"When I am acting I think of it as lending my body to Ultraman rather than "moving on my own." Because of this, I can say with confidence that I can “hear” Ultraman’s voice more intimately than any other human."
- ―Hideyoshi Iwata on portraying Ultraman Blazar[1]
Hideyoshi Iwata Ultraman Nexus. He is a member of Tsuburaya Productions' action team, CASTAFF, and also runs an action training academy called 4ARTS.[2]
is a Japanese actor, suit actor, and stuntman, known for portraying most of the titular Ultras sinceCareer[]
In May 1999, at the age of 18, Iwata went to Tokyo from the countryside. After watching a hero stage show at a amusement park, he immediately knew he wanted to be a suit actor, and knocked on the door of the stage show's dressing room.[3][4][5] He would eventually meet Motomi Iguchi, a member of CASTAFF and suit actor at Tsuburaya,[6][7] who helped him enter the industry.[8]
His first Ultraman Series work was Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey in 2000,[9] but his exact role is unknown. Since Ultraman Nexus in 2004, he was one of multiple suit actors for the titular Ultras of each series, but was the sole suit actor for Ultraman Hikari, Victory, X, and Geed onwards. He is also known for playing Zenna's human form in Ultraman Geed.
In addition to suit acting, Iwata has written and supervised scripts for minor Ultraman Series stage shows since 2013, mainly in the Kanto region.[10]
He started a YouTube channel in April 2023, where he talks about his experiences as a suit actor.
Personal Life[]
Screenwriter Junichiro Ashiki was his junior in college,[11][12] with Iwata eventually inviting him to work on the Ultraman Series.[13][14]
On July 10, 2019, an annual date known as 'Ultraman Day,' Hideyoshi publicly announced his marriage to his Ultraman Geed co-star Mayu Hasegawa, who portrayed Moa Aizaki, via his Twitter account.[15] Hasegawa had earlier announced her retirement from acting on April 30, 2019.[16] On September 8, 2020, Hideyoshi announced that his wife Mayu had given birth to their first child.[17]
Roles[]
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth | Actor[22] |
Stage[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | DARKNESS HEELS~THE LIVE~SHINKA | Gurego |
Other Roles[]
- Chouseishin Gransazer - Sazer Gans
- Kamen Rider Saber - Couple watching wonder world
- Ninja vs Shark
- Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger 20th: The Unforgivable Abare - AbareKiller
Works[]
Iwata wrote the following stage shows:
- Ultraman Taiga stage show at Mallabu Shoge (2019)[23]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (September 2019)[24]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (August 2019)[25]
- Drive-in Ultraman Z Show in Tokyo AEON MALL (November 2020)[26][27]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (February 2021)[28]
- Ultraman Z Show (August 2021)[29][30]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (August 2021 and February 2023)[31][32]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (March 2022)[33]
- Ultraman Decker Show (July 2022)[34][35]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (August 2022)[36][37]
- Ultraman Decker stage show (August 2022)[38]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (August 2022)
- Ultraman Decker Show (December 2022)[39][40]
- Ultra Athletic Original Show (March 2023)[41]
- Ultraman Decker Special Show: After the Journey (April 2023)[42][43][44]
- Ultraman Blazar stage show (July 2023)[45]
- Ultraman Blazar Show (July 2023)[46]
- Power of the Earth (September 2023)[47][48]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- During the filming of Ultraman Geed, Iwata trained Yuta Ozawa with Zero's fighting skills for scenes where his character was to be possessed by said Ultra.
- Shimba Tsuchiya was one of Iwata's students at 4ARTS.[50][51][52]
- Iwata's stage name for portraying Windom in Ultraman Decker is named after Zenna's alias.
- As both the suit and voice actor for Ultraman Blazar, Iwata simultaneously performed the same on-screen gestures while dubbing for the Ultra, which director Kiyotaka Taguchi commented was "strangely fitting".[53]
References[]