<figure id="attachment_457559" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457559" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><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 when she was in the fifth grade of elementary school and began her performing career. She also attracted attention for her role as Mana Ishii in the NHK television series &#8220;Scarlet.</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="format-emphasize"><span class="strong-in-content"> She also played the role of Poppy Pipopapo/Akina Kakano in &#8220;Masked Rider Ex-Aid.</span></span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I went to the Toei head office for the final audition, and on my way home I was told that I had been accepted. I was so happy that I remember skipping home holding hands with my manager at the time.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I played Poppy Pipopapo, a virus in a world where a disease called ″Game Disease″ is spreading. I laugh when I explain it to myself, but it is a colorful, energetic, and bright humanoid virus that can go back and forth between the game cabinet and the real world and can even mimic humans (laughs). At first, I was aware of the difference between when it mimics a human (Akina Karano) and when it mimics a human. When I was a poppy, I changed my speaking voice to a higher one, so that by the end of filming, my voice was so high that I could sing any song at karaoke and feel at ease.</span></p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> It was a year in which I always had three scripts and my brain was running at full speed, and I honestly don&#8217;t think I had much time to spare. Ten years have passed since the broadcast, but I still have jobs that were decided because I was in &#8220;Ex-Aid. This is because everyone enjoyed &#8220;Ex-Aid&#8221; and it is proof that people still love it. I can proudly say that this is one of my biggest jobs. Thank you all!</span></p>
<p> Matsuda Ruka 30 years old, from Okinawa, Japan. <br>
Official X (@imrukaM), Instagram (@imrukam)</p>
<p> ©2025 Ishimori Productions, TV Asahi, ADK EM, Toei</p>
<p> From the February 20 and 27, 2026 combined issue of FRIDAY</p>
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 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.

Ruka Matsuda’s confession: “I was so happy that I skipped home.

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