Eiji Akaso

Eiji Akaso is a Japanese actor and model who is widely recognized for his role as Ryuga Banjou in the television series Kamen Rider Build. Born on March 1, 1994, in Osaka Prefecture, he is represented by the talent agency Tristone Entertainment.

Akaso was born in Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture, but lived briefly in Wisconsin in the United States from ages one to four due to his father's work. His family then returned to Japan and settled in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. His father, Haruyuki Akaso, studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked as a linguistics professor before becoming the president of Nagoya Gakuin University in April 2020. His mother works as a piano teacher, and he has a younger brother who studies film production at Osaka University of Arts. Influenced by his family, Akaso played the piano from age three through junior high school. He attended Toho High School in Nagoya and later majored in English at Nagoya Gakuin University before choosing to drop out.

Akaso developed a desire to pursue acting during middle school, which was partly inspired by his family's monthly movie nights. During his teens, he began his entertainment career affiliated with the Nagoya modeling agency FORM JAPAN, operating under the name Mamoru Akaso. In 2010, he joined the local Nagoya idol group Boys and Men, appearing in regular variety shows and stage performances before leaving the group in 2011 to focus on his goal of becoming an actor.

A major turning point came in 2013 when Akaso won the Grand Prix at the Samantha Thavasa men's model audition. This success prompted him to begin auditioning in Tokyo around the age of 19 or 20. In 2014, he received a call from the CEO of Tristone Entertainment. Confronted with the choice to begin his professional acting career immediately or wait until graduating university at age 23, he chose to drop out of school. He officially transferred to Tristone Entertainment in 2015 and adopted his current stage name, launching a full-time career in television dramas and films.

Outside of his performance career, Akaso publicly shared information regarding his health on a variety show in 2019. During the broadcast, he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with allergies to roughly 52 different foods, including fruits and rice.