# Snow Man

Snow Man is a Japanese idol boy band under Starto Entertainment. The group's activities focused on acrobats and stage play.
Snow Man made their official debut on January 22, 2020 at the same time as SixTONES. The groups' simultaneous debut marks the first time for two groups to debut on the same day in the company's history. D.D./Imitation Rain becomes the best-selling debut release in Asian history with more than 1.8 million physical copies sold, making Snow Man the best selling debut group since KAT-TUN in 2006.
It is also the first male idol single in 17 years to remain in the top 100 of the Oricon chart for more than 100 weeks. Since their debut in 2020, the group has sold over 11 million physical copies in Japan. In 2021, their debut studio album, Snow Mania S1, sold in the first week more than 841k physical copies, and became in the best selling first week for a boygroup studio album in Japan history, and in the second best week for a debut album in the country's history. Their single Grandeur was the best-selling release of 2021 in Japan with more than 1 million physical copies sold, with this Snow Man became the first male artist since L'Arc~en~Ciel in 1999 to have two consecutive years a release that sells more than a million copies. Their total physical sales in Japan are 20 million copies.
In January 2022, Snow Man moved from label Avex Trax to MENT Recording. MENT Recording is a newly established joint label between Avex Entertainment and Starto Entertainment. Kis-My-Ft2, another group from the same company and under Avex Trax, also moved to MENT Recording.

## History

The group was preceded by Mis Snow Man, a unit formed in 2009 that consists of 9 people. The group has been active in stage play series Takizawa Kabuki since 2010. Among them, a unit consists of Tatsuya Fukazawa, Daisuke Sakuma, Shota Watanabe, Ryota Miyadate, Hikaru Iwamoto, and Ryohei Abe was later formed on May 3, 2012. The group's new name, Snow Man, was first announced when the six men stood in the stage of Takizawa Kabuki 2012, when letters suddenly appeared on the big screen behind them. The group's name was officially announced both to them and audience as a surprise.
While active as back dancers for Tackey & Tsubasa, Kis-My-Ft2, A.B.C-Z, and other senior groups, they also regularly appeared in stage plays such as Dream Boys and Takizawa Kabuki, and from 2015, Shonen-tachi and its movie version. Since all of them are good at acrobatics, they are sometimes referred as "a group of highly talented and dedicated performers" and are often nominated by seniors in the company as "Junior members they want to have as back dancers." While they have been described as "the best dancer among Junior" since their formation in 2012, and despite their appearances in theater, the group couldn't get the chance to get a debut, making the members think about leaving. In January 2019, Raul from Shonen Ninja, Ren Meguro from Uchuu Six, and a member from Kansai Junior, Koji Mukai, were added as new members. While the original 6 members accepted the decision as "wanting to protect the group," they also felt that "even if whole group (as original Snow Man) was gone, we just want to realize our dream as Snow Man," and "the only way to get rid of this problem (off my head) is this."
In March 2019, Island TV, a website made to provide exclusive video streaming content from Johnny's Jr. members was released.< Individual concerts were streamed for a fee. Snow Man, along with 11 other Johnny's Jr. groups (SixTones, Travis Japan, HiHi Jets, Bi Shonen, 7 Men Samurai, Shonen Ninja, Jr.SP, Uchuu Six, Naniwa Danshi, Lil Kansai, and Ae! Group) held their first "solo" concert In August 8, and was streamed via the site.
The group's debut was first announced by Takizawa, who is told by Johnny Kitagawa in his hospital bed in June 2019. Debuting at the same time as SixTONES, the announcement was officially made in Johnny's Jr. 8.8 Matsuri 〜Tokyo Dome kara Hajimaru〜 concert on August 8, 2019. They also "graduated" from Johhny's Jr. official YouTube channel and officially opened their own YouTube channel on December 25, 2019.

### 2020–present: Debut

On February 1, 2020, the group marked their first overseas appearance in Japan Expo Thailand 2020. Their Asia tour titled Snow Man ASIA TOUR 2D.2D in Kanagawa Prefecture, Osaka, and Tokyo, as well as overseas live in Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, and Taipei had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2020, the group received their own television show titled Sore Snow Man ni Yarasete Kudasai (それSnowManにやらせて下さい, lit. Leave It to Snow Man). The show's was revealed as a surprise to Snow Man through their YouTube channel in February 2020. The show's first episode aired on March 25, 2020, on TBS.
Hikaru Iwamoto was reported in March 2020, to be taking a break from group's activities, after the Japanese magazine Friday published a report of him drinking at love motel in 2017. Through Johnny's apology post, it was written that Iwamoto confirmed that an underage girl was among those present. The other 8 members also made their apology in their appearance at the live music program CDTV Live! Live! on the same day as the reported news. On July 1, Johnny's net and Johnny's web announced that Iwamoto would return to resume his activities.
In April 2020, the group performed the 11th opening theme song for the anime Black Clover, titled "Stories".
In May 2020, Snow Man was announced to be a part of Twenty★Twenty, a temporary unit consisting of 75 talents that have debuted in Johnny's, to perform a charity song. The unit was formed to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The song, titled "Smile," is written by Kazutoshi Sakurai and is produced by Hideaki Takizawa.
A movie version of stage play Takizawa Kabuki called Takizawa Kabuki Zero The Movie (滝沢歌舞伎 ZERO The Movie) was released on December 5, 2020, starring the members of Snow Man in the main roles. This marks Snow Man's post-debut first main role in a movie.
In December 2020, it was announced that Ryota Miyadate had tested positive for COVID-19. Their New Years performance was canceled as a result.
On January 5, 2021, Snow Man's song "Grandeur" debuted as the 13th Opening for Black Clover.
In April 2021, it was reported that Daisuke Sakuma would voice the male lead of Chinese animated movie White Snake, Ah Xuan, in its Japanese dub version. This is Sakuma's second voice acting role after he debuted in Black Clover. The Japanese version of the movie also features a theme song by Snow Man, "Yuan" (縁 -YUÁN-).
In August 2021, Snow Man was announced to star in the live action movie adaptation of anime series Mr. Osomatsu. Six of them played as the Matsuno sextuplets while the rest, Ryōta Miyadate, Shōta Watanabe, and Ryōhei Abe, as the movie's original character, each named Period, End, and Close respectively. The film premiered on March 25, 2022. The group also provided the film's theme song "Brother Beat."
In the same month, the group announced their first album release titled Snow Mania S1. The album released on September 29, 2021. The first edition A of the album contains the highly requested group's pre-debut original songs, including "Make It Hot!" and "Owaranai Memories."
On October 1, 2024, member Shōta Watanabe was chosen as the Swarovski jewelry brand's first ambassador in Japan. In the same month, the group performed the ending theme song for the second season of the anime Blue Lock, titled "One".
On January 22, 2025, Snow Man released their first greatest hits album, The Best 2020–2025, marking the fifth anniversary of their debut. The album sold over 1.1 million copies on its first day on sale, topping the Oricon Daily Album Ranking chart for January 21, 2025. Its first-week sales hit 1,395,000 copies, setting a new record for the highest first-week sales of Japan’s Reiwa Era.
It was reported that Snow Man would have 2 concerts in Japan National Stadium in 2025, making it the third group from the former Johnny & Associates's debuted groups (after SMAP and Arashi) and the first of Starto Entertainment to perform there. The tour "Snow Man 1st Stadium Live Snow World" will take place on April 19 and 20 at the National Stadium and at Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa on June 7 and 8.

## Members

| Name | Name | Born | Member color | Note |
| Romanization | Kanji | Born | Member color | Note |
| Tatsuya Fukazawa | 深澤　辰哉 | (1992-05-05) May 5, 1992 (age 32) Tokyo, Japan | Purple | |
| Daisuke Sakuma | 佐久間　大介 | (1992-07-05) July 5, 1992 (age 32) Tokyo, Japan | Pink | |
| Shōta Watanabe | 渡辺　翔太 | (1992-11-05) November 5, 1992 (age 32) Tokyo, Japan | Blue | |
| Ryōta Miyadate | 宮舘　涼太 | (1993-03-25) March 25, 1993 (age 31) Tokyo, Japan | Red | |
| Hikaru Iwamoto | 岩本　照 | (1993-05-17) May 17, 1993 (age 31) Saitama, Japan | Yellow | leader |
| Ryōhei Abe | 阿部　亮平 | (1993-11-27) November 27, 1993 (age 31) Chiba, Japan | Green | |
| Koji Mukai | 向井　康二 | (1994-06-21) June 21, 1994 (age 30) Nara, Japan | Orange | |
| Ren Meguro | 目黒　蓮 | (1997-02-16) February 16, 1997 (age 28) Tokyo, Japan | Black | |
| Raul Murakami Maito | 村上　真都 | (2003-06-27) June 27, 2003 (age 21) Tokyo, Japan | White | center |

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Information | Chart positions | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications |
| Title | Information | JPN | JPN Comb | Sales | Certifications |
| Snow Mania S1 | Released: September 29, 2021 (JPN) Label: Avex Formats: CD, CD/DVD, CD/BD | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,060,900 | RIAJ: Million |
| Snow Labo. S2 | Released: September 21, 2022 (JPN) Label: Ment Recording Formats: CD, CD/DVD, CD/BD | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,070,700 | RIAJ: Million |
| I Do Me | Released: May 17, 2023 (JPN) Label: Ment Recording Formats: CD, CD/DVD, CD/BD | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,270,800 | RIAJ: Million |
| Rays | Released: October 30, 2024 (JPN) Label: Ment Recording Formats: CD, CD/DVD, CD/BD | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,080,577 | |

### Compilation albums

| Title | Information | Chart positions | Sales |
| Title | Information | JPN | Sales |
| The Best 2020–2025 | Released: January 22, 2025 Label: Ment Recording Formats: CD, CD/DVD, CD/BD | 1 | JPN: 1,395,344 |

### Video albums

List of video albums, with selected chart positions, certifications and sales :
| Title | Video details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales |
| Title | Video details | JPN DVD | JPN BD | Certifications | Sales |
| Snow Man Asia Tour 2D.2D. | Released: March 3, 2021 Label: Avex Formats: DVD, Blu-ray | 1 | 1 | | JPN: 580,867 |
| Takizawa Kabuki Zero the Movie | Released: April 7, 2021 Label: Avex Trax Formats: DVD, Blu-ray | 1 | 1 | | JPN: 620,900 |
| Snow Man Live Tour 2021 Mania | Released: April 4, 2022 Label: Ment Recording Formats: DVD, Blu-ray | 1 | 1 | | JPN: 780,100 |
| Snow Man Live Tour 2022 Labo. | Released: July 5, 2023 Label: Ment Recording Formats: DVD, Blu-ray | 1 | 1 | | JPN: 796,000 |

### Singles

| Title | Information | Chart positions | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications |
| Title | Information | JPN | JPN Comb | Sales | Certifications |
| "D.D./Imitation Rain" | Released: January 22, 2020 Also includes SixTONES' "Imitation Rain" Label: Avex / SME Japan | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,859,372 | RIAJ: Million |
| "Kissin' My Lips/Stories" | Released: October 7, 2020 "Kissin' My Lips" was used as song for Dior's commercial movie starring Raul "Stories" was used as an opening song for anime Black Clover Label: Avex | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,178,326 | RIAJ: Million |
| "Grandeur" | Released: January 20, 2021 "Grandeur" was used as an opening song for anime Black Clover "Namida no Umi o Koeteyuke" was used as theme song for group's program "Sore, Snow Man ni Yarasete Kudasai" Label: Avex | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,040,226 | RIAJ: 3× Platinum |
| "Hello Hello" | Released: July 14, 2021 "Hello Hello" is used as main theme for movie Honey Lemon Soda "Yuan" is used as the main theme for the Japanese dub version of the film White Snake Label: Avex | 1 | 1 | JPN: 962,787 | RIAJ: 3× Platinum |
| "Secret Touch" | Released: December 1, 2021 Used as main theme for TV drama series My Love Mix-Up! Label: Avex | 1 | 1 | JPN: 852,959 | RIAJ: 3× Platinum |
| "Brother Beat" (ブラザービート, Burazā Bīto) | Released: March 30, 2022 Used as main theme for live action movie Osomatsu-san Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 895,899 | RIAJ: 3× Platinum |
| "Orange Kiss" (オレンジkiss, Orenji kiss) | Released: July 13, 2022 Used as main theme for live action movie My Boyfriend in Orange Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 943,749 | RIAJ: 3× Platinum |
| "Tapestry" / "W" (タペストリー / W, Tapesutori / W) | Released: March 15, 2023 "Tapestry" is used as main theme for movie My Happy Marriage "W" is Used as main theme for TV drama series Dai byōin senkyo Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,000,000 | RIAJ: Million |
| "Dangerholic" | Released: September 6, 2023 Used as main theme for live action show Trillion Game Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 869,205 | |
| "Love Trigger" / "We'll Go Together" | Released: February 14, 2024 "Love Trigger" is the theme song for the TV Asahi drama Koisuru Keigo 24 Ji "We'll Go Together" is the theme song for the NTV drama Sensei Sayonara Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,192,951 | |
| "Breakout" / "Kimi wa Boku no Mono" (Breakout / 君は僕のもの) | Released: July 31, 2024 Label: Ment Recording | 1 | 1 | JPN: 1,067,101 | |

### Unreleased songs
## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Note |
| 2020 | WEIBO Account Festival 2019 | New Artist Award | Snow Man | |
| 2020 | GQ MEN OF THE YEAR 2020 | Pop Icon Of The Year | Snow Man | |
| 2020 | ANAN Award 2020 | Grand Prize | Snow Man | |
| 2021 | WEIBO Account Festival in Tokyo 2020 | Popular Male Idol Group Award | Snow Man | |
| 2021 | ORICON Chart 2021 | Mid-year/Half Ranking – No 1 Sales by Artist | Snow Man | JPY 4.92 Billion |
| 2021 | ORICON Chart 2021 | Mid-year/Half Ranking – No 1 Sales by Work | Grandeur | |
| 2021 | ORICON Chart 2021 | Annual Ranking – No 1 Sales by Work | Grandeur | |
| 2021 | 35th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Best 5 New Artist | Snow Man | |
| 2021 | 35th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Single Of The Year | D.D with Imitation Rain | |
| 2021 | World Music Awards | Best Selling Japanese Single | Grandeur | The only million-selling single in 2021. 1st Male Japanese Act since LArcenCiel in 1999 to have 2 consecutive years with Million-selling singles |
| 2021 | World Music Awards | IFPI Global Album Sales Chart – No 9 | Snow Mania S1 | |
| 2022 | The 110th The Television Drama Academy Awards (Fall 2021) | Best Theme Song – No 2 | Secret Touch | Ost. Kieta Hatsukoi / My Love Mix-Up! |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Artist Of The Year – Japan | Snow Man | |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Album Of The Year – Japan | Snow Mania S1 | |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Best 5 Albums | Snow Mania S1 | |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Single Of The Year | Grandeur | |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Best 5 Singles | Grandeur Hello Hello | |
| 2022 | 36th JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARDS | Best 3 Music Videos | Snow Man ASIA TOUR 2D.2D. | |
| 2022 | ORICON Chart 2022 | Mid-year/Half Ranking – No 1 Sales by Artist | Snow Man | JPY 6.01 Billion |
| 2022 | ORICON Chart 2022 | Mid-year/Half Ranking – No 1 Sales by Work | Brother Beat | |