Fuku Suzuki: Balancing Acting Career and College Life with a Grown-Up Side

A great success with high demand

A child actor who made his debut at the age of one has quickly risen to become a popular actor representing Generation Z–.

The name of Fuku Suzuki (20), who made his debut on the children’s program “Inai Inai Baa!” (NHK), became widely known through the 2011 drama “Marumo’s Story” (Fuji TV). At that time, he starred alongside the child actress Mana Ashida (20), who was acclaimed as a genius, playing twins, and the show achieved a peak rating of 23.9%.

The theme song they performed, “Maru Maru Mori Mori!”, became a big hit, and the duo also appeared in that year’s “NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen.” As the “Marumori duo,” they became a sensation.

In January of this year, Suzuki celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony and officially joined the ranks of adulthood. On January 14th, he posted on his Instagram, “I attended the ‘Coming-of-Age Gathering’! Thank you so much to everyone who I’ve met and supported me so far!” expressing his joy.

“Although Suzuki is strongly associated with the child actor image, he has been steadily building his career, appearing in the ‘Kamen Rider’ series, particularly ‘Kamen Rider Geats’ (2022-2023, TV Asahi), which he openly supports, and hosting the Thursday segment of the morning information program ‘ZIP!’ (NTV).

Last year, at the age of 20, he even revealed a more adult side of himself on the variety show ‘Talk Queens’ (Fuji TV), where he openly discussed romance, saying, ‘The only person I can say I truly dated is one,'” (Entertainment writer).

The “Fuku-kun” that the living rooms know is now stepping up the ladder to become “Fuku-san” as an adult!

While actively working as an actor and commentator, Suzuki is also a current university student, balancing both roles. Recently, his opportunities for television appearances have increased.

On February 1st, he appeared on MBS TV’s “Suikai! Akashiya TV” and revealed his packed schedule, stating that he woke up at 3:30 AM and had a tightly packed schedule until the evening TV recording, which became a topic of discussion.

Amid his busy days, our magazine witnessed Suzuki perfectly balancing work and play last winter. That day, he participated in a Paralympic-related event in the morning, finishing around 5 PM. After work, he went alone to a glasses shop inside a complex high-rise building connected directly to Shibuya Station, which is busy on weekends.

“When I entered, I was surprised to see Fuku-kun there (laughs). He was trying on several pairs of stylish sunglasses, and they all suited him. It was clear he was a celebrity,” said a customer who happened to be there.

After about 10 minutes, Suzuki left the store and headed to a famous fashion brand store near Miyashita Park. There, he was seen repeatedly trying on clothes in front of a full-length mirror, checking his fashion.

“It seems that after meeting various celebrities, he became interested in fashion in his late teens. On his coming-of-age day, he was praised for coordinating a coat from Kazuya Kamenashi (38) and shoes given to him by Shunsuke Kazama (41), with the look being described as ‘British gentleman style.’ He frequently receives hand-me-downs from Kamenashi and often shares his outfits on social media,” said a PR representative from an apparel manufacturer.

Later that night, just after midnight, our magazine spotted Suzuki again, this time in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho area. However, he wasn’t heading to the entertainment district but instead to a 24-hour karaoke shop.

It seems he was meeting friends inside the store. About an hour and a half later, Suzuki emerged, wearing sunglasses and a Dodgers cap, stepping out of the elevator with a handsome companion. After singing and enjoying themselves, they headed to the next spot.

Having worked all day and enjoyed a “boys’ night out” into the early morning, Suzuki’s grown-up appearance showed no trace of his child actor days.