# Yuki Kubota

Yuki Kubota (久保田 悠来, Kubota Yūki, born June 15, 1981, in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and model whose work has included stage, television and film roles. He is best known as the character Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu / Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin in the Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Gaim. He is currently affiliated with the Japan Music Entertainment agency.

## Career

Kubota debuted as a magazine model in 2002 after being scouted in Harajuku. In 2007 he made his theatrical debut as Hal Kurabayashi in the stage play Switch, based on the manga of the same name. Also in the same year he got small roles in TV series such as Oniyome Nikki and Jotei, as well as a brief appearance in Kamen Rider: The Next. A year later he got the part of Keigo Atobe in the stage play Prince of Tennis Musical. In 2009 he starred in the stage adaptation of Capcom's video game Sengoku Basara as Date Masamune. After playing the character for four years, he transitioned to a broader career in films and TV.
In 2010, Kubota got his first main role in the movie Gachinko Kenka Joto. On January 31, 2012, he left his agency of two years, Riseki Agency Co., Ltd., for personal reasons. After freelancing for ten months, he joined Japan Music Entertainment at the end of November 2012. In 2013, he was given the role of Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu in the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Gaim (2013–14). Since then, he has appeared in various TV shows and movies, including Shinjuku Swan, and in V-Cinema films. He has played a wide range of characters, from geeks to killers, although he has played mostly antagonist and rival roles. He claimed to prefer playing bad guys and dark heroes.
He is a fan and avid supporter of the local Hiratsuka soccer team Shonan Bellmare, and in April 2015 was appointed to Berusapo Public Relations Office as General Manager of Shonan Living Newspaper that supported the team's activities.
In 2018 he returned to the theater, appearing in the stage plays Gantz: L and Hachioji Zombies, the latter alongside Kenjiro Yamashita from Sandaime J Soul Brothers. In 2019 he reprised his role as Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu in the stage play Kamen Rider Zangetsu - Gaim Gaiden.
In addition to acting roles, Kubota has participated in a number of TV variety shows. He was the Monday host of TV Kanagawa's information programme Neko no Hitai Hodo Wide from April 2019 to March 2020. He also directed a promotional video for the stage play Psycho-Pass: Chapter 1 - Crime Coefficient.
On September 30, 2020, he officially launched his YouTube channel "久保田悠来の悠給休暇 (Yuki Kubota's Paid Vacation)" which to date primarily posts Let's Play videos of multiplayer online games.
In May 2021, he had a minor role as a radio staff named Shinomiya on the NHK drama Ochoyan and made a good impression on viewers that the name "Shinomiya-san" became trending on Japanese Twitter.
In January 2022, he made his directorial debut for the 2022 version of Basara stage play.

## Personal life

He has an easygoing personality and often cracks jokes during interviews. He loves to make his co-stars laugh, to make their working atmosphere more fun. Kubota stated that he was nothing like the character Takatora Kureshima he portrayed in the series Kamen Rider Gaim.

## Filmography
### TV shows

| Year | Title | Role | Network | Other notes |
| 2007 | Oniyome Nikki | Pick-up artist | Fuji TV | Episode 2 |
| 2007 | Jotei | Black clothes man | TV Asahi | Episodes 4–5 |
| 2008 | Gokusen | Club host | Nihon TV | Episode 4 |
| 2011 | Garo: Makai Senki | Juran | TV Tokyo | Episode 9 |
| 2013 | TAKE FIVE - Oretachi wa Ai wo Nusumeru ka | Tachibana | TBS | Episodes 5–6 |
| 2013 | Kamen Rider Gaim | Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu / Kamen Rider Shin Zangetsu | TV Asahi | |
| 2014 | Ressha Sentai ToQger Vs. Kamen Rider Gaim Spring Vacation Combining Special | Takatora Kureshima | TV Asahi | |
| 2015 | Keibuho Sugiyama Shintaro (Daddy Detective) | Tatsuya Aragaki | TBS | |
| 2015 | Naniwa Kin'yūdō | Kenta Kurozumi | Fuji TV | |
| 2015 | Do S Deka | Takashi Kaitou | NTV | Episode 10 |
| 2015 | Konkatsu Deka | Masashi Shiina | Yomiuri TV | Episode 1 |
| 2015 | Detective Catherine | Detective Suzuki | TV Asahi | |
| 2016 | Detective Catherine: The Disappeared Heir | Detective Suzuki | TV Asahi | |
| 2016 | Ya-san - From Tsukiji! Delicious Case Book | Kentaro Nitta | TV Tokyo | Final episode |
| 2017 | Kasouken no Onna Season 16 | Teruto Koda | TV Asahi | Episode 10 |
| 2017 | Kirawareru Yūki | Takamasa Kondō | Fuji TV | Episodes 9–10 |
| 2017 | Sanbiki no Ossan - Seigi no Mikata, Mitabi! | Taiga | TV Tokyo | Episode 8 |
| 2017 | Uchu Sentai Kyuranger | Scorpio | TV Asahi | Episodes 5, 12–13, 15–21 |
| 2017 | Thrill! The Black Chapter | Mitsuru Kawada | NHK BS Premium | Episode 4 |
| 2017 | Tomodachi Game (Friends Games) | Ren Tōjō | TV Kanagawa | |
| 2017 | Code Name: Mirage | Thunder / Ryosuke Muto | TV Tokyo | Episodes 7-25 |
| 2017 | Minshuu no Teki (The Public Enemy) | Takahiro Abe | Fuji TV | Episodes 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 |
| 2018 | Mob Psycho 100 | Kenji Mitsuura | TV Tokyo | |
| 2018 | The Count of Monte Cristo: Gorgeous Revenge | Naoki Ushiyama | Fuji TV | Episodes 3–9 |
| 2018 | Signal | Detective Sasaki | Fuji TV | Episodes 8–9 |
| 2019 | Meiji Tokyo Renka | Fujita Gorō | TV Kanagawa, U-NEXT | |
| 2019 | Two Weeks | Yu Mamiya | Kansai TV (Fuji Network System) | Adaptation of the Korean drama Two Weeks |
| 2019 | Sherlock: Untold Stories | Masaki Shibata | Fuji TV | Episode 8 |
| 2020 | Hachioji Zombies | Jin | MXTV | |
| 2020 | Rentaru Nanmo Nai Hito no Nanmo Shinakatta Hanashi | Bartender | TV Tokyo | Episode 12 |
| 2020 | Ano Ko no Yume wo Mitan desu | Marketing staff | TV Tokyo | Episode 5 |
| 2021 | Metropolitan Police Department Law Enforcement Officer Akira Higuchi | Michio Araki | TV Tokyo | Final episode |
| 2021 | Ochoyan | Kazuo Shinomiya | NHK | Episodes 101, 105–112 |
| 2021 | Keishichō Sōsaikkachō (Police Department Investigation Division Chief) Season 5 | Shunsuke Mizoguchi | TV Asahi | Episode 3 |
| 2021 | Love Phantom | Yu Fukami | MBS TV | Episodes 3–10 |
| 2021 | Avalanche | Shingo Nagai | Kansai TV | Episode 2 |
| 2021 | Odoribanite (At the Landing) | Satoru Miyauchi | Fuji TV | 33rd Young Scenario Award Grand Prize |
| 2022 | Oi Hansamu!! | Tatsuya | Tōkai TV / Fuji TV | Episodes 1–3, 8 |
| 2022 | Don't Call It Mystery | Haya Inudou | Fuji TV | Episodes 1–3, 11–12 |
| 2022 | Fishbowl Wives | Jun | Netflix | |
| 2022 | Kasouken no Onna Season 21 | Yoshihiko Yamagami | TV Asahi | Special episode |
| 2022 | Kaseifu no Mitazono (Mr Housekeeper, Mitazono) Season 5 | Yukio Tsuzuki | TV Asahi | Episode 4 |
| 2022 | Special Investigation Department 9 (Tokusō 9) Season 5 | Kazuki Shimada | TV Asahi | Episode 10 |
| 2022 | PopUP! Afternoon Women's Drama | Kosuke Saeki | Fuji TV | Episode 4 |
| 2022 | Zennin Nagaya | Higoi no Denhachi | NHK BS Premium (BS4K) | Episode 2 |
| 2022 | Teppachi! | Takayuki Ōki | Fuji TV | Episodes 7 - 11 |
| 2022 | Ikemen-domo yo Meshi o Kue | Aoyama | TV Osaka / BSTV Tokyo | Episode 8 |
| 2022 | Silent | Nezu | Fuji TV | |
| 2023 | Nankai Trough Megaquake Drama | Mikami | NHK | NHK Special |
| 2023 | Kimichika Kazama - Kyoujo 0 | Kentaro Ashizawa | Fuji TV | Episode 1 |
| 2023 | Ikukyuu Deka | Sho Endo | NHK | Episode 5 |
| 2023 | Hayabusa Fire Brigade | Yasunori Asano | TV Asahi | Episode 5 |
| 2023 | Hyena | Yuya Enomoto | TV Tokyo | Adaptation of South Korean drama series Hyena |
| 2024 | Happy of the End | Kaji | Fuji TV | |

### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2007 | Dear Friends | Club patron | |
| 2007 | Kamen Rider: The Next | Tourist | Epilogue |
| 2009 | Randies | Masami Kasuga | |
| 2010 | Gachinko Kenka Jōtō (High School War - Throwdown!) | Satoshi Saeki | |
| 2010 | Local Boys! | Tohru | |
| 2011 | Gangsta | Riki Shiraishi | |
| 2011 | Kōshōnin Dōmoto Reiji | Reiji Dōmoto | V-Cinema |
| 2011 | An Assassin | Shunichi Misaki | |
| 2012 | Kirin: Point of No Return | Chosuke | |
| 2012 | Shi Gata Futari Wowakatsumade... Chapter 1: Iro no Nai Ao | cameo | |
| 2012 | Happiness in Little Place | Renji Ogawa | |
| 2013 | Garo: Soukoku no Maryu | Kakashi | |
| 2013 | Kyūkyoku!! Hentai Kamen | Reporter | |
| 2013 | Hadaka no Itoko | Takeshi | |
| 2013 | Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Gaim & Wizard: The Fateful Sengoku Movie Battle | Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu | |
| 2013 | Yokohama Story | Yuuya Tanabe | |
| 2014 | Heisei Rider vs. Shōwa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai | Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin, Kamen Rider Shin (Voice) | |
| 2014 | Boku to 23-nin no Dorei (Tokyo Slaves) | Shinjuku Seiya | |
| 2014 | Magic Night | Nasuka | |
| 2014 | Kamen Rider Gaim: Great Soccer Battle! Golden Fruits Cup! | Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Shin Zangetsu | |
| 2014 | Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Drive & Gaim: Movie War Full Throttle | Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Shin Zangetsu | |
| 2015 | Shinjuku Swan | Yosuke | |
| 2015 | Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Zangetsu/Kamen Rider Baron | Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Shin Zangetsu | V-Cinema |
| 2015 | Kiri: The Chronicles of a Professional Killer | Ryo | |
| 2015 | Uchimura Summers The Movie: Angel | Ito | |
| 2015 | Mr. Maxman | Takatoshi Kanda | |
| 2015 | Wasureyuki | Narumi | Directed by South Korean director Han Sang-Hee, and starring Chansung, member of the Korean boy band 2PM |
| 2015 | Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Duke/Kamen Rider Knuckle | Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu / Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin | V-Cinema |
| 2016 | Trumpet on the Cliff | Kōichi | Directed by South Korean director Han Sang-Hee, and starring Byung Hun (L. Joe), past member of the Korean boy band Teen Top. |
| 2016 | Bros. Maxman | Takatoshi Kanda | |
| 2016 | Love is a Dog from Hell | | Directed by Edmund Yeo. Screened at 20th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, and at 2017 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival |
| 2016 | SCOOP! | Ryū Ishiwatari | |
| 2016 | Derushine: El Shuriken vs Shin Konchū Deathquito | Kōji Higashi | |
| 2017 | Shinjuku Swan II | Yosuke | |
| 2017 | NY Maxman | Takatoshi Kanda | |
| 2017 | Tomodachi Game Gekijoban | Ren Tōjō | |
| 2017 | Karada no Uttara Sayonara (Love for Sale) | Rei | |
| 2017 | Tomodachi Game Gekijoban: FINAL | Ren Tōjō | |
| 2017 | Uchu Sentai Kyuranger: Episode of Stinger | Scorpio | V-Cinema |
| 2018 | Misoji Onna wa Romanchikku na Yume wo Miru ka? | Takuto Kazama | |
| 2018 | Futatsu no Kinō to Boku no Mirai | Kenzō Kurokawa | |
| 2019 | Meiji Tokyo Renka | Fujita Gorō | |
| 2019 | Gozen | Masaki Kazuma | |
| 2019 | Tokyo Wine Party People | Murasaki Sakuragi's father | Special appearance |
| 2019 | Doubt - Usotsuki Otoko wa Dare? | Kazumi Kagami | |
| 2019 | BLACKFOX: Age of the Ninja | Shigetsugu Toda | Web-distributed, live action spin-off of the anime Blackfox |
| 2020 | Hachioji Zombies | Jin | |
| 2020 | Gaim Gaiden: Kamen Rider Gridon vs. Kamen Rider Bravo | Takatora Kureshima | Web-release miniseries |
| 2024 | Samurai Detective Onihei: Blood for Blood | Koheiji Sawada | |
| 2024 | The Quiet Yakuza 2: Part 1 | Toshiki Kawaji | |
| 2024 | The Quiet Yakuza 2: Part 2 | Toshiki Kawaji | |

## Theatrical Performances

| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Switch | Hal Kurabayashi | September 20–23, 2007, at Differ Ariake |
| 2008 - 2010 | Prince of Tennis Musical | Keigo Atobe | The Imperial Presence Hyotei feat. Higa (July 29 - September 15, 2008, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall) The Treasure Match Shitenhouji feat. Hyotei (December 13, 2008 - March 31, 2009, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall) Dream Live 6th (May 2–3, 2009, at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium; May 9–10, 2009, at Kobe World Hall) The Final Match Rikkai First feat. Shitenhouji (July 30 - October 4, 2009, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall) The Final Match Rikkai Second feat. The Rivals (December 17, 2009 - March 14, 2010, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall) Dream Live 7th (May 7–9, 2010, at Kobe World Hall; May 20–23, 2010, at Yokohama Arena) |
| 2008 - 2009 | THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT | Alan | Premiere (October 31 - November 3, 2008, at Theater Green BOX in BOX THEATER) Replay (April 9–12, 2009, at Minami-osawa Cultural Hall) |
| 2009 | Bakumatsu Taiyou-den | Okada Izō | January 29 - February 1, 2009, at Kichijoji Theater |
| 2009 - 2013 | Butai Sengoku Basara | Date Masamune | Sengoku Basara (July 3–12, 2009, at Theater G-Rosso) Sengoku Basara - Soukou Kyoutou (April 9–18, 2010, at Sunshine Theater) Sengoku Basara 3 (October 14–16, 2011, at Ion Keshohin Theater BRAVA!; October 23–30, 2011, at Theater G-Rosso) Sengoku Basara 2 (May 11–15, 2012, at Le Theatre Ginza; May 19–20, 2012, at Ion Keshohin Theater BRAVA!; June 2–3, 2012, at Chunichi Theatre) Sengoku Basara 3 - Setouchi Hibiki Arashi (November 2–11, 2012, at Tokyo Dome City Hall; November 16–18, 2012, at Nippon Seinenkan Big Hall; May 23–26, 2012, at Morinomiya Piloti Hall) Butai Sengoku Basara Bushou Matsuri 2013 (July 13–14, 2013, at Ariake Coliseum) |
| 2009 | Sora no Kyōkai: Okada Izō Ibun | Okada Izō | August 27–30, 2009, at Theater Green BIG TREE THEATER |
| 2009 | Existence: Episode 0 | Hikaru | December 5–7, 2009, at Rikkoukai Hall |
| 2010 - 2012 | Hanasakeru Seishōnen | Lee-Leng Huang | The Budding Beauty (September 29 - October 6, 2010, at Sogetsu Hall) The Budding Beauty in the Oriental Blue Wind (February 16–27, 2011, at Sogetsu Hall) The Blooming Princess Special Event (November 26–27, 2011, at Harajuku Quest Hall) The Blooming Princess (Raginei Revolution) (January 13–15, 2012, at Sunshine Theater) The Blooming Princess (Love and Fate) (January 17–18, 2012, at Sunshine Theater) |
| 2010 | BUTLER x BATTLER - Gekidō no toki o koete, seiya no okurimono | Eisuke Nishikata | December 22–26, 2010, at Theater 1010 |
| 2011 | AND ENDLESS 15th Anniversary Special Program vol. 1 | Okada Izō | March 27 - May 5, 2011, at Zenshinza |
| 2012 | A Study in Scarlet (Recitation Drama) | Watson / Holmes | September 30 - October 11, 2012, at Tennozu Ginga Theater |
| 2012 | Basara | Ageha | December 12–16, 2012, at Zenrosai Hall / Space Zero |
| 2015 | Love Letters | Andy | January 10, 2015, at Zepp Blue Theater Roppongi |
| 2018 | GANTZ: L - ACT & ACTION STAGE | Shion Izumi | January 26 - February 4, 2018, at Tennozu Ginga Theater |
| 2018 | Hachioji Zombies | Jin | August 5–18, 2018, at TBS Akasaka ACT Theater |
| 2019 | Kamen Rider Zangetsu - Gaim Gaiden | Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu | March 9–24, 2019, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall; March 28–31, 2019, at Kyoto Theater |
| 2019 | Reading Theater 'Dark Alice' | | June 1, 2019, at Sunshine Theater |
| 2019 | Psycho-Pass: Chapter 1 - Crime Coefficient | Shinya Kogami | October 25 - November 10, 2019, at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stellar Ball |
| 2021 | Engeki no Mori-san - The Entertainment Theater Vol. 0 | Narrator (The Prince of the Stars), Rivière (Night Flight) | Reading Theater - The Prince of the Stars (January 12, 2021, at Sunshine Theater) Reading Theater - Night Flight (January 16, 2021, at Sunshine Theater) |
| 2022 | Basara | Ageha (W Cast), Director | January 13–23, 2022, at Theater Sun Mall. Yuki Kubota also directed the performance |
| 2022 | Bungo Stray Dogs: Storm Bringer | Professor N | June 24–27, at Nippon Seinenkan Hall July 2–3, at Higashi Osaka Cultural Hall - Dream House Grand Hall |
| 2023 | Sei Nise no Geinou Production | Kiraku | March 15, at Yomiuri Otemachi Hall |
| 2023 | Utakatano (Reading & Dramatic play) | Drama part | March 31, at Zenrosai Hall (Kokuman Coop Hall/Space Zero) |
| 2023 | Theater Group Z-Lion Waratte mo Ii Ie (The House Where You Can Laugh) | Manabu Manabe | July 1–9, 2023 at Tokyo Haiyuza Theater |