Ryuhei Matsuda
Known for
Born in Tokyo in 1983, Ryuhei Matsuda is a distinctive Japanese leading man with a sleepy, otherworldly presence that arthouse directors love. He debuted at seventeen as the beautiful young samurai in Nagisa Oshima Taboo (1999), then carved a career at the edge of the mainstream with Nine Souls (2003) and the beloved slacker comedy The Taste of Tea (2004). He led Sion Sono Love Exposure (2008) and returned to Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Before We Vanish (2017). Son of screen icon Yusaku Matsuda, he has forged an unmistakable niche as Japan cinema most quietly unsettling face.
Ryuhei Matsuda
57 Movies
19 Series
Born in Tokyo in 1983, Ryuhei Matsuda is a distinctive Japanese leading man with a sleepy, otherworldly presence that arthouse directors love. He debuted at seventeen as the beautiful young samurai in Nagisa Oshima Taboo (1999), then carved a career at the edge of the mainstream with Nine Souls (2003) and the beloved slacker comedy The Taste of Tea (2004). He led Sion Sono Love Exposure (2008) and returned to Kiyoshi Kurosawa with Before We Vanish (2017). Son of screen icon Yusaku Matsuda, he has forged an unmistakable niche as Japan cinema most quietly unsettling face.
Movies
Plays Junior Scientist 4 / Bartender (voice)
Isle of Dogs
2018
Plays Keiichi
The Raid 2
2014
Plays Sozaburo Kano
Taboo
1999
Plays Tatsuji
The Yakiniku Movie: Bulgogi
2007
Plays UNDERMAN
UNDERGIRL
2026
Plays Kujo
Blue Spring
2001
Plays Shinji Kase
Before We Vanish
2017
Plays NSA Client
Cutie Honey
2004
Plays Mitsuya Majime
The Great Passage
2013
Plays Book Boy
Age 17
2003
Plays Ren Honjou
Nana
2005
Plays Bodyguard
I'm Flash!
2012
Plays Ikuta
The Summit: A Chronicle Of Stones to Serenity
2009
Plays Kyoichi Kagenuma
Nightmare Detective
2007
Plays Michiru Kaneko
9 Souls
2003
Plays Takada
Bye Bye Love: Detective Is in the Bar
2026
Plays Mon Aoki
Otakus in Love
2004
Plays Hiasa Norihiro
Beneath the Shadow
2019
Plays Haruhiko Gyoten
Tada's Do-It-All House
2011
Plays Kawasaki
The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker
2007
Plays Tarô Hirai (segment "Caterpillar")
Rampo Noir
2005
Plays Moku Kayaba
The Magnificent Nine
2016
Plays Ichirō Miyakoshi
The Scythian Lamb
2018
Plays His Highness
Izo
2004
Plays Haruhiko Gyoten
Disconcerto
2014
Plays Takada
Phone Call to the Bar
2011
Plays Tomoyuki
The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue
2017
Plays Aoyama
Boys on the Run
2010
Plays Jun Ariyoshi
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
2006
Plays Fujimura
ZOKKI
2021
Plays Norio Koiwa
My Little Sweet Pea
2013
Plays Isamu
A Chorus of Angels
2012
Plays Shinno
Transcending Dimensions
2025
Plays Shoji Segawa
The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan
2018
Plays Uncle
My Uncle
2016
Plays Takada
Detective in the Bar
2013
Plays Ishihara
Karaoke Terror
2003
Plays Shogo Mishima
Nobody To Watch Over Me
2009
Plays Zenjiro Ikeda
Kurara: The Dazzling Life of Hokusai's Daughter
2017
Plays Kaoru Homura
Synesthesia
2005
Plays Takada
The Last Shot in the Bar
2017
Plays Takashi Ohno
Tokyo Serendipity
2007
Plays Eikichi Tamura
The Mohican Comes Home
2016
Plays Masato Segawa
Collage of Our Lives
2003
Plays Shinjo
Kanikôsen
2009
Plays Riku Nagase
The Suicide Song
2007
Plays Kyoichi Kagenuma
Nightmare Detective 2
2008
Plays Mr. Shinno
The Day of Destruction
2020
Plays Takeharu Takami
A Farewell to Jinu
2015
Plays Osamu Nishino
The Vulture
2009
TV Shows
Plays Takuma Mizuguchi
Amachan
2013
Plays Gyoten Haruhiko
Tada's Do-It-All House
2013
Plays Sakakibara Masayuki
Smoking
2018
Plays Yashiro Heita
Kita Yoshio's Tomorrow
2008
Plays 田中八作 / Tanaka Hassaku
Chain Story Omameda Towako wo Shiranai Otokotachi
2021
Creator
Plays Keisuke Takagi
Natsuko Kira
2016
Plays Kosei Nemoto
Weakest Beast
2018
Plays Tsukasa Beppu
Quartet
2017
Plays Hassaku Tanaka
My Dear Exes
2021
Plays Ryo Arikino
Tokyo Salad Bowl
2025
Plays Masahiko Sawamura
Distorted Ripples
2019
Plays Ichinose Yosuke
Hey Detective, Your Backpack is Open!
2026
Plays Shizuo Katsumata
Asura
2025
Plays Iwamori Akira
Uzukawamura Incident
2022
Plays Numakura Koichi
Give My Regards to Kenshirō
2023
Plays Osamu Nishino
Hagetaka: Road to Rebirth
2007
Plays Shinichiro Kuramoto
Sai
2025
Plays Tachibana Masaharu
0.5 Man
2023
Plays Ryouta Udagawa
Dōki
2011
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Sai: Disaster
Full Filmography
Bye Bye Love: Detective Is in the Bar
Takada
2026
Film
UNDERGIRL
UNDERMAN
2026
Film
Hey Detective, Your Backpack is Open!
Ichinose Yosuke · 8 episodes
2026–
TV
Sai
Shinichiro Kuramoto · 6 episodes
2025–
TV
Transcending Dimensions
Shinno
2025
Film
Asura
Shizuo Katsumata · 7 episodes
2025–
TV
Tokyo Salad Bowl
Ryo Arikino · 9 episodes
2025–
TV
Who Were We?
Ao
2024
Film
Give My Regards to Kenshirō
Numakura Koichi · 6 episodes
2023–
TV
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Ryuhei Matsuda and where are they from?
Ryuhei Matsuda is 43 years old, born on May 9, 1983 in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan.
What are the most famous roles of Ryuhei Matsuda?
Ryuhei Matsuda is best known for roles in Isle of Dogs, The Raid 2, Taboo.
How many movies has Ryuhei Matsuda been in?
Over a 27-year career (since 1999), Ryuhei Matsuda has appeared in 57 movies and 19 TV shows.
What was Ryuhei Matsuda's first movie?
The career of Ryuhei Matsuda began with Taboo (1999).
What is Ryuhei Matsuda's most recent movie or series?
Ryuhei Matsuda's most recent release is UNDERGIRL, which premiered on September 14, 2026.
What TV shows has Ryuhei Matsuda appeared in?
On television, Ryuhei Matsuda has appeared in Quartet, Asura, My Dear Exes, 0.5 Man.
Does Ryuhei Matsuda have any upcoming projects?
Yes, Ryuhei Matsuda's upcoming work includes: Bye Bye Love: Detective Is in the Bar (2026).
Ryuhei Matsuda
1983-05-09 · Suginami, Tokyo, Japan
Ryuhei Matsuda (松田 龍平, Matsuda Ryūhei, born 9 May 1983) is a Japanese film and television actor. Matsuda's best known film roles include the young and desirable samurai Sōzaburō Kanō in Taboo and the rock star Ren Honjo in Nana.
At age 15, Matsuda was offered the role of the desirable young samurai Kanō Sōzaburō in Nagisa Ōshima's 1999 film Taboo. The role helped boost him from an entirely unknown actor to a film star, earning him a Japanese Academy award "Newcomer of the Year", as well as "Blue Ribbon", "Kinema Junpo", and "Yokohama Film Festival" Awards for the "Best New Actor". Since appearing in Taboo, Matsuda has played a wide range of roles, from the high school student Kujo in the 2001 film Blue Spring to the rock star Ren Honjo in the 2005 film Nana. In February 2013, it was revealed that Matsuda would play the part of a Japanese gangster in the sequel to the 2012 Indonesian film The Raid, named Berandal.
In 2020 portrayed Ryūnosuke Akutagawa in the film A Stranger in Shanghai. It depicts Akutagawa's time in as a reporter in the city. Since then, Matsuda has continued to work steadily across film and television. His notable award-winning period remains centered on his earlier career — most notably his Best Actor win at the 37th Japan Academy Film Prize in 2013 for The Great Passage, alongside a Best Actor win at the 2nd Hainan Island International Film Festival in 2019 for the film Shadow.
More recently, his credits include the films Ichigeki (2023), Who Were We? (2023–2024), and Transcending Dimensions (2025). On television, he starred in the Netflix drama Asura (2025), based on Kazuo Kikuta's play, and in Tokyo Salad Bowl (2025). His film Disaster was released on February 20, 2026, and was also selected for the competition section of the San Sebastián Film Festival. In January 2026, Matsuda took on his first-ever leading role in a TV Asahi drama with Hey Detective, Your Backpack Is Open!
He also appeared in UNDERGIRL a first movie from UNDERCOVER production, a superhero film released in Shibuya.