AKIRA

## AKIRAアキラ

* THE SECOND
* EXILE

AKIRA promoting "Twilight Cinema" (2023)

AKIRA (November 2022)

**Kurosawa Ryohei** (黒澤良平), better known by his stage name **EXILE AKIRA**, is a Japanese performer, actor, model and business man. He is a member of EXILE and EXILE THE SECOND, and a former member of RATHER UNIQUE. Since 2019, he is also the leader of EXILE TRIBE.

He is also the representative director, president and CEO of "LDH Ai Yume Etsu" based in Taiwan.

## Early Life

Kurosawa Ryouhei was born on August 23, 1981 in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He has an older sister.

In 2003, he became a founding staff of EXPG, worked there as a dance instructor by day and actively performed at live events held in various locations at night to hone his performing skills. In the midst of all this, he received a direct offer from HIRO to join EXILE in 2006. Although it was an unexpected promotion, he later revealed that he felt insecure and burdened. "*Immediately after I joined the group, I couldn't proudly say "I became EXILE". I knew the weight and hardship of becoming EXILE, and the charisma of the seniors, so I couldn't say it half-heartedly.*"

## Career

### 2004-2008

AKIRA started his career in 2004 by debuting in the group RATHER UNIQUE as their only performer. In June 2006, three months before the unit's disbandment, he had joined EXILE as a performer.

AKIRA started his acting career in 2008, participating of the drama *Around 40 ~Chuumon no Oi Onna Tachi~*.

### 2016

On September 5, he was announced as a new member of EXILE THE SECOND.

### 2017

In January, he was assigned a position in EXPG as part of the staff.

On February 16, he was appointed as the first Asian global ambassador for of the luxury brand *Ralph Lauren*.

### 2018

In early 2018, became the official model for *Ralph Lauren Purple Label*, *Made to Measure*, and *Watch Collections Spring/Summer 2018* campaign.

### 2019

Sometime in 2019, he was appointed as the leader of EXILE TRIBE.

### 2021

On October 4, he was appointed as the new brand character of Miss Paris Group's "Man's beauty treatment salon Dandy House".

### 2023

On January 21, AKIRA appeared in the Taiwanese program *Superstars Red and White Talent Awards* (a program similar to the Japan's New Year's Eve special, *Kohaku Uta Gassen*) to celebrate Lunar New Year's Eve and performed a special collaboration with ELLA, a member of Mando-Pop group S.H.E.

On November 4, it was announced that he had been appointed as the representative director, president and CEO of "LDH Ai Yume Etsu", a Taiwan-based subsidiary of LDH JAPAN to transmit LDH's entertainment to Asia. In an interview, he revealed that he would like to act as a bridge for LDH artists who were currently managed in Japan to expand their business to Asia, communicate in Taiwan through the friends and business partners he has met, improve EXPG Taipei, and develop school projects in cooperation with EXPG that TETSUYA is managing in Japan, e.g. high school events, workshops, exchange programs, and school curriculums unique to the local area.

## Personal Life

Family
On June 6, 2019, AKIRA announced his marriage to Taiwanese actress and super model Lin Chi-ling. Their marriage was registered in both Taiwan and Japan on the same day. They had met each other for the first time in 2011 while co-starring in the stage play *Red Cliff ~Ai~* and developed a close friendship afterwards. It was also revealed that they started dating 6 months before their wedding, at the end of 2018. The wedding ceremony took place at the Wu Clan Grand Shrine in Tainan, Taiwan on November 17, 2019.

On January 31, 2022, the couple announced the birth of their first child, a boy.

Kurosawa Shunsuke, a high school rugby player and CTB of Houtoku Gakuen High School born in 2005, is AKIRA's nephew. His mother is AKIRA's older sister Miyuki.

## Works

### Filmography

Movies
* [2008] Hana Yori Dango Final
* [2009] Yamagata Scream
* [2009] Chanto Tsutaeru
* [2010] Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen *(Hong Kong)*
* [2010] Hanjirou
* [2012] Working Holiday
* [2013] Sougen no Isu
* [2015] Unfair the end
* [2016] Silence
* [2016] ROAD TO HIGH&LOW
* [2016] HIGH&LOW THE MOVIE
* [2017] Chinmoku -Silence-
* [2017] Tatara Samurai
* [2017] HiGH & LOW THE MOVIE 2 / END OF SKY
* [2017] HiGH & LOW THE MOVIE 3 / FINAL MISSION
* [2019] Kono Michi
* [2022] Touge Saigo no Samurai (峠 最後のサムライ)

TV Dramas
* [2008] Around 40 ~Chuumon no Oi Onna Tachi~
* [2010] Toomawari no Ame
* [2010] Tumbling
* [2011] Gou
* [2011] Meitantei Conan Kudo Shinichi e no Chosenjo
* [2012] 3.11 Sono Toki, Ishino Maki de Nani ga Okitanoka ~ 6 Mai no Kabe Shinbun
* [2012-2014] GTO
* [2013] Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou
* [2013] Honey Trap
* [2014] Binta! ~Bengoshi Jimu-in Minowa ga Ai de Kaiketsu Shimasu~
* [2014] Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! Best-seller Sakka Kara no Chousen-jo 'Diamond Dust'
* [2015] HEAT
* [2015] HiGH&LOW ~THE STORY OF S.W.O.R.D.~
* [2016] HIGH&LOW Season 2
* [2016] Night Hero NAOTO
* [2017] Keiji Yugami (episode 9)

Voice Acting
* [2008] Examurai
* [2015] Mad Max Ikari no Desu Load

TV Shows
* [2023] Mysterious Hardware Store (神秘五金行)
* [2023] Switch Interview (スイッチインタビュー)

### Radio

* SESSIONS 4
* [2010.10-2012.12] RADIO MASHUP

### Music

Music Video Appearances
* [2005] YA-KYIM - "Happy the globe PART II"
* [2016] EXILE THE SECOND - "YEAH!! YEAH!! YEAH!!"
* [2016] EXILE THE SECOND - "Shut up!! Shut up!! Shut up!!"
* [2018] RED DIAMOND DOGS - "RED SOUL BLUE DRAGON"

### Advertising

Image figure
* [2023] "JINS" 2023 Autumn/Winter series (in Taiwan)

CMs
* [2023] Johnnie Walker Blue Label "UMAMI"

### Other

* [2023] 2023 25th Taipei Film Festival - Presenter

## Publications

Photobooks

1. [2014.09.22] AKIRA LA

Books

1. [2017.06.06] THE MAN OF EXILE AKIRA 2006-2016
2. [2018.08.23] THE FOOL Gusha no Tamashii (THE FOOL 愚者の魂)

Video Works

1. [2019.02.06] THE FOOL MOVIE ~Raw to Refined~
2. [2019.12.18] THE FOOL MOVIE 2 ~THE FOOLS~

## Events

* [2018.09.14-2018.09.17] THE FOOL PHOTO ART GALLERY

## Trivia

* Has taken dance lessons in the US.
* Is studying English and Chinese as he is planning to work overseas as an actor and performer.
* According to Sato Taiki, "*He is always considerate to various people, and he communicates with the members and managers about the team and expresses his opinions to them. Also, he would take junior members out for dinner. He continues to do this even as he gets older, so for me, he is a man among men. I think that kind of man is my ideal.*"

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 「EXILE」 のテレビ露出情報
2. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2096576/full/
3. ↑ https://realsound.jp/2019/01/post-308216\_2.html
4. ↑ https://fashionmarketingjournal.com/2017/02/ralphlauren-akira.html
5. ↑ https://www.wwdjapan.com/articles/385540
6. ↑ https://www.allure.com/story/akira-interview-beauty-routine-ralph-lauren
7. ↑ https://www.wwdjapan.com/articles/571969
8. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/447793
9. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2264964/full/
10. ↑ https://realsound.jp/2023/01/post-1240443.html
11. ↑ https://www.tokyoheadline.com/672162/
12. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/4034570
13. ↑ https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/00941/00003/
14. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1843008
15. ↑ EXILE AKIRA&台湾人女優のリン・チーリンが結婚「心から幸せにしたい」【コメント全文】
16. ↑ EXILE HIRO、AKIRA&リンチー・リン結婚を祝福「力を合わせて素敵な家庭を」
17. ↑ https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/334538
18. ↑ EXILE AKIRA＆リン・チーリン夫妻　永遠の幸せを誓う　台湾・台南で挙式＆披露宴
19. ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2222897/full/
20. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/463787
21. ↑ https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/2985395
22. ↑ https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202201310009
23. ↑ https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4427067
24. ↑ https://hochi.news/articles/20231230-OHT1T51228.html?page=1
25. ↑ https://www.sanspo.com/article/20231230-V6JPOBIVEVJ37FLBFWXZH6FJYU/
26. ↑ https://mainichi.jp/articles/20231230/k00/00m/050/126000c
27. ↑ https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/471901
28. ↑ https://japan.focustaiwan.tw/entertainment-sport/202301050005
29. ↑ https://natalie.mu/music/news/552378
30. ↑ https://m.ex-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=44712
31. ↑ https://m.ex-m.jp/news/detail?news\_id=43669
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20190613\_1390843.html?DETAIL
33. ↑ https://emomiu.jp/news/99154/