HIKAKIN & SEIKIN
Hikaru Kaihatsu (Japanese: 開發 光, Hepburn: Kaihatsu Hikaru; born April 21, 1989), professionally known as Hikakin (Japanese: ヒカキン), is a Japanese YouTuber, beatboxer, and businessman who is the co-founder and supreme advisor of Uuum, a Japanese multi-channel network and serves as co-CEO and Chief creative officer of Bee, a Japanese company he established. He is also a member of the Japanese music group Hikakin & Seikin. His popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage has made him one of the most prominent online personalities and content creators in Japan, and he has been portrayed in the media as a pioneer of YouTubers in Japan.
Born and raised in Myōkō City, Niigata Prefecture, Hikakin opened his YouTube channel "Hikakin" in 2006, where he mainly posted beatboxing videos. In 2010, he posted "Super Mario Beatbox", a beatbox medley of background music from Super Mario Bros., which garnered over a million views within a week. In 2012, he quit the supermarket job he held to focus on his activities on his YouTube channel. In 2015, he began producing music with the song "YouTube Theme Song", which he co-wrote with his brother Seikin, and in November of the same year, his channel "HikakinTV" surpassed 2.57 million subscribers, making it the most-subscribed YouTube channel in Japan.
In 2021, the number of subscribers to his YouTube channel "HikakinTV" exceeded 10 million. In 2022, "HikakinTV" alone achieved a cumulative total of 10 billion views. In 2023, he launched his own brand Hikakin Premium (currently known as Bee) and released cup ramen, "Misokin Rich Miso Ramen" (みそきん 濃厚味噌ラーメン), and cup rice, "Misokin Rich Miso Meshi" (みそきん 濃厚味噌メシ), at 7-Eleven stores in Japan, and reported selling 60 million meals in July 2026. On April 21, 2026, he launched the barley tea "Onicha" (鬼茶) and two months later, sales surpassed 7.5 million bottles.
His seven channels boast more than 30 million subscribers and 25.7 billion views, and as of July 2026, his main channel "HikakinTV" is the 8th most subscribed YouTube channel in Japan. His online popularity has also boosted sales of the video games he plays and inspired support for charitable fundraising efforts. Additionally, he has been nominated in the International category at the 10th and 12th Streamy Awards and was named one of the "Top 50 Influencers" list by Forbes Japan in 2019.
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