# Shouta Aoi

Shouta Aoi (蒼井 翔太, Aoi Shōta, born August 11, 1987), is a Japanese singer and actor. Under the stage name Showta (stylized as "SHOWTA."), he debuted as a singer with the song "Negaiboshi" in 2006 and released his first studio album, Eve, in 2008. In 2009, he left his agency and briefly released music independently under the pseudonym Noboru Ryugaki (柳ヶ木 昇).
After making his acting debut as Saki Hanajima in the Fruits Basket musical in 2009, Aoi has been involved in multiple musical theatre productions, including Sakuya Shiomi in Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade. In 2011, he began voice acting and gained media attention after voicing Ai Mikaze from Uta no Prince-sama. Since then, he has been recognized for roles such as Hideaki Tojo from Ace of Diamond, Monet Tsukushi in the Magic-kyun! Renaissance series, Rui Minazuki from the Tsukiuta series, Louis Kisaragi from King of Prism series, and Licht von Glanzreich from The Royal Tutor.
In 2013, Aoi relaunched his singing career under his new stage name with the extended play Blue Bird, followed by the release of "Virginal" in 2014. In 2015, he released his first studio album, Unlimited. Since the relaunch of his music career, his music is produced by Elements Garden.
Throughout his career, Aoi has been given titles such as "Archangel" and was praised for his "angelic" singing voice. He is known for his soft, high-pitched voice and androgynous appearance, allowing him to play female parts as well.

## Early life

Aoi was born in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. He has one older sister. From elementary to high school, he played tennis and won many trophies. As a child, he watched a lot of anime and played video games, citing his interest in voice acting through Akira Ishida's portrayal of Fish Eye from Sailor Moon SuperS. In school, he was bullied for his high-pitched, feminine voice. He credits his friends from junior high school for helping him regain his confidence after they complimented his performance of "So Into You" by Koda Kumi during a karaoke outing. In 2004, he competed in the Yamaha Teens' Music Festival under the name "Noboru Yanagawa" and won the Grand Prix for the Tokai, Ibaraki region. Initially, when he first auditioned, he had mistakenly believed it was an amateur karaoke competition. He was a finalist at the national competition, along with Ataru Nakamura, where he performed "1000 no Kotoba" by Koda Kumi.

## Career
### 2006–2010: Musical debut, Eve, and indies activities

Aoi debuted under the name Showta with the single "Negaiboshi" on July 26, 2006, under King Records, which charted at #119 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. On November 22, 2006, he released his second single, "Trans-winter (Fuyu no Mukōgawa)", which served as the theme song to the live-action television adaptation of the manga Damens Walker. His third single, "Hito Shizuku", a mid-tempo ballad, was released on April 4, 2007. His fourth single, "Kimi ni, Kaze ga Fukimasu You ni" was released on July 27, 2007, as the ending theme song to Ichiteru. For his fifth single, he released a cover of Yoshie Kashiwabara's 1983 song "Haru na no ni" on January 23, 2008.
Aoi released his first studio album, Eve, on March 5, 2008, which charted at #115 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart. His sixth single, "Hikaru no Gen-chan", was released on April 23, 2008, for NHK's Minna no Uta segments during the months of April and May. In 2009, Aoi contributed the song "Ekubo" to the movie soundtrack of Kanna-san Daiseiko Desu! the Movie, which was released as a promotional digital single. He made his first acting appearance as Saki Hanajima in the Fruits Basket stage play adaptation.
In 2010, Aoi left King Records, citing his desire to become a voice actor and theme song performer. He began releasing music and performing independently under the name Noboru Ryugaki. He was a featured artist in the song "Oji-sama to Cheek" on Kenzo Saeki and Boogie the Mach Motors' collaboration album, 21-Seiki-san sings Harlmens. During this time, he also performed in independent musical theatre and stage productions.

### 2011–2016: Voice acting debut and stage activities

Aoi signed onto S Inc. in 2011 for voice acting and debuted under the name Shouta Aoi, making his first appearance as Kanshiki in the game Black Robinia. He performed "Ai no Sasameki Goto" as the first song released under his new stage name, which served as the theme song to the drama CD series Sangokushi Lovers. In October, he voiced Ryunosuke Matsushita in the anime Kimi to Boku and also performed the songs "Sora", "Tomorrow" and "Over" for the show's soundtrack.
In 2012, Aoi was cast as Ai Mikaze in the Uta no Prince-sama media franchise, where he performed and sang several songs for the character in the game and anime soundtracks. After gaining recognition from the success of his role, Aoi released his first extended play, Blue Bird, on January 13, 2013, which contained theme songs he performed for Broccoli drama CDs. On January 15, 2014, Aoi released his first single, "Virginal", under his stage name, as the ending theme song to Break Out, which was then followed by his first concert, Shouta Aoi 1st Live: Virginal. On August 6, 2014, he released his second single, "True Hearts." Alongside of singing and voice acting, Aoi continued participating in stage productions, including playing Sakuya Shiomi in the Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade musicals.
In late 2014, Aoi was cast as Ayumu Tamari in the OVA This Boy Suffers From Crystallization, his first leading role in animation. He also provided the theme song, "Glitter Wish", which was later released as the B-side to his third single, "Himitsu no Kuchizuke", on December 3, 2014. In 2015, he released his first studio album, Unlimited, which charted at #7 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart. Aoi's fourth single, "Murasaki", was released on September 2, 2015, serving as the theme song to the stage musical Prince Kaguya, which he also starred in as the title character. On February 3, 2016, he released the single "Zessei Stargate" as the opening theme song to Phantasy Star Online 2: The Animation, in which he also voiced the character Itsuki Tachibana.

### 2016–present: Label change

Aoi returned to King Records in 2016. During that year, both B-green and King Records released compilation albums of his previous works, S and Showta Best. After changing labels, Aoi released his sixth single, "Innocent", as the opening theme song to First Love Monster on July 27, 2016, in which he also played Renren. His seventh single, "DDD", was released October 19 as the theme song to Future Card Buddyfight DDD, a series in which he also played recurring character Gaito Gurenzo. On January 25, 2017, Aoi released the song "Flower", which was the ending theme song for the variety show King's Brunch for the month of January. On October 11, 2017, he released his second studio album, Zero, which sold 11,361 copies within its first week.
On May 9, 2018, Aoi released the song "Eclipse" as the opening theme song to Devils' Line, in which he also appeared in as Kenichi Yoshii. In 2019, he provided the narration to Dimension High School and later appeared in the show as Shiro Oide, his first role in live-action television. On April 10, 2019, Aoi released his ninth single, "Tone", as the opening theme song to Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life, in which he was also cast as Mio Kanzaki. On May 3, 2019, a set of 24 voiced stickers featuring Aoi for the messaging application Line was released, based on his radio show Shouta Aoi: Hungry Night. In September 2019, Aoi appeared in the live-action television drama Real Fake as Akane.
On October 10, 2022, Aoi released "Psycho:Logy" as a digital single, which was used as the opening theme of the second season of Pop Team Epic. On October 15, 2022, Aoi announced that he has left his management company S and will be working freelance.

## Public image

Since the beginning of his career, Aoi has been recognized for his soft, high-pitched voice and has been given nicknames such as "archangel" and "angelic singing voice." He is also branded as being a "genderless singer" due to his androgynous voice and appearance, which allowed him to play female roles. In a survey conducted by Anime! Anime!, 50% women and 50% men in the questionnaire ranked him as #2 as the voice actor with the most "angelic" voice. Aoi himself became an Internet meme following his appearance in Pop Team Epic, in which the studio responded by releasing exclusive merchandise of him. In 2018, Aoi was the second most-followed voice actor on Twitter in Japan.

## Other ventures
### Endorsements

Aoi has appeared in commercials for CyberStep Toreba 2D. In 2016, Aoi appeared and sang in the commercial for Lotte's Lady Borden ice cream along with Yuki Kaji and Kenshō Ono.

### Collaborations

In 2017, Denon produced a collaboration headphone set with Aoi, and he also starred in their commercial. In April 2018, Sanrio released a fashion collaboration line with Aoi and Little Twin Stars, featuring a character based on himself named "Shoutan" and Tamutamu, a character Aoi personally designed. The character line ranked #5 in the 2018 Sanrio Character Ranking in the collaborations category. Sanrio distributed a mini album for the Shoutan character performed by Aoi himself, titled Twinkle Star.

## Filmography
### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Fruits Basket | Saki Hanajima, female student | Also acted as Saki Hanajima in the Strawberry Team version; double-cast with Yosuke Kogawa; credited as Showta |
| 2009 | It Runs in the Family | Nurse | — |
| 2010 | Shibuya × Akiba | Takashi | Credited as Noboru Ryugaki |
| 2010 | Moon War: Tsuki ga Kiiro ka, Shiro, Kuro ka... | Atra | Credited as Noboru Ryugaki |
| 2013 | In a Grove | Female suspect | — |
| 2013 | Yoha na Bokura (余白な僕ら) | Atsuo | — |
| 2013 | The Ascenscion of K, or His Death by Drowning | Boku | — |
| 2014 | Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade: The Blue Awakening | Sakuya Shiomi | |
| 2014 | Shunpu Gaiden | Momoyako | — |
| 2014 | Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade: The Ultramarine Labyrinth | Sakuya Shiomi | |
| 2014 | Valkyrie: Story from Rhine Gold | Ask Embra | — |
| 2014 | Phantasy Star Online 2: On Stage | Takuya | — |
| 2015 | Shunpu Gaiden | Momoyako | — |
| 2015 | Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade: The Bismuth Crystals | Sakuya Shiomi | |
| 2015 | Prince Kaguya | Aoi, Kaguya | |
| 2016 | Relic: Tale of the Last Ninja | Shōji Jinnai | |
| 2016 | The Smile Mermaid | Marina | |
| 2017 | Persona 3: The Weird Masquerade: The Indigo Pledge and Beyond the Blue Sky | Sakuya Shiomi | |
| 2017 | Le Petit Prince | The Prince | |
| 2017 | The Royal Tutor | Licht von Glanzreich | |
| 2019 | The Royal Tutor: Musical II | Licht von Glanzreich | |
| 2019 | West Side Story: Season 1 | Tony | Double-cast with Mamoru Miyano |
| 2021 | ROAD 59 - SHIN JIDAI NINKYOU TOKKU - MATENRO YOZAKURA KOSO | Benedict Lorenzo Vasari | |

### Anime

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Kimi to Boku | Ryunosuke Matsushita | — |
| 2012 | Kimi to Boku 2 | Ryunosuke Matsushita | — |
| 2013 | Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 2000% | Ai Mikaze | — |
| 2014 | Shōnen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 | Daiki Tomii | — |
| 2014 | Rage of Bahamut: Genesis | Michael | — |
| 2015 | Shōnen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 50 | Daiki Tomii | — |
| 2015 | Ace of Diamond | Hideaki Tōjō | |
| 2015 | Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love Revolutions | Ai Mikaze | — |
| 2015 | Ace of Diamond: Second Season | Hideaki Tōjō | — |
| 2015 | The Transformers: Mystery of Convoy | Cliff | — |
| 2015 | Fist of the North Star: Strawberry Flavor | Lin | |
| 2016 | Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation | Itsuki Tachibana | — |
| 2016 | Prince of Stride: Alternative | Tōya Natsunagi | — |
| 2016 | Future Card Buddyfight DDD | Gaito Kurouzu | — |
| 2016 | First Love Monster | Renren | — |
| 2016 | Tsukiuta. The Animation | Rui Minazuki | — |
| 2016 | Handa-kun | Sōsuke Kojika | — |
| 2016 | Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE Legend Star | Ai Mikaze | — |
| 2016 | Magic-kyun! Renaissance | Monet Tsukushi | |
| 2016 | Kiss Him, Not Me | Akane | — |
| 2017 | Marginal#4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang | Tsubasa Shindō | — |
| 2017 | Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys | Takayuki Konparu | — |
| 2017 | Chiruran: Nibun no Ichi | Sanosuke Harada | — |
| 2017 | Future Card Buddyfight X | Gaito Kurouzu | — |
| 2017 | The Royal Tutor | Licht von Grannzreich | — |
| 2017 | Symphogear AXZ | Cagliostro | — |
| 2017 | Dynamic Chord | Narumi Amagi | — |
| 2018 | Pop Team Epic | Himself (episode 12, 14) | |
| 2018 | Real Girl | Yuuto Itō | |
| 2018 | Devils' Line | Kenichi Yoshii | |
| 2018 | Caligula | Kagi-P/Kensuke Hibiki | |
| 2018 | The Thousand Musketeers | Springfield | |
| 2019 | Dimension High School | Dimensional Messenger, Shiro Oide | |
| 2019 | Meiji Tokyo Renka | Rentaro Taki (episode 7) | — |
| 2019 | Real Girl 2nd Season | Yuuto Itō | — |
| 2019 | Ace of Diamond Act II | Hideaki Tōjō | — |
| 2019 | Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life | Mio Kanzaki | |
| 2019 | King of Prism: Shiny Seven Stars | Louis Kisaragi | |
| 2019 | Carole & Tuesday | Pyotr | |
| 2020 | My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! | Geordo Stuart | |
| 2020 | My Roomie Is a Dino | Himself (episode 1, 2) | |
| 2020 | Princess Connect! Re:Dive | Kaiser Insight | |
| 2020 | Tsukiuta. The Animation 2 | Rui Minazuki | |
| 2021 | 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team | Akito Kanno | |
| 2021 | Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood | Makoto Tsukishiro | |
| 2021 | My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! X | Geordo Stuart | — |
| 2021 | Cardfight!! Vanguard overDress | Yu-yu Kondo | — |
| 2021 | Visual Prison | Hyde Jayer | |
| 2022 | She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man | Cleos | |
| 2022 | Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress | Yu-yu Kondo | |
| 2022 | Detective Conan: The Culprit Hanzawa | Makoto Hanzawa | |
| 2024 | The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases | Allen | |
| 2024 | A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! | Akira Takahashi | |

### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | King of Prism by Pretty Rhythm | Louis Kisaragi | Voice |
| 2017 | King of Prism: Pride the Hero | Louis Kisaragi | Voice |
| 2019 | The Royal Tutor | Licht von Glanzreich | Voice |
| 2019 | King of Prism: Shiny Seven Stars | Louis Kisaragi | Voice |
| 2019 | Uta no Prince sama Movie Maji Love Kingdom | Ai Mikaze | Voice |
| 2021 | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie -Part 1- | Fisheye | Voice |
| 2023 | My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! The Movie | Geordo Stuart | Voice |
| 2023 | Wish | Gabo | Voice Dubbing |
| 2025 | Dream Animals: The Movie | Hippo | Voice |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Black Robinia | Kanshiki | Debut voice acting role |
| 2013—present | Uta no Prince-sama series | Ai Mikaze | |
| 2014 | Granblue Fantasy | Elta | |
| 2014 | Sky Lore | Travelling Prince | |
| 2014 | Voice Meets Girl: Luck of Cinderella | Shouta Kiriya | |
| 2015 | Cafe Cuillere | Minato Sakuma | |
| 2015 | Kobayashi ga Kawai Sugite Tsurai!! Game demo Kyun Moe Max ga Tomaranai | Chinaga Uesugi | |
| 2015 | Thousand Memories | Lizard, Dennis | |
| 2015 | Taishō × Taishō Alice | Snow White | — |
| 2015 | Ninmu suikō | Shō Tsuzuki | |
| 2015 | Prince of Stride | Tōya Natsunagi | |
| 2015 | 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams | Sai, Michiru | |
| 2015 | Band Yarouze! | Asahi Ohtori | — |
| 2016 | Magic-kyun! Renaissance | Monet Tsukushi | — |
| 2016 | The Caligula Effect | Kagi-P/Kensuke Hibiki | — |
| 2016 | Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys | Takayuki Konparu | — |
| 2017 | Akane-sasu Sekai de Kimi to Utau | Mori Ranmaru | — |
| 2018 | Meiji Tokyo Renka: Haikara Date | Rentaro Taki | |
| 2018 | Princess Connect! Re:Dive | Kaiser Insight | — |
| 2018 | Dream!ing | Shion Mikekado | |
| 2018 | Starry Palette | Sakurai Toma | — |
| 2018 | Ikémen Vampire: Temptation in the Dark | Isaac Newton | — |
| 2019 | Bungou to Alchemist | Lewis Carroll | — |
| 2019 | Overhit | Lilith | — |
| 2019 | Ikémen Sengoku: Romances Across Time | Mori Ranmaru | — |
| 2020 | Disney: Twisted-Wonderland | Ortho Shroud | |
| 2020 | Collar × Malice | Yasuhiro Isshiki | — |
| 2021 | Blaster Master Zero Trilogy | Leibniz | — |
| 2021 | The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak | Melchior | — |
| 2022 | Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days | Yu-yu Kondo | |
| 2022 | Dragon Quest Treasures | Euston | |
| 2023 | Fire Emblem Engage | Rosado |

### Drama CD

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2013–present | Tsukiuta series | Rui Minazuki |
| 2013 | Sengoku Soine | Ishida Mitsunari |
| 2014 | Ginga Idol Cho Kareshi | Chizane |
| 2014–present | Happy Sugar Darlin' series | Ranran Kurumiya |
| 2016 | Fresh Kiss 100% | Ruka |
| 2016 | Moso Kareshi | Kuro |
| 2017 | Dynamic Chord | Nal |
| 2017 | Heiko Sekai to Hakoniwa Heya | Asanaga Shijyo, Osamu Shijyo |
| 2017 | Blackish House | Sera |
| 2017–18 | Otodoke Kareshi series | Haruka Hinata |
| 2018 | Marginal Lover | Tsubasa |
| 2019 | Makai Ōji-sama no Chōzetsu Amayakashi Drama CD | Prince of the Demon World |
| 2021 | Magia Circus DramaCD 〜 It's Showtime 〜 | Ciel |
| 2021 | Fabulous Night | Algernon |

### Original video animation (OVA)

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | This Boy Suffers From Crystallization | Ayumu Tamari | |
| 2021 | Hakuoki | Hyōgo Sakai | |

### Live-action and variety shows

| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
| 2014–2016 | Motefuku | Member | Television Saitama | — |
| 2014–present | Animate Ongakan | Host | Animate Channel | |
| 2015–present | Night also Shouta Aoi | Host | Nico Live | |
| 2015 | Shouta Aoi Aozora sunshine with Joymax | Host | YouTube | |
| 2017–present | Otawamure | Host | Fuji TV | — |
| 2019 | Real Fake | Akane Kaburagi | MBS TV | |
| 2020 | Kikenna Venus | Sherry | TBS | |
| 2021 | Real Fake 2nd STAGE | Akane Kaburagi | MBS TV | |

## Tours

* Shouta Aoi 1st Live: Virginal (2014)
* Shouta Aoi 2nd Live: Unlimited (2015)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2016 WONDER lab. 〜Bokutachi no (僕たちの) sign〜 (2016)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2017 WONDER lab. 〜prism〜 (2017)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2017 WONDER lab. Ø (2017)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2019 WONDER lab. I (2019)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 蒼井翔太 ONLINE LIVE at 日本武道館 うたいびと (2021)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2021 - 2022 WONDER lab. coRe (2021 - 2022)
* Shouta Aoi LIVE: 2022 WONDER lab. Garden (2022)