Yūki Kubota

is a Japanese actor and model whose work has included stage, television and film roles. He is best known as the character Takatora Kureshima / Kamen Rider Zangetsu / Kamen Rider Zangetsu Shin in the Kamen Rider series Kamen Rider Gaim. He is currently affiliated with the Japan Music Entertainment agency. Career Kubota debuted as a magazine model in 2002 after being scouted in Harajuku. In 2007 he made his theatrical debut as Hal Kurabayashi in the stage play Switch, based on the manga of the same name. Also in the same year he got small roles in TV series such as Oniyome Nikki and Jotei, as well as a brief appearance in Kamen Rider: The Next. A year later he got the part of Keigo Atobe in the stage play Prince of Tennis Musical. In 2009 he starred in the stage adaptation of Capcom's video game Sengoku Basara as Date Masamune. After playing the character for four years, he transitioned to a broader career in films and TV. In 2010, Kubota got his first main role in the movie Gachinko Kenka Joto. On January 31, 2012, he left his agency of two years, Riseki Agency Co., Ltd., for personal reasons. After freelancing for ten months, he joined Japan Music Entertainment at the end of November 2012. In 2013, he was given the role of Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu in the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Gaim (2013–14). Since then, he has appeared in various TV shows and movies, including Shinjuku Swan, and in V-Cinema films. He has played a wide range of characters, from geeks to killers, although he has played mostly antagonist and rival roles. He claimed to prefer playing bad guys and dark heroes. He is a fan and avid supporter of the local Hiratsuka soccer team Shonan Bellmare, and in April 2015 was appointed to Berusapo Public Relations Office as General Manager of Shonan Living Newspaper that supported the team's activities. In 2018 he returned to the theater, appearing in the stage plays Gantz: L and Hachioji Zombies, the latter alongside Kenjiro Yamashita from Sandaime J Soul Brothers. In 2019 he reprised his role as Takatora Kureshima/Kamen Rider Zangetsu in the stage play Kamen Rider Zangetsu - Gaim Gaiden.