He gained tremendous support from his younger fanbase with his devastating live performances along with his unique lyrics that expressed dreams and love or the meaning of life.

[3] Thelma Aoyama, Akina Nakamori, Mika Nakashima, Kazumasa Oda, Ryuichi Kawamura, Hikaru Utada, Ayaka, Kobukuro, Tsuyoshi Domoto and many other Japanese artists have covered Ozaki's song, "I Love You".

In addition, American guitarist Marty Friedman recorded an instrumental cover of "I Love You" in his 2011 album Tokyo Jukebox 2.

Shunsuke Kiyokiba also has covered two of his songs, "Taiyou no Hahen" (太陽の破片, "Fragments of the Sun") and "Futatsu no Kokoro" (ふたつの心, "Two Hearts").

A 2011 TV-drama called Kaze no Shounen portrayed his life and in depth early career, from meeting his manager Sudo to his death.