A person who is good at exercise and has physical strength. People who have the acting ability to express their emotions using their bodies. People who have a strong service spirit to entertain others.

They act as costumed characters such as kaiju, transformed heroes in TV dramas and movies, cartoon characters, stuffed animal dolls, and mascot characters for regional or group advertisements. They are also called "suit-actors" (women are called "suit-actresses") in Japanese English. Incidentally, in foreign films, there is a job called "creature performer" who performs in a stuffed animal costume. In Japanese films, when computer graphics were not yet available, a technique was developed in which a miniature set of a town is dismantled by a stuffed monster in order to express the giant size of the monster. This technique is still used today in films featuring giant heroes. On the other hand, in films featuring transformable heroes who hide their faces with masks and other masks, the suit actor's job was to perform the action scenes after the transformation in place of the hero. In addition to such film and TV productions, there are also hero shows performed in front of an audience, anime character shows, puppet shows featuring costumed animals, and festivals in which mascot characters participate as guests. In the case of anime character shows, pre-recorded audio is often played to the audience, and the costumed actors perform accordingly. In addition to acting, they may also dance to the theme song. No matter what the site, it is the job of the costumed actors to delight the audience by creating a showcase for themselves in their roles as costumed characters.

There are no special qualifications or special paths to becoming a costumed actor. Since costumed actors are actors, they should start by acquiring basic acting skills, just like ordinary actors and TV personalities. You can learn on your own, but it is better to study at an actor's training school or vocational school. If you want to become a suit actor for a transforming hero, in addition to basic acting, you must also be able to perform "action" and "stunt" acting for martial arts and fighting scenes, as well as dangerous acting. It would be a good idea to learn that at an action talent or stuntman training school or vocational school. The usual path to becoming an actor is to develop one's skills at a training school or vocational school and then join an acting agency. If you pass the audition introduced by the agency, you may be able to appear in TV programs, movies, character shows, and so on. Even if you start out in a minor role, if you give a good performance and attract attention, you may be chosen to play the main role instead of a suit actor who substitutes for you. On the other hand, there are also costumed actors who belong to small local acting companies and work hard at local hero shows.

What differentiates costumed actors from ordinary actors is that they hide their faces and bodies, and since they basically do not use their voices, they must convey their emotions only through their body movement acting. When playing a kaiju or mascot character, exaggerated actions are sometimes easier for children to understand. However, in the case of a suit actor for a transforming hero, he or she is a substitute for the actor who is transforming, so it is forbidden to act very differently from the actor before the transformation. The actor must make it look like the same actor is performing by incorporating the pre-transformation actor's movement habits and notable poses into his or her performance. This requires a high level of acting ability. In addition, the masks and suits worn by costumed and transformed heroes can impair vision and limit the range of motion of the hands and feet, making it difficult to move freely. Some stuffed animals weigh dozens of kilograms and have poor ventilation, making it more difficult than performing with a bare face. In addition, the actors are sometimes required to have the guts to perform dangerous actions while wearing such costumes. For this reason, the satisfaction they feel when they watch a TV show or movie that they have worked so hard to produce is irresistible.

In the past, female hero roles were also played by male costumed actors. Although the number of female costumed actors is increasing today, men sometimes take charge of dangerous actions. It is also not unusual to see veteran costumed actors in their 40s playing the roles of heroes in their 20s or so. Since the work is invisible, as long as one has excellent acting skills, one can continue to work regardless of gender or age. Conversely, it is a tough world where those who can constantly improve their acting skills can survive. This will not change in the future. On the other hand, the acting skills of costumed actors are also being utilized in the production of video games. The movements of people in realistic 3DCG images appearing in games are often created using a digital technology called "motion capture," which reads human movements. The read data of human movements is used to move the 3DCG characters. Motion actors" are actors who perform in suits specially designed to read human movements. Experienced costumed actors participate in this work. Although their faces as well as their figures do not appear in the film, they are involved in the production of the work in the form of acting as 3DCG characters. This may become a new career for costumed actors.

It varies greatly depending on their previous experience and the role they have been assigned. The average annual salary is 5.14-6.3 million yen.

It depends on the nature of the work, such as hero shows, television, movies, etc. If you are a successful artist, your days off will be irregular because your work schedule takes priority over your holidays.

Location for TV dramas and movies, theaters, amusement parks with hero shows, etc., festival and event venues, etc.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to getting a job as a costumed actor!