| Yūji Oda | |
| Birth Date: | 13 December 1967 |
| Birth Place: | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Nationality: | Japanese |
| Occupation: | Actor, singer |
| Yearsactive: | 1987–present |
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is one of Japan's 11 most popular male entertainers, according to an NHK survey taken in 2004.[1] In one survey, he was the second most popular actor after Takuya Kimura in Japan during the Heisei era (1989-2019).[2]
Oda was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. In the late 1980s, he launched his career with the release of two singles on records.
In 1989, he appeared in the television drama Mama Haha Boogie, from which point he started to gain popularity as an actor, which also brought attention to his singing aspirations.
In 1991, he appeared in the enormously popular television drama Tokyo Love Story, a breakout role. He then became a leading man in Japanese film and television, generally playing the role of a sympathetic character.
His most famous role is Shunsaku Aoshima, a police detective in the Bayside Shakedown film and television drama series.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Shōnan Bakusōzoku | Akira Ishikawa | [3] | ||
| Ai wa Crossover | Yuji | [4] | |||
| 1989 | Shogun's Shadow | Tobe Saheiji | Yasuo Furuhata | ||
| Urban Marine Resort Story | Fumio Yoshioka | Yasuo Baba | [5] | ||
| 1990 | Best Guy | Lt. Hideo "Goku" Kajitani | Tōru Murakawa | Lead role | |
| 1991 | Cover as Many Waves as Possible | Masaki Kosugi | Yasuo Baba | [6] | |
| No Worries on the Recruit Front | Takeo Ohara | Shusuke Kaneko | Lead role | ||
| 1992 | Angel, Boku to uta wa kimi no uta | Tatsuhiko | Takayoshi Watanabe | Lead role | |
| 1994 | Yasuo Mitsugi | Shusuke Kaneko | Lead role | ||
| 1995 | Kike wadatsumi no koe: Last Friends | Masanobu Deme | Lead role | ||
| 1998 | Bayside Shakedown | Shunsaku Aoshima | Katsuyuki Motohiro | Lead role | [7] |
| 2000 | Whiteout | Teruo Togashi | Setsurō Wakamatsu | Lead role | |
| 2003 | T.R.Y. | Shū Izawa | Kazuki Ōmori | Lead role | |
| Bayside Shakedown 2 | Shunsaku Aoshima | Katsuyuki Motohiro | Lead role | ||
| 2006 | Star Reformer | Satoshi Nomura | Hiroshi Nishitani | Lead role | |
| 2007 | Sanjuro | Sanjuro Tsubaki | Yoshimitsu Morita | Lead role | [8] |
| 2009 | Kosaku Kuroda | Hiroshi Nishitani | Lead role | ||
| 2010 | Bayside Shakedown 3 | Shunsaku Aoshima | Katsuyuki Motohiro | Lead role | |
| 2011 | Kosaku Kuroda | Hiroshi Nishitani | Lead role | ||
| 2012 | Shunsaku Aoshima | Katsuyuki Motohiro | Lead role | ||
| 2016 | Will You Marry My Wife? | Shūji Mimura | Yoshishige Miyake | Lead role | [9] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mama Haha Bugi | Makoto Mizutani | TBS | [10] | |
| 1991 | Tokyo Love Story | Kanji "Kanchi" Nagao | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 1993 | Furikaereba Yatsu ga Iru | Kōtarō Shiba | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| It's a Wonderful Life | Mitsugu Shibaki | Fuji TV | |||
| 1994 | I have no money! | Kentarō Hagiwara | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 1995 | Seigi wa Katsu | Junpei Takaoka | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 1996 | Mahiru no Tsuki | Naoki Togashi | TBS | Lead role | |
| 1997 | Bayside Shakedown | Shunsaku Aoshima | Fuji TV | Lead role | [11] |
| 2001 | Rocket Boy | Shinpei Kobayashi | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 2002 | Midnight Rain | Takashi Tokura | TBS | Lead role | [12] |
| 2004 | Last Christmas | Kenji Haruki | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 2008 | Homeroom on the Beachside | Sakutarō Sakurai | Fuji TV | Lead role | |
| 2010 | The Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda | Kosaku Kuroda | Fuji TV | Lead role | [13] |
| 2016 | IQ246 | Sharaku Hōmonji | TBS | Lead role | |
| 2018 | Nozaki Shuhei Auditor of Bank | Shuhei Nozaki | Wowow | Lead role | |
| 2018–20 | Suits | Shōgo Kai | Fuji TV | Lead role; 2 seasons | |
| 2023 | Galápagos | Shin'ichi Tagawa | NHK | Lead role; miniseries | [14] |
| Legal Enforcement with Dogs | Itsuki Obara | TV Asahi | [15] | ||
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the Road | 1990-03-20 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| 1991-07-12 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| 1991-10-30 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| Songs | 1991-12-10 | WEA Japan | ||
| 1992-02-19 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| 1993-09-22 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| Screen Play | 1994-09-07 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| The Best | 1995-09-27 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| River | 1995-12-06 | Mercury Music Entertainment | ||
| Stay Here | 1996-11-11 | Mercury | ||
| Stay Here+2 | 1997-03-26 | Mercury | ||
| Shake! | 1998-06-17 | Mercury | ||
| The Best Tracks | 1998-11-26 | Mercury | ||
| My Pocket | 1999-09-29 | Mercury | ||
| Secret Rendez-vous | 2000-07-05 | Mercury | ||
| Hot & Sweet-Sour Soup: Best of Love Song | 2001-03-23 | Kitty MME | ||
| 11 Colors | 2003-08-20 | Universal J | ||
| 2007-09-26 |
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Boom Boom Boom / Hold You Tight" | 1987-04-25 | WEA Japan | ||
| 1989-07-25 | WEA Japan | |||
| 1991-02-06 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| 1991-06-07 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| "Happy Birthday" | 1991-11-06 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| "Kodo" | 1992-01-29 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| 1992-05-27 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| 1993-07-19 | Toshiba EMI | |||
| "Over the Trouble" | 1994-07-08 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| "Never Rain" | 1994-10-05 | Toshiba EMI | ||
| 1995-11-08 | Mercury Music Entertainment | |||
| "Mirage" | 1996-10-28 | Mercury | ||
| "Love Somebody" | 1997-01-29 | with Maxi Priest | Mercury | |
| "Over and Over Again" | 1997-07-16 | Mercury | ||
| "Freedom" | 1998-02-04 | Mercury | ||
| "Shake it Up" | 1998-05-13 | Mercury | ||
| "Love Somebody" | 1998-10-28 | with Maxi Priest | Mercury | |
| "Something to Say" | 1999-03-17 | Mercury | ||
| "Together" | 1999-08-25 | Mercury | ||
| 2001-02-28 | Kitty MME | |||
| 2002-11-13 | Universal J | |||
| "We can be Heroes" | 2003-01-01 | Universal J | ||
| "Love Somebody" | 2003-06-25 | with Maxi Priest | Universal J | |
| "Love Somebody (Cinema Version II)" | 2003-07-16 | with Mýa | Universal J | |
| "Last Christmas"/"Wake Me Up Go! Go | " | 2004-11-03 | with Butch Walker | Epic Japan |
| "Hug, Hug" | 2007-04-25 | Universal J | ||
| "All my Treasures" | 2007-07-25 | 2007 World Championships in Athletics Osaka Games Theme Song | Universal Sigma | |
| "Feel Live" | 2007-12-05 | |||
| "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" | 2008-08-12 | as "UZ" |