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Sota Aoyama | |
|---|---|
青山 草太 | |
| Born | Takeshi Tanabe (1979-09-17)September 17, 1979 (age 46) Shimane, Japan |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Known for | Kaito Touma inUltraman Max Sadaharu Inui inPrince of Tennis musical series Tōuta Matsuda inDeath Note live action series |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Genres |
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| Subscribers | 3.5 thousand |
| Views | 300 thousand |
| Last updated: 1 October 2025 | |
Takeshi Tanabe (田部 猛司,Tanabe Takeshi)[1] (born September 17, 1979), known professionally asSōta Aoyama (青山 草太,Aoyama Sōta), is a Japanese male actor, vlogger, and content creator. He is best known for originating the role ofSadaharu Inui of the first generationSeigaku cast of thePrince of Tennis musical series (commonly calledTenimyu), and also played the role of Kaito Toma, the human host of Ultraman Max in the 2005Ultraman Max series.[2]
Aoyama was born on September 17, 1979, inShimane, Japan, his grandfather was an actor and instructor at the Izumo rural kabuki troupe "Murakumo-za,". He began performing on stage as a child.[3] Aoyama moved toOsaka to work as a security guard before shifting to a modeling career in Tokyo.
Aoyama began his career in 2001 with his first appearance in the 2002 series, Home & Away.
Aoyama auditioned for a role of Kaoru Kaido in themusical version ofThe Prince of Tennis but ultimately cast as Sadaharu Inui, he appeared as a part of the Seigaku 1st generation cast on the musical from 2003 then he graduated from the role in 2005 during their’2004-2005 Side Fudomine ~Special Match'.
During his stint in Tenimyu, he appeared in another theater show calledLegend of the Beatiful and he landed a role of one of the lead characters in the drama series,Damenari!, where he played Nobuhiko Tezuka, an aspirant doctor but have to setback and began as an employee in a convenience store, Ludens.
Aoyama appeared in supportive roles in a television drama based on a manga,Holyland and an anthology-based movie, Stories Arrived by Email.
In 2005, Aoyama became more popular when he appeared in the television series,Ultraman Max, where he played Touma Kaito, who is latest member of Team DASH and a human host of the titular character. The show became popular among Japanese viewers, and its expansion of viewership outside of Japan.
Following a year later, he played Detective Touta Matsuda inDeath Note,Death Note: The Last Name and its third sequel,Death Note: Light Up The New World
In 2009, Aoyama appeared on Himitsu no Kenmin Show as the Shimane Prefecture representative, which ran from 2007 and ended in 2020 following the renewal of the show and its changed title. Following a year later when he reprised his role as Inui[when?] and reunited with the majority first Seigaku cast to perform inTenimyu'sDream Live 7th concert to celebrate the end of the series' first season.
10 years after Ultraman Max was ended, Aoyama reprise his role for an episode inUltraman X, then in 2020, he participated in the 1st anniversary of Ultraman Connection Live along with hisUltraman Max co-stars, Hitomi Hasebe, Sean Nichols, and series creators,Takeshi Yagi and Takashi Miike.[4]
Aoyama's career expanded with the addition of content creation aside from his blogging in Ameba, he launched his YouTube Channel in 2020, where he shared some of his videos about his hobbies and outdoor or travel contents, especially his memorable experiences in Ultraman Max, which he starred in, and reunions with his fellow cast members.