# Yūji Oda

Yūji Oda (織田 裕二, Oda Yūji, born December 13, 1967) is a Japanese actor and singer. He is one of Japan's 11 most popular male entertainers, according to an NHK survey taken in 2004. In one survey, he was the second most popular actor after Takuya Kimura in Japan during the Heisei era (1989-2019).

## Biography

Oda was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. In the late 1980s, he launched his career with the release of two singles on records.
In 1989, he appeared in the television drama Mama Haha Boogie, from which point he started to gain popularity as an actor, which also brought attention to his singing aspirations.
In 1991, he appeared in the enormously popular television drama Tokyo Love Story, a breakout role. He then became a leading man in Japanese film and television, generally playing the role of a sympathetic character.
His most famous role is Shunsaku Aoshima, a police detective in the Bayside Shakedown film and television drama series.

## Personal life

On August 16, 2010, Oda married a non-celebrity woman 12 years younger than him. His wife gave birth to their son in October 2014. After the birth, Oda took a break from work for two years to help focus on child rearing.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Shōnan Bakusōzoku | Akira Ishikawa | |
| 1987 | Ai wa Crossover | Yuji | |
| 1989 | Shogun's Shadow | Tobe Saheiji | |
| 1989 | Urban Marine Resort Story | Fumio Yoshioka | |
| 1990 | Best Guy | Lt. Hideo "Goku" Kajitani | Lead role |
| 1991 | Cover as Many Waves as Possible | Masaki Kosugi | |
| 1991 | No Worries on the Recruit Front | Takeo Ohara | Lead role |
| 1992 | Angel, Boku to uta wa kimi no uta | Tatsuhiko | Lead role |
| 1994 | Graduation Journey: I Came from Japan | Yasuo Mitsugi | Lead role |
| 1995 | Kike wadatsumi no koe: Last Friends | | Lead role |
| 1998 | Bayside Shakedown | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |
| 2000 | Whiteout | Teruo Togashi | Lead role |
| 2003 | T.R.Y. | Shū Izawa | Lead role |
| 2003 | Bayside Shakedown 2 | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |
| 2006 | Star Reformer | Satoshi Nomura | Lead role |
| 2007 | Sanjuro | Sanjuro Tsubaki | Lead role |
| 2009 | Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess | Kosaku Kuroda | Lead role |
| 2010 | Bayside Shakedown 3 | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |
| 2011 | Andalucia: Revenge of the Goddess | Kosaku Kuroda | Lead role |
| 2012 | Bayside Shakedown: The Final | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |
| 2016 | Will You Marry My Wife? | Shūji Mimura | Lead role |
| 2024 | Shinji Muroi: Stay Alive | Shunsaku Aoshima | Cameo |
| 2026 | Bayside Shakedown: N.E.W | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1989 | Mama Haha Bugi | Makoto Mizutani | |
| 1991 | Tokyo Love Story | Kanji "Kanchi" Nagao | Lead role |
| 1993 | Furikaereba Yatsu ga Iru | Kōtarō Shiba | Lead role |
| 1993 | It's a Wonderful Life | Mitsugu Shibaki | |
| 1994 | I have no money! | Kentarō Hagiwara | Lead role |
| 1995 | Seigi wa Katsu | Junpei Takaoka | Lead role |
| 1996 | Mahiru no Tsuki | Naoki Togashi | Lead role |
| 1997 | Bayside Shakedown | Shunsaku Aoshima | Lead role |
| 2001 | Rocket Boy | Shinpei Kobayashi | Lead role |
| 2002 | Midnight Rain | Takashi Tokura | Lead role |
| 2004 | Last Christmas | Kenji Haruki | Lead role |
| 2008 | Homeroom on the Beachside | Sakutarō Sakurai | Lead role |
| 2010 | The Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda | Kosaku Kuroda | Lead role |
| 2016 | IQ246 | Sharaku Hōmonji | Lead role |
| 2018 | Nozaki Shuhei Auditor of Bank | Shuhei Nozaki | Lead role |
| 2018–20 | Suits | Shōgo Kai | Lead role; 2 seasons |
| 2023 | Galápagos | Shin'ichi Tagawa | Lead role; miniseries |
| 2023 | Legal Enforcement with Dogs | Itsuki Obara | |
| 2025 | Water Margin | Song Jiang | Lead role |

## Discography
### Albums

| Title | Release date | Label |
| On the Road | 1990-03-20 | Toshiba EMI |
| Gyakufū (逆風) | 1991-07-12 | Toshiba EMI |
| Oda Yūji Singles (織田裕二SINGLES) | 1991-10-30 | Toshiba EMI |
| Songs | 1991-12-10 | WEA Japan |
| Kodo (KODO－鼓動－, kodō) | 1992-02-19 | Toshiba EMI |
| Kesshin (決心) | 1993-09-22 | Toshiba EMI |
| Screen Play | 1994-09-07 | Toshiba EMI |
| The Best | 1995-09-27 | Toshiba EMI |
| River | 1995-12-06 | Mercury Music Entertainment |
| Stay Here | 1996-11-11 | Mercury |
| Stay Here+2 | 1997-03-26 | Mercury |
| Shake!! | 1998-06-17 | Mercury |
| The Best Tracks | 1998-11-26 | Mercury |
| My Pocket | 1999-09-29 | Mercury |
| Secret Rendez-vous | 2000-07-05 | Mercury |
| Hot & Sweet-Sour Soup: Best of Love Song | 2001-03-23 | Kitty MME |
| 11 Colors | 2003-08-20 | Universal J |
| Arigatō (ありがとう) | 2007-09-26 | |

### Singles

| Title | Release date | Notes | Label |
| "Boom Boom Boom / Hold You Tight" | 1987-04-25 | | WEA Japan |
| "Shūmatsu Dake wa Shōnen" (週末だけは少年) | 1989-07-25 | | WEA Japan |
| "Utae Nakatte Love Song" (歌えなかってラブ・ソング) | 1991-02-06 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Genzai, kono Shunkan kara" (現在，この瞬間から) | 1991-06-07 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Happy Birthday" | 1991-11-06 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Kodo" | 1992-01-29 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Ano Natsu ga Kikoeru" (あの夏が聴こえる) | 1992-05-27 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Kesshin" (決心) | 1993-07-19 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Over the Trouble" | 1994-07-08 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Never Rain" | 1994-10-05 | | Toshiba EMI |
| "Ai made Mousugu Da kara" (愛までもうすぐだから) | 1995-11-08 | | Mercury Music Entertainment |
| "Mirage" | 1996-10-28 | | Mercury |
| "Love Somebody" | 1997-01-29 | with Maxi Priest | Mercury |
| "Over and Over Again" | 1997-07-16 | | Mercury |
| "Freedom" | 1998-02-04 | | Mercury |
| "Shake it Up" | 1998-05-13 | | Mercury |
| "Love Somebody" | 1998-10-28 | with Maxi Priest | Mercury |
| "Something to Say" | 1999-03-17 | | Mercury |
| "Together" | 1999-08-25 | | Mercury |
| "Sora no Mukōmade" (空のむこうまで) | 2001-02-28 | | Kitty MME |
| "Sonna Mondarō" (そんなもんだろう) | 2002-11-13 | | Universal J |
| "We can be Heroes" | 2003-01-01 | | Universal J |
| "Love Somebody" | 2003-06-25 | with Maxi Priest | Universal J |
| "Love Somebody (Cinema Version II)" | 2003-07-16 | with Mýa | Universal J |
| "Last Christmas"/"Wake Me Up Go! Go!" | 2004-11-03 | with Butch Walker | Epic Japan |
| "Hug, Hug" | 2007-04-25 | | Universal J |
| "All my Treasures" | 2007-07-25 | 2007 World Championships in Athletics Osaka Games Theme Song | Universal Sigma |
| "Feel Live" | 2007-12-05 | | |
| "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | 2008-08-12 | as "UZ" | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work(s) | Result |
| 2000 | 43rd Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Actor | Whiteout | Won |
| 2000 | 25th Hochi Film Awards | Best Actor | Whiteout | Won |
| 2001 | 24th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Actor | Whiteout | Nominated |