Satoshi Tsumabuki Reveals the Magma of Passion Beneath His Emotional Acting, from Anpan to The Royal Family

NHK’s morning drama Anpan has ended, but Satoshi Tsumabuki’s new starring drama The Royal Family began in the October season

The highly anticipated fall drama The Royal Family (TBS), starring 44-year-old Satoshi Tsumabuki, premiered on October 12 and got off to a strong start, recording double-digit household ratings.

The story, made with full cooperation from the Japan Racing Association (JRA), spans 20 years in the world of horse racing, portraying passionate adults and racehorses chasing their dreams. This marks Tsumabuki’s first lead role in TBS’s flagship “Sunday Theater” series in five years, since Dangerous Venus.

The project came to life following fervent calls from both the production team and original author Kazumasa Hayami, leading to Tsumabuki’s much-anticipated return.

From the very first episode, Tsumabuki’s emotional crying performance has already captured viewers’ hearts.

“Tsumabuki plays Eiji Kurisu, a tax accountant who has tasted failure and lost hope. But after meeting racehorse owner Kozo Sanno (played by Koichi Sato), he manages to save the lives of ten horses that were about to be put down. When the trainers and farm owners thank him, Kurisu breaks down in tears, saying, ‘For the first time, I’ve done something my father would be proud of. I’ve finally done work that helps people.’ Viewers posted comments on social media like, ‘That first episode was incredible,’ and ‘This quiet yet passionate character suits Tsumabuki perfectly,’” says a TV magazine writer.

In the climax of Episode 2, which aired on October 19, Kurisu’s horse, Royal Izanya, manages to fend off a fierce late charge to win its first race. When Kurisu (Tsumabuki) is overcome with emotion and cries over the victory, social media once again exploded with heartfelt reactions. At this point, it’s safe to say that Tsumabuki’s tears have become an essential part of the series.

But this isn’t the first time audiences have been moved to tears by Tsumabuki’s passionate performances.

“In the final week of NHK’s morning drama Anpan, which aired in the first half of this year, Tsumabuki’s character Yagi stabs and kills an enemy soldier with a bayonet in Episode 127. He confesses this wartime experience—something he’d never told anyone before—to Ranko (Yumi Kawai). When he finds a photo of the soldier’s wife and child in the man’s pocket, he realizes that even the enemy was a fellow human being with a family, and he breaks down, trembling and crying uncontrollably. The raw anguish he expressed in that scene is still fresh in our minds—it was a soul-shaking performance,” says a director from the production company.

His crying appearance is so endearing

Actor Satoshi Tsumabuki made his film debut in 2001 as the lead in Waterboys, earning both the Best Actor and Newcomer Awards at the Japan Academy Prize. In 2009, he made his first appearance in an NHK Taiga drama with Tenchijin—and did so as the lead—achieving high viewership ratings. On the surface, his acting career seems to have been smooth sailing. Yet behind that success, Tsumabuki struggled with private doubts he couldn’t easily share.

“While his fresh, earnest performances were highly praised, Tsumabuki himself often worried that he lacked a distinct individuality. That’s why he resolved, ‘The only way forward is to get as close to the character as possible.’ He has continued acting with that conviction ever since,” says a producer from a production company.

There is one work that became the origin of Tsumabuki’s trademark tears.

Director Sang-il Lee—a longtime collaborator who worked with Tsumabuki on 69 sixty nine (2004), the Japan Academy Prize-winning Villain (2010), Rage (2016), and the recent hit National Treasure—once said this about the actor:

“There’s no one whose tears are as endearing as his. He’s one of a kind.”

There’s a reason behind those words.

In the final scene of Rage, Tsumabuki’s character Yuma learns the truth about the death of his missing lover Naoto (played by Go Ayano). Overwhelmed with grief, Yuma walks down Yamate Street in tears, crying uncontrollably. That scene marked the moment Tsumabuki truly mastered the art of real tears—his performance appeared almost divine.

And in his latest film, Treasure Island, now in theaters, the charisma of tears has evolved even further.

Set in postwar Okinawa under U.S. occupation, the story follows the senka agiyaa—young men who risked their lives to steal supplies from U.S. bases and share them with local residents. Spanning 20 turbulent years up to Okinawa’s reversion to Japan, the film is a socially charged entertainment depicting the struggles of those who lived through an explosive era.

Tsumabuki, who also starred in the 2006 Okinawa-set film Tears for You, was deeply moved when offered Treasure Island, which seeks to confront truths about Okinawa rarely explored in Japanese cinema.

“Tsumabuki has visited Okinawa many times, but when he went to the Sakima Art Museum for research, he saw The Battle of Okinawa paintings, which directly portray the horrors of the war. The impact hit him so hard he couldn’t even stand. Experiencing that pain made him realize the depth of what shaped Okinawa today. At that moment, perhaps, he truly became one with the Okinawan spirit,” says the same producer.

The climax of Treasure Island recreates the real-life “Koza Riot” of December 20, 1970, using 5,000 extras and a massive set built at Toho Studios.

In a car heading toward Gate Street, Tsumabuki’s character Gusuku explodes with rage, shouting:

“There’s only so much we can take!”

As he walks through the chaos of the riot-torn street, he releases the magma of his passion:

“You think we can just let things be? No way in hell!”

In that moment, I was left breathless. Between flashes of fury, a fleeting tearful smile appeared on his face—a delicate performance that shook the heart. That soul-baring roar was a level of expression that only Satoshi Tsumabuki, the charisma of tears, could reach.

And in TBS’s Sunday drama The Royal Family, we can only hope to see that same transcendent emotion once again.