Artist Profile
- Full Name: Aragaki Yui
- Native Name: 新垣 結衣
- Nicknames: Gakki
- Birthday: Jun 11, 1988 (37 years old)
- Blood type: A
- Height/Weight: 169 cm (5′7″) / 50 kg (110 lbs)
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Gemini
- Debut: 2005
- Birthplace: Naha, Okinawa, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Profession: Actress, Model, Singer
- Languages: Japanese (Native)
- Current Agency: LesPros Entertainment
- Active Years: 2001–present (25 years)
Aragaki Yui (新垣 結衣) is a Japanese actress, singer, model, and radio personality. She was born on June 11, 1988, in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. Aragaki began her career in the entertainment industry as a model, later expanding into acting, singing, and broadcasting. She is currently represented by LesPros Entertainment and pursues her music activities under Warner Music Japan.
Early Life
Aragaki was born and raised in Naha, Okinawa, as the youngest of three sisters. In 2001, at the age of 13, she entered a model audition for the teen fashion magazine Nicola and won the Grand Prix, which led to her becoming an exclusive model for the magazine. During her time there, she appeared on the cover 15 times—a notably high number compared to many of her contemporaries.
In 2003, at the age of 15, Aragaki Yui moved to Tokyo to attend Horikoshi High School, a school known for having many alumni from the entertainment industry. Around the same time, she began shifting her career from modeling to acting and appearing in commercials.
Career
Aragaki Yui began her career in 2001 after winning the Grand Prix at the model audition for Nicola, a leading Japanese teen fashion magazine. She became an exclusive model for the magazine and appeared on its cover multiple times, laying the foundation for her future in entertainment.
In 2004, she appeared in variety shows and commercials. Notably, her commercial campaign for Ezaki Glico’s Pocky snack greatly boosted her public recognition in Japan. In 2005, she made her acting debut with a supporting role in the TBS drama Dragon Zakura, marking her first step into acting.
From 2006 to 2007, Aragaki appeared in several television dramas, including Gal Circle (Nippon TV), My Boss My Hero (Nippon TV), and Papa to Musume no Nanokakan (TBS). In 2007, she starred in three feature films: Waruboro (Toei), Tokyo Serendipity (also known as Koisuru Madori, Toei), and Koizora (Toei). That same year, she released her debut album Sora under Warner Music Japan, featuring the songs “Heavenly Days” and “Memories.” Despite temporarily suspending some activities due to work-related stress in 2007, she received multiple Best Newcomer awards from Japanese film organizations.
In 2008, she released two singles, “Make My Day” and “Akai Ito,” both under Warner Music Japan. Make My Day reached No. 2 on the Oricon Singles Chart. That year, she also began portraying Dr. Megumi Shiraishi in the Fuji TV medical drama Code Blue, a role she continued to reprise across multiple seasons and in a theatrical film adaptation by Toho. In 2009, she released another single, “Piece.”
From 2010 to 2012, Aragaki hosted the radio segment GIRLS LOCKS! within the popular youth program SCHOOL OF LOCK! on Tokyo FM.
In 2012, she took on the role of lawyer Machiko Mayuzumi in Fuji TV’s courtroom drama Legal High, reprising the role again in the 2013 sequel. In 2014, she played a mother for the first time in the Shochiku film Twilight: Saya in Sasara.
In 2016, Aragaki starred in the TBS romantic comedy drama Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu (The Full-Time Wife Escapist). The series achieved high ratings, and its ending theme dance, popularly known as the “Koi Dance,” became a viral social media phenomenon in Japan. That same year, she also appeared as a guest judge on the 67th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
In 2017, she appeared in NHK’s special drama Kizuna: Hashire Kiseki no Kouma and returned for Code Blue Season 3 (Fuji TV). She also starred in the Toho sports comedy film Mixed Doubles, for which she won the Best Actress award at the 60th Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by Tokyo-based film journalists.
In 2018, Aragaki reprised her role in Code Blue the Movie (Toho) and starred in the Nippon TV drama We Married as a Job! correction –> (actually Kemono ni Narenai Watashitachi, official English title: Weakest Beast). In 2020, she appeared in the Nippon TV youth drama Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho. In early 2021, she returned for The Full-Time Wife Escapist: New Year Special (TBS) and made a guest appearance in the final episode of Dragon Zakura Season 2 (TBS).
In 2022, she joined the NHK Taiga historical drama The 13 Lords of the Shogun and starred in the Toho children’s fantasy film Ghostbook: Obakezukan.
In 2023, she appeared in Fuji TV’s drama Kazama Kimichika: Kyojo 0 alongside Takuya Kimura and in the WOWOW original drama Fence. Later that year, she starred in Toho’s psychological drama film (Ab)normal Desire, which was selected for competition at the Tokyo International Film Festival and won both the Audience Award and the Best Director Award.
In 2024, Aragaki headlined the Shochiku film A Girl in the Box correction –> actually Ikoku Nikki (official English title: Diary of My Homecoming), directed by Seta Natsuki, which was released in Japan in June. That same year, she voiced Sister Hiyoshiko in the animated feature The Colors Within (Kimi no Iro), directed by Naoko Yamada and produced by Science SARU, distributed by Toho Animation.
In 2025, The Colors Within had its international rollout, including a North American premiere early in the year. Concurrently, Aragaki appeared in a commercial campaign for Nama no Toki, a fermented beverage produced by Meiji Co., Ltd., part of the Tokyo-based Meiji Group.
Fun Facts
- Her nickname “Gakki” comes from a shortened form of the surname Aragaki, coined by fellow models at Nicola magazine.
- She went viral on Japanese social media for the ending dance of Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu.
- In 2004, a Pocky commercial featuring her running with a snack box was widely used for memes.
- Her crying scene in Koizora frequently appears in comedy parodies.
- In Papa to Musume no Nanokakan, she played a body-swapped role with her on-screen father, generating many memes from her expressions.
- The doctor uniform she wore in Code Blue became a popular Halloween costume choice in Shibuya.
- While filming Legal High, she had to deliver long legal monologues at a very fast pace.
- On the radio program GIRLS LOCKS!, she once burst out laughing after misreading a song title live on air.
- Her blank facial expression from a variety show has been widely used as LINE stickers.
- In Mixed Doubles, her table tennis scenes were re-edited by fans in a retro video game style.
- At the 67th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, she drew attention for an awkward moment handling the microphone.
- At a film promotion event, a portrait she drew of a co-star became popular for its humorous resemblance to online memes.
- Her tired-looking expressions in Weakest Beast were turned into sticker sets.
- A scene of her hiding in a closet in Fence was turned into memes about avoiding work deadlines.
- The poster for (Ab)normal Desire (2023) featuring her sparked a wave of humorous image edits online.
Photo Gallery
