lee, Steve Gunn, Who Is The Witness?, Oui Ennui, Cafe Racer and MANDY, as well as a Les Rallizes Dénudés covers set by John Dwyer with Tom Dolas, Drew St. Ivany and Bill Roe.

Very little is known about the band's founder and lead singer Takashi Mizutani, aside from his former affiliation with members of the Japanese Red Army and involvement early on in theater at Doshisha University.

[39] Some reports also state that the word "Rallizes" was a piece of fake French slang invented by Kyoto-based theater group Gendai Gekijo meaning "empty suitcases",[7] and others say it is a reference to Naked Lunch.

[41][42] In 1970, after having performed with the band since 1967, original bassist Moriaki Wakabayashi assisted in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351 orchestrated by the Communist League's "Red Army Faction.