Sousuke Takaoka

His break-out performance was in the controversial movie Battle Royale, in which he played the pacifistic Hiroki Sugimura (Boy #11). Takaoka then moved from muted heroics to active anti-heroism in portrayals of the grittier side of teenage violence, such as in Concrete. The film was based on the events of Junko Furuta's sadistic murder by four youths in 1988.

In 2006, for his role as the introspective Honda in Spring Snow, Takaoka gained a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Blue Ribbon Awards, a Japanese film event judged by critics.

Takaoka quit acting in 2020 and is now working as a martial artist. He also took part time jobs such as a trash collector and at an izakaya prior to his martial arts career.