Sousuke Takaoka

Sousuke Takaoka (高岡蒼佑 , Takaoka Sōsuke , born February 8, 1982) is a Japanese former actor, known for his break-out performance in the controversial movie Battle Royale.

His break-out performance was in the controversial movie Battle Royale, in which he played the pacifistic Hiroki Sugimura (Boy #11). Takaoka then moved from muted heroics to active anti-heroism in portrayals of the grittier side of teenage violence, such as in Concrete. The film was based on the events of Junko Furuta's sadistic murder by four youths in 1988.

In 2006, for his role as the introspective Honda in Spring Snow, Takaoka gained a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Blue Ribbon Awards, a Japanese film event judged by critics.

Takaoka quit acting in 2020 and is now working as a martial artist. He also took part time jobs such as a trash collector and at an izakaya prior to his martial arts career.

In July 2011, Takaoka made headlines and attracted much controversy for several comments against the airing of Korean dramas on Japanese television. He stated on Twitter "I used to be indebted to Fuji TV in the past, but now I'm suspicious that they may actually be a Korean network. I'm questioning about what country I'm in as well. It offends me. If anything related to Korea is on broadcast, I just turn the TV off. It troubles me because I feel like I am being brainwashed", and "Since we're in Japan, I would like to see Japanese programs. I get scared every time I hear the word, 'Hallyu'". His comments resulted in a strong public backlash due to his previous role as a Zainichi Korean in the film Break Through! as well as public protests against the airing of Korean dramas against Fuji TV. Due to the controversy about his statements he was reportedly dropped from his agency following his tweets and his marriage to Aoi Miyazaki whom he stated shared his views was reportedly in jeopardy. However, he later apologized for his statements and retracted his claims of Miyazaki sharing his views.

On June 15, 2007, he married fellow actress Aoi Miyazaki, after being in a relationship for seven years. In December 2011, the couple had announced that they were divorcing. On August 3, 2020, he announced his retirement from acting.[10] In 2021, he then became a boxer.[11]

He also has a YouTube channel and uploads vlogs, as well as highlights from his boxing tournaments.[12]

Takaoka is also a stage actor and appeared in The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Wee Thomas) by Martin McDonagh in June 2006.[13]