Ryuji Imaichi (今市 隆二, Imaichi Ryūji; born September 2, 1986, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese singer and actor. He is a vocalist of the J-pop dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe. He joined the group after winning the Vocal Battle Audition 2, alongside Hiroomi Tosaka. As a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has received the Japan Record Awards twice. Since 2014, he has become the Thursday host for J-Wave's "Spark".
The first solo single was released in January 2018 with the digital single "One Day", while remaining a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers. For his solo activities he uses his birth name stylized as RYUJI IMAICHI.
He debuted as an actor in 2019 in the short film On The Way of the drama anthology Sono Shunkan, Boku wa Nakitaku Natta -Cinema Fighters project-.
Early life
Ryuji Imaichi was born on September 2, 1986, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, but was raised in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. He played baseball in elementary school and junior high school as a pitcher. According to himself, he was a rebellious teenager and dropped out of high school at the age of 16. He then started to do different part-time jobs, including dish washing at a ramen shop, and spent his wages playing with the pachinko and slot machines in his free time.
