Takanori Iwata facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Takanori Iwata
Takanori Iwata at SSFF Asia 2018
Background information
Native name	岩田 剛典
Also known as	Gun Boi Twiggz Gun-chan
Born	(1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 (age 36) Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Origin	Keio Futsubu School Keio Senior High School Keio University
Genres	J-pop
Occupations	Dancer actor singer
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Rhythm Zone
Associated acts	Exile Tribe Exile Sandaime J Soul Brothers ®AG POUND

Takanori Iwata (岩田 剛典, Iwata Takanori, born 6 March 1989, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese dancer, actor, and singer. He is a member of two popular J-pop groups: Sandaime J Soul Brothers and Exile.

As part of Sandaime J Soul Brothers, he has won the Japan Record Awards twice. Takanori Iwata also became a lead actor in the 2016 film Shokubutsu Zukan (also known as Evergreen Love). For this role, he won the "Newcomer of the Year Award" at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize. Since then, he has appeared in many TV shows and movies. In 2019, he played Junichi Wakamiya, the Japanese version of Dr. Watson, in the Fuji TV drama Sherlock: Untold Stories.

On 15 September 2021, Takanori Iwata started his singing career with his first single, korekara. He is a graduate of Keio University, and his nickname is Gun-chan.

Takanori Iwata's Early Life

Takanori Iwata was born in Nagoya on 6 March 1989. His family had a tradition of attending Keio University. To follow this path, he started going to juku (extra study classes) after school. He also had a private tutor at home.

He successfully got into Keio Futsubu School, a junior high school for boys. He moved from Nagoya to Tokyo with his mother to attend it. Later, he went to Keio Senior High School. There, he started playing Lacrosse as an after-school activity. He even made it to the short list for the Japan national Lacrosse team!

Iwata started dancing, specifically a style called Krumping, after watching the American movie RIZE. He used "GUN" as his stage name, which comes from the first part of his last name, Iwata. He danced for the first time in public during his last year of high school. He loved dancing so much that he decided to focus on it in university.

At Keio University, Iwata joined a dance club called Dancing Crew JADE. He later became its leader. He met the Krump dance group Twiggz Fam at a dance battle. He joined their group and used the name Boi Twiggz.

Takanori Iwata's Career

Becoming a Performer

Iwata didn't plan to be a dancer at first. He even had a job offer from a big company in his last year of university. But in July 2010, the company LDH announced they were forming a new group called Sandaime J Soul Brothers. Naoki Kobayashi, a friend of Iwata's from Twiggz Fam, invited him to try out for the group.

On 18 September, during a practice for Exile's tour, it was announced that Iwata had passed the audition! He was chosen as one of the performers for the new group. Even though his parents didn't agree, Iwata turned down the job offer and chose to become an entertainer.

On 27 September 2010, Iwata first appeared publicly as a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers. This was during a live show by Exile at Toyota Stadium. On 10 November, he officially debuted with Sandaime J Soul Brothers. Their first song, "Best Friend's Girl," was a hit. At the time, he was still a university student, but he graduated in March 2011.

Acting and Joining Exile

In September 2013, Iwata started his acting career in a play called "Attack No.1." In 2014, he got his first movie role in Crows Explode. On his 25th birthday, 6 March 2014, he released his first photo-book called G Takanori Iwata.

On 27 April 2014, Iwata joined Exile as a new performer. He won an audition to become a member. He joined Exile while also staying a member of Sandaime J Soul Brothers. In October of that year, he appeared in the Fuji TV drama Dear Sister. He played Eito Sakuraba, who dreamed of being a professional skateboarder. Iwata spent a lot of time practicing skateboarding for this role.

High&Low and Pocky Dance

In 2015, Iwata was in two TV dramas. He played a former bad boy in Wild Heroes. He also played Cobra, the leader of a gang, in High＆Low: The Story of S.W.O.R.D.. This show was part of the High&Low series, which included movies, concerts, and games. Iwata continued to play Cobra in many parts of this series.

In October 2015, Iwata teamed up with other members of Sandaime J Soul Brothers to form a group called The Sharehappi. They released a song called Share The Love, which was used in a commercial for Pocky snacks. The "Pocky Dance" from the song became very popular across Japan!

Lead Roles and Awards

In 2016, Iwata starred in the romance film Shokubutsu Zukan (Evergreen Love). This was his first main role in a movie. He played Itsuki, a mysterious herb lover. For this role, he won many awards, including the Best New Artist Award at the 41st Hochi Film Awards and the Newcomer of the Year Award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize.

In 2017, Iwata had a lead role in a mystery story called Fate Detector. He also continued to play Cobra in the High&Low movies.

In 2018, Iwata appeared in more TV shows and movies. He was the main character in the short film Swan Song. He also starred in the film Kyonen no Fuyu, Kimi to Wakare (Last Winter We Parted). On 15 April, his first lead role in a TV drama began in Gakeppuchi Hoteru (Hotel on the Brink). He played Naoya Ukai, a mysterious man who saved a hotel from going bankrupt. He also learned to play wheelchair basketball for his role in the film Perfect World. He won the Yujiro Ishihara Newcomer Award for his acting in several films that year.

In 2019, Iwata played a high school student in the film Machida-kun no Sekai (Almost a Miracle). He also released his third photo-book, Spin, which was very popular. In July, he was cast in the Fuji TV drama Sherlock. He played Junichi Wakamiya, the Japanese version of Dr. Watson, in this modern Sherlock Holmes story set in Tokyo.

In 2020, Iwata appeared in the film AI Collapse as a police officer. He also started a regular column in Elle Japan magazine called "ASK! Gun-chan: Takanori Iwata's Counseling Room", where he answers questions from readers.

On 29 January 2021, the film Na mo Naki Sekai no End Roll (The Master Plan), starring Iwata, was released. On 15 September 2021, he officially debuted as a singer with his single korekara.

Takanori Iwata's Personal Life

Takanori Iwata was a very good student and got high grades. He graduated from Keio University. When he was looking for jobs in university, he even applied to be a news anchor for NTV.

He is a big fan of the movie director Christopher Nolan.

Participating Groups

• Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE (10 November 2010 – present)
• EXILE (27 April 2014 – present)
• ®AG POUND (2015–present)
• The Sharehappi from Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE (2015- unknown)
• Twiggz Fam
• STREET KINGDOM JAPAN

Filmography

TV Series

Film

Short Films

Stage

Voice Acting

Narration

Advertisements

Others

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Takanori Iwata para niños