Yesterday (February 15th) marked exactly 10 years since the end of the TV series of the 38th Super Sentai series, "Ressha Sentai ToQger." The role of Hikari/ToQ4 in the series was played by actor Ryusei Yokohama , who is currently starring in the 2025 Taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) ." Yokohama's experience with the Sentai series made him think "I want to make it as an actor," so we will trace his 10-year journey from being selected to playing the lead role in the Taiga drama and explore his appeal as an actor.
◇The unfortunate days after joining Sentai became a "wealth" and their popularity exploded
Yokohama was born on September 16, 1996, and is 28 years old and hails from Kanagawa Prefecture. He was originally a karate boy, and won an international karate championship in 2011. His turning point as an actor was appearing in "Ressha Sentai ToQger." Yokohama played the main role alongside Jun Shison and others, and as mentioned above, he felt that "I want to pursue this as an actor."
On the other hand, what awaited him after "Sentai" was a string of miserable days where he struggled to pass auditions.
When spoken to during his appearance on the January 2020 drama series "In a World Where It's Neither Black nor White, a Panda Smiles" (Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV), Yokohama said, "At the time, I thought that I'd automatically have work after Sentai (Ressha Sentai ToQger) ended. But in reality, I failed quite a few auditions, and even when I thought, 'I want to do this project,' other people were chosen, and since I was a teenager, I couldn't accept it and thought, 'Why not me?' But looking back, the disappointment I experienced at the time is a treasure to me, and it was a good opportunity for me to think about what I should do about not being able to appear in the projects I wanted to do, and I think that's why I'm able to work hard like this now."
Yokohama's acting career began to pick up again around 2018. In the same year, four movies, including "Anitomo" and "Nijiiro Days," in which he played the lead role, were released, and he spent a fulfilling time that would lead to a leap forward in the future.
Then, in 2019, Yokohama's popularity exploded. The catalyst was his appearance in the drama "A Story to Read on the Day You Fall in Love for the First Time" (TBS) with Kyoko Fukada. Yokohama played the role of Yuri Kyohei, a delinquent high school student with pink-dyed hair, and for a time, Kyohei's nickname "Yuri Yuri" became the term used to refer to Yokohama.
In the same year, he also appeared in popular TV dramas such as "Your Turn to Kill - Counterattack Edition" (NTV) and "4 Minutes of Marigold" (TBS), and also starred in a number of films, including "Love Song - The Promise of a Night," "Cheer Boys!!" and "Inanari, Gunjo."
As a result of these achievements, he was selected as "Face of the Year 2019" by Nikkei Trendy, selected as "GQ Men of the Year 2019", and also won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Tokyo Drama Awards 2019 and the Yahoo! Search Awards 2019. There is no doubt that he has made great strides.
◇ Dynamic and "UNBOUND ," and highly praised for his "true nature"; his sincerity and stoicism are also appealing
Since then, Yokohama has become an indispensable presence in the world of film. His career has been progressing smoothly, and since January this year, he has been performing energetically as Tsutaya Juzaburo (or "Tsutaju" for short), the protagonist of the historical drama " UNBOUND ."
He has entertained fans not only in dramas but also on the big screen, and his collaboration with director Michihito Fujii in the film "The Journalist" (2019) was also notable, and Yokohama will also star in his latest feature film "Sekai" (2024). He has received high praise, winning the Best Actor Award at the 49th Hochi Film Awards, the Best Actor Award at the 79th Mainichi Film Awards, and the Outstanding Actor Award at the 48th Japan Academy Film Awards.
Yokohama's serious attitude, to the point where he even obtained a professional boxing license (Class C) as part of his role preparation, is another big attraction for him as an actor. Recently, Takashi Fukagawa, one of the directors of "UNBOUND", also revealed his impression of him, saying, "His approach is incredibly stoic," and, "Even though we didn't write the script together, there are times when I feel like we made it together. (Omitted) I was surprised that there are people who think so carefully. He often watches scenes where I'm not in them, and sometimes it's not good to think too much, but it's amazing that he can express himself even when he thinks too much," and, "Lack of study is immediately noticed, so it feels like a 'competition.'"
When Yokohama appeared at the awards ceremony for the 79th Mainichi Film Awards on February 13th, he said enthusiastically, "I will continue to strive to be uncompromising, to have high aspirations, and to contribute to the film industry as a filmmaker," and it seems that we will see him aim for even greater heights from here on out.
