Former TBS Announcer Risa Unai Switches Career to Game Streaming

“My husband was the one who encouraged me.”

“After resigning, I also started game streaming and began spending more time at home. This year, before I knew it, the cherry blossoms had already fallen (laughs).”

Risa Unai (33), a former TBS announcer who left the company in March this year, said with a wry smile. After graduating from Keio University, she joined TBS in 2015 and was in charge of flagship shows such as “Hiruobi” and “Akko ni Omakase!” Unai looks back on her rookie days:

“During the initial training period right after joining, I was confined to the announcer department for eight hours every day. The training room had no windows to see outside, so for almost four months, I had no idea about the weather outside as I was thoroughly taught the basics of being an announcer.”

In her second year, she was selected as a sportscaster for “NEWS 23,” starting her career in sports coverage. She covered events such as the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the Russia World Cup, traveling the world.

“The Olympic team selections often happened on weekends, so I appeared on ‘NEWS 23’ Monday through Friday and covered games on weekends. It was a tough schedule, but at the PyeongChang Olympics, I was deeply moved by the performances of figure skaters Yuzuru Hanyu (30) and Shoma Uno (27). During the Russia World Cup, despite the overwhelmingly hostile away atmosphere, I felt a sacred aura around the Japanese national team players who fought carrying the hopes of their country.”

Her work extended beyond TV; she was also a Thursday partner on TBS Radio’s “After 6 Junction” (“Atoroku”).

“I joined TBS because I wanted to do radio, so when the producer invited me to join, I was thrilled that the day had finally come for me to be involved in radio. It was a joy to talk every week with Utamaru (55) from ‘RHYMESTER,’ who serves as the main personality. I was amazed by his vast knowledge of movies, books, manga, games, and various fields. Also, I truly respect how Utamaru continues to accept and incorporate new things and values no matter how old he gets.”

Despite her fulfilling life as a star announcer, she began considering resignation about three years ago.

“I was dedicating 99% of my life to work. While it was rewarding, I was troubled, wondering if it was okay to live a life centered only on work. My husband was the one who encouraged me. He understood that I was pushing myself too hard and told me, ‘You should quit now.'”

“Now, I am Risa Unai, the streamer”

After resigning, she reevaluated her extremely busy lifestyle and now focuses mainly on work related to her favorite pop culture.

“Right now, I work about two days a week. I enjoy appearing in web media, hosting events, writing columns, and so on. But I don’t want to call myself a ‘freelance announcer.’ Being an announcer comes with a big responsibility—especially disaster reporting—and announcers working for a network face that responsibility daily. That is work only announcers can do, and I feel it’s a matter of pride. So, I don’t intend to call myself an announcer when I’m not bearing that heavy responsibility. That’s why now, I’m Risa Unai, the streamer (laughs). I’m seriously diving into the world of game streaming, which I’ve loved since school.”

She started streaming on the platform Twitch after leaving her job, streaming almost daily between work and house chores.

“I enjoy turning my hobby into work, but I’m not especially good at games, nor do I have a strong personality like Eikō Kano (43). My biggest challenge right now is that I don’t have a unique personality. But a former TBS senior announcer, Takaaki Yamamoto (40), once praised me saying, ‘It’s amazing you can play games and talk at the same time. I can’t do that.’ I watch the chat while gaming and respond to everyone’s comments. I thought that was normal, but maybe because I’ve played games since I was a child, I naturally developed suitability as a streamer.”

Watching programs she’s involved with both as a streamer and viewer brings a nostalgic feeling and ambition.

“It feels like watching my hometown, a warm feeling. I no longer feel bittersweet or want to be on TV more; I really feel I’ve done everything I wanted to. But if someday I’m invited back to ‘Atoroku’ as a streamer, I’d be happy. For that, I need to deliver results in my next career. I want to steadily build up the number of streams and first aim for an average of 1,000 concurrent viewers. ‘I will become the streaming king!’ (laughs)”

From a top announcer to a rookie streamer—her unprecedented second career has only just begun.

From the May 30, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”