Similar to Korean superstars, Japanese celebrities sometimes start their careers as models or members of pop idol bands. Once they become well-known, they are in various programs, such as movies and television series (J-drama). The best approach to launch a career is to have connections in the entertainment sector. The following is a list of Japanese actors who became successful in their roles despite having no prior contacts to the entertainment industry.
1. Yuki Furukawa
Yuki Furukawa is a dancer, model, and actor from Japan. He rose to fame because of his ground-breaking performance in the 2013 Japanese drama "Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo." He spent most of his youth and adolescence in America with his family. He earned an engineering degree from Kelo University. In 2013, he was the first Japanese actor to host a fan gathering in Shanghai, China.
2. Kento Yamazaki
A Tokyo-based middle-class family gave birth to Kento Yamazaki. He desired to play soccer for his country. He received his first modeling offer during the third year of junior high. On his way home from a soccer game, his current agency scouted him. His most known performances were in the 2014 film L DK, the 2015 television series Death Note, and the Netflix series Alice in Boderland (2020).
3. Hiroshi Abe
The youngest of his siblings is Hiroshi Abe. In his undergraduate years, he received the "Shueisha 3rd Nonno Boyfriend Award," which launched his career as a model for two well-known Japanese publications, Men's Non-no and Nonno. Because of his title and model-like features, he received uninteresting parts. His breakthrough performance as a bisexual investigator in "Atami Murder Case Monte Carlo Illusion" helped him become well-known.
4. Eiji Akaso
His intellectual and creative parents had a significant effect on Eiji Akaso. His mother teaches piano, while his father is a professor at a Japanese university. He spent a year in Tokyo doing auditions. He left school to pursue a career in entertainment after receiving a call from the CEO of the business where he is now employed. He is well-known for playing Kamen Rider Build.
5. Masanobu Ando
Actor Masanobu Ando is from Japan. On the street, a talent scout approached him. His first acting performance, for which he received the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award, was in the film "Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return." The most well-known of Ando's characters is Kazuo Kiriyama, the cold-blooded, psychotic assassin in the divisive movie Battle Royale (2000).
6. Bunta Sugawara
Japanese actor Bunta Sugawara performed in over 200 Japanese feature films. When he was four years old, his parents split. Bunta, his father, and stepmother relocate to Tokyo. He left the university after his second year since he didn't pay the tuition. Then he started working as a model. He is known for his parts in the films The Man Who Stole the Sun, Tales from Earthsea, and Spirited Away (1979). His wife was named Fumiko. On November 28, 2014, he passed away in Tokyo, Japan.
7. Yujiro Ishihara
Yujiro was a Kobe-born Japanese singer and actor. While his mother worked as a homemaker, his father worked for a Japanese transport firm. He wanted to pursue acting. Although he tried out several times, he failed each one. Season of the Sun gave him his debut acting job.
8. Shouma Kai
Japanese actor Shouma Kai was born in Tokyo. During his high school years, a talent agency scouted him. He did, however, complete high school before working in the entertainment sector. He is recognized for his work on the television shows Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: True Ending (2017), Kamen Rider Ex-Aid (2016), and Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Final: Build & Ex-Aid with Legend Riders (2017).
9. Mizuki Itagaki
An actor, model, and singer, Mizuki Itagaki. On their way home from shopping, he and his mother were observed by Stardust Promotion. Before turning 14, he made his acting debut in "Ushijima the Loan Shark Part 2," the follow-up to the successful manga series of the same name. Later that year, he also became a member of the M!LK all-male pop group.
10. Yokohama Ryusei
Japanese actor and model Yokohama Ryusei is connected to Stardust Promotion. He was observed while visiting Harajuku with his family. His most well-known performance was as Hikari Nonomura in the Super Sentai TV series "Ressha Sentai ToQger" in 2014. He was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture city of Yokohama. The first time Yokohama was seen, was in an Eiko Seminar advertisement.
