Ryusei Yokohama starred in the NHK taiga drama " UNBOUND (Berabou), " which aired its final episode on December 14th. Yokohama was only 28 years old when the show first aired, and took on the challenge of starring in a taiga drama that has a history of over 60 years and boasts a distinguished cast. With the success of the film "Kokuho" (starring Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo) as a tailwind, 2025 was perhaps a year he "ran through." Here, we'd like to delve into his appeal as an actor through comments from not only Yokohama himself, but also those involved with "UNBOUND."
◇ "Everything lives in the play" - trying to gain something from martial arts
Yokohama is 29 years old and was born on September 16, 1996, in Kanagawa Prefecture. He originally practiced karate as a child and won an international karate tournament in 2011. He gained attention as an actor in the 38th installment of the Super Sentai series, "Ressha Sentai ToQger," which aired from 2014 to 2015, and then exploded in popularity with his role as the pink-haired "Yuri Yuri," also known as Yuri Kyohei, in the 2019 drama series "A Story to Read on the Day You Fall in Love for the First Time" (TBS). Since then, he has become an indispensable presence in the film industry.
His starring role in the film "Seitai," released in November 2024, also received high praise, and he continued this momentum with the broadcast of "UNBOUND" in January 2025. After winning the Best Actor Award at the 48th Japan Academy Awards in March (for "Seitai"), the film "Kokuho," in which he played the heir to a Kabuki family, was released in June. The film was a huge hit, with box office revenues reaching the highest level ever for a live-action Japanese film.
"UNBOUND" is the first taiga drama to be set in the mid-Edo period, depicting the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have laid the foundations for Japan's media industry and pop culture, but Yokohama began filming around June 2024, quite soon after "National Treasure" wrapped up.
I had the opportunity to speak with Yokohama in December 2024, about six months after filming for "UNBOUND" began, and what was impressive was what he said: "I still have a lot to learn. Because I still have a lot to learn, I think that if I were to be satisfied, it would be the end, and I live each day with even more ambition."
She continued, "Everything in our work lives on in the acting, so we value the time we spend taking in information, thinking, 'This is something Tsutae would do, this could be used in the play.'" She continued, "Martial arts really brings out the human being, but I want to pursue even more realism, so it's become a hobby of mine recently to see and learn about what goes on behind the scenes. Fighters are in the public eye, but they live in a different world to the way we express ourselves, they're more human, they don't put on airs. At times like that, I think, 'If a human really were in this situation, they would feel like this,' or 'This is what they would make an expression like,' and I think, 'I could use this in my acting.'" She was trying to gain something from martial arts, which she loves.
◇ "UNBOUND" was a selfless effort from start to finish
How did Yokohama appear to those involved with "UNBOUND"?
"I fell in love with him, and it's not just that he's cool, but his approach is incredibly stoic," said one of the directors, Takashi Fukagawa. "A lack of study is immediately apparent, so it feels like a 'competition'."
"Even though we didn't write the script together, there are times when I feel like we did. It's amazing to see someone who thinks so carefully about a scene, like, 'There's a line like this, but in order to say that line here, I want it to feel like this here (in another scene before)'. He often watches scenes in which he's not in, and sometimes it's not good to overthink things, but it's amazing that he can still express himself even when he's overthinking it," he said, praising her.
The impression that scriptwriter Yoshiko Morishita had of Yokohama was that he was "self-sacrificing."
"I got the impression that he was exposed and offered it to the audience, and that didn't change until the end. I don't think he's that talkative normally, so I think it must have been quite a burden for him to live as Tsutae, who talks so much all the time," he said, praising his efforts, and thanking him, saying, "Rather than getting into the role from the outside, I felt that he was taking the approach of creating the character from the inside, and he put a lot of thought into his performance." He added, "He was self-sacrificing from the beginning to the end. He was like a seeker of truth, from start to finish."
◇ His stoicism and approach to the role have become even more solid.
Chief Producer Fujinami Hideki, who is in charge of production, said that Yokohama's further increased acclaim as an actor through his roles in "Seitai," "UNBOUND," and "Kokuho" has given him confidence and a boost, and he felt that "the kind of stoicism and approach to the roles that Yokohama is aiming for has become even more solid."
Fujinami added, "In the second half of ' UNBOUND,' he played a role that transcended his own age, playing a man in his 40s or 50s, which I think was difficult, but he expressed it very carefully, including the way he used his voice and his posture and demeanor, and I felt that the period drama genre was a perfect fit for him, including the physical potential he possesses."
He continued, "In ' UNBOUND,' he played a rare role in which he played a bright, sunny role, and I thought, 'This is the kind of Ryusei Yokohama I like!' I also think Yokohama has a really cute smile, so I think that's what made him seem even more attractive throughout the year."
In "UNBOUND," Yokohama frequently showed off Kabuki-like facial expressions and gestures, reminiscent of his performances after "Kokuho." Whether it's the aforementioned "martial arts" or "kabuki," his eagerness to incorporate new skills into his acting and elevate his roles is sure to remain unchanged. He'll be 30 in 2026, but we're sure to see him aiming for even greater heights in his 30s.
