Kento Nakajima
Filipino-Japanese singer and actor (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kento Nakajima (Japanese: 中島健人, Hepburn: Nakajima Kento; born March 13, 1994)[1] is a Japanese singer, actor, voice actor and television personality under Starto Entertainment[2]. He is best known as being a member of the Japanese idol groups Sexy Zone and Yuma Nakayama w/B.I.Shadow.[3]
- Singer
- actor
- voice actor
- television personality
Smile-Up (2023–2024)
Johnny & Associates (2008–2023)
Kento Nakajima | |
|---|---|
中島健人 | |
| Born | March 13, 1994 Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Agent(s) | Starto Entertainment (2024–present) Smile-Up (2023–2024) Johnny & Associates (2008–2023) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | J-pop |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Gemn |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | nakajimakento |
Career
Early career
When he was in 6th grade, Nakajima listened to the song "Seishun Amigo" by Johnny & Associates temporary unit Shūji to Akira, formed by KAT-TUN's Kazuya Kamenashi and NEWS member Tomohisa Yamashita and became interested in Johnny's.[4] At the age of 14 years old, he sent in his application, and joined the agency in April 2008[5]
Pre debut and Sexy Zone era
In 2008, B.I.Shadow was formed as a Johnny's Jr. group. At that time the members were: Fuma Kikuchi, Misaki Takahata, and him. During that year, they acted in the drama Scrap Teacher.
He was chosen for the 5-member group Sexy Zone in 2011, when he was 17,[4] which debuted in November 16 with the release of their eponymous debut single. Their average age was 14.4, making them the youngest group to debut since the Oricon Singles Rankings began in January 1968.[6]
It was announced that Nakajima would leave the group on March 31, 2024, but continue in the agency as a talent and actor, seeking "to take on various challenges as an idol and an actor, both in Japan and abroad."[7]
GEMN and other collaborations
As a singer, Nakajima released a single in 2024, in a collaboration with Tatsuya Kitani, as the unit GEMN. The single, titled "Fatal", served as the opening theme song for the second season of anime series Oshi no Ko.[8] He also released a song as part of the "Hitogoto Project", "Hitogoto feat. Kento Nakajima", which serves as theme song for the TV Tokyo drama series "Shosen Hitogoto desu kara: Toaru Bengoshi no Honne no Shigoto" in which he appears.[9][10]
On November 20, 2025, it was announced a collaboration with Mori Calliope of Hololive on the song called Gold Unbalance.[11]
Solo era
Nakajima's solo debut was in December 25, 2024, with the release of the album N/bias. accompanied with his first solo live, "KENTO NAKAJIMA 1st Live 2025 N/bias" at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on January 17–19, 2025.[12]
On January 18, 2026, it was revealed that Nakajima would be singing the official cheer song for the 2026 Winter Olympics' Japanese team. Nakajima performed the song, Kesshō (結唱), at the "TEAM JAPAN farewell party" held at Lala Arena Tokyo Bay in Chiba on the 18th.[13]
Acting career
Nakajima made his overseas debut as an actor in Hulu / SkyShowtime's drama Concordia, which started airing on May 23, 2024.[14][15]
Other activities
YouTube and SNS
In a post dated October 17, 2024, Nakajima informed of the opening of official YouTube and TikTok accounts.[16]
Brand ambassador
On January 8, 2026, it was announced that Nakajima was appointed as brand ammbassador for Bulgari Japan [17]
Special navigator
He was one of the chosen personalities to represent the network WOWOW during the broadcast of the Academy Awards.[18][19][20][21] He studied English for this occasion and showed wonderful English-speaking skills.
Personal life
Often fondly called "Kenty", Nakajima is an only child and was raised by his mother. He loves to play the piano and often performs it during their concerts. He updates his blog KenTeaTime or 'KTT' on Johnny's web everyday, reporting his daily life to his fans. He is a big fan of the manga Kimetsu no Yaiba. He coined the term "Sexy Lovers" or セクラバ (sekurabas) for Sexy Zone fans. He owns a toy poodle he named, "Bonita" or "Boni-chan".
He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology at Meiji Gakuin University.[22]
Filmography
TV series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Scrap Teacher | Kento Minobe | [23] | |
| 2009 | Koishite Akuma: Vampire Boy | Hiroto Handa | [24] | |
| 2011 | You Taught Me All the Precious Things | Kentaro Kodama | [25] | |
| Umareru. | Koji Hayashida | [26] | ||
| 2012 | Kazoku no Uta | Kosei Sakagami | [27] | |
| 2013 | Bad Boys J | Tsukasa Kiriki | Lead role | [28] |
| 2014 | Kurofuku Monogatari | Akira Ogawa | Lead role | [29] |
| 2015 | Defying Kurosaki-kun | Haruto Kurosaki | Lead role; miniseries | [30] |
| 2016 | Guard Center 24 | Mamoru Shinomiya | Lead role; television film | [31] |
| 2018 | Cops' N Robbers | Tsutomu Madarame | Lead role | [32] |
| The Story of Shotaro Ishinomori, the Man Who Created a Hero | Shotaro Ishinomori | Lead role; 24 Hour Television film special | [33] | |
| 2019 | Castle of Sand (2019) | Eiryo Waga | Television film | [34] |
| 2020 | Detective Novice | Kai Honma | Lead role | [35] |
| 2021 | She Was Pretty (Japanese series) | Sousuke Hasebe | Lead role | [36] |
| 2023 | Legal Enforcement with Dogs | Yūsuke Kurihara | [37] | |
| 2024 | Living-Room Matsunaga-san | Jun Matsunaga | Lead role | [38] |
| Concordia (drama) | Akira John "A.J." Ohba | Overseas drama debut | [39][40][14] | |
| In the End, It's Someone Else's Problem | Osamu Yasuda | [41] | ||
| 2026 | Song of the Samurai | Okada Izō | [42] | |
| S and X | Ichito Shimotori | Lead role | [43] |
Variety and other programs
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nakajima Shigeoka Iwamoto no nakayoshi trio tabi taishi ni naritai! | National travel and promotion with the aim to become a tourism ambassador. Hosted with Daiki Shigeoka (West.) and Hikaru Iwamoto (Snow Man) |
[44] |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Bad Boys J: The Movie | Tsukasa Kiriki | Lead role | [45] |
| 2014 | Silver Spoon | Yūgo Hachiken | Lead role | [46] |
| 2016 | The Black Devil and the White Prince | Haruto Kurosaki | Lead role | [47] |
| 2017 | The Anthem of the Heart | Takumi Sakagami | Lead role | [48] |
| Teen Bride | Nao Tsurugi | Lead role | [49] | |
| 2018 | Nisekoi | Raku Ichijo | Lead role | [50] |
| 2022 | Love Like the Falling Petals | Haruto Asakura | Lead role | [51] |
| Fragments of the Last Will | Takeo Shintani | [52] | ||
| 2023 | Confess to Your Crimes | Kōji Uda | Lead role | [53] |
| 2025 | My Beloved Stranger | Riku | Lead role | [54] |
| 2026 | Love≠Comedy | Reiji Kanzaki | Lead role | [55] |
Animation series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Silver Spoon | Aoyama | Episode 8 | [56] |
Dubbing
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos)[57]
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
| Title | Year | Peaks | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [64] |
JPN Cmb. [65] |
JPN Hot [66] | ||||
| "Fatal" (ファタール) (with Tatsuya Kitani as Gemn) |
2024 | 5 | 2 | 3 | Non-album single | |
| "Hitogoto" (ヒトゴト)[68] (as Hitogoto featuring Kento Nakajima) |
5 | 5 | 28 | |||
| "Picaresque" (ピカレスク)[69] | — | — | —[A] | N / Bias | ||
| "Montage"[71] (with Hiroyuki Sawano) |
2025 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Idol1st | |
| "Idolic" | 3 | 4 | 6 | |||
| "XTC" | 2026 | — | — | 67 | ||
| "Gods' Play"[72] (featuring Naomi Watanabe) |
— | — | — | |||