<figure id="attachment_457559" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457559"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7054b3c1"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/e7bd112ca2670ca27d69ca5cf95b062e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457559" class="wp-caption-text">She was scouted in her hometown of Okinawa in fifth grade and began her entertainment career. She gained attention for her role as Mana Ishii in the NHK morning drama series Scarlet.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>She also played Poppy Pipopapo / Asuna Kageno in Kamen Rider Ex-Aid:</h2>
“I went to the final audition at Toei’s headquarters, and on my way out, I was told I had passed. I was so happy that I remember holding hands with my manager at the time and skipping home.
The character I played, Poppy Pipopapo, is a virus in a world where ‘Game Disease’ is spreading. It’s funny even to explain it: it can move between game machines and the real world, disguise itself as a human, and is a colorful, cheerful humanoid virus (laughs). At first, I focused on the difference between when it was disguised as a human (Asuna Kageno) and when it was Poppy. I also raised my speaking voice when playing Poppy, so by the end of filming, my voice was so high that even singing karaoke felt easy.
I was always carrying three scripts at once, my brain running full speed—it was a year with no margin for error. Even ten years after the broadcast, there are jobs I got because I appeared in Ex-Aid. This is thanks to everyone enjoying Ex-Aid, and it’s proof that it is still loved today. I can proudly say it was one of my major works. Thank you all!”
Ruka Matsuda, 30, from Okinawa. Official X: @imrukaM, Instagram: @imrukam
©2025 Ishimori Productions, TV Asahi, ADK EM, Toei
From &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221;, Feb 20–27, 2026 combined issue.

 Ruka Matsuda, who played the role of Poppi Pippo Pappo/Akina Kakano in "Kamen Rider Ex-Aid," says, "It was a year in which I always had three scripts with me and my brain was running at full speed. She also changed her voice when she played Poppie.

“I couldn’t stop smiling” — Matsuda Ruka on her Kamen Rider experience

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