Hottest Japanese Actors of all time

20 Hottest Japanese Actors of all time (2023 List)

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Japan, although popularly known for anime and manga, has some of the most talented actors. Being skilled, they are also extremely good-looking and hardworking. If you are into Japanese media, then we are sure that this article is made just for you. So without further ado, here are the top 20 most handsome Japanese actors of all time.

(Please note that this is a LIST and not a ranking of any sort, & and the actors mentioned here are based on personal preference.)

Hottest Japanese Actors (List)

1. Ryusei Yokohama

Formerly a member of the male talent group Ebidan, Ryusei is a Japanese actor currently under Stardust Promotion. He was discovered by a talent scout when he was only a sixth grader.

Ryusei started off as a model in 2011 and made his acting debut the same year. He is also extremely skilled at Kyokushin karate and has won the 7th International Youth Karate Tournament for boys.

Age: 26

Starred in: Ressha Sentai ToQger (2014), A Story to Read When You First Fall in Love (2019), Panda Judges the World (2020), Cursed in Love (2020), Why I Dress Up For Love (2021)

2. Keita Machida

Keita Machida is a member of the theater group Gekidan Exile and is represented by the LDH agency. He always had a passion for dance and was announced as a member of Generations from Exile Tribe but soon dropped out. He rejoined in 2012 and chose to focus on acting.

Keita also participated in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay as a torchbearer.

Age: 32

Starred in: HiGH&LOW (2015), Hotarugusa (2019), Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2020), Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo (2021), Isn’t It a Bad Guy? (2022)

3. Kento Yamazaki

Undoubtedly one of the most handsome and globally popular celebrities right now, Kento Yamazaki is a Japanese actor and model. He entered the industry as a model and then gradually made his acting debut in 2010.

He started gaining massive popularity and received several awards, such as Best Actor & was even placed in Forbes Asia 100 Digital Stars. Kento is also the first Japanese actor to model for Armani Exchange.

Age: 28

Starred in: Orange (2015), Death Note (2015), Your Lie in April (2016), Alice in Borderland (2020), Atom’s Last Shot (2022)

4. Sota Fukushi

Standing at 183 cm, Sota Fukushi is an award-winning actor. He debuted in 2010 and gained recognition for his acting in Kamen Rider Fourze. Sota has starred in several popular shows and films and is undeniably one of the hottest Japanese actors in the industry.

Age: 29

Starred in: Kamen Rider Fourze (2011), Goodbye Ghosts! (2016), Heaven?: My Restaurant, My Life (2019), We Are One. (2021), Avalanche (2021)

5. Yusei Yagi

Yusei Yagi is a singer, performer, actor, and vocalist of the group FANTASTICS. He was one of two winners in EXILE VOCAL BATTLE AUDITION 5 and is even considered one of the hottest Japanese actors. He made his acting debut in 2021 and swiftly gained recognition, bagging the “Outstanding Asian Star Prize” at Seoul International Drama Awards.

Age: 25

Starred in: Mannequin Night Fever (2020), My Beautiful Man (2021), Overwrite First Kiss (2022), Bakayarou no Kiss (2022), HiGH&LOW THE WORST Cross (2022)

6. Takanori Iwata

Despite not initially wanting to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Takanori Iwata is currently one of the hottest actors of all time. He made his acting debut in 2013, and by 2016 he had gained a massive fan following and received plenty of awards for his work.

He is best known for his role as Junichi Wakamiya, the Japanese version of Dr. Watson in Sherlock: Untold Stories and related shows.

Age: 33

Starred in: Wild Heroes (2015), HiGH&LOW (2015), Sherlock: The Untold Stories (2019), Promise Cinderella (2021), The Hound of the Baskervilles: Sherlock the Movie (2022)

7. Haruma Miura

Haruma Miura was a Japanese actor and singer, considered one of the most handsome actors of his time. He made his acting debut at the age of seven in the late 90s and gained popularity in just a few years.

Haruma was extremely popular in both Japan and overseas and had starred in several hit dramas & received several awards for both his acting and music. On July 18, 2020, Haruma was found unresponsive by his manager and pronounced dead.

Age: 30

Starred in: Sky of Love (2007), Bloody Monday 2 (2010), Never Let Me Go (2016), A Banana? At This Time of Night? (2018), Gift of Fire (2021)

8. Ryosuke Yamada

Making his acting debut in 2006, Ryosuke Yamada is a Japanese actor, singer, and member of the boy band Hey! Say! JUMP. Launching his solo career in music in 2013, he is the first teenage male artist in 30 years to have a number-one debut single.

Alongside music, Ryosuke is also one of the hottest top actors in Japan and has played the role of Nagisa Shiota in Assassination Classroom and Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist live-action adaptions.

Age: 29

Starred in: Detective School Q (2007), The Files of Young Kindaichi Neo (2014), The Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017), The Kitazawas: We Mind Our Own Business (2018), The Killer Inside (2022)

9. Dori Sakurada

Dori Sakurada is presently one of the most handsome and popular Japanese actors in the industry. Starting off as a child actor, he made his acting debut when he was just 14 years old.

After going on a hiatus, Dori ultimately came back with more determination to make it big in the entertainment industry. Since then, he has been at the top of the charts with his acting as well as music.

Age: 30

Starred in: Umi no Ue no Kimi wa, Itsumo Egao (2009), SIGN (2011), Girl is a Liar (2015), La (2019), Alice in Borderland (2020)

10. Takeru Satoh

Best known for his main lead in the Kamen Rider Den-O franchise, Takeru Satoh is one of the best actors of his generation. He officially debuted in 2006 after previously working as a child actor for a few years.

Takeru is extremely talented and famous in his home country, Japan and is also considered one of the hottest Japanese actors of all time. He has also won several Best Actor awards for his work.

Age: 33

Starred in: Kamen Rider Den-O (2007), Rookies (2008), Bloody Monday 2 (2010), The Emperor’s Cook (2015), An Incurable Case of Love (2020)

11. Eiji Akaso

 

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Represented by Tristone Entertainment, Eiji Akaso is a young Japanese actor and model. Motivated to become an actor since middle school, he dropped out of university to go to Tokyo and join his agency.

Before making it big in the acting industry, Eiji was a model under the name Mamoru Akaso and a part of the local idol group “BOYS AND MEN” but chose to focus on just acting in the later years.

Age: 28

Starred in: Kamen Rider Build (2017), Hey Sensei, Don’t You Know? (2019), Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (2020), Love Me, Love Me Not (2020), She Was Pretty (2021)

12. Ryota Katayose

Ryota Katayose is a Japanese actor, singer, and vocalist of Generations from Exile Tribe. Talented and dedicated since childhood, Ryota was good at the piano as well as soccer.

He participated in Vocal Audition 2 in 2010 and became a finalist, finally becoming an official member in 2012. Ryota then gradually made his acting debut in 2014 and is currently one of the hottest and most popular Japanese actors.

Age: 28

Starred in: My Brother Loves Me Too Much (2017), Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight (2019), Advent of an Aristocrat: Prince of Legend (2020), Redder than Yesterday Bluer than Tomorrow -CINEMA FIGHTERS project- (2021), Fate Police (2022)

13. Yosuke Sugino

Winner of the 12th Fine Boys Model Audition Grand Prix, Yosuke Sugino is a Japanese actor and model. He is under Top Coat Agency and made his acting debut in 2016.

Yosuke gained recognition for his role as Natsume Hiragii in Netflix drama Good Morning Call. Standing at 185 cm, Yosuke is also a model and definitely one of the hottest Japanese actors on this list.

Age: 27

Starred in: Kiseki: Sobito of That Day (2017), Waiting for Spring (2018), L-DK: Two Loves, Under One Roof (2019), Nao is a Third Grader in Elementary School (2021), Love’s In Sight (2021)

14. Mizuki Itagaki

Mizuki Itagaki is an actor, model, singer, and former member of M!LK. He was scouted by Stardust Promotion at the age of only 10. He made his film debut in 2014 and debuted as a member of M!LK the same year.

Since then, he has starred in several hit dramas and films, and is undeniably one of the most handsome Japanese actors in the industry.

Age: 22

Starred in: Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Season 2 (2017), Sixteen Syndrome (2020), In House Marriage Honey (2020), FAKE MOTION: Only One Wish (2021), Two Out Full Base (2022)

15. Taishi Nakagawa

Starting off as a child actor, Taishi Nakagawa soon garnered himself roles much older than his age due to his growth spurt. He is a Japanese actor, host, and model, and unquestionably one of the most handsome celebrities in Japan right now.

Taishi debuted in 2009 and soon starred in several hit dramas that helped him gain recognition for his acting. He has also made regular appearances as an MC on shows as well as a regular performer in the comedy skit The Comedy Of Life.

Age: 24

Starred in: Closest Love To Heaven (2017), Boys Over Flowers Season 2 (2018), Kids on the Slope (2018), Queen (2019), You, Me, and Bach (2019)

16. Jun Shison

Jun Shison is a Japanese actor under Watanabe Enternainment. He is also a member of male actors groups D-BOYS and D2 which are also affiliated with his agency.

Jun made his acting debut in 2011 and gained fame for his first lead role as Keigo Minohara in the live-action adaptation of the manga Senpai to Kanojo. He has also starred in other live-action adaptations like Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, and is quite popular in Japan.

Age: 27

Starred in: Ressha Sentai ToQger (2014), Hitoshi Ueki and His Pupil (2017), HiGH&LOW THE WORST (2019), Request to the Angel (2020), The Way of the Househusband (2020)

17. Masaki Okada

Masaki Okada is one of the most handsome Japanese actors on this list. He is under Stardust Promotion and made his official debut in 2006.

The actor is best known for his role as Takuma Kakinouchi in the 2009 film I Give My First Love To You and has received several awards including five Newcomer of the Year for his work.

Age: 33

Starred in: The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami (2015), Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2018), Omameda Towako and Her Three Ex-Husbands (2021), The Cursed Sanctuary X (2021), The Travel Nurse (2022)

18. Fuju Kamio

Fuju Kamio is a young Japanese actor and model who made his acting debut in 2015. He is managed by A-Team and is best known for his role in the live-action adaptation of the manga Kiss Him, Not Me.

Despite debuting just a few years ago, Fuju is considered as one of the hottest Japanese actors by fans all around the world.

Age: 23

Starred in: Love and Fortune (2018), Boys! Please Kiss Him, Instead of Me (2020), The Van Gogh Downstairs (2022), Nanba MG5 (2022), Love is Light (2022)

19. Ryo Ryusei

 

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Ryo Ryusei is undoubtedly one of the hottest Japanese actors of all time. He is an actor under Ken-On and is extremely talented in soccer, basketball, and high jump.

Ryo debuted in 2010 and has starred in live-action adaptations of animes like Orange and Ouran High School Host Club. The actor even voiced Forky in the Japanese dub for Toy Story 4.

Age: 29

Starred in: We’re the Bounty Hunter Troupe (2014), Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (2018), Restart After Come Back Home (2020), Lion’s Snack (2021), Is It Ok If We Follow Home? (2021)

20. Tori Matsuzaka

Japanese actor and model, Tori Matsuzaka is definitely one of the most popular stars in Japan. He made his acting debut in 2008 and has since starred in several hit shows and films.

Standing at 183 cm, Tori is unquestionably one of the hottest actors on this list. He has won several Best Actors and Newcomer awards, as well as modeled for magazines like GC, Puma Meets, and Shibuya 109 MEN’S!

Age: 34

Starred in: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (2009), Siren (2015), Virtual Detective Tabito Higurashi (2017), In This Corner of the World (2018), How To Be Likable In A Crisis (2021)

With that, we conclude the list and it is unfortunate that we weren’t able to mention all the deserving and talented actors here. Once again, this is based on a personal preference and not any official ranking. Remember to check out the movies and dramas mentioned.

Until next time then!

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