Kazunari Ninomiya is set to host NHK's 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31, alongside Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. He continues to appear as Nokor in VIVANT Season 2 and leads the YouTube channel Yonino Channel, which passed 5 million subscribers in June.
Kazunari Ninomiya's year now spans three separate tracks: a starring role in VIVANT Season 2, a growing talent agency, and a broadcast hosting job. NHK announced on October 9 that Ninomiya will host the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen with Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. The 2026 theme is "Koe te ikou, uta to tomo ni," and the show airs live December 31 from 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. Sakai and Ninomiya play sworn brothers in VIVANT, the TBS drama whose sequel runs for two consecutive cours from July.
Within VIVANT, Ninomiya's character Nokor drove the most recent headlines. Season 2 resumed broadcast in October, and the official X account for the Sunday Theater slot posted visuals of the group preparing to rescue a captured Beppan member. Nokor paints his face black with two lines on his cheeks; viewers compared the look to cat whiskers and a calico cat. Episode 20 covers the infiltration of Shaki Castle. A month earlier, at the Sunday Theater VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY on August 23 at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium, Ninomiya asked producer Iida Kazutaka whether his screen time had been reduced from Season 1. Iida confirmed Nokor appears more in Season 2.
On the business side, Ryusei Ryo joined Ninomiya's personal agency Office Nino, the company announced on the 1st. Ryusei plays Koutaro Shinjo, a former public security officer acting as a monitor for the terrorist organization Tent, opposite Ninomiya as Nokor. Separately, Prime Video's October 2026 lineup includes the live-action Exit 8 film starring Ninomiya and directed by Genki Kawamura, arriving October 2. Yonino Channel, the YouTube channel Ninomiya leads with Yuichi Nakamaru, Ryosuke Yamada, and Fuma Kikuchi, reached 5 million subscribers on June 19, about 5 years and 2 months after its April 2021 launch.
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NHK announced on Friday, October 9, the hosts of the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen: Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki. The 2026 theme is "Koe te ikou, uta to tomo ni." Sakai and Ninomiya play sworn brothers in the TBS drama VIVANT, whose sequel airs from July for two consecutive cours. The show airs live December 31, 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Season 2 of VIVANT has resumed broadcast, and the official X account for the Sunday Theater slot posted visuals of the group preparing to rescue a captured Beppan member. Kazunari Ninomiya's character Nokor paints his face black with two lines on his cheeks, and viewers compared the look to cat whiskers and a calico cat. Episode 20 covers the infiltration of Shaki Castle.
Ryusei Ryo will join Kazunari Ninomiya's personal agency Office Nino, the company announced on the 1st. The two currently co-star in the TBS Sunday drama VIVANT, where Ryusei plays Koutaro Shinjo, a former public security officer acting as a monitor for the terrorist organization Tent, opposite Ninomiya as Nokor.
Prime Video announced its October 2026 lineup on September 30. The additions include the live-action Exit 8 film starring Kazunari Ninomiya and directed by Genki Kawamura, arriving October 2, and the Made in Abyss anime seasons plus its theatrical releases on October 1. The service also adds 26 James Bond films, A Minecraft Movie, and The Apothecary Diaries season 3, among other titles.
Ninomiya Kazunari, who plays Nokoru in VIVANT Season 2, spoke at the Sunday Theater VIVANT PREMIUM SUMMER PARTY event on August 23 at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium before 11,000 fans. Asked whether his screen time was reduced from Season 1, he asked producer Iida Kazutaka directly, who confirmed Nokoru appears more in Season 2. Iida added that based on Ninomiya's social media posts and the number of times he has eaten Midoriyama's tantanmen, there is still more to come.
The YouTube channel "Yonino Channel," led by Kazunari Ninomiya and featuring Yuichi Nakamaru, Ryosuke Yamada, and Fuma Kikuchi, reached 5 million subscribers on June 19. The milestone came about 5 years and 2 months after the channel's launch in April 2021, making it the first STARTO ENTERTAINMENT-related YouTube channel to do so.