is a Japanese singer, voice actress, and television presenter, represented by

Sony Music Records , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. She is a former member of the idol group

Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...

Early life

Nibu was born in

Tochigi Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...

and lived in

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

until she was eight years old, and currently lives in

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

. She has two older brothers. Nibu holds a third

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa ** Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivo ...

rank in

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

and took part in prefectural tournaments when she was in middle school.

Career

Music

Nibu considered becoming an idol after listening to the

Keyakizaka46 , formerly , is a Japanese idol girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was created on August 21, 2015, becoming Nogizaka46's first sister group under the Sakamichi Series. The group was rebranded as Sakurazaka46 after their last conce ...

song "

Silent Majority The silent majority is an unspecified large group of people in a country or group who do not express their opinions publicly. The term was popularized by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a televised address on November 3, 1969, in which he said, "A ...

" and joined the audition for Hiragana Keyakizaka46 (now Hinatazaka46), which was a subgroup of Keyakizaka46. On August 15, 2017, she was publicly introduced as a second generation member of Hiragana Keyakizaka46. Nibu served as a title song center (lead performer) for the first time for Hinatazaka46's ninth single " One Choice", released on April 19, 2023. On August 6, 2024, Nibu announced that she would leave Hinatazaka46 after the promotions for the twelfth single, to be released on September 18, have concluded, citing persistent

lower back pain Low back pain or wiktionary:lumbago#Etymology, lumbago is a common musculoskeletal disorders, disorder involving the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back, in between the lower edge of the ribs and the lower fold of the buttocks. Pain can var ...

as the reason. Her "graduation" ceremony took place on November 30 and December 1 at the

Pia Arena MM is a dedicated music arena in Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by Pia Corporation. Before the official name was decided, it was tentatively called "Pia MM Arena". History In July 2017, PIA, a ticket sales c ...

, and her final concert with the group was on December 26 at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

Acting

Nibu and fellow Hinatazaka46 members

Miku Kanemura is a Japanese singer and model. She is a member of the idol girl group Hinatazaka46 and an exclusive model for the women's magazine ''Bis''. Career Music On August 13, 2017, Kanemura passed the auditions for new members of Keyakizaka46's s ...

and

Miho Watanabe is a Japanese actress and presenter. She is a former member of the idol group Hinatazaka46. Watanabe joined Hiragana Keyakizaka46, now Hinatazaka46, in August 2017 and made her acting debut a month later in the group's drama '' Re:Mind''. She h ...

were voice actresses for the animated miniseries adaptation of the character

Pickles the Frog is an anthropomorphic frog character created by Nakajima Corporation. Overview In 1994, Nakajima Corporation introduced Pickles as part of the Spice Mix Series, based on the concept of "making fashionable plush toys as general goods". The Spi ...

, aired in October 2020. She played supporting roles in the Hinatazaka46 drama series '' Dasada'' (2020) and ''

Koeharu! is a Japanese television series starring members of the idol group Hinatazaka46. The show follows the students daily lives as they attend a voice acting school. The show aired on Nippon TV at 1:00 AM to 1:30 AM on Thursdays, and was available o ...

'' (2021). Nibu made her feature film voice acting debut in 2021's '' Deemo: Memorial Keys''. Despite her inexperience, executive director Junichi Fujisaku remarked that he treated her "equally" to the other voice actors, while co-star

Ayana Taketatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi"Taketatsu Ayana" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Biography She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyujo, a voice actor training school before becoming aff ...

commented that her performance did not "feel like that of a first-timer". Nibu herself also cited the 2021 drama ''

'', in which she portrayed an aspiring voice actress, as an influence. In April 2022, Nibu became the voice of main character Mami in the animated shorts miniseries (four minutes per episode) , aired as a segment of the

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

variety show and also released on YouTube. It was based on a

one-shot manga In comics, a one-shot is a work composed of a single standalone issue or chapter, contrasting a Limited series (comics), limited series or ongoing series, which are composed of multiple issues or chapters.Albert, Aaron"One Shot Definition" About E ...

titled ''Mameo'', with original concept by her and written and illustrated by mangaka in May 2021 on the variety show on the same network. Nibu's first two live-action feature films are the 2024 ''Shinji Muroi'' duology, continuations of the long-running ''

Bayside Shakedown is a Japanese police comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was developed by Ryoichi Kimizuka and stars Oda Yūji, Toshirō Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya, Miki Mizuno, ...

'' detective series. Producer Chihiro Kameyama and screenwriter

Ryoichi Kimizuka is a Japanese screenwriter and director for television and film. Career Kimizuka first entered the Japanese television industry by working on variety shows under Kin'ichi Hagimoto. He then began writing screenplays for television dramas, inclu ...

considered casting her after watching her appearances on a video gaming television show, while director

Katsuyuki Motohiro is a Japanese film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, visi ...

remarked that her experience as an idol contributed to her "nuanced" performance and ability to respond well to his "interesting" direction.

Other ventures

Nibu is an avid gamer and occasionally appears in game-related events. She co-hosted the

esports Esports (), short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, played individually or as teams. ...

show ''Choten'' on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network. and is a recurring guest on

Hiroiki Ariyoshi is a Japanese comedian and singer who is represented by Ohta Production. Saruganseki Born in Aki District, Hiroshima, Japan, Ariyoshi formed the owarai duo Saruganseki with Kazunari Moriwaki in 1994. The pair became famous through the variety t ...

's gaming show ''Ariyoshieeeee!'' Nibu is a fan of

shōnen manga is an editorial category of Manga, Japanese comics targeting an audience of both adolescent boys and young men. It is, along with Shōjo manga, manga (targeting adolescent girls and young women), Seinen manga, manga (targeting young adults ...

, particularly ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...

'' and ''

The Promised Neverland is a Japanese manga series written by Kaiu Shirai and illustrated by Posuka Demizu. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from August 2016 to June 2020, with its chapters collected in 20 volumes. I ...

''. In 2018, she guested in an

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...

special feature to commemorate the release of '' Dragon Ball Super: Broly''. In 2020, she provided audio commentary for an episode rerun of ''The Promised Neverland'' on

Noitamina is a Japanese programming block on Fuji Television devoted to anime, originally broadcast every Thursday late night/Friday morning from 0:45 to 1:15 JST. It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typical you ...

. On May 24, 2022, Nibu announced that her first photobook would be released on July 26, published by

Gentosha is a Japanese publisher, headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Gentosha publishes manga magazine '' Comic Birz'', Web comic magazines '' GENZO'', ''SPICA'', '' Comic MAGNA'', literary magazines ''Lynx'', ''papyrus'', as well as business magazine ''GOE ...

. Titled , the photos were taken throughout 2021, with summer pictures taken in the

Setouchi region The , or simply Setouchi, is a geographic region of Japan. Setouchi includes the Seto Inland Sea and the adjacent coastal areas of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Okayama, Hyōg ...

and winter pictures in the

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

. The book sold 46,000 copies in its release week and placed first on the weekly

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

photobook chart and second on the general book chart. In April 2025, after departing from Hinatazaka46, Nibu launched her official website and YouTube channel, primarily focused on gaming.

Personal life

Nibu is a fan of

Aimyon is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Her agency is ENS Entertainment, and her label is Unborde under Warner Music Japan. Career Aimyon was influenced to become a singer-songwriter, because her grandmother aspired to be a singer or actress, ...

. She has attended Aimyon's concert and received a signed album from her.

Discography

Nibu has participated in all Hinatazaka46 title songs and was the center (lead performer) for their ninth single, " One Choice". Other notable appearances include: * "Kirei ni Naritai" (''

Hashiridasu Shunkan is the first album by Japanese idol girl group Hiragana Keyakizaka46. It was released on 20 June 2018. The album reached the top position on the weekly Oricon Albums Chart. It also reached number one on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot Albums Chart. ...

'', 2018), as a trio with

Nao Kosaka is a Japanese singer, model, and actress. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group Hinatazaka46 and an exclusive model for the fashion magazine ''Non-no''. Career On August 13, 2017, Kosaka passed the auditions for new members of Keyakiz ...

and

* "Cage" ("

Do Re Mi Sol La Si Do is the second single from Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. It was released on July 17, 2019, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The title track features Nao Kosaka as center. The title track was nominated for 61st Japan Record Awards in ...

" B-side, 2019), co-center with Mei Higashimura as the Yancharu Family * "Kimi no Tame Nani ga Dekiru Darou" ("

Sonna Koto Nai yo is the 4th single by Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. It was released on February 19, 2020 through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The title track featured Nao Kosaka as center, marking her fourth consecutive appearance at this position. The me ...

" B-side, 2020), center * "Koe no Ashiato" ("

Kimi Shika Katan is the 5th single by Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. It was released on May 26, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The title track featured Shiho Katō as center, which is her first appearance in the position on a single. Productio ...

" B-side, 2021), ''

'' theme song, co-center with

Mirei Sasaki is a Japanese singer, model, actress, and reporter. She is an exclusive model for the fashion magazine ''Non-no'' and a former founding member of the Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. Sasaki has appeared in dramas such as ''Women's Gourmet Bur ...

* "Akubi Letter" ("

Tteka is the sixth single by Japanese idol group Hinatazaka46. It was released on October 27, 2021 through Sony Music Entertainment Japan and features the first appearance of Miku Kanemura as the lead performer of a title song. Production and releas ...

" B-side, 2021), with

and

Color Chart A color chart or color reference card is a flat, physical object that has many different color samples present. They can be available as a single-page chart, or in the form of swatchbooks or color-matching fans. Typically there are two differ ...

Video albums

Filmography

Film

Television

Variety and talk shows

Other appearances

Theatre

Radio

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nibu, Akari Hinatazaka46 members Voice actresses from Saitama Prefecture 2001 births Living people Singers from Saitama Prefecture 21st-century Japanese actresses