() is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and writer.
Career Music From its formation in 2000 until its disbandment in 2015, Hoshino led the instrumental band Sakerock, where he played marimba and guitar. They released over ten albums. As a solo artist, he debuted with his first album Baka no Uta on June 23, 2010. His first physical single, "Kudaranai no Naka ni" was released on March 2, 2011, and peaked at number 17 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The subsequent singles – "Film", "Yume no Soto e", "Shiranai" (2012), and "Gag" (2013) – all charted in the top 10. His second album, Episode, released on September 28, 2011, peaked at number five. Hoshino's third album, Stranger, followed on May 1, 2013. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).
Since 2011, Hoshino has co-hosted the Ustream program with Ichirō Yamaguchi of Sakanaction. In 2014, the program officially changed its name to Yoru no Television.
Hoshino's fourth album, Yellow Dancer, was released on December 2, 2015, in Japan through Speedstar Records; it debuted atop both Oricon and Billboard Japans album charts. Yellow Dancer was certified platinum by the RIAJ that same month for surpassing 250,000 physical shipments, and became one of the few albums to receive a gold certification for digital downloads.
On February 18, 2018, Hoshino uploaded a music video for his song "Doraemon", which was written in tribute to the Japanese franchise of the same name. The song was used as the theme of the 38th Doraemon movie, Nobita's Treasure Island, and as the opening theme of the Doraemon anime from October 5, 2019, to November 2, 2024. Pop Virus, Hoshino's fifth album, was released on December 17. It spent four consecutive weeks atop the Oricon Album Chart and was certified double platinum by the RIAJ that same month. The album's commercial performance, within just a few months of its release, earned Hoshino a Best Album prize at the 33rd Japan Gold Disc Awards in 2019, as well as a Best Song prize for the digital success of the single "Idea", which was used as a theme for Asadora.
In March 2019, Hoshino also became the first artist to win four trophies at the Space Shower Music Awards. On August 30, all of Hoshino's music was made available on streaming services.
In April 2022, Hoshino's song "Comedy" was used as the ending theme of the season one anime adaptation of Spy × Family. The following July, he released the single "I Wanna Be Your Ghost", as the main theme for the film Yokaipedia (2022). It debuted at number one on Oricon's weekly Digital Singles Chart.
On December 27, 2023, Hoshino released the double A-side single "Why" / "Life" (光の跡／生命体). It features the song "Why", used in the end credits of the movie Spy × Family Code: White. Acting Hoshino's movie debut, Lee Sang-il's 69, was an adaptation of the Ryū Murakami novel of the same name. He previously acted in various television dramas and stage plays. In 2012, he debuted as a voice actor, voicing Buddha in the original video animation (OVA) adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura's manga Saint Young Men, and also provided a theme song called "Gag" for its 2013 theatrical version, where he reprised his role.
In 2013, he played the lead character in Masahide Ichii's alongside Kaho, and starred in the Sion Sono film Why Don't You Play in Hell?.
In 2016, Hoshino starred in TBS's The Full-Time Wife Escapist. With Yui Aragaki as his co-star, he portrayed a salaryman named Hiramasa Tsuzaki. The drama achieved steadily rising ratings, with a real-time viewership peak rating of 20.8% on the final episode, and an overall rating of 14.5%. Hoshino's performance earned him several Best Supporting Actor awards. He also provided the theme song for the drama, titled "Koi."
Gen Hoshino created the parody character "Akira Nise" (ニセ明, Nise Akira, literally Fake Akira) as a tribute to Akira Fuse.
In 2017, Hoshino lent his voice to the main character of award-winning animated film The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl. He also became the voice of the Father in Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, which was released into theaters in Japan on July 20, 2018.
On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Hoshino would star in Samurai Shifters, the film adaptation of Akihiro Dobashi's historical novel Hikkoshi Daimyo Sanzenri, set to premier on August 30, 2019. In the movie, he plays a bookworm samurai called Harunosuke Katagiri, who receives the mission to help a daimyo move. It would be Hoshino's first lead role in a live-action movie since Blindly in Love in 2013.
In Idaten, NHK's 2019 Taiga drama, chosen for the theme to encourage the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Hoshino portrayed Kazushige Hirasawa, who delivered the persuasive speech that helped determine the venue for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.
Personal life On December 22, 2012, Hoshino was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage and underwent surgery. He officially returned to public life on February 28, 2013, with his appearance at the Tokyo J-Wave Awards.
In 2021, Hoshino married actress Yui Aragaki, his co-star in the television series The Full-Time Wife Escapist.
Discography
Studio albums Baka no Uta (2010) Episode (2011) Stranger (2013) Yellow Dancer (2015) Pop Virus (2018) Gen (2025)
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes200469Yuzuru Nakamura2008Nonko 36-saiMasaruLead role2009Brass Knuckle Boys Band member2013Saint Young MenBuddhaLead role, voiceBlindly in LoveKentaro AmanoshizukuLead roleWhy Don't You Play in Hell?Koji Hashimoto 2015Love & PeacePC-300Voice2016Chieri and Cherry Chieri Lead role, voice2017The Night Is Short, Walk On GirlSenpaiLead role, voice2018MiraiFatherVoice2019Samurai ShiftersHarunosuke KatagiriLead role No SmokingNarrator2020The Voice of SinToshiya SoneLead role 2024Last MileKazumi Shima2026GrotesqqqueKento KunikuraVoice
Television Television drama YearTitleRoleNetworkNotes2003Water BoysTBSManhattan Love StoryTBSEpisode 62004DollhouseTBSEpisode 3Onna-tachi no Tsumi to BatsuFuji TVTelevision specialRikon BengoshiFuji TVEpisode 2Tokio: Message Across TimeKoji OokuboNHKEpisode 1OtoutoTV AsahiEpisode 22005Affectionate TimeYoichi AmanoFuji TVEpisode 3Gekidan EngimonoHiromiFuji TVMini-drama: "Nemureru Mori no Shitai"Tiger & DragonDontsuku HayashiyateiTBS2006Akihabara@DeepTaikoTBSMo Hitotsu no Sugar and SpiceKoyamaFuji TVEpisode: "Saikou no Spice"2007Tokyo TowerFuji TVEpisode 2, 3, 4Detective School QDetective NekotaNTVKyonen Renoir deTV TokyoLead role2008Mirai Koshi MeguruEguchi HideoTV AsahiWeekly Yoko MakiHiroshi InoueTV TokyoEpisode: "Chouchou no Mama de"2009Ghost FriendsShinjiNHKEpisode 52010Gegege no NyoboTakashi IidaNHKAsadoraShukujo – Season 2HimselfNHKEpisode 5 guest appearanceKaiju o Yobu OtokoKota SoejimaNHK BShiLead role, television special2011Odd Family ElevenHiroyuki SanadaTV Asahi2014Last Night's Curry, Tomorrow's BreadKazuki TerayamaNHK2015Kouhaku ga Umareta HiGeorge MabuchiNHKTelevision specialDr. StorksHaruki ShinomiyaTBSSeason 12016Sanada MaruHidetada TokugawaNHKTaiga dramaThe Full-Time Wife EscapistHiramasa TsuzakiTBS2017PlageTakao YoshimuraWowowLead roleDr. StorksHaruki ShinomiyaTBSSeason 22019IdatenKazushige HirasawaNHKTaiga drama 2020 MIU404 Kazumi Shima TBS Lead role 2022 Teen Regime Kiyoshi Taira NHK Mini-series
Video games YearTitleRoleNote2025Death Stranding 2: On the BeachHimselfHis songs are featured in the game
Variety shows YearTitleNetworkNote2012–The Comedy of LifeNHK2017–18Ogen-san to IsshoNHK2 episodes2023LighthouseNetflixCo-presenter
TV commercials NTT DOCOMO, "ZeniCrazy Ver1.0" (February 2019) NTT DOCOMO, "ZeniCrazy Ver2.0" (March 2019) Nintendo, "Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary" (September 2020)
Original video animation Onna no Sono no Hoshi (2022), Hoshi
Concerts and tours Headlining tours Baka no Uta Hatsubai Kinen no Live (2010) Hoshino Gen no Aisatsu Mawari Tour (2010) Hoshino Gen no Betsu Episode: Heya (2011) Episode Hatsubai Kinen Tour: Episode 2 Ikou (2012) Hoshino Gen One-Man no Aki (2012) Hoshino Gen no Fukkatsu Live Tour (2014) Hoshino Gen Live Tour 2016: Yellow Voyage (2016) Hoshino Gen Live Tour 2017: Continues (2017) Hoshino Gen Dome Tour 2019: Pop Virus (2019) Hoshino Gen Pop Virus World Tour (2019) Gen Hoshino presents Reassembly (2022) Gen Hoshino presents Mad Hope Japan Tour / Asia Tour (2025)
Concerts Live in Japan 2018 Gen Hoshino & Mark Ronson
Awards and nominations
References
External links Official website Official YouTube channel Official profile at Speedstar Records