KouichiTV

KouichiTV
Takahashi in 2019
Born
Kōichi Takahashi

(1996-05-29) May 29, 1996
Hokkaido, Japan
Other namesKouichi
Alma materSapporo University
Occupations
  • YouTuber
  • filmmaker
  • writer
Years active2012–present
AgentUuum
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers893 thousand
Views566 million
Last updated: 30 November 2025
Signature

Kōichi Takahashi (髙橋 晃一, Takahashi Kōichi; born May 29, 1996), better known as KouichiTV (コウイチTV, Kōichi Tībī) or Kouichi (コウイチ), is a Japanese YouTuber, filmmaker, and writer from Hokkaido Prefecture. He creates sketch comedy videos on YouTube which feature surreal humor and eccentric characters. Takahashi also produces horror films and won the Hokkaido Media Award at the 2018 Sapporo International Short Film Festival for Saiaku na Ichinichi. His debut feature-length film, Captured!, is set to premiere in January 2026.

Life, career, and content

Kōichi Takahashi[1] was born in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan,[2] on May 29, 1996.[‡ 1] He created his YouTube channel, kouichitv, on July 3, 2012,[‡ 2] while in his first year of high school.[2] Takashi attended Sapporo University, where he studied cross-cultural communication.[1] Although he described his initial earnings from YouTube as comparable to an allowance, his channel saw a rise in viewership towards the end of his studies; around the same time, he was invited into Uuum, a multi-channel network for content creators. Since the visual arts company at which he interned did not allow for side jobs, Takahashi decided to exclusively pursue YouTube.[INT 1]

The videos on KouichiTV typically consists of short sketches with surreal comedy, and often feature eccentric characters in unusual situations.[3][4] In a video from 2022, Takahashi played a video game NPC who gets increasingly irritated and confrontational as the player skips his dialogue.[3] In another video from 2025, he portrayed a YouTuber who gives a room tour but with excessively bright lighting; although the viewer can not see because of the light, the YouTuber supposedly showcases luxury cars and meets with Elon Musk.[5] Other videos are set within what-if scenarios, such as a world where rock paper scissors becomes the method of legal regulation.[5] Takahashi has utilized elements of psychological horror and often includes pyscopathic characters within the sketches.[6][7]

Filmmaking

Takahashi produced student films while attending Sapporo University. He created the short film Rifujin na Otoko, which was amongst three recipients at the 2017 Sapporo Film Contest by the Sapporo Film Commission.[8] In 2018, he directed Saiku na Ichinichi, a comedic short film about a man who experiences his most unluckiest day after his fortune is read on television. The five-minute film won the Hokkaido Media Award at the Sapporo International Short Film Festival.[1][9]

On October 31, 2021, Takahashi directed the short horror film Kienai, produced in partnership with Saitama Prefecture. The film, which was uploaded to the KouichiTV channel, was ranked by Gizmodo Japan's Yatagai as one of the best horror videos on YouTube in 2023.[7][‡ 3] In October 2025, Takahashi directed and wrote the 30-episode vertical video horror comedy series Bunny Kitchen for DMM TV's DMM Shorts. It follows a group of people who are trapped within a nighttime abandoned shopping mall and are chased by a man in a bunny mascot suit.[10]

Takahashi's debut full-length horror film, Captured!, is set to premiere in Japanese theaters on January 16, 2026. The film will follow a third-year high school student, who is haunted by a masked "god" after a spirit was captured in the background of a viral vlog she posted to social media.[11] According to Gadget News , it is the first feature-length film directed by a Japanese YouTuber.[12]

Writing

In March 17, 2021, Takahashi released the book Saiaku na Ichinichi – the same title as his short film – via Kadokawa. It is a "fake essay" from the perspective of a man who is irritated by small annoyances in everyday life.[2] A series of short stories written by Takahashi, Spin-off na Machi, was serialized in Da Vinci magazine. After a year of print, a tankōbon volume titled Keikaku-sho was released on March 1, 2023. The stories take place within a once peaceful town where strange incidents suddenly appear in succession. Two police officers investigate an abandoned home and find a book titled Keikaku-sho, which seems to reflect the incidents in the town.[4][13]

Filmography

Year Title Network/distributor Notes Ref.
2017 Rifujin na Otoko (理不尽な男; lit. 'Unreasonable Man') — Short film [8]
2018 Saiaku na Ichinichi (最悪な1日; lit. 'The Worst Day') — Short film [9]
2021 Kienai (消えない; lit. 'Not Disappear') — Short film [7]
2025 Bunny Kitchen (バニーキッチン, Banī Kicchin) DMM Shorts 30-short episode series [10]
2026 Captured! (とれ!, Tore!) Kadokawa Feature-length film [11]

Bibliography

  • Kouichi (March 17, 2021). Saiaku na Ichinichi (最悪な一日; lit. 'The Worst Day'). Kadokawa. ISBN 9784046800190.
  • Kouichi (March 1, 2023). Keikaku-sho (計画書; lit. 'The Script'). Kadokawa. ISBN 9784046820839.

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2017 Sapporo Film Contest Sapporo Film Contest Award Rifujin na Otoko Won [8]
2018 Sapporo International Short Film Festival Hokkaido Media Award Saiaku na Ichinichi Won [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c 札幌国際短編映画祭で本学の髙橋晃一さんがメディアアワード特別賞を受賞しました (in Japanese). Sapporo University. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via National Diet Library Web Archiving Project.
  2. ^ a b c 最悪な一日 – 書籍. Book Database (in Japanese). n.d. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025. Select もっと見る for expanded profile
  3. ^ a b Ishiseki, Takakage (July 25, 2022). フルボイスキャラクターの会話をスキップしたら恐ろしいことが... コウイチTVの"ゲームあるある"動画の発想が天才的. NLab (in Japanese). ITmedia. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Asato, Minami (February 28, 2023). 登録者数65万人超! 動画クリエーター・コウイチの人気小説「スピンオフな町」が単行本化!. Da Vinci (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Kutsusawa, Shinji (March 4, 2025). "部屋が明るすぎる人"のルームツアーをしてみたら... "まさかの展開"に「さすが日本のホワイトハウス」「てか目がー!」. NLab (in Japanese). ITmedia. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  6. ^ Miyahara, Rei (August 22, 2023). サイコホラー仕立ての"なぁぜなぁぜ"にゾワッ　泥棒に入られて「入り口と呼べるドアが出口にはならないの なぁぜなぁぜ?」. NLab (in Japanese). ITmedia. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Yatagai (August 16, 2023). ホラー好き編集部員が選ぶ、YouTubeで見られるショートホラー4つ. Gizmodo Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c 「札幌学生映像コンテスト」最優秀賞作品が決定! (in Japanese). Sapporo Film Commission. December 18, 2017. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Programmes – Japan – Sapporo Short Fes 2018" (in Japanese). Sapporo International Short Film Festival. 2018. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  10. ^ a b 異色ホラーコメディドラマ 最恐場面から予想裏切る展開が中毒性抜群「想像の斜め上」「新感覚」【バニーキッチン】. Model Press (in Japanese). October 31, 2025. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  11. ^ a b kouichitvのコウイチが手がける青春ホラー映画「とれ！」公開、主演は中島瑠菜. Natalie (in Japanese). October 3, 2025. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  12. ^ Reinus (October 7, 2025). 心霊動画がバズったら、"神様"が憑いてきた。　動画クリエイター・コウイチが監督する青春ホラー映画『とれ!』1月公開. Gadget News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  13. ^ 計画書 – 書籍. Book Database (in Japanese). n.d. Archived from the original on December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025. Select もっと見る for expanded profile

Interviews

In the text, these references are preceded by "INT":

  1. ^ Takahashi, Kōichi (June 3, 2021). リクエストは一切受け付けない。「邪道YouTuber」が58万人のファンを獲得できた理由. BuzzFeed Japan (in Japanese). Interviewed by Maruyama, Aina. Archived from the original on April 23, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ^ Takahashi, Kōichi (May 14, 2017). 僕の誕生日の予告編を作りました (in Japanese). kouichitv. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "kouichitv — About". YouTube. n.d. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Takahashi, Kōichi (October 31, 2021). 【短編映画】消えない (in Japanese). kouichitv. Archived from the original on January 18, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
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