Yutaka Kobayashi (小林 豊, Kobayashi Yutaka; born March 19, 1989) is a Japanese actor and singer formally affiliated with…Yutaka Kobayashi (小林 豊, Kobayashi Yutaka; born March 19, 1989) is a Japanese actor and singer formally affiliated with Fortune Entertainment. He was the oldest member of the boy group Boys and Men, designated by his color yellow-green. He is best known for his role as the character, Kaito Kumon/Kamen Rider Baron, from the Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Gaim.
Kumiko Kōda (神田 來未子, Kōda Kumiko; born November 13, 1982), known professionally as Koda Kumi (倖田 來未, Kōda Kumi), is a…Kumiko Kōda (神田 來未子, Kōda Kumiko; born November 13, 1982), known professionally as Koda Kumi (倖田 來未, Kōda Kumi), is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs from her seventh single, "Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba", were used as themes for the video game Final Fantasy X-2. Her popularity grew with the release of her fourth studio album Secret (2005), her sixteenth single "Butterfly" (2005), and her first greatest hits album Best: First Things (2005), reaching the number-three, number-two, and number-one spots respectively. Though her early releases presented a conservative, quiet image, she has become a fashion leader among young women, setting trends such as the ero-kakkoii style. In 2006 and 2007, Oricon named Koda as the top selling artist of the year.
Masayoshi Yamazaki (山崎 まさよし, Yamazaki Masayoshi; born 山崎 将義 Yamazaki Masayoshi on December 23, 1971, in Kusatsu Shiga)…Masayoshi Yamazaki (山崎 まさよし, Yamazaki Masayoshi; born 山崎 将義 Yamazaki Masayoshi on December 23, 1971, in Kusatsu Shiga) is a Japanese singer-songwriter who plays guitar-driven blues, rock, and pop music, though he has also recorded piano ballads. Though he primarily plays the guitar, he has played the drums, piano, percussion, saxophone, and glockenspiel on some albums. He released his second album in 1997, which contained his breakout and most famous single "One More Time, One More Chance." This song was used in Makoto Shinkai's anime film 5 Centimeters per Second. In November of 2002, he performed the Beatles song "All My Loving" for Sir Paul McCartney while the latter was backstage after a show in Japan on the Driving World Tour.
Takanori Nishikawa (西川 貴教, Nishikawa Takanori; born September 19, 1970) is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter…Takanori Nishikawa (西川 貴教, Nishikawa Takanori; born September 19, 1970) is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, voice actor, radio personality, and businessman. He performs under the stage name T.M.Revolution (T.M.R.), which stands for "Takanori Makes Revolution" (貴教が革命を起こす, Takanori ga kakumei o okosu), stemming from the famous 1980s pop electronic band TM Network. Despite most of his songs being written by Akio Inoue and composed/arranged by Daisuke Asakura (also TMR's former producer), T.M.Revolution is considered Nishikawa's solo project. Nishikawa is also known for contributions of ending and opening themes to many notable anime and game series. After three years as vocalist of the visual kei rock band Luis-Mary, Nishikawa debuted as TMR with the release of his first solo single "Dokusai (Monopolize)" (独裁 -monopolize-) in May 1996. Later that year, his third single "Heart of Sword (Yoake Mae)" (HEART OF SWORD ~夜明け前~) was used as the third ending song for the anime series Rurouni Kenshin, further expanding his fan base. He also contributed six songs to the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED franchise – three for Gundam SEED and three for Gundam SEED Destiny. Nishikawa has guest starred as a minor character in each of those anime series that featured his songs. In 2010, his single "Save the One, Save the All" was used as the ending theme song for the movie Bleach: Hell Verse. Several of Nishikawa's songs, such as "Crosswise" and "Flags", have been used by Capcom's Sengoku Basara video game series and media franchise. In 2005, Nishikawa formed the rock band Abingdon Boys School. T.M.Revolution was the first artist to be signed to Tofu Records, a record label (affiliated with Sony Music Japan) promoting Japanese artists in North America. Tofu released three of his studio albums: coordinate (2003), Seventh Heaven (2004), and vertical infinity (2005). Nishikawa made his North American live debut at Otakon, a large anime convention in 2003. He has also performed at Pacific Media Expo in 2004 and at the New York Comic Con in 2008. Nishikawa revisited his 2003 US performance at the Asian culture convention Otakon by performing at Otakon's 20th Anniversary on August 10, 2013.
Ken (born November 28, 1968, in Maibara, Shiga) is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the…Ken (born November 28, 1968, in Maibara, Shiga) is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the guitarist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. After he joined them in 1992, they went on to sell over 40 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. He has written a breadth of L'Arc-en-Ciel's material, including "Vivid Colors", "The Fourth Avenue Cafe", "Niji", "Kasou", "My Heart Draws a Dream", "Daybreak's Bell" and "Chase". Ken was also the vocalist and guitarist of the rock trio Sons of All Pussys (also known as S.O.A.P.), and has released a solo album entitled In Physical.
Ryo Kagawa (加川 良, Kagawa Ryō; November 21, 1947 in Hikone, Japan – April 5, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese folk…Ryo Kagawa (加川 良, Kagawa Ryō; November 21, 1947 in Hikone, Japan – April 5, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan) was a Japanese folk singer and singer-songwriter. Kagawa was known as a central figure in the Kansai folk-music boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s in Japan, and was a key influence on the early musical development of such major Japanese artists as Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi.
Nobuyasu Okabayashi (Japanese: 岡林 信康, Hepburn: Okabayashi Nobuyasu; born July 22, 1946) is a Japanese folk…Nobuyasu Okabayashi (Japanese: 岡林 信康, Hepburn: Okabayashi Nobuyasu; born July 22, 1946) is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than 50 years. Often compared to Bob Dylan, Rolling Stone Japan called him an icon of Japan's politically turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Okabayashi made his debut in 1968 and quickly earned the nickname the "God of Folk" (フォークの神様, Fōku no Kamisama) with his protest songs. He spent 1975 to 1981 eschewing this title by experimenting with genres such as enka, pop, and new wave. Inspired by the rhythms of Japanese Bon Odori and Korean samul nori, he then created his own genre in the mid-1980s and 1990s that he dubbed "enyatotto" (エンヤトット).