Masaki Suda is a bit of a weirdo. I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Honestly, if you look at the landscape of Japanese entertainment, most leading men stay in their lane. They play the "handsome prince," the "moody detective," or the "quirky high schooler." Suda? He just does whatever he wants. One day he’s a cross-dressing geek in a movie about jellyfish, and the next, he’s a terrifyingly intense teacher holding a classroom hostage.
He’s a chameleon. People use that word a lot, but for Suda, it actually fits.
He doesn't just change his hair—though his hair changes roughly every three weeks. He changes his entire vibration. If you’re just starting to look into masaki suda movies and tv shows, you’re probably overwhelmed. The guy has been working non-stop since he was 16.
From Kamen Rider to Critically Acclaimed Heavyweight
Most people don't realize he started in Kamen Rider W. He was Philip. He was literally 16 years old, the youngest ever to play a lead Rider at the time. It was cute, it was colorful, and it could have easily been the peak of his career. A lot of "tokusatsu" actors never really break out of that shell.
But Suda had other plans.
He started taking roles that were, frankly, uncomfortable. Look at The Backwater (2013). It’s dark. It’s gritty. It deals with some pretty heavy generational trauma and violence. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Newcomer of the Year for it, and that was the moment the industry went, "Oh, wait. This kid can actually act."
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The Roles That Defined the 2010s
If you want to understand why everyone in Japan is obsessed with him, you have to watch Wilderness (2017). It’s a boxing film, but it’s not really about boxing. It’s about loneliness. Suda went through a massive physical transformation for this. He looked ragged. He looked desperate.
He swept the awards that year.
Then you have the "Nana Komatsu era." They’re married now, which is basically the Japanese equivalent of royalty, but their onscreen chemistry started way back. Drowning Love (2016) is basically a fever dream of teenage obsession. It’s beautiful and messy. Later, they did Threads: Our Tapestry of Love (2020), which is much more of a traditional tear-jerker, but they sell it so well because, well, they were actually falling in love.
Must-Watch Masaki Suda TV Shows That Aren't Just Fluff
Dramas are where Suda really gets to chew the scenery. If you only have time for one, make it Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom (3-nen A-gumi).
Basically, he plays a teacher who bombs a school and takes his students hostage to teach them a lesson about cyberbullying. It sounds insane. It is insane. But the way he delivers these long, screaming monologues about the weight of words? It’s haunting.
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- Don't Call It Mystery (2022): He has a giant afro. He eats curry. He solves crimes just by talking. It’s brilliant.
- Dele (2018): He works a job deleting digital data for people who have died. It’s episodic, moody, and has a great soundtrack.
- Life’s Punchline (2021): This one hits different. It's about a failing comedy trio. If you’ve ever felt like a failure in your late 20s, this show will make you cry.
The New Era: 2024 to 2026
Fast forward to right now. Suda hasn't slowed down, but he is getting pickier. In 2024, he starred in Cloud, directed by the legendary Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It’s this weird, tense thriller about a guy who resells stuff online and ends up in a spiral of digital and physical violence. It’s classic Suda—taking a mundane premise and making it feel like a nightmare.
And we can't forget his voice work. He was the Grey Heron in Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. You probably didn't even realize it was him. He disappeared into that raspy, annoying, bird-like voice so completely that even Japanese audiences were shocked when the credits rolled.
What's happening in 2025 and 2026?
The big buzz right now is Glass Heart on Netflix. It’s a musical drama where he plays Shinzaki Toya, starring alongside Takeru Satoh. Since it’s Netflix, it’s getting a global push, which means a whole new wave of people are about to discover him.
He’s also been working with Koki Mitani again. There’s a new drama that kicked off late 2025 called If This World Were a Stage, Where Would the Dressing Room Be?. He plays Kube Mitsunari, a character Suda himself described as "selfish and disliked."
He loves being unlikable. It’s his superpower.
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Why He Actually Matters
It’s easy to dismiss actors as just faces, but Suda is also a huge musician. He’s had massive hits like "Machigaisagashi" (produced by Kenshi Yonezu). He’s touring in 2026, including shows at the Tokyo Garden Theater.
The thing about masaki suda movies and tv shows is that they reflect a specific kind of modern Japanese anxiety. He doesn't play "perfect" people. He plays people who are struggling, people who are weird, and people who are trying to find a reason to keep going.
How to Start Your Suda Marathon
If you’re a total beginner, don't try to watch everything at once. The filmography is too big.
- Start with "Don't Call It Mystery": It’s accessible, funny, and shows his "soft" side.
- Move to "Wilderness": See the raw, award-winning talent. Warning: it’s long.
- Watch "Mr. Hiiragi's Homeroom": For the high-stakes drama.
- Finish with "Cloud": To see where he is as an artist right now in the mid-2020s.
Honestly, just pick something where his hair looks the weirdest. Usually, those are the best ones.
Keep an eye on Netflix for Glass Heart throughout 2025 and 2026. It’s likely going to be the role that cements his status for international fans who missed the last decade of his work. Dive into his discography on Spotify while you’re at it; "Niji" is a great place to start if you want to hear his range.