Gakuto Oshiro (大城 ガクト, Ōshiro Gakuto; born July 4, 1973), better known as Gackt (stylized in all caps), is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. Born in Okinawa to a Ryukyuan family, Gackt learned the piano at a young age and was raised on classical music and enka before becoming interested in rock music while attending high school. He has been active since 1993, first as the frontman of the short-lived independent band Cains:Feel, and then from 1995 the now-defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. Gackt started his solo career in 1999 with debut mini-album Mizérable and first full-length album Mars (2000). He has released nine studio albums and, with forty-eight singles released, holds the male soloist record for most top ten consecutive singles in Japanese music history. They are mostly conceived around two conceptual stories "Moon Saga" (Moon, Crescent, Diabolos, Last Moon) and "Requiem et Reminiscence" (Rebirth, Re:Born) which are performed live in uniquely elaborate concerts. His single "Returner (Yami no Shūen)" (2007), is his first and only single to reach the number one spot on the Oricon charts. As a solo artist, Gackt has sold over 10 million records. In 2007 became a founding member of S.K.I.N., a Japanese visual kei rock supergroup, and in 2010 formed his own band project Yellow Fried Chickenz. Besides being established in the modern entertainment industry and considered a pop icon, Gackt's music has been used as theme songs for video games (Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII), video game films (Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker), anime series/films (New Fist of the North Star, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Texhnolyze and Trickster) and television series (Kamen Rider Decade). In addition to his music career, Gackt has voice acted (including characters inspired by him in video games like in Bujingai and Genesis Rhapsodos in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII), and live acted in a few films, including a film he wrote, Moon Child, his international debut Bunraku, Japan Academy award nomination performance for Best Actor in Fly Me to the Saitama, and TV series most notably as Uesugi Kenshin in the NHK drama Fūrin Kazan. He also performed live in theatre stage plays, Nemuri Kyoshiro Buraihikae and a duology he has written, composed, and directed Moon Saga: Mysteries of Yoshitsune I & II. He also provided the voice samples for Internet Co., Ltd.'s first Vocaloid, Gackpoid.
Top Tracks
Bands
- Malice Mizer - current member
Credited On
- Malice Mizer - merveilles l'espace - Malice Mizer, released March 30, 2002 (
COBA-4162). Piano, Vocals. - Gackt - Nemuri Kyoshiro Buraihitsu - Gackt, released March 13, 2012 (
KDS-0089). Artist.
Biography
Translated from the ja.wikipedia article GACKT (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 110658919.
Early Life and Pre-Solo Debut
Gackt was born in Okinawa Prefecture on July 4, 1973. Due to his father's work, he moved frequently during his childhood and lived in Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Shiga, Osaka, and Kyoto. His father was a trumpet player, and he grew up in an environment where classical music was familiar. At his parents' request, he began taking piano lessons at the age of three. Although he stopped at the age of 11, he resumed playing around the age of 14 under the influence of a friend. During junior high school, he was drawn to the sight of a “mischievous senior” playing drums. He entered the same high school as that senior and spent his days immersed in drumming.
After graduating from school, he continued to work as a supporting drummer while holding jobs in the nightlife industry, as a dealer, and in studio sound engineering. In Kyoto, he formed the band Cains feel with YOU and served as its vocalist. Through an introduction, he met Mana and Közi of MALICE MIZER, decided to join the band, and moved to Tokyo. From October 1995 to January 1999, he was active as MALICE MIZER's second vocalist. On July 24, 1997, he participated as a vocalist on “Kizudarake no Lola” (傷だらけのローラ) for Hideki Saijo ROCK Tribute, as part of FUMIHIKO KITSUTAKA'S “LOLA” (Fumihiko Kitsutaka, Shotaro Mitsuzono, Obata Pump, and Gackt). He left MALICE MIZER in 1998.
After Solo Debut
On May 12, 1999, Gackt made his solo debut with the mini-album Mizérable, which peaked at number two on the Oricon weekly album chart.
On September 22, 2002, he appeared at the “30th Anniversary of Japan–China Diplomatic Relations Concert” at Beijing Workers' Stadium. On April 19, 2003, the film MOON CHILD, in which he starred and for which he wrote the original story and screenplay, was released. On October 24, he released the novel MOON CHILD [Requiem] Requiem Chapter, an alternate story to the film which he wrote himself.
On February 28, 2006, he was invited to attend the graduation ceremony of Hyogo Prefectural Maiko High School, where he performed the unreleased song “Like a Flower Blooming in the Fields” before graduating and current students. The song was released on CD the following year.
In 2007, he appeared as Uesugi Kenshin in the NHK taiga drama Fūrin Kazan. Through this experience, he became a great admirer of Kenshin. On May 25, he announced that he had formed the new band S.K.I.N. with YOSHIKI and others, and that it would begin musical activities the following month. On June 20, he released the single “RETURNER ~End of Darkness~”, which became his first single to debut at number one on the Oricon weekly singles chart dated July 2. On November 14, he appeared at the “35th Anniversary of Japan–China Diplomatic Relations Concert” at the Great Hall of the People, performing “12-gatsu no Love Song” in Japanese and Chinese.
On April 23, 2008, it was announced that he would appear in the Hollywood film BUNRAKU in a co-starring role. On July 31, “Gackpoid”, virtual vocalist software based on GACKT's voice and using VOCALOID2 technology, was released by Internet Co., Ltd.
On June 13, 2009, during “GACKT VISUALIVE ARENA TOUR 2009 Requiem et Réminiscence II Final ~Requiem and Rebirth~”, he announced that he would change the styling of his stage name from Gackt to GACKT. On August 23, he appeared at Animelo Summer Live 2009 -RE:BRIDGE- and performed anime and video game theme songs at Saitama Super Arena. On November 5, the “NEMURI × GACKT PROJECT” was announced. At the production press conference for Nemuri Kyoshiro Burai Hikae, his first stage production as a leading actor, he disclosed his actual age.
On April 17, 2010, he announced his transfer to Avex. From July 16 to 24, accompanied by his band YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz, he held his first European tour, “GACKT COMING TO EUROPE 2010 ATTACK OF THE ‘YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz’”, in London, Paris, Barcelona, Munich, and Bochum.
On March 13, 2011, in response to the Tōhoku Pacific Ocean Earthquake, he established the SHOW YOUR HEART Fund with celebrity friends, including LUNA SEA drummer Shinya and Shigeru Izumiya, and called for relief for the disaster-stricken areas. On June 9, he announced the resumption of activities by the newly reformed YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz during Nico Nico Douga's “Kinkyuu Rainichi Press Conference”, while also announcing new members and a world tour. The new lineup included drummer SHINYA (Shinya) of LUNA SEA, vocalist JON of fade, guitarist TAKUMI, and bassist U:ZO, formerly of RIZE, creating a new twin-vocal and triple-guitar configuration.
From May 11 to July 7, 2013, he held the best-of tour BEST OF THE BEST Vol. I M/W, looking back on 14 years of GACKT's history from his solo debut in 1999 to the present. On December 26, he held the classical concert “GACKT × Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra: A Splendid Evening of Classical Music” at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The second event was held on the same date the following year, in 2014.
On July 1, 2015, GACKTRACKS -ULTRA DJ ReMIX-, featuring remixes of his songs by leading Japanese DJs, was released.
From March 19 to July 3, 2016, he held “GACKT WORLD TOUR 2016 LAST VISUALIVE Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON- supported by Nestlé”.
On December 26, 2017, he updated his blog to announce his participation in the cryptocurrency business through the ICO project “SPINDLE”, while also disclosing his real name for the first time.
On July 4, 2018, he held the birthday concert “GACKT's -45th Birthday Concert- LAST SONGS” at Studio Coast in Shinkiba. Video and audio recordings were released on Blu-ray and DVD and distributed worldwide through major streaming sites.
On July 1, 2019, he became executive organizer of the Japan Grown Diamond Association.
On September 8, 2021, he announced an indefinite hiatus from activities. After returning to Japan on August 6, he informed his agency that he was feeling unwell, after which his condition suddenly worsened. At one point, his life was in danger. His condition continued to deteriorate for several weeks before stabilizing. However, he was also diagnosed with a severe voice disorder and was told that continuing work involving the use of his voice was impossible, leading to the announcement of an indefinite hiatus. He returned overseas, where his attending physician was located, and stated that he would undergo detailed examinations and concentrate on treatment with the aim of resuming activities. On May 16, 2022, he announced on his official website that he had recovered to the extent that his daily life was unaffected and that he would gradually resume entertainment activities within the year. On June 17, he attended an event, appearing in public for the first time in approximately nine months. On October 1, he appeared in a prerecorded video before Fuji Television's broadcast of the film Fly Me to the Saitama, reporting that he had resumed entertainment activities and that filming of the film's sequel had also resumed. On November 1, his fan club was relaunched as the “GACKT ONLINE G&L MEMBERS CLUB”.
In February 2023, he appeared as a judge on ABEMA's Japan's Got Talent, the Japanese version of the world's number-one audition program, watched by more than one billion people worldwide. On April 20, he launched the GACKT Wine Project, a joint venture between GACKT and Kaminokuni Winery to grow wine from saplings. In November 2023, he resumed updates to his YouTube channel, “GACKT Channel Gaku-chan”, which had been inactive due to illness.
From April 12 to May 11, 2025, “GACKT: Exhibition of a Corridor of Words” was held at Yurakucho Marui, displaying selected words GACKT had expressed through various media throughout the exhibition space as kotodama. On April 13, 2025, the concert “GACKT PHILHARMONIC 2025 - Maou Symphony” was held at Sumida Triphony Hall, featuring GACKT-led YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz and Grand Philharmonic Tokyo. Following strong requests from fans and related parties for another performance, it was restaged on December 23 as “GACKT PHILHARMONIC 2025 Maou Symphony THE REVIVAL”.
On March 18, 2026, he became a director of POPOPO Co., Ltd.
Personal Life
He has experience working as a private tutor.
In addition to Japanese, he speaks English, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, French, and other languages. “12gatsu no Love Song” was released in four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean.
In his private life, he undergoes intense training at a dojo in his home to maintain a perfect body, and eats only one meal a day, generally dinner, while keeping carbohydrate intake to a minimum. Regarding rice, he has said, “I have not eaten it since I was 26, when I made my solo debut,” “I want to eat it, but I will not eat it until I die,” and “At the end of my life, I want to eat rice and die.” However, as can also be understood from these comments, he has said that he actually likes rice, explaining that he stopped eating it because he decided to give up the thing he liked most. When he appeared on TV Asahi’s Geinoujin Kakuzuke Check (芸能人格付けチェック), broadcast in January 2024, he revealed that he still did not eat rice. In a fried-rice taste comparison challenge, he tasted only two grains of rice at his own request and correctly identified the answer.
Anecdotes
To date, Gackt has released 48 CD singles and 19 albums, and holds the Japanese record among male solo artists for the number of works reaching the top 10 of the Oricon Singles Chart.
Beginning in 2001, he appeared in the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for four consecutive years, and NHK produced special programs closely documenting him, reflecting his strong connection with the broadcaster. In 2007, he appeared in the NHK Taiga drama Fūrin Kazan (風林火山) as Uesugi Kenshin, a role regarded as virtually a co-leading part. That year, the photo book Ryuu no Keshin (龍の化身), featuring him in the armor worn in the drama, was released; it was the first photo book in NHK history to be published for a role in a Taiga drama. He also appeared in the same costume at the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, where he paid all expenses himself for special staging inspired by Fūrin Kazan, involving an enormous budget.
He is an avid fan of Mobile Suit Gundam. During his time as a personality on All Night Nippon, he frequently recited lines from the series on the program. At an All Night Nippon event at Yokohama Arena, he repeatedly shouted “Sieg Zeon!” in response to calls from fans. He has since often impersonated characters including Amuro Ray, Kai Shiden, Char Aznable, and Gihren Zabi when Gundam has been featured on other programs. He prefers the first, original Gundam series, and has at times stated flatly that subsequent Gundam works were “by-products of commercialism”.
Although he performed the theme song for Kamen Rider Decade in 2009, he was initially cautious about accepting the offer because he would not be writing or composing the song himself and had no knowledge of the Heisei Kamen Rider series. He reportedly began socializing privately with the series’ lead actor, Masahiro Inoue, after appearing with him in a promotional video. In Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker and the promotional video for its theme song, he played Jouji Yuuki (結城丈二), who transforms into Riderman, although no actual transformation is depicted. When he was offered the role, he had requested one that would “support Masahiro”, and the staff proposed the part.
On September 4, 2015, he distributed a blog magazine in which he disclosed that he always wears sunglasses because his eyes are sensitive. He explained in a light-hearted rather than pessimistic manner that their ability to regulate light is impaired, and that in particular, under sunlight, they take in so much light that he becomes unable to see anything.
When he was still starting out and living in poverty, he invited his then-girlfriend, a woman who supported his dream of becoming a singer, to an expensive restaurant in an effort to impress her and treat her to a meal. However, realizing that the bill was too high for him to pay for both of them, he allowed only her to eat, which instead made her cry, leaving him with a bitter experience. In addition, the impact of the CD recession of the 1990s led him to believe that men must be able to earn money properly. Having been extremely busy with music and acting work until the age of 30, he moved to an affluent district of Kuala Lumpur for tax purposes and because he wanted to spend more time at a relaxed pace. There, he has become a businessman operating ventures including real-estate businesses for wealthy clients, making use of his name recognition and language skills.
The film Fly Me to the Saitama (Tonde Saitama), co-starring Gackt and Fumi Nikaido and released on February 22, 2019, drew a cumulative audience of 2.9 million and exceeded 3.7 billion yen in box-office revenue, becoming an unprecedented hit. At the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize, Gackt received the Award for Excellence for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, while the film received Awards of Excellence in a record 12 categories. Regarding his appearance in the film, he revealed that he immediately declined when he was initially told the role was that of a high-school student. However, he accepted after learning that he had been personally selected by the original author, Mineo Maya, as he had already been a fan of the work and believed that he and Nikaido could make a good film together.
The Fuji Television program Chokugeki! Shinsou Sakagami SP (直撃!シンソウ坂上SP), broadcast on May 2, 2019, recorded an average audience rating of 13.1%, setting a new record for the program. During the broadcast, he showed his life in Malaysia and discussed episodes involving Ken Ogata, with whom he had co-starred in Fūrin Kazan.
A web survey conducted by a research company found that his recognition rate among people in their teens through their sixties was 97%. His social-media following has also continued to grow daily, with approximately 1.7 million followers on LINE, approximately 1.11 million on Instagram, approximately 940,000 on X, approximately 760,000 on YouTube, and approximately 400,000 on China’s WEIBO, as of November 2023. On his Instagram account, opened in November 2015, he frequently posts videos about his daily training and activities, which have become highly popular.
He has appeared on Geinoujin Kakuzuke Check since 2009 and, as part of a team, answered every question correctly through 2015, excluding 2011 and 2022, when he did not appear. In 2016, his team’s winning streak ended at 39 when Hiromitsu Kitayama and Yuma Nakayama, who were teamed with him, answered the fourth question incorrectly. Individually, however, he continued his winning streak, reaching 87 consecutive correct answers as of 2026; Yoshiki has also achieved 14 consecutive correct answers. Because of their exceptionally long streaks, only he and Yoshiki of X Japan answer in a separate room from the other challengers, and their results are announced separately. He has been classified as an ordinary celebrity twice, on New Year’s Day 2016 and New Year’s Day 2017; as a third-rate celebrity once, on New Year’s Day 2020; and as having no value to be shown three times, in spring 2017 and on New Year’s Day 2024 and 2025.