Kazunari Ninomiya Shines with His Aging Persona Winning Over Comedians

A talent leading the way in various fields

Kazunari Ninomiya (41) is on an unstoppable roll.

On March 27, he teamed up for the first time with the comedy duo “Audrey” member Masayasu Wakabayashi (46) in the survival game variety show Secret NG House, which started streaming on Prime Video. On April 9, his own regular show Nino Nanoni began airing on TBS.

On April 11, he hosted Quiz Festival 2025 Spring – Celebrity Stars Challenge Classic Quiz of the Heisei Era (Nippon TV). Moreover, he is currently appearing in the 2025 NHK morning drama Anpan.

Additionally, his starring movie Exit No. 8 is set to be officially invited to the Midnight Screening section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which will take place from May 13.

With weekly releases related to Ninomiya, industry insiders are saying, “There is no other talent leading the way in so many fields at the same time.” Compared to the other members of Arashi, he is in a one-man victory state with significantly more work and exposure.

However, despite his current unstoppable status, Ninomiya’s journey to get here wasn’t without challenges.

“In 2019, when he married a former announcer and became the first married member of Arashi, fans’ departures, known as ‘tan’ (quitting being a fan), were rampant. Afterward, the turmoil within the former Johnny’s agency caused a significant drop in his appearances, including TV commercials.

But in October 2023, after leaving SMILE-UP., the tide turned. He established the agency ‘Officenino.’ With sports journalist Akemi Masuda’s (61) husband as the representative, they started creating new projects one after another.

In the YouTube show Yoni no Channel, where he collaborates with juniors from ‘STARTO ENTERTAINMENT,’ Ninomiya quickly introduced Fuma Kikuchi’s (30) ‘timelesz,’ showing his agility. Recently, it feels like everything Ninomiya touches is a success. In terms of self-production, he’s showing a great laid-back or dad vibe, and his likability continues to rise.” (Sports newspaper desk)

What are Ninomiya’s skills that rival those of comedians?

The morning drama “Anpan” begins with Ninomiya already having passed away. He mostly appears in flashback scenes, and his appearance with silver-framed glasses, center-parted hair, and perfectly combed style has led to comments on social media calling him old-fashioned. However, many industry insiders believe that this self-projected aging process is working well for his variety show persona.

“Ninomiya had a baby face and was petite, so during the peak of ‘Arashi,’ there was nothing about him that seemed old. However, on shows like ‘VS Arashi’ (Fuji TV) and ‘Arashi ni Shiyagare’ (Nippon TV), his subtle one-liners and fearless comebacks to major guests became a hit in the industry. This eventually led to his individual variety shows, like ‘Nino-san.’ On ‘Nino nanoni,’ he has been praised for bringing out new sides of actors unfamiliar with variety shows, such as Abe Hiroshi (60), Endo Kenichi (63), and Tabe Mikako (36).

On Fuji TV, there is a special program titled ‘Kawashima Ninomiya no Tamigoe,’ where he co-hosts with comedy duo ‘Kirin’ member Kawashima Akira (46). If Fuji TV regains its strength, it will likely be turned into a regular program,” says a producer from a production company.

Broadcast writer Miho Yamada highly praises Ninomiya, saying, “As a variety show writer, I absolutely love Ninomiya’s pulling style, his one-liners, and his industry-savvy comments that come from his long career.”

The pulling style refers to a more subtle approach to humor, the opposite of the pushing style, where you aggressively try to get laughs. For example, in the November 27, 2024, episode of Nino nanoni, when talking about part-time jobs, Ninomiya humorously referred to his career as “Elementary, Middle, High, and Ara” (a play on the word ‘Arashi’ and part-time work), which got big laughs.

“Perhaps because he often works with veteran and popular actors in dramas and films, Ninomiya is also good at getting into the hearts of big names. In the film ‘Mother and Her Son,’ veteran actress Sayuri Yoshinaga (80) described Ninomiya as a man but like a fairy, meaning he can easily take on difficult demands from directors, handle them with ease, and has a good sense of rhythm. This ability also shines through in variety shows.

He’s also known for being a master at games, and recently on ‘Nino nanoni,’ he was impressively pulling off kendama tricks one after another. He’s extremely skilled and quick at judging his role in any situation.

His use of social media is also excellent, often sharing updates about the ‘Arashi’ members and occasionally mentioning Ohno Satoshi (44), which ‘Arashi’ fans enjoy. They hope to see the five of them back together for music activities again. If Ninomiya were to host a music special, it would undoubtedly become a highlight,” says the same source.

His private life is steady, which seems to be contributing to the increase in his appearances in television commercials. With major celebrities leaving due to scandals, Ninomiya’s exposure is only likely to continue growing.