Fuma Kikuchi’s Effortless Charisma: Polite to Staff Even After Typewriter’s Huge Success!

“I came to see Fuma-kun in his last moments of his 20s!”

In early March, just before noon, a gym operating inside a commercial building in Tokyo was filled with a bustling atmosphere. Several crew members, seemingly from the media, were hurriedly unloading equipment from a van and carrying it into the gym.

That day, timelesz member Fuma Kikuchi (30) was attending his inauguration ceremony as an ambassador for the protein brand VALX.

The woman who spoke with such enthusiasm was a devoted fan of Kikuchi. He had just celebrated his 30th birthday on March 7, making this event a milestone occasion. However, since it was a completely closed event, she looked disappointed. A nearby resident shared insights about the tight security surrounding the event.

“In front of the VALX gym on the second floor, there was a board that read ‘Reserved,’ and the entrance was guarded by staff standing watch. Applause could occasionally be heard from inside the gym, but the front glass was covered with blackout curtains, making it impossible to see inside.”

About an hour and a half later, the event concluded, and Kikuchi emerged from the back entrance, escorted by staff. He casually ran his fingers through his silky hair and greeted the staff with a light nod, showing his attentiveness to those around him. Then, guided by his team, he got into a chauffeured car and left the gym.

The reason why TaiPro has fans hooked

Kikuchi, along with Shori Sato (28) and So Matsushima (27), had been active as “Sexy Zone” (commonly known as “Sekuzo”) for 14 years. It has now been almost a year since they rebranded as “timelesz” in April last year.

“The Netflix show timelesz project-AUDITION- (nicknamed TaiPro), which began streaming worldwide last September, received an incredible response. The fan club initially had around 550,000 members, but as of March, it has surpassed 740,000.

The audition process, led by the original three members with the concept of recruiting immediate assets, was designed in a way that viewers became deeply emotionally invested in their favorite candidates. It had an addictive quality reminiscent of the popular Gachinko! (TBS), where contestants were put through rigorous trials. The three members leveraged their extensive 15-year experience as idols, utilizing their sharp instincts to create a brilliantly executed project,” said an entertainment magazine editor.

Nearly 19,000 applications were submitted, with the second round of auditions narrowing the pool to about 350 candidates. Through a highly competitive selection process, five members—Masaki Hashimoto, Takuto Teranishi, Daiki Shinozuka, Shuto Inomata, and Yoshitaka Hara—were chosen. Interestingly, two of them were from the STARTO ENTERTAINMENT acting division, while three were general applicants.

The newly formed timelesz now operates as an eight-member group. True to their name—meaning always fresh and unaffected by time—their unstoppable momentum continues to leave a mark on the history of the entertainment industry.