Ryan Higa

Ryan Higa is an American internet personality, comedian, actor, and online streamer known for his comedic video content. Born on June 6, 1990, in Hilo, Hawaii, Higa is of Ryukyuan descent. During his youth, he competed in judo, earning a black belt, and wrestled at Waiakea High School before graduating in 2008. He later pursued studies in nuclear medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but eventually left college to focus on digital content creation.

Higa began posting lip-syncing and comedy videos to YouTube in mid-2006 alongside Sean Fujiyoshi. Operating under the channel name nigahiga—derived from his Okinawan surname—he grew to become one of the platform's early prominent figures. Over two separate periods, his channel held the record as the most-subscribed on YouTube, including a 675-consecutive-day span between 2009 and 2011. Higa was also the first creator to reach both two million and three million subscribers on the platform. Throughout his YouTube career, he managed copyright challenges by composing original music, launched a second channel named HigaTV, and established the Ryan Higa Production Company.

Over the years, Higa expanded into diverse comedic and creative projects. He released independent short films such as Ninja Melk in 2009 and Agents of Secret Stuff in 2010. In 2012, he served as a judge on the online competition series Internet Icon. In 2016, Higa co-founded the parody K-pop group Boys Generally Asian (BgA), whose satirical singles achieved top positions on the iTunes K-pop charts.

Beyond online video platforms, Higa starred in the 2008 feature film Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure and later appeared in the movies Tell Me How I Die (2016) and Finding 'Ohana (2021). He also guest-starred on the television series Supah Ninjas. In 2017, he published a memoir titled Ryan Higa's How to Write Good. Additionally, he launched a fan community mobile application, co-founded the beverage company Ninja Melk, LLC, and hosted a podcast called Off the Pill beginning in 2018.

Higa has earned significant industry recognition, winning a Shorty Award alongside nominations for multiple Shorty, Streamy, and Teen Choice Awards, as well as an inclusion on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2020, Higa paused his regular YouTube uploads and transitioned to live streaming on Twitch, where he broadcasts gameplay, particularly in Valorant, alongside reaction streams.