is a Japanese actor and model. He is best known for starring in manga adaptations, including the films Another (film) (2012), Jinx!!! (2013), L DK (2014), Orange (2015), Your Lie in April (2016), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I (2017), Psychic Kusuo: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. (2017), Kingdom (2019), and television series Death Note (2015) and Alice in Borderland (2020–2025). His other notable works include Kiss That Kills (2018) and Good Doctor (2018). Yamazaki is under the Japanese talent agency Stardust Promotion.
Early life
Yamazaki was born in Tokyo, Japan on September 7, 1994. His family consists of his mother, father, and an older brother seven years his senior.As a kid he grew up playing and loving soccer.His entry to the entertainment industry was when he was discovered by a talent scout from Stardust Promotion.After that he eventually got into acting.
Career 2009–2013: Beginnings Yamazaki was scouted during his third year of junior high school by his agency, Stardust Promotion, on Takeshita Street, Harajuku while on his way home from a soccer match. He began his career working as a model for the magazine Pichi Lemon from 2009 to 2011.
Yamazaki made his acting debut in 2010 when he was cast in the TV series Atami no Sousakan as a mysterious high school student. This was followed by a supporting role in the TV series Clone Baby, where he played a hacker.
The following year, Yamazaki made his film debut in Control Tower, which was released in April 2011. He sang and played the guitar in the film, for which his acting was well received.
In 2012, he appeared in the film The Wings of the Kirin. He also starred as the lead in the horror thriller film Another, working with his Control Tower co-star Ai Hashimoto for a second time. He was subsequently cast in the films The Chasing World 3 and the live-action adaptation of Love for Beginners.
In 2013, he led the LGBTQ-themed television film Sato Family Breakfast. For his participation in the film, he attended the 2nd Taiwan International Queer Film Festival in 2015. In addition to that, he took on a supporting role in the film Jinx!!! and the TV series 35-sai no Koukousei.
2014–2017: Breakthrough and success in manga adaptations In 2014, Yamazaki made a breakthrough in his career starring in the live-action film adaptation of the highly successful manga L DK, alongside Ayame Goriki. The film's success garnered him greater public attention. That same year, he acted in three drama series, including Baseball Brainiacs, where he was cast alongside actors Sota Fukushi and Yuto Nakajima. He also made his stage debut in Satomi Hakkenden as the main lead Inuzuka Shino.
In 2015, he was again cast in a film adaptation of a popular manga with No Longer Heroine, alongside Mirei Kiritani. He then played the lead role in Orange, alongside Tao Tsuchiya. Both films were a success, with No Longer Heroine premiering number one at the Japanese box office and earning . While Orange grossed almost , becoming the 9th highest-grossing Japanese film of 2016. For his roles in those two films, he won the Newcomer of the Year award at the 39th Japan Academy Film Prize and was also nominated at the 2016 Hochi Film Awards. That same year, he appeared in the television adaptation of the popular manga series Death Note as L, and the NHK Asadora Mare, led by Tsuchiya Tao.
In 2016, Yamazaki starred in Your Lie in April. He played the lead role of Kosei Arima, a gifted pianist, alongside Suzu Hirose, who portrayed Kaori Miyazono. For the role, Yamazaki had to learn how to play the piano and practiced for six months prior to the commencement of filming. Thereafter, he starred in the live-action adaptation of Wolf Girl and Black Prince and the TV series A Girl & Three Sweethearts. That same year, Yamazaki was chosen to star in a special short film to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Yasuhisa Hara's historical manga Kingdom as the main character, Xin. He would go on to reprise this role in the 2019 live-action feature film, which was released on April 19, 2019.
In 2017, he co-starred with Haruna Kawaguchi in One Week Friends. The film received positive ratings from critics, which mostly praised Yamazaki for successfully portraying the cheerful and friendly Yuki Hase. He would then continue to appear in other live-action films throughout the year, including JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I, Psychic Kusuo: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., and Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets. Towards the end of 2017, he starred in the TV series Rikuoh.
2018–present: Leading roles In January 2018, Yamazaki secured his first leading role in a television series, playing Ōtarō Dōjima, a top nightclub host, in the NTV winter drama Kiss that Kills, alongside Mugi Kadowaki, Mackenyu and Masaki Suda. His film A Forest of Wool and Steel was released that same year, where he portrayed a piano tuner. In preparation for the film, Yamazaki lived in Hokkaido to learn and practice piano tuning. He also met the Emperor and Empress of Japan in a special screening of the film. In the summer of 2018, Yamazaki was cast in the TV series Good Doctor. Based on the 2013 South Korean drama of the same name, it tells the story of a young autistic man who becomes a pediatric surgeon. The drama received a positive response from viewers, and it was the first time Yamazaki acted as a doctor and took on a more unconventional role. It earned him the Television Drama Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 2019, Yamazaki was cast in the Netflix series Alice in Borderland, a live-action adaptation of the manga series of the same name, in the lead role of Ryōhei Arisu. The series premiered on Netflix on December 10, 2020. The show was a success. Within the first few weeks of its release, it "ranked in the top ten most-watched shows" on the platform in nearly 40 territories. On December 24, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season, two weeks after the first one had been released.
In 2020, Yamazaki also starred in the live-action film adaptation of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku. He played the lead role of Hirotaka Nifuji, an aloof working adult who is a huge fan of video games. The film was released in February 2020. He also starred in Theatre: A Love Story as a struggling theatre director.
In 2021, he starred in the sci-fi drama film The Door into Summer, loosely based on the novel of the same name. In 2022, following the first film's release in 2019, Yamazaki reprised his role as Li Xin in the sequel film Kingdom 2: Far and Away. He then went on to star in the lead role of Nayuta Azumi, an indie game developer, in the TV series Atom’s Last Shot. Later that year, the second season of Alice in Borderland premiered worldwide on December 22, 2022.
On September 27, 2023, Netflix renewed Alice in Borderland for a third season, which is set to be released in September 2025.
Personal life Yamazaki's close friends in the entertainment industry include fellow actor Masaki Suda, whom he worked with in Kiss That Kills (2018), and South Korean singer Jeonghan.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes2011Control TowerKakeruLead role2012The Wings of the KirinTatsuya SuginoAnotherKōichi SakakibaraLead roleThe Chasing World 3SuguruLead roleThe Chasing World 5SuguruLove for BeginnersNishiki Hasegawa2013Jinx!!!Yūsuke Nomura2014L DKShūsei KugayamaLead role2015No Longer HeroineRita TerasakaOrangeKakeru NaruseLead role2016Your Lie in AprilKōsei ArimaLead roleWolf Girl and Black PrinceKyōya SataLead roleYo-Kai Watch The Movie 3: A Whale of Two WorldsKing Enma2017One Week FriendsYūki HaseLead rolePoetry Angel Man attending at briefing sessionCameoJoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter IJōsuke HigashikataLead rolePsychic Kusuo: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.Kusuo SaikiLead roleHyouka: Forbidden SecretsHōtarō OrekiLead role2018A Forest of Wool and SteelNaoki TomuraLead role2019KingdomXinLead roleNiNoKuniYū (voice)Lead role2020Wotakoi: Love is Hard for OtakuHirotaka Nifuji Lead roleTheatre: A Love StoryNagataLead roleCrazy Samurai MusashiChūsuke2021The Door into SummerSōichirō TakakuraLead role2022Kingdom 2: Far and AwayXinLead role2023Kingdom 3: The Flame of DestinyXinLead role2024Golden KamuySaichi Sugimoto Lead roleThe Yin Yang Master ZeroAbe no SeimeiLead roleKingdom 4: Return of the Great GeneralXinLead role2025Under NinjaKurō KumogakureLead role2026Golden Kamuy: The Abashiri Prison RaidSaichi Sugimoto Lead roleKingdom 5: The Clash of SoulsXinLead role2027The Gate of MurderKuramochiLead roleHara o KukutteLead role
Television YearTitleRoleNotes 2010 Atami no Sousakan Shinya Shijima Clone Baby Jōtarō Okabe 2011 Runaways: For Your Love Panda 2012 Miss Double Faced Teacher Shunsuke Yasuda 2013 No Dropping Out: Back to School at 35 Ryo Akutsu Sato Family's Breakfast, Suzuki Family's Dinner Takumi Sato TV movie 2014 Team Batista 4: Raden Meikyu Aoi Sakuranomiya Water Polo Yankees Ryuji Mifune Baseball Brainiacs Kōki Ebato 2015 Mare Keita Kontani Asadora Eternal Us Sea Side Blue Taku Nagata TV movie Death Note L 2016 A Girl & Three Sweethearts Kanata Shibasaki 2017 Rikuoh Daichi Miyazawa 2018 Kiss that Kills Ōtarō Dōjima Lead role Good Doctor Minato Shindō Lead role From Today, It's My Turn!! Katori Episode 10; cameo 2019 Time Limit Investigator 2019 Shota Amaya Episode 8 2020 Only I Am 17 Years Old Passerby Episode 4; cameo 2020–2025Alice in Borderland Ryōhei Arisu Lead role; 3 seasons 2022 Atom's Last Shot Nayuta Azumi Lead role 2024 Golden Kamuy: The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido Saichi Sugimoto Lead role 2028John Mung John Manjirō Lead role; Taiga drama
Music video appearances YearTitleArtist 2011"Ressha"Karasu 2018"Sayonara Elegy"Masaki Suda
Stage performances 2014 里見八犬伝 / Satomi Hakkenden role: Inuzuka Shino (Lead) 2017 里見八犬伝 / Satomi Hakkenden (2017) role: Inuzuka Shino (Lead)
Bibliography
Photobooks Yamazaki Kento "You Are Here"(Genzaichi) (Wani Books, March 27, 2014) The Kentos (Tokyo News Service, December 17, 2014) Scene #20 (KADOKAWA, September 26, 2015) 山﨑賢人写真集「KENTO YAMAZAKI」 (KADOKAWA, April 24, 2019)
Accolades Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result201639th Japan Academy Film PrizeNewcomer of the YearNo Longer Heroine, Orange 201896th Television Drama Academy AwardsBest ActorKiss that Kills98th Television Drama Academy AwardsBest ActorGood DoctorBeijing IQiyi Scream Night AwardAsian Newcomer of The YearGood Doctor, Kiss That Kills2020Weibo Account FestivalBest ActorAlice in Borderland, Kingdom202423rd New York Asian Film FestivalBest from the East AwardKingdom seriesPerson of the Year Award – Actor CategoryGolden Kamuy, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great GeneralElle Cinema AwardsElle Men AwardKingdom 4: Return of the Great General202567th Blue Ribbon AwardsBest ActorGolden Kamuy, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General, The Yin Yang Master Zero48th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ActorKingdom 4: Return of the Great GeneralWeibo Culture Exchange NightBest ActorAlice in Borderland, Golden Kamuy, Kingdom 4: Return of the Great General
Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Forbes 2020 Forbes Asia's 100 Digital Stars
References
External links