"On November 22, 2006, Utada released an anticipated new single, "ぼくはくま (, Boku wa Kuma?, lit. I'm a Bear)." The song is tied with Passion as her lowest charting single as it placed #4 in its first week, and it also has the lowest first-week sales of her career. Even so, its been her first single since "Dareka no Negai Ga Kanau Koro" to chart at more than three consecutive or non-consecutive weeks in the "Top 10 Oricon singles" chart. As of the end of the week for March 31, 2007, the single has sold 144,928 copies, although it should be noted that Oricon only counts the standard edition sales of this and all singles, meaning that actual total sales may be higher than published. In the singles favor, the sales have been outstandingly resilient. Despite low first week sales, Boku wa Kuma stayed in the top twenty for nine consecutive weeks, selling more than 10,000 copies each week up until its seventh.[16] Despite such initially slow sales, it's already her most successful single since "Be My Last" in 2005 and has surpassed the sales of her previous two singles: "Passion" and "Keep Tryin'".[16]

Boku wa Kuma's title is a reference to her stuffed bear named Kuma-chan, later renamed Kuma-Chang, and is her first time writing a children's song. Oricon Style did confirm that "Boku wa Kuma" and its karaoke version were the only tracks on this new single, as originally there were to be six, including either an A or B-side with another new track, "Hero".[17]Included in the first press edition of the single will be a picture book created by Utada, and the single will be used in Japan's NHK channel's Minna no Uta children's program commercials as an advanced promotional tool from November 2006 through January of 2007. This is also Utada's first single release to have three different pressings: one limited edition that includes a picture book, a standard single and cover, and then finally one CD+DVD combo pack (that is confirmed to only contain a music video for the single in its tracklist)."