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, professionally known as Hikakin (
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: ヒカキン), is a Japanese
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
, human beatboxer and businessman who is the co-founder of Uuum, a Japanese
multi-channel network A multi-channel network (MCN) is an organization that works with video platforms to offer assistance to channel owners in areas such as "product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, digital rights management, monetizati ...
. He is also a member of the Japanese music group Hikakin & Seikin. His popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage has made him one of the most prominent online personalities and content creators in Japan, and he has been portrayed in the media as a pioneer of YouTubers in Japan. Born and raised in Myōkō City, Niigata Prefecture, Hikakin opened his YouTube channel "Hikakin" in 2006, where he mainly posted beatboxing videos. In 2010, he posted "Super Mario Beatbox," a beatboxing medley of ''
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...
'' background music, which garnered over 3.8 million views by mid-September of that year. He, along with fellow Japanese YouTuber Megwin, quit his job in 2012 to focus on his channel. In 2015, he began producing music with the song " YouTube Theme Song," which he co-wrote with his brother Seikin, and in November of the same year, his channel "HikakinTV" surpassed 2.57 million subscribers, making it the most-subscribed YouTube channel in Japan. In 2021, the number of subscribers to his channel "HikakinTV" exceeded 10 million. In 2022, "HikakinTV" alone achieved a cumulative total of 10 billion views. In 2023, he launched his own brand "Hikakin Premium" and released cup ramen, "Misokin Rich Miso Ramen," (みそきん 濃厚味噌ラーメン) and cup rice, "Misokin Rich Miso Meshi," (みそきん 濃厚味噌メシ) at
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc. is an American convenience store chain, headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seven-Eleven Japan, which in turn is owned by the retail holdings company Seven & I Holdings. The chain was founde ...
stores in Japan, and reported selling 10 million meals in November 2024. His six channels boast more than 28 million subscribers and 22 billion views, and his main channel "HikakinTV" remains one of the most subscribed and viewed channels on YouTube in Japan. His online popularity has also boosted sales of the video games he plays and inspired support for charitable fundraising efforts. In 2019, ''Forbes Japan'' included him in its "Top Influencers 50" list.


Early life

On April 21, 1989, he was the second born son to his parents in Myōkōkōgen, Nakakubiki District,
Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...
(present Myōkō City, Niigata Prefecture). As a child he was noted as a strange boy in the corner of the classroom. Growing up in the snowy
Jōetsu region is a geographical region within Niigata Prefecture, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends ...
, when he was an elementary school student, his dream was to participate in Olympic ski jumping, and he continued to ski jump until high school. During elemetary school, he also became interested in Human Beatboxing through the segment "" on the
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
variety show, "Hamonepu League". After studying at Myōkōkōgen Minami Elementary School (later Myoko City) and Myoko Junior High School (present Myoko Municipal Myoko Junior High School), he entered Niigata Prefectural Arai High School. In March, he graduated from Niigata Prefectural Arai High School and went to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. Among supermarkets in Tokyo, many of them are employees from Niigata Prefecture, and I made a living by working at Japanese supermarket , which happened to have a job opening at his high school. At that time he had no bank account of his own, therefore had no savings, and went to Tokyo with only 20,000 yen given by his parents. The supermarket at which he worked had a company dormitory and the rent was deducted from his monthly salary, so he didn't have to worry about finding a place to live.


Career


2006–2008: Career beginnings

He started his official channel "Hikakin" on YouTube in December 2006. He originally made an account to watch videos of overseas
beatboxers Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.
, but he thought that if he posted his own videos, people would watch them, so he started uploading. He started posting videos soon after making an account, but since he deleted it, very few videos from that time remain. The oldest video is a beatbox video he filmed in his bathroom in 2007 (he was a high school senior at the time). In 2015, a
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
version of this beatbox video, "2015 ver.", was posted, which was shot in the same bathroom and clothes as the original. Since then, He was recording a number of beatbox videos using a cheap microphone in the bathroom of the company dormitory or in his room at night, carefully selecting the ones that he thought were good, and uploading one or two videos a month. He once applied to become a
YouTube partner The American online video sharing and social media platform YouTube has had social impact in many fields, with some individual videos of the site having directly shaped world events. It is the world's largest video hosting website and second ...
(a system for earning advertising revenue), but was rejected at the time. After that incident, he began to think, "I'll do it so that I can get offers from YouTube," and began to make videos from the viewer's point of view. Although nothing major happened for about two years after his arrival in Tokyo, the number of views gradually increased, and the most popular video at the time had about 200,000 views. At the time, YouTube was still not well known in Japan, and most of the views were from overseas, with only about 10-20% coming from Japan.


2009–2014: Rise to Fame

In 2010, he uploaded "Super Mario Beatbox", a beatbox medley of background music from the ''
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...
'' This video reached the number 1 spot on YouTube for the month in Japan and was featured in the top story of
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
in the United States. After reaching 200,000 views 24 hours after uploading the video and 1 million views a week later, Hikakin received an offer from YouTube to become a YouTube partner, He said that he thought, "I have YouTube, even when customers get angry at me in the supermarket or when my boss gets sarcastic with me." Furthermore, he was selected as one of the top 500 best YouTube partners in the world in 2010 and won the "WOW Star Project 2010" and was invited to
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. These events led to a gradual increase in requests to perform live and on TV shows as a performer. In June 2011, the YouTube Partner Forum was held in Japan. At the time, he did not even have the idea of posting videos for a living, but meeting American YouTuber
Michelle Phan Michelle Phan (born April 11, 1987) is an American YouTube personality and entrepreneur. She is the founder and owner of EM Cosmetics, a cosmetics brand she relaunched in 2017. Early life and education Michelle Phan was born on April 11, 1987 ...
at this event and being impressed by her speech was a turning point, and he began posting videos in earnest. Later, an opportunity presented itself when a contest called "YouTube NextUp 2011" was held, with 10 winners and a prize of 2 million yen (about 12,800 USD). At the time, he had the largest number of subscribers in Japan, and people around him thought that he would win. He entered the contest with the confidence that he could quit his job and concentrate on YouTube, but he did not win. After this humiliating setback, he sought advice from Tomohiro Sato, who works as an advisor to YouTubers. There, he received a handbook outlining the basics of video creation and lots of individual advice. On his own, he studied videos by top creators in Japan and abroad, and imitated their editing skills, such as their titles and thumbnails. After about three months of doing so, he realized that his income from YouTube exceeded his company employee's salary. After achieving success with his beatboxing videos, Hikakin soon realized that he would reach his limit if he continued like this, and in July 2011, he opened a new channel, "HikakinTV," to show his daily life. The channel quickly became a success, and by the end of 2011, the "Hikakin" channel had the most subscribers in Japan for the first time. In 2012, he left the supermarket Yoshiike, where he had worked since moving to Tokyo, and began to make a living from advertising revenue through uploading videos. Regarding his time as an office worker, he said, "It was hard because I wasn't doing what I loved. But I was able to continue working thanks to my determination, thinking, 'I'm not just an office worker. I make videos and people from overseas are watching them.'" In December 2012, Hikakin released his first album, a collaboration with
video game music Video game music (VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to t ...
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
Hideki Sakamoto is a Japanese music composer, best known for his contributions in video games. He serves as the representative director of Noisycroak, a Tokyo-based sound design company focused on game soundtracks. ''Echochrome II'' holds the Guinness World Re ...
, for the soundtrack of the '' Echannel'' drawing application of the
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
. In May 2013, Hikakin participated in the Social Star Awards and the subsequent Singapore Social concerts, performing with
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
during their stage set and beatboxing before performing with the band on "
Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...
". A month later, he founded the Japanese
multi-channel network A multi-channel network (MCN) is an organization that works with video platforms to offer assistance to channel owners in areas such as "product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, digital rights management, monetizati ...
Uuum and became its founder and chief advisor. In February 2014, Hikakin made a collaboration beatbox video with American singer
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, beatboxing to her song "
Baby I "Baby I" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on July 22, 2013, by Republic Records as the second single from her debut studio album, '' Yours Truly'' (2013). The song was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio Di ...
". On June 27, 2014, in collaboration with
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, Hikakin started a live video project called "HikakinGames with Google Play" for game apps available on
Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...
. Hikakin and several other creators affiliated with Uuum will be live commenting on popular titles that are trending on Google Play. In October 2014, Hikakin was one of the performers for the first YouTube FanFest in Tokyo, Japan. At the same YouTube FanFest, Japanese breakbeat music duo
Hifana is a Japanese breakbeat musical duo, consisting of KEIZOmachine! (Keizo Fukuda) and Juicy (Jun Miyata). The group formed in 1998, in the Tokyo neighbourhood of Kichijōji. History Prior to forming as Hifana, the duo were collaborating with Yama ...
performed with their instruments and using Hikakin's beatbox broken down into several parts, and created a new combination with Hikakin's beatboxing and their instruments. In December 2014, Hikakin went to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to do another collaboration video with
Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...
, doing beatboxing with her, while she was singing " Break Free". In the same month, Hikakin uploaded a beatbox video that featured American singer
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...
. They performed Ne-Yo's song " Coming with You" and his famous 2007 hit " Because of You".


2015–2023: Mainstream success

On August 14, 2015, he released " YouTube Theme Song" which was produced in collaboration with his older brother, Seikin. Taking this opportunity, he began to produce music as Hikakin & Seikin. The "YouTube Theme Song" reached number 78 on the
Billboard Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...
. As of 2024, it has surpassed 100 million views, which is by far the most viewed video on his channel "HikakinTV". On December 22, 2017, he became the first YouTuber to appear on ''
Music Station , stylised in all caps, is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently sy ...
'' Super Live. On May 12, he collaborated with members of
SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-p ...
on
Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
's ''SMAPxSMAP''. On April 10, 2020, Hikakin discussed
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
with Tokyo Governor
Yuriko Koike Yuriko Koike (小池 百合子, Koike Yuriko; born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who has served as the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. Previously, she was also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1993, a member o ...
. The meeting was made possible by Governor Koike responding to Hikakin's suggestion. The video was not meant to be monetized and can be viewed ad-free, making it easy to spread. In an interview with
BuzzFeed News ''BuzzFeed News'' was an American news website published by BuzzFeed beginning in 2011. It ceased posting new hard news content in May 2023. It published a number of high-profile scoops, including the Steele dossier, for which it was strong ...
, Hikakin spoke about the dialogue, saying, "We are called YouTubers and influencers, but we are in a position to deliver information to young people, so I think we should use that to deliver accurate information to as many people as possible. I hope that what I share will help at least one person in the future." On December 8, 2020, the video was ranked No. 1 in the "Domestic Annual Top Trending Ranking" announced by YouTube official. His channel kept growing consistently since then, and it hit 9 million subscribers on April 8, 2021. He set 10 million subscribers as his next goal. When his "HikakinTV" channel reached its 10th anniversary, he announced that he will post 10 videos with extra effort, from August 1 to 20. The 10th video is the music video for Hikakin & Seikin's song "FIRE," produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "HikakinTV." This is the first Hikakin & Seikin music video to be released on "HikakinTV" in about six years since their song "YouTube Theme Song" in 2015. Additionally, he changed his intro animation to one where he encourages himself to reach his goal and celebrates HikakinTV's 10th anniversary. At 12:11 on September 10, 2021, the number of subscribers to his YouTube channel "HikakinTV" surpassed 10 million. On the day of the event, he made a live broadcast, and at the moment he reached the milestone, he was so moved that he cried. Later, on September 17th of the same year, Hikakin announced that he would donate 10 yen (about 0.06 USD) for every additional subscriber for the rest of his life. For every additional 1 million subscribers, he would donate 10 million yen (about 64,000 USD). Regarding this, he said, "I am able to earn money thanks to all of you who watch my videos. That's why I wanted to contribute to society, even if just a little." On August 7, 2022, Hikakin released a video of a large-scale project in which he rented out
Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, Yamanashi, Japan, owned and operated by the namesake Fuji Kyuko, Fuji Kyuko Co. It opened on 2 March 1968. The park is near the base of Mount Fuji. It has a nu ...
, titled "" (人気者を捕まえろ! ヒカキンおにごっこ 2022夏). This video is a tag project that he planned and held with 130 million yen (about 910,000 USD) as a "dream video that he really wanted to shoot" after his channel surpassed 10 million subscribers. The video was premiered on YouTube, and after its release, it set a record by ranking first overall on YouTube's trending rankings, receiving 280,000 simultaneous viewers, and exceeding 5 million views in one day after its release. On August 16, 2022, his channel "HikakinTV" reached 10 billion total views. On December 6, he was ranked first in the "Top Trending Videos of the Year in Japan" officially announced by YouTube. This marks the third consecutive year that he has been ranked first in the "Top Trending Videos of the Year in Japan." He also ranked ninth in the gaming category. In early 2023, he posted a video of his visit to his alma mater, Myōkōkōgen Minami Elementary School, for the first time in 20 years, which is scheduled to close due to its integration with . At the request of the principal, he was accompanied by his older brother Seikin, who also graduated from the same school, and his childhood friend and classmate YouTuber , who accompanied him as surprise guests and created a commemorative painting and sang the school song together with the current students.


2024–present: Increasing subscribers and starting streaming on Twitch

Around April 2024, Hikakin posted a popular short "counter video" celebrating the moment when his channel reached a certain number of subscribers. This caused his number of subscribers to skyrocket, with his subscriber count increasing by 1 million in the week from April 28 to May 4. In addition, in May 2024 alone, his subscriber numbers increased by 4.08 million, and he commented, "I made counter short videos popular and ushered in a new era for YouTube." In May 2024, Hikakin posted a video recreating the opening movie for the second season of the TV anime series '' Mashle: Magic and Muscles'', which uses the Japanese hip-hop duo
Creepy Nuts Creepy Nuts is a Japanese hip-hop duo consisting of DJ Matsunaga and R-Shitei, currently signed to Onenation and Sony Music Associated Records. The duo rose to international prominence in 2024 by the single " Bling-Bang-Bang-Born", an opening t ...
' song "
Bling-Bang-Bang-Born "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" is a song by Japanese hip hop duo Creepy Nuts from their fourth studio album ''Legion'' (2025). It was released as a single on January 7, 2024, through Onenation and Sony Music Associated Records. The song served as the open ...
" as its opening theme. The video features the character he plays. The production cost about 50 million yen (about 35,000 USD), and it was shot over a total of 70 hours over four days, from morning until late at night. During the four days of filming, he averaged two to three hours of sleep per day. He said that he only got about ten hours of sleep in total over the four days, and played more than 30 different characters, making it a "tough shoot." The video was praised by fans and was viewed 10 million times within a day of its release, making it Hikakin's most viewed video of 2024. On December 22, 2024, Hikakin opened his own channel on the American live-streaming platform
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
. On the 24th, he held his first broadcast, playing ''
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a 2011 sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studios. Originally created by Markus Persson, Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java (programming language), Java programming language, the ...
'' hardcore mode for 12 hours. After that, on January 17, 2025, he announced that he had opened a channel called "HikakinClipTV" on YouTube to post clips of his Twitch live-streaming. In a YouTube video, he said that he created this channel because his clip videos were popular on social media, and that "you can see a Hikakin for adults." This is the first time he has opened a channel in 12 years since he opened "HikakinGames" in 2013. On January 24, 2025, Hikakin's sub-channel "SmaDigiTV" was discovered by X (formerly Twitter) user "Hikakin_Finder". This channel was established in March 2013, and only one game app review was posted in May of the same year. At the time of posting on January 24, the video had only been viewed about 4,000 times and had 54 subscribers, but due to its popularity, as of January 25, 2025, it had been viewed 28,000 times and had 3,000 subscribers.


YouTube content

He has opened 7 channels on YouTube, and as of April 2025, the total number of subscribers across all channels is approximately 29 million, with approximately 22.4 billion views.See: * * * * * * * The "Bzz bzz" in his video greeting, "Bzz bzz, hello YouTube, I'm Hikakin," is a nod to the American beatboxer
Rahzel Rozell Manely Brown (born October 6, 1964) is an American beatboxer and rapper, formerly a member of the Roots. Rahzel is known for an ability to sing or rap while simultaneously beatboxing, as evidenced in his performances of "Iron Man" and h ...
. He says that his fan base is mainly elementary and junior high school students, and he wants to create content that the whole family can watch while having a meal. The origin of the name Hikakin was given to him by his senior ski jumper, who started calling him Hikakin, a twist on his real name. He asked his senior why he was given the suffix "Kin", but he was never told why, so the meaning remains unclear. When he was in junior high school, he began posting beatboxing clips on bulletin boards under the name Hikakin, and the name gradually spread, so it stuck.


Style

Early in his career, Hikakin's content consisted primarily of beatboxing videos. While beatboxing was what he was best known for in his early days, in 2011 he began posting product review videos on his channel, HikakinTV, and eventually branched out into other genres. As his channel has grown, his content has become more diverse, and in addition to traditional beatboxing videos, he now uploads content in a variety of genres, including
vlogs A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...
, DIY, gadget introductions, travel, and food. Around 2017, he began to emphasize the direction of entertainment that "families can enjoy together in the living room," and uploaded more content for kids and families. Since 2020, his video production system has scaled up dramatically, with more planning effort and editing costs put into each video, and the length of each video has become even longer due to more advanced visual expression and large-scale collaborative projects. Spencer Cohen of ''
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'' described Hikakin as "adept at mining trends on the web and incorporating them into his carefully crafted persona," adding, "His videos are simple and formulaic, tailored to the short attention spans of kids growing up in an age of screens and content."


Production and output

Early on in his career as a YouTuber, Hikakin said he didn't hire any editors or outside assistants to help him produce videos, and "I did it for years without getting enough sleep." He uses the editing software
Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro (often abbreviated FCP or FCPX) is a professional non-linear video-editing application initially developed by Macromedia, and, since 1998, by Apple as part of its pro apps collection. Final Cut Pro allows users to import, edit, a ...
. He now hires an editor for his videos and edits with a team. In a 2022 interview, he said, "Compared to when I was doing it alone, working with a team is hard because it requires different skills." Hikakin frequently uploads videos, sometimes posting two or three a day in the early days. Between 2012 and 2015, he posted more than 800 long videos a year. As a result, videos titled "Fatigue Kin Collection", (疲労キン集) which were collections of strange statements made by him due to fatigue, began to spread on social media, and in a video from May 2024, he said, "Around this time, I was taken away in an ambulance once. I was working without sleep, and once. I had some terrible hives all over my body, so I had to be taken away, around this time." In an interview, he spoke from his own experience, saying, "What you need to become popular on YouTube is frequency and consistency in posting." In an interview with
BuzzFeed Japan BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
, he described being a YouTuber as "hard work," saying, "You come up with the material, perform it, edit it, upload it, and then think about the next day's material. You might think, 'I'm just filming at home with a small video camera,' but when you do that 365 days a year, especially for two or three years, it really starts to wear on you...I think being a YouTuber requires a lot of patience."


Other ventures


Anyone is a video creator! Hikakin Box

On August 3, 2019, "Anyone is a video creator! Hikakin Box" (誰でも動画クリエイター! Hikakin Box) a toy collaboration with Japanese toy maker
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
, went on sale. This toy is a sound box toy that you can play as if you were Hikakin. It contains many BGM, dialogue and sound effects that are actually used on his channel "HikakinTV." When you speak into the voice change microphone, it's converted to "Hikakin Robot Voice," and you can play lines like "Hikakin TV Everyday" and "Bunbun Rock, Paper, Scissors," which are often used in his videos.


Hikakin Premium

Hikakin Premium (stylized in all caps) is an original brand established by Hikakin. The brand is managed by P2C Studio (a Uuum subsidiary) as a joint effort between Hikakin and Uuum Inc. As the first step in the establishment of the brand, they sell cup noodles and cup rice as well as T-shirts as commemorative products.


Background

On April 21, 2023, the day of his 34th birthday, he announced that he would suspend all activities, including social media, for a week. He released a video titled "I will take a break from activities for the first time" on his channel "HikakinTV". As a final preparation to realize the dream of his original brand, Hikakin Premium, he took a break for the first time since he started activities. On April 27 of the same year, he announced the reason for his suspension in a video together with a special video that he made. On May 9, 2023, Hikakin Premium launched its first cup ramen, "Misokin Rich Miso Ramen," (みそきん 濃厚味噌ラーメン) and cup rice, "Misokin Rich Miso Meshi," (みそきん 濃厚味噌メシ) which garnered attention on social media. Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. was in charge of manufacturing the products, and sales began at Seven-Eleven stores throughout Japan.


Impact

It was reported that it sold out on the first day of release, and words related to "Misokin" trended on X (formerly Twitter), and posters titled "Apologies" were put up in each store. Hikakin was so influential that they released a video on the day of the release. There were also reports of high-value resale on
Mercari Mercari, Inc. () is a Japanese e-commerce company founded in 2013. Their main product, the Mercari marketplace app, was first launched in Japan in July 2013, and has since grown to become Japan's largest community-powered marketplace, with over J ...
. On May 29, 2023, Hikakin uploaded a video titled "After a lot of discussions with related parties, it was decided that we could… restock the misokin!" in which they reported that "I am happy to report that I can restock it!". Restock was scheduled to be around the middle of August 2023, and limited quantities were sequentially released at Seven-Eleven on August 10. This time around, some stores also restricted purchases. In the following year, 2024, it was resold on May 25 and 30th. On November 24, 2024, he revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that the cumulative sales of "Misokin Rich Miso Ramen" and "Misokin Rich Miso Rice" had exceeded 10 million meals.


Public image and influence

Since his breakthrough with his beatboxing videos on YouTube, Hikakin has emerged as one of the most notable and influential online personalities in Japan. He has also been featured in various publications as Japan's "Top YouTuber". ''
Forbes Japan ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...
'' stated that "Hikakin has pioneered the possibilities of video posting in Japan as a 'front runner'. The products and goods he introduces sell like hotcakes, and he has the power to move the economy." As of 2024, he have been no major scandals and social trust is extremely high. Most of his videos are moderate. He is also known as "unfamiliar with controversy" (炎上知らず), and when the scandals of other popular YouTubers come out, his reputation increases and he is even called a "saint". Even if he did get stir controversy, most of it was minor, and on the contrary, the voices of his defense were louder. In addition, in 2015 and 2020, false rumors were spread by viewers and caused a stir, and he posted two videos at the time to clear up misunderstandings. On the other hand, in a live commentary video of ''
Apex Legends ''Apex Legends'' is a 2019 Battle royale game, battle royale-hero shooter video game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, set in the same science fiction universe as Respawn's ''Titanfall'' series. It is offered ...
'' that was uploaded on July 12, 2022, he repeatedly yelled abusive words at his teammate, and in the comments section, he exposed the player's name and said, "If you find him annoying, please press the like button." As a result of the post, he was flooded with criticism on social media and became a hot topic. On the 19th of the same month, he deleted the aforementioned comment and apologized in the comments section. On August 13, he called the aforementioned person directly in a video to apologize and reported that they had reconciled. At first, he expected that the comment section of the video would be filled with criticism of the other party, but in reality, he himself was criticized, and he apologized, saying, "It was all my fault." In addition, in June 2024, a video in which a camera was turned in a public restroom was included, which drew criticism. According to Noko, the frontman of
Shinsei Kamattechan is a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 2007. The band consists of Noko (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming, composition), Mono (leader, keyboards, programming, tambourine), Misako (drums) and Yūnosuke ( bass, chorus). They d ...
, who is an old friend, he describes Hikakin's personality as "There is not another person who is this open-minded." He is kind to everyone from an ordinary person's point of view, and doesn't care about profit or loss. He says that Hikakin is a person who can take action. "The first time I met him was at a party hosted by
Takafumi Horie is a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Livedoor, a website design operation that grew into a popular internet portal. After being arrested and charged with securities fraud in 2006, he severed all connections with the company. His trial began ...
in 2013, and when he told me that his goal at the time was that he wanted to exceed the number of subscribers on a corporate channel. "Normally, if I were to see him as a rival, I wouldn't have to be an individual." "It's amazing that the other party was a company."
Hiroyuki Nishimura is a Japanese internet entrepreneur. He founded the message board 2channel, and is an administrator of 4chan. He is also a self-help author and TV personality. He is often known by his given name, , which he uses, rendered intentionally in low ...
, the founder of
2channel , also known as 2ch, Channel 2, and sometimes retrospectively as 2ch.net, was an anonymous Japanese textboard founded in 1999 by Hiroyuki Nishimura. Described in 2007 as "Japan's most popular online community", the site had a level of influe ...
, said during the 2021 banquet scandal involving multiple YouTubers, "I've been saying from time to time that 'personality' is what is needed to do well on YouTube in the long term, but it is important to properly handle situations like this. It's amazing how Hikakin is avoiding scandals..." Takafumi Horie describes his impression of Hikakin as "an ordinary person." He also said, "There aren't many people who are popular on the internet who aren't very pushy, and even though they weren't really outstanding during their school days, they're just average people. So it's just as I expected."


Philanthropy

In 2014, he donated 597,840 yen (about $3,800) collected at a charity handshake event and 1.4 million yen (about $8,900) of his own to the areas affected by the
Great East Japan Earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
. In 2017, through the Central Community Chest of Japan, he donated 1 million yen (about $6,300) to the areas affected by the torrential rains in northern Kyushu. In 2018, he donated 1 million yen to areas affected by the
2018 Japan floods In late June through mid-July 2018, successive Cloudburst, heavy downpours in southwestern Japan resulted in widespread, devastating floods and mudflows. The event is officially referred to as by the Japan Meteorological Agency. As of 20  ...
. In 2019, he donated 1 million yen to the
Typhoon Hagibis Typhoon Hagibis, known in Japan as Typhoon No.19 or , was a large and costly tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction in Japan. The thirty-eighth depression, nineteenth tropical storm, ninth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 201 ...
disaster area. On January, 2020, in response to the
Black Summer bushfires Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psy ...
outbreak, they donated $15,000 to the
Australian Red Cross Australian Red Cross, formally Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1914 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, Australian Red Cross Society is ...
and $15,000 to Port Macquarie Koala Hospital. On May 21, 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the
coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...
, he established the "Coronavirus Medical Support Fund" in partnership with
Yahoo! Japan is a Japanese web portal. It was the most-visited website in Japan, nearing monopolistic status. According to ''The Japan Times'', as of 2012, Yahoo! Japan had a footprint on the internet market in Japan. In terms of use as a search engine, ...
. At the event, he donated 100 million yen (about $690,000). Celebrities also contributed, including Japanese businessman
Yusaku Maezawa is a Japanese billionaire entrepreneur and art collector. He founded Start Today in 1998 and launched the online fashion retail website Zozotown in 2004, now Japan's largest. Maezawa introduced a custom-fit apparel brand Zozo and at-home meas ...
, and soccer player
Yuto Nagatomo Yuto may refer to: *Yūto, a masculine Japanese given name *Yūtō, Shizuoka, a former town in Hamana District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Yuto, Jujuy, a city in Jujuy Province, Argentina *Yutō, a wooden container used for serving hot liquids, as ...
, Hikakin said that he would donate all proceeds from YouTube videos he posted during the fundraising period. In the end, from May 21 to June 30, 216,295 people donated, bringing the total to about 370 million yen (about $2.55 million). In 2021, he donated 5 million yen (about $31,000) worth of Super Chats to "Support for Preventing COVID-19 Medical Collapse (Yahoo! Fund)" after it failed to reach 10 million subscribers. He also donated 10 million yen of his own (about $63,000). In March 2022, 11 years after the
Great East Japan Earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
, sales of the Line stamp "3.11 Things I can do in the future." sold by
Yahoo! Japan is a Japanese web portal. It was the most-visited website in Japan, nearing monopolistic status. According to ''The Japan Times'', as of 2012, Yahoo! Japan had a footprint on the internet market in Japan. In terms of use as a search engine, ...
and Line as part of a joint project to support the reconstruction of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and to raise awareness of disaster prevention reached 121,032,20 yen (about $77,000), all of which was donated to prevent the disaster from fading and to support future generations. In December 2022, the organization donated 5 million yen each to the , an accredited non-profit organization, and the . In 2023, he donated 1 million yen to the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 Time in Turkey, TRT (01:17 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a  7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Ba'athist Syria, Syria. The epicenter was west–northwest ...
. In 2024, he donated 10 million yen each to the areas affected by the
2024 Noto earthquake On 1 January 2024, at 16:10 Japan Standard Time, JST (07:10 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a 7.6 (7.5) earthquake struck north-northeast of Suzu, Ishikawa, Suzu, located on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The Fault (geolog ...
and the
Hualien earthquake Hualien earthquake may refer to: * 1966 Hualien earthquake * 2009 Hualien earthquake * 2018 Hualien earthquake * 2019 Hualien earthquake * 2024 Hualien earthquake On 3 April 2024, at 07:58:11 Time in Taiwan, NST (23:58:11 Coordinated Univer ...
.


Personal life

His brother, Seikin, born 30 July 1987 is also a
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
with more than 4.6 million subscribers. In July 2018, he adopted a male Scottish Fold cat, "Maruo", and in September, he adopted Maruo's brother, "Mofuko". He has always liked cats since he was a child, and he had been thinking about getting one for a year. On August 1, 2023, a video was released of his new 2 billion yen ($13 million) rental home. This is Hikakin's first house, and it features an indoor heated pool and a 71-tatami living room. He said that this is his second base, leaving his previous home behind. On January 1, 2024, Hikakin announced his marriage on his channel. On August 1 of the same year, he announced the birth of his first child on his official YouTube channel. He revealed that he and his wife were already expecting when he made his marriage announcement earlier in January. However, he refrained from announcing their pregnancy at the time, as he felt that it would be a burden to his wife both mentally and physically. On January 19, 2025, he announced in a video that he had been diagnosed with eosinophilic sinusitis, a designated intractable disease, and had undergone surgery. The video also showed his hospitalization, surgery, and post-discharge episodes.


Filmography


Film


Dub


Music videos


Publications


Single author

* (July 19, 2013, Housewife and Lifesha) * (October 30, 2014, Nikkei BP)


Accolades


See also

* The Great Yokai War: Guardians - a 2021 film in which Hikakin appeared as the
yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and Spirit (supernatural entity) , spirits in Japanese folklore. The kanji representation of the word comprises two characters that both mean "suspicious, doubtful", and while the Japanese name is simply ...
named "Yōtuber Hikakin". * Hikakin also made a cameo appearance in episode 53 of the anime
GeGeGe no Kitarō , originally known as , is a Japanese manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as , a class of spirit-monster which all of the main characters belong t ...
(2018).


References


Secondary sources

{{Authority control 1989 births People from Niigata Prefecture Living people Japanese beatboxers Japanese male musicians Music YouTubers Gaming YouTubers YouTube vloggers Japanese male bloggers Japanese YouTubers