Shuntaro Yanagi

The model who didn't want to talk

Shuntaro Yanagi is 183 cm tall, and that height helped him win the model contest for MEN'S NON-NO in 2009. He wasn't looking to become an actor. But Japanese cinema has an absolute fixation on faces that hold up well in silent close-ups.

In 2012, he made his film debut in Virgin. It was a small role that went unnoticed by commercial critics. But it taught him that his look could become unsettling if he stopped smiling in front of the camera.

The industry took a while to recognize his potential.

For years, he played supporting roles in manga adaptations. In 2017, he appeared in Tokyo Ghoul as Renji Yomo. This is where he began refining the image of a man of few words and strong physical presence that defines him on screen.

The tattoo as a work tool

In 2020, Alice in Borderland premiered on a global streaming platform. His performance as Last Boss, a tattooed man armed with a katana, made international audiences learn his name. He spent months training combat choreography so that the movements would look believable.

He didn't need long dialogue to stand out.

In 2021, he worked on Rurouni Kenshin: The Final. Shortly after, he joined the cast of Re/Member in 2022. His appearance lets him fit into horror and action genres effortlessly, because he knows how to use his height to intimidate the audience.

And the bet on physical risk paid off.

The duality of the Nikaido twins

For the adaptation of Golden Kamuy in 2024, he took on the challenge of playing the twins Kohei and Yohei Nikaido. It was a complex technical job, because it required shooting the same scene twice with different psychological nuances. Digital post-production did the rest so that both characters could share the same sequence.

In 2024, he also took part in the fourth installment of Kingdom. Shooting these big-budget productions usually stretches over several months in rural locations across Japan. Yanagi has been signed with the agency Stardust Promotion since he decided to trade the runway for film sets.

The actor lives in Tokyo and avoids social media to keep his private life out of the spotlight of the gossip magazines.