HIKAKIN (ヒカキン), one of Japan’s most influential YouTubers, announced on August 9 that he and his wife have welcomed their second child, a baby boy. In a new upload on his channel Hikakin TV, the 19.8-million-subscriber creator told fans, “I am now a father of two.”
The video reportedly compiles around six months of footage leading up to the birth, giving viewers a look at the family’s journey to becoming a household of four. HIKAKIN said he and his wife plan to “support each other even more” as they raise their two children together, though he did not share further details such as the baby’s exact birth date or name.
The happy news arrives just two days after HIKAKIN made headlines for a different reason: donating 20 million yen (roughly $135,000) toward recovery efforts in areas affected by the Kumamoto earthquake, according to Sponichi Annex. “I hope the circle of support grows, even if it’s just by one yen,” he said of the donation at the time. Between the charitable gesture and the birth announcement, it has been an eventful week for one of Japan’s best-known online personalities.
Who is HIKAKIN?
HIKAKIN is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of Japan’s YouTube scene, having built his career in the late 2000s as a professional beatboxer before transitioning to full-time video creation. His breakout moment came with a viral beatboxing performance set to the Super Mario Bros. theme, which helped establish him as one of the platform’s earliest Japanese stars. He went on to co-found UUUM, one of Japan’s largest multi-channel networks and talent agencies for online creators.
Today, HIKAKIN’s main channel, Hikakin TV, has grown to 19.8 million subscribers, making it one of the most-watched individual channels in Japan. He also runs a network of spin-off channels covering gaming, vlogging, and daily-life content, and is known for product reviews, food videos, and collaborations with fellow creators and celebrities.
Beyond YouTube, HIKAKIN has become a familiar face on Japanese television, regularly appearing as a guest on variety and news programs, and is often credited with helping normalize YouTube as a mainstream career path in Japan. He has cultivated a clean-cut, upbeat public image largely free of controversy, which has made him a trusted face for brand partnerships and public campaigns, including the earthquake relief donation mentioned above. With the arrival of his second child, HIKAKIN now joins a growing number of Japanese celebrities balancing high-profile careers with family life in front of millions of subscribers.
Author’s Comment
I’ll admit it, watching Japan’s biggest YouTuber, a guy who built an empire filming himself unboxing gadgets and eating instant noodles, calmly announce he’s now raising two kids under one roof genuinely warms my cold little heart. HIKAKIN has spent over a decade being everyone’s cheerful internet big brother, and somewhere along the way he quietly became one of the most scandal-free, trusted names in Japanese entertainment, which in this industry is basically a superpower. Donating millions to earthquake relief one week and announcing a new baby the next? That’s not a PR strategy, that’s just who the man is. Congratulations to the family of four, and honestly, I hope he keeps some of this life offline from now on.
