View source for Hikakin

{{Rough translation|Japanese|listed=yes|date=April 2024}}
{{Short description|Japanese YouTube celebrity and beatboxer (born 1989)}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name                 = Hikakin
| image                = HIKAKIN(UUUM_FES_2017).png
| alt                  =
| caption              = From U-FES.2017
| birth_date           = {{birth date and age|1989|04|21}}
| birth_place          = [[Myōkō, Niigata]], Japan
| nationality          = Japanese
| pseudonym            =
| occupation           = {{hlist|[[Human beatbox]]|[[YouTuber]]}}
| spouse               = {{Marriage|Undisclosed|2024}}
| children             = 1
| channels             = {{ublist|
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/HIKAKIN HIKAKIN]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZf__ehlCEBPop-_sldpBUQ HikakinTV]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX1xppLvuj03ubLio8jslyA HikakinGames]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQMoeRP9SDaFipXDBIp3pFA HikakinBlog]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/hikarukaihatsu HikaruKaihatsu]
}}
| genre                = {{hlist|Music|entertainment|gaming|[[vlog]]s}}
| years_active         = 2006–present
| subscribers          = {{Plainlist|
* 13.7 million {{small|(HikakinTV)}}
* 6.05 million {{small|(HikakinGames)}}
* 2.48 million {{small|(HIKAKIN)}}
* 626 thousand {{small|(HikakinBlog)}}
* 30.4 thousand {{small|(HikaruKaihatsu)}}
}}
| views                = {{Plainlist|
* 12.35 billion {{small|(HikakinTV)}}
* 7.78 billion {{small|(HikakinGames)}}
* 529.42 million {{small|(HIKAKIN)}}
* 40.17 million {{small|(HikakinBlog)}}
* 1.15 million {{small|(HikaruKaihatsu)}}
}}
| network              = [[UUUM (company)|UUUM]]
| silver_button        = yes
| silver_year          = 2014
| gold_button          = yes
| gold_year            = 2014
| diamond_button       = yes
| diamond_year         = 2021
| associated_acts      = {{ublist|
* [[Megwin]]
* [[Gille (singer)|Gille]]
* [[Ariana Grande]]
* Daichi<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COoKRYk-HWU|title=Beatbox Game - Hikakin vs Daichi|date=22 June 2012 |accessdate=January 12, 2021|via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>
*[[Seikin]]}}
| stats_update         = April 20, 2024
|module={{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes|current_member_of=[[Hikakin & Seikin]]| label           = [[Uuum|Uuum Records]]
}}}}
{{Nihongo|'''Hikaru Kaihatsu'''|開發 光|Kaihatsu Hikaru|born April 21, 1989}}, professionally known as '''Hikakin''' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: ヒカキン), is a Japanese [[YouTuber]] and businessman who is the co-founder of [[UUUM (company)|UUUM]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.uuum.co.jp/company-officer|title=代表挨拶 {{!}} UUUM株式会社（ウーム株式会社）|access-date=2016-08-23}}</ref> a Japanese [[multi-channel network]]. He is also a member of the Japanese music group [[Hikakin & Seikin]].  A video of his ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' beatbox went viral in 2010, reaching over 3.8 million views by mid-September of that year.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.joetsutj.com/archives/51734603.html |title=ハモネプに出たHIKAKINさんは妙高市出身 : 上越タウンジャーナル |publisher=Joetsutj.com |date=2010-09-20 |accessdate=2013-06-01 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006215046/http://www.joetsutj.com/archives/51734603.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6692231n |title=Feed: Alvin Greene On The Trail - CBS News Video |language=tr |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=2010-07-19 |accessdate=2013-06-01}}</ref> He, alongside fellow Japanese YouTuber [[Megwin]], quit their day jobs in 2012 to focus entirely on their channels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asahi.com/culture/news_culture/TKY201207030213.html |title=朝日新聞デジタル：YouTubeで夢をつかめ 「有名人」目指す若者たち - 文化トピックス - 文化 |publisher=Asahi.com |date=2012-07-04 |accessdate=2013-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Natsuki Edogawa |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201208020018 |title=Performers find new path to fame through YouTube - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun |publisher=Ajw.asahi.com |accessdate=2013-06-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626080420/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201208020018 |archivedate=2013-06-26 }}</ref> He also collaborated with [[Gille (singer)|Gille]], appearing in her promotions for her single "Try Again", where it is stated that he is one of the most popular Japanese YouTubers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://natalie.mu/music/news/81646 |title=ナタリー - GILLE、新曲動画第2弾にボイパ名人HIKAKIN登場 |publisher=Natalie.mu |date=2013-01-30 |accessdate=2013-06-01}}</ref>
== Early life ==
On April 21, 1989, he was born as the second son in [[Myōkōkōgen, Niigata|Myōkōkōgen]], [[Nakakubiki District, Niigata|Nakakubiki District]], [[Niigata Prefecture]] (present [[Myōkō, Niigata|Myōkō City]], Niigata Prefecture).<ref name=":0" /> As a child he was a strange boy in the corner of the classroom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKIN、世間のYouTuber批判も成長のバネに「僕は打たれ強いタイプなのかな」 |url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/10313532/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=ライブドアニュース |language=ja}}</ref> Growing up in the snowy [[Jōetsu region]], his dream when he was an elementary school student was to participate in the [[Ski jumping at the Winter Olympics|Olympics in ski jumping]], and he continued ski jumping until high school.<ref name=":0" /> When I was in elementary school, I became interested in the [[Human beatbox|Human Beatbox]] through the segment "{{Ill|力の限りゴーゴゴー!!|lt=FULLPOWER GOGOGO!!|ja}}" on the [[Fuji Television|Fuji TV]] variety show, "Hamonepu League".<ref name=":0" />
After studying at  Myōkōkōgen Minami Elementary School (later Myoko City) and Myoko Junior High School (present Myoko Municipal Myoko Junior High School), he entered Niigata Prefectural Arai High School. In March, he graduated from Niigata Prefectural Arai High School and went to [[Tokyo]]. Many of the supermarkets in Tokyo were from Niigata Prefecture, and they made a living working at {{Ill|吉池|lt=Yoshiike|ja}}, a Japanese supermarket that happened to have a job opening for a high school.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-24 |title=人気YouTuberヒカキン、"家賃2万円"下積み時代のエピソードが明らかに スーパー勤務時代の上司からコメントも |url=https://realsound.jp/tech/2019/04/post-352713.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック |language=ja}}</ref> Moreover, at that time I had no bank account of my own, so I had no savings, and went up to Tokyo with only 20,000 yen from his parents. The supermarket where he worked had a company dormitory and the rent was deducted from his monthly salary, so he didn't have to worry about finding a place to live.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tns05nLr_FQ |title=ヒカキンの上京当時のまじめな話 |language=en |access-date=2024-04-03 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== 2006-2008: Opening a YouTube channel ===
He opened his own official channel "HIKAKIN" on YouTube in December 2006. He originally started the service to watch videos of overseas [[beatboxers]], but he thought that if he posted his own videos, people would watch them, so he started posting videos.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-24 |title=国内No.1ユーチューバー・HIKAKIN、テレビだと「萎縮しちゃう」 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2031888/full/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=ORICON NEWS}}</ref> He started posting videos soon after opening the site, but since he deleted it himself, very few videos from that time remain. The oldest extant video is a beatbox he filmed in his home bathroom in 2007 (he was a high school senior at the time).<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjyKUIx3Ou8 |title=HIKAKIN Beatbox |date=2007-09-24 |last=HIKAKIN |access-date=2024-07-25 |via=YouTube}}</ref> In 2015, a [[remake]] version of this beatbox video, "2015 ver.<nowiki>''</nowiki>, was posted, which was shot in the same environment and clothing as at the time.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqtx9sbhKbA |title=HIKAKIN Beatbox 2015 ver. |date=2015-09-01 |last=HIKAKIN |access-date=2024-07-25 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Since then, I've been recording a number of beatbox videos using a cheap microphone in the bathroom of the company dormitory or in my room at night, carefully selecting the ones that I thought were good, and uploading one or two videos a month.
He once applied to become a [[YouTube partner]] (a system for earning advertising revenue), but was rejected at the time. After that incident, he began to think, "I'll do it so that I can get offers from the YouTube side," and began to make videos from the viewer's point of view.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=永井 |first=孝尚 |date=2017-09-12 |title=｢ヒカキンが目標｣痛いユーチューバーの末路 |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/188001 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=東洋経済オンライン |language=ja}}</ref> Although nothing major happened for about two years after his arrival in Tokyo, the number of views gradually increased, and the most popular video at the time had about 200,000 views. At the time, YouTube was still not well known in Japan, and most of the views were from overseas, with only about 10-20% coming from Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=目指すは中高生の身近なヒーロー/YouTuber HIKAKINさん |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/digital-board/youtuberhikakin_b_6433914.html |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=HUFFPOST|date=10 January 2015 }}</ref>
=== 2009-2014: Rise to Fame ===
In 2010, he uploaded "Super Mario Beatbox", a beatbox medley of background music from the "[[Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros]]". This video recorded the No. 1 access on YouTube for the month in Japan and was featured in the top news story of "[[CBS News]]" in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-19 |title=Super Mario Beatbox: Viral Video Hit - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-mario-beatbox-viral-video-hit/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> After recording 200,000 hits 24 hours after uploading the video and 1 million hits a week later, Hikakin received an offer from YouTube to become a YouTube partner,<ref name=":1" /> He said that he thought, "I have YouTube even when customers get angry at me in the supermarket or my boss gets sarcastic with me. Furthermore, he was selected as one of the top 500 best YouTube partners in the world in 2010<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=2010-12-22 |title=YouTube Invests Again in Video Creators |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/youtube-invests-again-in-video-creators/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Media Decoder Blog |language=en}}</ref> and won the "WOW Star Project 2010" and was invited to [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-24 |title=WOW FES! 2010（ワウフェス）｜WOWOWオンライン |url=http://wowfes.wowow.co.jp/event/star/selection.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524115939/http://wowfes.wowow.co.jp/event/star/selection.html |archive-date=2011-05-24 |access-date=2023-08-21 }}</ref> These events led to a gradual increase in requests to perform live and on TV shows as a performer.
In June 2011, the YouTube Partner Forum was held in Japan. At the time, he did not even have the idea of posting videos for a living, but meeting American YouTuber [[Michelle Phan]] at this event and being impressed by her speech was a turning point, and he began posting videos in earnest.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-12-25 |title=上越タイムス - タイムスニュース |url=http://www.j-times.jp/news.php?seq=8007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225023617/http://www.j-times.jp/news.php?seq=8007 |archive-date=2014-12-25 |access-date=2023-08-21 }}</ref> Later, an opportunity presented itself when a contest called "YouTube NextUp 2011" was held, with 10 winners and a prize of 2 million yen. At the time, he had the largest number of channel subscribers in Japan, and people around him thought he would be accepted. He entered the contest with the confidence that he could quit his job and concentrate on YouTube, but he was not selected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=全員抜いてやる!「トップ・オブ・トップ」になることを決意した瞬間 〜ユーチューバー・HIKAKINさんインタビュー【中編】 |url=https://www.froggy.money/8557/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=FROGGY}}</ref> After this humiliating setback, he sought advice from Tomohiro Sato, who works as an advisor to YouTubers. There, he received a handbook outlining the basics of video creation and lots of individual advice. On his own, he studied videos by top creators in Japan and abroad, and imitated their editing skills, such as titles and thumbnails. After about three months of doing so, he realized that his income from YouTube exceeded his company employee's salary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=全員抜いてやる!「トップ・オブ・トップ」になることを決意した瞬間 〜ユーチューバー・HIKAKINさんインタビュー【中編】 |url=https://froggy.smbcnikko.co.jp/8557/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=froggy.smbcnikko.co.jp |language=ja}}</ref>
In December 2012, Hikakin released his first album, a collaboration with [[video game music]] [[composer]] [[Hideki Sakamoto]], for the soundtrack of the ''[[Paint Park|Echannel]]'' drawing application of the [[PlayStation Vita]]. In May 2013, Hikakin participated in the Social Star Awards and the subsequent Singapore Social concerts, performing with [[Aerosmith]] during their stage set and beatboxing before performing with the band on "[[Walk This Way]]".
In February 2014, Hikakin did a collaboration beatbox video with American singer [[Ariana Grande]], beatboxing to her song "[[Baby I]]".
In October 2014, Hikakin was one of the performers for the first YouTube FanFest in Tokyo, Japan. At the same YouTube FanFest, Japanese breakbeat music duo [[Hifana]] performed with their instruments and using Hikakin's beatbox broken down into several parts, they created a new combination of his beatboxing and their instruments.
In December 2014, Hikakin went to [[New York City]] to do another collaboration video with [[Ariana Grande]], doing a beatbox of that song, while she was singing "[[Break Free (Ariana Grande song)|Break Free]]". In the same month, Hikakin uploaded a beatbox video that featured American singer [[Ne-Yo]]. They performed Ne-Yo's song "[[Coming with You]]" and his famous 2007 hit "[[Because of You (Ne-Yo song)|Because of You]]".
=== 2015-2020: Mainstream success ===
[[File:HIKAKIN.jpg|thumb|Hikakin in 2015]]On August 14, 2015, he released "[[YouTube Theme Song]]" which was produced in collaboration with YouTube's older brother Seikin. Taking this opportunity, he began to produce music as "HIKAKIN & SEIKIN."<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKIN＆SEIKIN「YouTubeテーマソング」が配信スタート、プロデュースはTeddyLoid - CDJournal ニュース |url=https://www.cdjournal.com/main/news/hikakin/67844 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=www.cdjournal.com |language=ja}}</ref> The song reached number 78 on the [[Billboard Japan Hot 100]]. As of 2024, it has surpassed 100 million views, which is by far the most viewed video on HikakinTV.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-21 |title=HIKAKIN＆SEIKIN「YouTubeテーマソング」1億再生突破 新たに記念ver.を公開 |url=https://kai-you.net/article/74785 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=KAI-YOU.net {{!}} POP is Here . |language=ja}}</ref>
On December 22, 2017, he became the first YouTuber to appear on [[Music Station]] Super Live.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-12-22 |title=HIKAKIN＆SEIKIN、Mステに初出演！ 新曲「雑草」が描きだす人気YouTuberまでの道のりと苦悩 |url=https://realsound.jp/2017/12/post-141615.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド |language=ja}}</ref> On May 12, he collaborated with members of SMAP on [[Fuji Television]]'s [[SMAP×SMAP|SMAPxSMAP]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-19 |title=SMAP時代の初出しエピソードも！ ヒカキン＆香取慎吾がYouTubeでファンからの質問に回答 |url=https://realsound.jp/tech/2020/04/post-541133.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック |language=ja}}</ref>
On April 10, 2020, Hikakin met with Tokyo Governor [[Yuriko Koike]]. As of 2024, it has been viewed approximately 11 million times and has received 450,000 positive reviews. The meeting was made possible by Governor Koike responding to Hikakin's suggestion. It's not meant to be monetized and can be viewed ad-free, making it easy to spread.<ref>{{Cite web |title=このタイミングで小池都知事と対談。時宜を得たユーチューバー、HIKAKINの本質 {{!}} Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブス ジャパン） |url=https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/33745 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=forbesjapan.com |language=ja}}</ref>
On May 21, 2020, in order to prevent the spread of the [[coronavirus]], he established the "Coronavirus Medical Support Fund" in partnership with [[Yahoo! Japan]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2020-05-21 |title=ヒカキン、自ら1億円を寄付しコロナ医療支援募金立ち上げ「YouTuberの本気を出し切りたい」 |url=https://realsound.jp/tech/2020/05/post-555788.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック |language=ja}}</ref> At the event, Hikakin donated 100 million yen (about $690,000).<ref name=":5" /> Celebrities also contributed, including Japanese businessperson [[Yusaku Maezawa]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=前澤友作氏 HIKAKINのコロナ医療支援募金設立＆1億円寄付に賛同「素晴らしい!!僕も寄付します」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能 |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2020/05/21/kiji/20200521s00041000379000c.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=スポニチ Sponichi Annex |language=ja}}</ref> and soccer player [[Yuto Nagatomo]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=「立ち上げ３日で２億円。すげぇ…」長友佑都がヒカキンの"コロナ医療支援募金"に驚愕！ 自身も協力を表明 {{!}} サッカーダイジェストWeb |url=https://www.soccerdigestweb.com/news/detail/id=73729 |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=www.soccerdigestweb.com |language=ja}}</ref> who said he would donate all proceeds from YouTube videos he posted during the fundraising period. In the end, from May 21 to June 30, 216,295 people donated, bringing the total to about 370 million yen (about $2.55 million).<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKINとヤフー、コロナ医療支援で集めた寄付金総額が3億7000万円に |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/2007/06/news135.html |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=ITmedia NEWS |language=ja}}</ref>
On December 8, 2020, it was ranked No. 1 in the "Domestic Annual Top Trending Ranking" announced by YouTube official.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2020 年を動画で振り返ろう。国内トップトレンド動画ランキングを発表 |url=https://youtube-jp.googleblog.com/2020/12/2020_8.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=YouTube Japan Blog |language=ja}}</ref>
=== 2021-present: Surpass 10 million subscribers ===
His channel kept growing consistently since then, and it hit 9 million subscribers on April 8, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=INC |first=SANKEI DIGITAL |date=2021-04-08 |title=ヒカキン、チャンネル登録者数が９００万人突破 予算９００円でのお祝いが「庶民的なところも素敵」と好感（1/2ページ） |url=https://www.iza.ne.jp/article/20210408-SQNOCENUQNNFJNQ2IZ3A2ISDRU/ |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=イザ！ |language=ja}}</ref> He set 10 million subscribers as the next goal. When his HikakinTV channel marked the 10th anniversary, he announced that he is going to post 10 videos with extra effort, from August 1 to 20. It has an official playlist. Additionally, he changed his intro animation to the one which he encourages himself to reach the goal and celebrates HikakinTV's 10th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HikakinTV 10周年記念OP映像を制作。 {{!}} ODDJOB INC |url=https://oddjob.jp/archives/2630/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=oddjob.jp}}</ref>
At 12:11 on September 10, 2021, the number of subscribers to his YouTube channel "HikakinTV" surpassed 10 million. On the day of the event, he made a live broadcast, and at the moment he reached the milestone, he was so moved that he cried.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-10 |title=ヒカキン、生配信中にチャンネル登録者数1000万人突破で感涙 20リットルのメントスコーラで快挙を祝福する |url=https://realsound.jp/tech/2021/09/post-856667.html |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=Real Sound｜リアルサウンド テック |language=ja}}</ref> The 10 million live record includes 130,000 more channel subscribers in about 10 minutes, 160,000 simultaneous connections, about 7.5 million views in the first five days of video release, and a total superchat amount of $3 million raised in about 10 minutes, ranking the channel number one worldwide in YouTube's superchat rankings for channels worldwide.
== YouTube content ==
{{Quote|text=Bzz bzz, hello YouTube, this is Hikakin.|author=Hikakin|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEsqPPwo-fc|title=ブンブンハローYouTubeへのこだわり|access-date=2024-08-28|website=YouTube|date=24 November 2014 }}</ref>|title=intro greeting}}
He have opened 5 channels on YouTube, and as of April 2023, the total number of subscribers for all channels is approximately 20 million, the total number of views has reached approximately 18 billion, and we are ranked 6th in Japan. The "Bzz bzz<nowiki>''</nowiki> in his video greeting, "Bzz bzz, hello YouTube, this is Hikakin," is a nod to the American beatboxer [[Rahzel]]. He says that his fan base is mainly elementary and junior high school students, and he wants to create content that the whole family can watch while having a meal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-10 |title=目指すは中高生の身近なヒーロー/YouTuber HIKAKINさん |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/digital-board/youtuberhikakin_b_6433914.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=ハフポスト}}</ref> The origin of the name Hikakin is that his senior ski jumper from 3rd grade to 3rd year of high school started calling him Hikakin, a twist of his real name.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX0rYG6BeHQ |title=ヒカキンの名前の由来と発音！ |language=en |access-date=2024-04-03 |via=YouTube}}</ref> He asked his senior why he was called "Kin<nowiki>''</nowiki>, but he was not told, so the meaning remains unclear. When he was in junior high school, he posted beatboxing sounds on bulletin boards under the name HIKAKIN, and the name gradually spread, so it stuck.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKIN、世間のYouTuber批判も成長のバネに「僕は打たれ強いタイプなのかな」 |url=https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/10313532/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=ライブドアニュース |language=ja}}</ref>
== Reception ==
[[File:ONLY in JAPAN YouTuber Gold Award (croppedj.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Hikakin at the YouTube Japan 2019 FanFest]]
As of 2024, there have been no major scandals and social trust is extremely high.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-19 |title=「いちばん信頼しているインフルエンサー」1位はヒカキン 2位ひろゆきも祝福「流石のHIKAKINさん。」｜まいどなニュース |url=https://maidonanews.jp/article/14352564 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=まいどなニュース |language=ja-JP}}</ref> Many of his videos are moderate, and there are extremely few scandals. He is also known as "Flameless<nowiki>'', and when the scandals of other popular YouTubers are reported, his relative reputation increases and he is even called a "saint''</nowiki>.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-02 |title=ひとり勝ち？ 周囲の炎上で株を上げる聖人・HIKAKINの健全性、"人格"に頼らざるを得ないYouTuberの問題点も浮き彫りに |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/56751/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=ORICON NEWS}}</ref> Even if he did get flamed, most of it was minor, and on the contrary, the voices of his defense were louder.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-03 |title=こんなことで炎上!?2018年版 ヒカキンの炎上総まとめ! {{!}} LogTube｜国内最大級のyoutuber(ユーチューバー)ニュースメディア |url=https://logtube.jp/variety/31898/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=logtube.jp |language=ja}}</ref> In addition, in 2015 and 2020, false rumors were spread by viewers and caused a stir, and Hikakin posted two videos at the time to clear up misunderstandings.
On the other hand, in a live commentary video of Apex Legends that was uploaded on July 12, 2022, he repeatedly yelled abusive words at an ally player on the same team, and in the comments section, he exposed the player<nowiki>'s name and said, "If you find this annoying, please press the good button.''</nowiki> As a result of the post, he was flooded with criticism on social media and became a hot topic. On the 19th of the same month, he deleted the aforementioned comment and apologized in the comments section. On August 13, he called her directly in a video to apologize and report that they had reconciled.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ヒカキン、ゲームでの暴言連発&さらし行為を反省 相手に直接謝罪「僕の知識が浅すぎました」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex 芸能 |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2022/08/13/kiji/20220813s00041000620000c.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=スポニチ Sponichi Annex |language=ja}}</ref> At first, he expected that the comment section of the video would be filled with criticism of the other party, but in reality, he himself was criticized, and he apologized, saying, "It was all my fault.<nowiki>''</nowiki>
According to Noko, the frontman of [[Shinsei Kamattechan]], who is an old friend, he describes his personality as "There is no other person who is so open-minded.<nowiki>''</nowiki> He is kind to everyone from an ordinary person's point of view, and doesn't care about profit or loss. He says he is a person who can take action. The first time I met him was at a party hosted by [[Takafumi Horie]] in 2013, and when he told me that his goal at the time was "I want to exceed the number of subscribers on a corporate channel,<nowiki>'' he said, "Normally, if I were to see him as a rival, I wouldn't have to be an individual.'' "Isn't it? It'</nowiki>s amazing that the other party was a company."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-03 |title=HIKAKIN×神聖かまってちゃん・の子異色対談 "元祖ネット配信者"たちが語る「先行者」の宿命 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/special/51543/ |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=ORICON NEWS}}</ref> [[Hiroyuki Nishimura]], the founder of [[2channel|2ch]], said during the 2021 banquet scandal involving multiple YouTubers, "I<nowiki>'ve been saying from time to time that "personality'' is what is needed to do well on YouTube in the long term, but it is important to properly handle situations like this. It's amazing how Hikakin is avoiding him...''</nowiki><ref>{{Cite web |title=ひろゆき氏、ユーチューバー宴会報道に「避けてるヒカキンさんはさすが」 - 芸能 : 日刊スポーツ |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202106250000428.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=nikkansports.com |language=ja}}</ref>
Takafumi Horie describes his impression of Hikakin as "an ordinary child." He also said, "There aren't many people who are popular on the internet who are very pushy, and even though they weren't really outstanding during their school days, they're just average people. So it's just as I expected."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-20 |title=起業することのリスクなんて､ほとんどない |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/70157 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=東洋経済オンライン |language=ja}}</ref>
== HIKAKIN PREMIUM ==
'''HIKAKIN PREMIUM''' is an original brand established by Hikakin. The brand is managed by P2C Studio (a [[Uuum|UUUM]] subsidiary) as a joint effort between Hikakin and UUUM Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-28 |title=【セブン－イレブン店頭限定発売】HIKAKIN初ブランド「HIKAKIN PREMIUM」誕生！ラーメン愛を詰め込んだ「みそきん」カップ麺＆カップメシが2023年5月9日より順次発売 |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000088.000093698.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES |language=ja-JP}}</ref> As the first step in the establishment of the brand, they sell cup noodles and cup rice as well as T-shirts as commemorative products.<ref>{{Cite web |last=ASCII |title=セブンプレミアムならぬヒカキンプレミアム！ HIKAKIN初のカップラーメン「みそきん」セブンイレブンで発売へ |url=https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/135/4135261/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ASCII.jp |language=ja}}</ref>
=== Background ===
{{Quote box
| quote = Continuing to support my humble beginnings, they gave me ramen.
The day my life changes,
I was eating ramen.
Then I thought about it
It's an invigorating food.
| source = —Hikakin<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hikakinpremium.jp/|title=【公式】HIKAKIN PREMIUM|access-date=2024-08-29}}</ref>
| align = right
| width = 30%
}}
On April 21, 2023, the day of his 34 year birthday, he announced that he would suspend all activities, including social media, for a week. He released a video titled "I will take a break from activities for the first time" on his channel HikakinTV.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXp75cbAnEQ |title=初めて活動お休みさせていただきます |date=2023-04-21 |last=HikakinTV |access-date=2024-08-29 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
As a final preparation to realize the dream of his original brand, HIKAKIN PREMIUM, he took a break for the first time since he started activities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-21 |title=HIKAKIN、YouTuber人生初の活動休止「1年前から水面下で準備していた」 |url=https://kai-you.net/article/86580 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=KAI-YOU.net {{!}} POP is Here . |language=ja}}</ref> On April 27 of the same year, she announced the reason for her suspension in a video together with a special video she made.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyTY7-ZTens |title=ヒカキンのカップラーメン『みそきん』が5/9発売！初のブランド『HIKAKIN PREMIUM』立ち上げました。 |date=2023-04-27 |last=HikakinTV |access-date=2024-08-29 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
On May 9, 2023, HIKAKIN PREMIUM launched its first cup ramen, “Misokin Rich Miso Ramen, ” and cup rice,“ Misokin Rich Miso Meshi, ” which garnered attention on social media.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKINのカップ麺「みそきん」ネットで話題 売り切れ、転売の報告多数 |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/2305/09/news173.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ITmedia NEWS |language=ja}}</ref> [[Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd.]] was in charge of manufacturing the products, and sales began at [[Seven-Eleven Japan|Seven-Eleven]] stores throughout Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=HIKAKINがつくったカップ麺『みそきん』はうまいのか 忖度なしの記者が出した「結論」 |url=https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/194707?page=1 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=AERA dot. (アエラドット) |language=ja}}</ref>
=== Impact ===
It was reported that it was sold out on the first day of the release, "Misokin sold out" became a trending topic on X (formerly [[Twitter]]), and posters titled "Apology" were posted at each store. Hikakin was so influential that they released a video on the day of the release.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spzH3Wq3Tf0 |title=【まさかの事態】みそきんが買えなかったらすみません。。。。。 |date=2023-05-09 |last=HikakinTV |access-date=2024-08-29 |via=YouTube}}</ref> There were also reports of high-value resale at [[Mercari]].
On May 29, 2023, Hikakin uploaded a video titled "After a lot of discussions with related parties, it was decided that we could… resell the misokin!" in which they reported that "I am happy to report that I can resell it!".<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMR5RFwpBFw |title=みそきんの再販についてご報告 |date=2023-05-29 |last=HikakinTV |access-date=2024-08-29 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Resale was scheduled to be around the middle of August 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=HIKAKIN『みそきん』8月中旬頃に再販決定「できる限りの量を全力で用意します」 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2280866/full/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ORICON NEWS}}</ref> and limited quantities were sequentially released at Seven-Eleven on August 10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=「みそきん」本日より順次再販スタート！ 探す人続出で「みそきんどこ」トレンド入り |url=https://www.crank-in.net/trend/gourmet/132000 |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=クランクイン！トレンド |language=ja}}</ref> This time around, some stores also restricted purchases.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKINのカップ麺「みそきん」再販 今回は購入制限あり メルカリでは早速高額転売相次ぐ |url=https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/2308/10/news105.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ITmedia NEWS |language=ja}}</ref> In the following year, 2024, it was resold on May 25 and 30th.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HIKAKINのカップラーメン「みそきん」再販が決定 以前より"はるかに多い個数"を用意、HIKAKINが発表 |url=https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/nl/articles/2405/23/news209.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=ねとらぼ |language=ja}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
In July 2018, he adopted a male Scottish Fold cat, "Maruo", and in September, he adopted Maruo's brother, "Mofuko". He has always liked cats since he was a child, and he had been thinking about getting one for a year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-23 |title=ふわふわもふもふのきょうだい ヒカキンネコ動画がかわいくて癒やされる |url=https://www.j-cast.com/trend/2018/09/23339343.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=J-CAST トレンド |language=ja}}</ref>
His brother, Seikin, born 30 July 1987 is also a [[YouTuber]] with more than 4.6 million subscribers.<ref>{{cite web |title=SeikinTV |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/SeikinTV |website=Youtube |access-date=18 January 2024}}</ref>
On January 1, 2024, Hikakin announced his marriage on his channel.<ref>{{Citation |title=ヒカキン、結婚しました。【結婚報告100連発】 | date=31 December 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOzW1zieR7w |access-date=2023-12-31 |language=en}}</ref> On August 1 of the same year, he announced the birth of his first child on his official YouTube channel. Hikakin revealed that he and his wife were already expecting when he made his marriage announcement earlier in January. However, he refrained from announcing their pregnancy at the time, as he felt that it would be a burden to his wife both mentally and physically.<ref>{{Cite web |last=In |first=Natasha |title=HIKAKINが第1子の誕生を報告「守るものが増えたので今まで以上に頑張ります」（動画あり） |trans-title=HIKAKIN announces the birth of his first child: "I'll work harder than ever because I now have more things to protect" |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/584802 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]] |language=ja}}</ref> 
== Publications ==
=== Single author ===
* {{Nihongo|My work is YouTube|僕の仕事はYouTube|Boku no shigoto wa YouTube}} (July 19, 2013, Housewife and Lifesha) {{ISBN|978-4391143799}}
* {{Nihongo|How to make a YouTuber loved by 4 million people|400万人に愛されるYouTuberのつくり方|400mannin ni aisareru YouTuber no tsukurikata}}  (October 30, 2014, Nikkei BP) {{ISBN|978-4822220792}}
== See also ==
* [[The Great Yokai War: Guardians]] - a 2021 film in which Hikakin appeared as the [[yōkai]] named "Yōtuber Hikakin".<ref>Miyuki Adachi, April 27, 2021, [https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1030479/ HIKAKINが『妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ』で人気“妖Tuber”を熱演！公開日も8月13日に決定], [[:ja:MOVIE WALKER PRESS|MOVIE WALKER PRESS]]</ref>
* Hikakin also made a cameo appearance in episode 53 of the anime [[GeGeGe no Kitarō]] (2018).
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1989 births]]
[[Category:People from Niigata Prefecture]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Japanese beatboxers]]
[[Category:Japanese male musicians]]
[[Category:Music YouTubers]]
[[Category:Gaming YouTubers]]
[[Category:YouTube vloggers]]
[[Category:Japanese male bloggers]]
[[Category:Japanese YouTubers]]