37 Facts About Naoki Kobayashi

Naoki Kobayashi is a Japanese actor, dancer, choreographer, and model.

Naoki Kobayashi is a performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Exile, and is a leader and performer of J-Pop dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers.

Naoki Kobayashi was a member of Nidaime J Soul Brothers until their migration to Exile in 2009.

Naoki Kobayashi choreographed the famous "Pocky Dance" for Pocky's advertisement in 2015.

Naoki Kobayashi has worked as a model for the fashion brand "Yohji Yamamoto".

Naoki Kobayashi has a strong interest in traditional Japanese culture, which has motivated him to take part in a few projects focusing on promoting the art of samurai and Japanese swords.

Naoki Kobayashi was born on 10 November 1984, in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

Naoki Kobayashi's deep love for music started in junior high school, when he was a teenager troubled by existential anxiety and sleeping disorder.

Naoki Kobayashi stopped attending school for half a year and considered to continue his education at a music school.

Naoki Kobayashi started to try out all kinds of genres and went to Avex Artist Academy for training.

In 2005, Naoki Kobayashi met his future groupmate, the then famous underground dancer Naoto, for the first time.

In May 2006, Naoki Kobayashi participated in the dance battle Dance Alive 2006, which was held in celebration of the Japanese release of RIZE, an American documentary film about Clowning and Krumping.

Naoki Kobayashi was very impressed and inspired by the Exile Vocal Battle Audition 2006 ~ Asian Dream~ and became even more interested in the entertainment produced by Exile.

In 2007, Naoki Kobayashi was invited to join Nidaime J Soul Brothers as a performer alongside Naoto, after the group's producer Hiro decided that they should be a seven-member group.

Naoki Kobayashi started using NAOKI as his stage name and performed as a member of Nidaime J Soul Brothers for the first time at COLOR LIVE TOUR 2007 BLUE on 10 November 2007.

From 29 November to December, Naoki Kobayashi took part in Exile Live Tour Exile Perfect Live 2008 with his group.

In February and March 2013, Naoki Kobayashi performed in Shunichi Okamura's play Atami Satsujin Jiken 40years' NEW and played the character Kintaro Oyama.

In December 2014, Naoki Kobayashi debuted on television with the drama Ishi Mondai Nashinosuke.

Naoki Kobayashi choreographed the famous Pocky Dance for the song and the Pocky's advertisement, which became quite a national hit as people around the country continual to imitate the dance move.

In June 2016, Naoki Kobayashi appeared on the runway of the fashion brand "Yohji Yamamoto" for Yohji Yamamoto HOMME 2017 SS Paris Collection in Paris, France.

Naoki Kobayashi joined LDH USA's management team as creative career advisor, aiming to bring Japanese Culture to Hollywood.

In 2017, Naoki Kobayashi began to focus more on his acting career.

Therefore, Naoki Kobayashi started to take acting lessons and English courses in the same year.

Naoki Kobayashi played Shinpei, a friend from childhood to Gosuke, the main character, and he stated that his experience in dancing has helped him to perform Japanese sword fighting scene since this two are not so far away.

Naoki Kobayashi won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Auckland International Film Festival.

Naoki Kobayashi choreographed the dance move for the song, and dance alongside Harumi Sato in the music video.

The film marked his first foray into American cinema, and Naoki Kobayashi starred as Teiji, a Tokyo photographer who drove a wedge between his female co-stars.

On 13 April 2019, Sandaime J Soul Brothers' new dome tour Sandaime J Soul Brothers Live Tour 2019 'Raise the Flag' began, and Naoki Kobayashi took part in this tour as Sandaime J Soul Brothers' performer.

In May 2019, Naoki Kobayashi was invited to the 2019 Met Gala.

Naoki Kobayashi choreographed the Zombie de Dance for Sandaime J Soul Brothers' new song "Rat-tat-tat", while both the song and the Zombie de Dance were used in USJ's advertisement and its Hollywood events.

Naoki Kobayashi produced a music video for Samurai Sword Dance Performance in the same year, which was performed by Naoki himself and students from EXPG Studio Kyoto.

Naoki Kobayashi actively took part in LDH's Yume no Kagai Jugyo Chugakusei Rising Sun Project Project, a charity project aiming to encourage children throughout Japan, especially those in Tohoku and Kumamoto, to become energetic with the power of dance after 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, and supported the reconstruction work in post-earthquake Tohoku and Kumamoto.

Naoki Kobayashi, took part in a few special lessons in some post-earthquake area, teaching dance move of Rising Sun, the song in support of the recovery after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, to children of those post-earthquake areas to cheer them up.

Naoki Kobayashi has an older brother, and he calls his mother "funky" as she loves to sing and dance.

On 25 January 2012, LDH announced that Naoki Kobayashi has been diagnosed with spinal canal stenosis, and he would limit his activity to undergo surgery and recovery.

Naoki Kobayashi has a strong interest in traditional Japanese culture, especially the culture of the Japanese sword.

Naoki Kobayashi learned sword fighting from Ryotaro Sugi in Ryotaro Sugi's school for Acting before he joined his teacher in the TV drama Ishi Mondai Nashinosuke.