Akari Nibu

Early life Nibu was born in Tochigi Prefecture and has two older brothers. She lived in Gunma Prefecture as a child before moving to Saitama Prefecture. She holds a third dan rank in kendo and took part in prefectural tournaments when she was in middle school.

Career

2017–2019: Early career

Nibu is a fan of shōnen manga, particularly Dragon Ball and The Promised Neverland. In 2018, she guested in an Animax special feature to commemorate the release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

2020–2022: Ventures into acting, gaming Nibu and fellow Hinatazaka46 members Miku Kanemura and Miho Watanabe were voice actresses for the animated miniseries adaptation of the character Pickles the Frog, aired in October 2020. In November 2020, the three of them were inducted into the Saitama Support Group (also known as Kobaton Club), a community of entertainers from Saitama Prefecture tasked with promoting the region in the media. She played a supporting role in the Hinatazaka46 drama series Dasada (2020) Despite her inexperience, executive director Junichi Fujisaku remarked that he treated her "equally" to the other voice actors, while co-star Ayana Taketatsu commented that her performance did not "feel like that of a first-timer". Nibu herself cited Koeharu!, in which she portrayed an aspiring voice actress, as an influence; Koichi Yamadera, who portrayed the school principal in that drama, was also part of the Deemo cast.

In April 2022, Nibu became the voice of main character Mami in the animated shorts miniseries (four minutes per episode) , aired as a segment of the TV Asahi variety show and also released on YouTube. It was based on a one-shot manga titled Mameo, with original concept by her and written and illustrated by mangaka in May 2021 on the variety show on the same network.

Nibu's first photobook was released on July 26, 2022, published by Gentosha. Titled , the photos were taken throughout 2021, with summer pictures taken in the Setouchi region and winter pictures in the Aomori Prefecture. The book sold 46,000 copies in its release week and placed first on the weekly Oricon photobook chart and second on the general book chart.

Nibu is an avid gamer and has guested in events such as the "Sony Creative Cup featuring Fortnite" and participated in "The Gaming Days Valorant Series", a competitive gaming event between entertainers and professional gamers, in 2022. She co-hosted the esports show Choten on TV Tokyo and is a recurring guest on Hiroiki Ariyoshi's gaming show Ariyoshieeeee!

2023–2024: Live-action feature film debut, Hinatazaka46 center and departure Nibu served as the title song center (lead performer) for Hinatazaka46's ninth single "One Choice", released on April 19, 2023.

Nibu's first two live-action feature films are the 2024 Shinji Muroi duology, continuations of the long-running Bayside Shakedown detective series. Producer Chihiro Kameyama and screenwriter Ryoichi Kimizuka considered casting her after watching her appearances on a video gaming television show, while director Katsuyuki Motohiro remarked that her experience as an idol contributed to her "nuanced" performance and ability to respond well to his "interesting" direction. Her "graduation" ceremony took place over two days at the Pia Arena MM, with a competitive gaming event, or "Game Day", on November 30, featuring professional esports teams Zeta Division and Crazy Raccoon, and a concert on December 1, the "Live Day". While the first day was not live-streamed, the group performed two songs relayed live from the venue as part of Nippon TV's Best Artist 2024 music program, which also became Nibu's final music performance with the group on terrestrial television. Her final concert with the group was on December 26 at the Tokyo Dome, the final leg of that year's national "Happy Magical Tour". She continues to be represented by Hinatazaka46's management agency, Seed & Flower, after her departure.

2025–present: Solo career In April 2025, Nibu launched her official website and YouTube channel, primarily focused on gaming. She also started her solo radio program, Akari Nibu Happy Caravan, on TBS Radio the same month.

Nibu played the lead role in , an intermission drama miniseries for the live sketch comedy show "Conton vol.8", performed on February 12–15 at the Tokyo Sōgetsu Hall and featuring fellow former Hinatazaka46 member Miho Watanabe.

Personal life Nibu is a fan of Aimyon. She has attended Aimyon's concert and received a signed album from her.

Discography

Nibu has participated in all Hinatazaka46 title songs and was the center (lead performer) for their ninth single, "One Choice". Other notable appearances include:

"Kirei ni Naritai" (Hashiridasu Shunkan, 2018), as a trio with Nao Kosaka and Miho Watanabe "Cage" ("Do Re Mi Sol La Si Do" B-side, 2019), co-center with Mei Higashimura as the Yancharu Family "Kimi no Tame Nani ga Dekiru Darou" ("Sonna Koto Nai yo" B-side, 2020), center "Koe no Ashiato" ("Kimi Shika Katan" B-side, 2021), Koeharu! theme song, co-center with Mirei Sasaki "Akubi Letter" ("Tteka" B-side, 2021), with Miku Kanemura and Miho Watanabe as Color Chart

Filmography

Film

Television

Variety and talk shows

Other appearances

Theatre Year Title Role(s) Venue Notes 2018AyumiVariousAiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo Magia RecordMadoka KanameAkasaka ACT Theater

Radio