is a Japanese actor. Internationally, he is best known for his leading roles as
Shuya Nanahara in the ''
Battle Royale'' films,
Light Yagami in the ''
Death Note
''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to ...
'' films, Kaiji Itō in the ''
Kaiji
Kaiji may refer to:
People
*, Japanese manga artist whose works include ''Eagle'' and ''Zipang''
*, Japanese voice actor; see List of Ultraman manga characters
* Kaiji Tang, (born 1984) an American voice actor
*, Japanese ceramist of the Showa er ...
'' films, and Rikuhiko Yuki in
Hideo Nakata's ''
The Incite Mill''. In 2014, he portrayed the villain
Shishio Makoto
, known in the English anime in Western order as Makoto Shishio, is a fictional character from the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki and the main antagonist from the ''Kyoto Arc'', the second arc of the series. Shishio ...
in the live action ''
Rurouni Kenshin
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...
'' films.
Early life
Born in
Chichibu, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,159 in 26,380 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
Geography
Chichibu is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlik ...
Prefecture, Fujiwara has had an interest in acting from a young age. In 2013, he married his long-term girlfriend. In the summer of 2016, they became parents. The name and gender of their child is unknown.
Career
He is famous for acting the part of
Shuya Nanahara in
Kinji Fukasaku
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...
's controversial 2000 film ''
Battle Royale''. He continues the character as a leader of the "Wild Seven" in the sequel, ''
Battle Royale II: Requiem''.
He stars as
Light Yagami, the leading role in ''
Death Note
''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to ...
'' and ''
Death Note: The Last Name'', films based on the
manga of the same name. He also has a cameo appearance in ''
L: Change the World'', an
L spin-off movie for the ''Death Note'' series. Fujiwara stated during filming that it was difficult to portray a character with such restrained emotions. During the filming of ''
Death Note: The Last Name'', Tatsuya became close friends with
Kenichi Matsuyama
is a Japanese actor. He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films ''Death Note'', '' Death Note 2: The Last Name'' and '' L: Change the World'' in 2008. He was ca ...
, who plays L. Matsuyama mentioned that Tatsuya had done a good job.
In theatrical works, he is known for collaborating with
Yukio Ninagawa, one of the most influential directors in Japan. He started his career in theatre, before his screen debut, with the title role of ''Shintoku-maru'', the boy who has an obsessive relationship with his step mother. He has also acted in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
plays, including ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' and ''
Romeo and Juliet
''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
''. Fujiwara played one of the lead roles in
Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film ''
The Incite Mill''. Fujiwara has also done voice dubbing for ''
IRIS'' along with
Meisa Kuroki,
Yuu Shirota and his Death Note co-star
Hikari Mitsushima when Fujiwara plays Kim Hyun-jun played by
Lee Byung-hun
Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...
He portrayed the role of
Shishio Makoto
, known in the English anime in Western order as Makoto Shishio, is a fictional character from the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki and the main antagonist from the ''Kyoto Arc'', the second arc of the series. Shishio ...
in the sequels of ''
Rurouni Kenshin
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...
'' in 2014. From January to February 2015, he will appear in ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' directed by Yukio Ninagawa at
Sai-no-Kuni Saitama Arts Theater in
Saitama and at
Umeda Arts Theater in
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
for the first time in 12 years. After that, he is scheduled to play the role in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
in March and at
Barbican Theatre in May 2015.
Hidayah Idris wrote in 2016 in the Singapore edition of the magazine ''
Cleo'' that Fujiwara is "probably one of the most recognisable Japanese stars" in Singapore.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Dubbing
References
External links
*
Tatsuya Fujiwara on NHK Archives
Fansite "Rising Dragon Tatsuya Fujiwara"
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara, Tatsuya
1982 births
Male actors from Saitama Prefecture
People from Chichibu, Saitama
Japanese male film actors
Japanese male television actors
Japanese male video game actors
Japanese male voice actors
Living people
20th-century Japanese male actors
21st-century Japanese male actors
Horikoshi High School alumni