Yūki Gotō

is a Japanese YouTuber, politician, and former singer. In 2000, while he was in middle school, he joined the group EE Jump as their lead rapper under the stage name . He is the younger brother of singer and former Morning Musume member Maki Goto.

Throughout the 2000s, Goto was involved in several scandals, two of which led to EE Jump's disbandment and his retirement from music. In 2007, he was arrested for theft and was sentenced to five and half years in prison. After being released in 2013, Goto made minor media appearances before joining YouTube in 2021 and signing a contract with Excelling to handle his entertainment activities.

In addition to Goto's YouTube activities, he was elected as a member of the Yachimata City Council in 2023.

Career

2000-2002: EE Jump

In 1999, when he was in 6th grade, Goto was scouted by Harmony Promotion at a fan event for his older sister, Maki, who was a member of the girl group Morning Musume at the time. He was assigned to a group with Sonim and Ken under the name EE Jump as their lead rapper. Together, they made their first televised appearance on the variety show Warau Inu no Bōken. Though Ken left the group before their CD debut, EE Jump released their first single on October 18, 2000, with the song "Love is Energy!" and achieved mainstream success with their third single, , on May 16, 2001.

Despite EE Jump's success, Goto disliked performing in the group and was constantly told by staff that he lacked skill in singing and keeping in rhythm. In 2021, he also expressed that he "did not understand" the "taste in music" of EE Jump's music producer, Tsunku, and that he often felt embarrassed appearing on television to perform the group's songs. Goto had an argument with the group's female manager over their tight schedules, which led him to physically assault her and check out of his hotel room without permission, fleeing to Tochigi Prefecture. Wada suspended his activities for three months After issuing an apology, Goto rejoined EE Jump in February 2002; In 2021, Goto stated that, as a result of the scandal, his agency asked for him to stay home and phone them about his whereabouts whenever he left his residence.

In 2016, Goto appeared as a hair model, representing the salon Gossip Hair. In 2017, Goto appeared as a guest on the web talk show Imada-Higashi no Curricular, making his first televised appearance in 15 years.

On July 7, 2021, Goto started a YouTube channel titled Otto Totto Channel. On January 26, 2022, he announced through his Instagram account that he had signed with the talent agency Excelling. Throughout 2022, Goto participated in , an amateur kickboxing exhibition event for YouTubers, in March and November.

Personal life

Goto dropped out of high school in the middle of his first year. In 2018, he relocated to Yachimata from Edogawa, Tokyo, to be closer to his job. with his third oldest sister being singer Maki Goto, a former member of Morning Musume. In 1996, while Goto was on a hiking trip in the mountains with his father and a family friend, his father died from a fall. Goto himself had noticed it first, as he had stated, "Hey, didn't you hear a loud thump just now?" Goto was incarcerated at the time from his 2007 arrest and was not allowed to attend her funeral. He and his first wife divorced seven months after he was released from prison in 2013 due to growing apart while he was serving his sentence. Goto and Chizuru do not have any children together, but they have expressed interest, as Chizuru is undergoing treatments for her infertility. He was identified by the police by his tattoos. He was sentenced to five and a half years in jail by the Tokyo District Court in May 2008. He was released in 2013.

Discography

Publications (2013)