Japanther is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 2001 by two students at Pratt Institute. The band consists of Ian Vanek — who plays drums, cassettes, and sings — and Matt Reilly — who plays bass, a Casio SK-1, and also sings. They have recorded with Plan It X Records, Tapes Records, and the Menlo Park label. Japanther has been featured in Vice, The New York Times, Gothamist, Dallas Observer, Razorcake, and New York magazine among others. In the first two years of the band, they toured nine times.

In April 2006, Japanther teamed up with Aquadoom, a synchronized swimming group at New York University to play the Dangerous When Wet event at the school's Palladium Pool. On July 2, 2006, Japanther played under a plastic tarp in the rain at CitySol, an annual summer music and market series on Manhattan’s East River waterfront (Stuyvesant Cove Park) to raise awareness for environmental issues.