Nikkei Entertainment! Announces 'Talent Power Ranking 2026': HANA, Yujiro Yamanaka (M!LK), and Hyoga Honda Top the 'Rising' Category; Sandwich Man Wins Overall for Second Consecutive Year

Nikkei BP Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tetsuya Iguchi) has announced the 'Talent Power Ranking 2026' in the July issue (released June 4, 2026) of its popular culture magazine 'Nikkei Entertainment!'. This ranking measures the level of public interest in celebrities. In this survey, the comedy duo Sandwich Man topped the list of 1,280 talents for the second consecutive year. In the 'Rising' category, which compares scores from one year ago, young talents with increasing media exposure dominated the top spots: 1st place HANA, 2nd place Yujiro Yamanaka (M!LK), and 3rd place Hyoga Honda.

Details of the latest issue: https://project.nikkeibp.co.jp/ent/monthly/2026/07/

The 'Talent Power Ranking' is based on quarterly surveys conducted by the research firm Architect (Minato, Tokyo). It calculates a 'Talent Power Score' by combining two data points: 'awareness' (knowing the face and name) and 'interest' (wanting to see, hear, or know more). This serves as an indicator of which talents are currently capturing the most public attention.

Nikkei Entertainment! has been publishing the results of this survey annually in its magazine since 2008. The results of the 'Talent Power Ranking 2026' are featured in the July 2026 issue. The magazine includes a wealth of data from unique perspectives, such as the 'Overall Ranking TOP 100', 'Rising TOP 30', genre-specific rankings like 'Male Actors' and 'Female Actors', and gender and generation-specific rankings showing the top 20 supported by people in their teens to 60s.

Furthermore, the issue includes a pin-up style 'Score Distribution Map for All 1,280 Talents', allowing readers to see the awareness and interest scores for all surveyed talents at a glance. *The magazine features high-resolution images.

Talent Power Ranking 2026 Announced! Who are the trending talents with soaring scores?

The July issue, which contains the survey results, places a special focus on the 'Rising Ranking', highlighting talents whose scores have significantly increased compared to the previous year.

1st place HANA is a seven-member girl group formed through the audition program 'NO NO Girls'. Their debut song 'ROSE', released in April 2025, debuted at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, and they performed at the 'NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen' at the end of the year, achieving a major breakthrough in their first year. The rapper and singer-songwriter Chanmina, who organized the audition and produces the group, also ranked 6th in the Rising category.

2nd place is Yujiro Yamanaka (M!LK). Over the past year, he has expanded his acting career, appearing in six TV drama series (including two leading roles) and three films. Additionally, his boy group M!LK has released a string of hits like 'Iijan', 'Sukisugite Horobiru!', and 'Bakuretsu Aishiteru', and also performed at the 'NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen' on New Year's Eve. The July issue features him on the cover and in a lead interview, with a 12-page long interview looking back on his whirlwind year.

3rd to 5th places are also occupied by young actors in their 20s expected to lead the next generation. 3rd place Hyoga Honda quickly became a focus of attention for his role in the April 2025 drama 'Nami Uraraka ni, Meoto Biyori'. The drama, set in the early Showa period, depicts a couple who marry after zero days of dating and gradually grow closer, garnering support mainly from women due to his pure character. 4th place is Akari Takaishi, who played the heroine in the NHK morning drama 'Bakebake'. Yuumi Kawai, who was active in the morning drama 'Anpan' and other works, followed in 5th place. These two actresses, who became familiar faces on morning television, are characterized by strong support from middle-aged and older demographics in their 50s and 60s. The July issue also includes interviews with Hyoga Honda and Akari Takaishi.

Meanwhile, the top spot in the 'Overall Ranking', for the talent with the highest Talent Power Score among the 1,280 surveyed, was won by Sandwich Man for the second consecutive year. The duo, who host a combined 13 regular TV and radio programs, still possess formidable talent power. This marks their 9th consecutive year in the top 10. Shohei Ohtani maintained 2nd place, and Matsuko Deluxe held 3rd place, both unchanged from the previous year. Actress Yuki Amami entered the top 10 for the first time, ranking 10th.

The results for the Rising TOP 10 and Overall TOP 10 are as follows:

◆ Talent Power Ranking 2026 Rising TOP 10

1st HANA
2nd Yujiro Yamanaka (M!LK)
3rd Hyoga Honda
4th Akari Takaishi
5th Yuumi Kawai
6th Chanmina
7th Yoshinobu Yamamoto
8th Kasumi Mori
9th Kenjiro Tsuda
10th Mei Hata

◆ Talent Power Ranking 2026 Overall TOP 10

1st Sandwich Man
2nd Shohei Ohtani
3rd Matsuko Deluxe
4th Hiroshi Abe
5th Yo Oizumi
6th Mikio Date (Sandwich Man)
7th Takeshi Tomizawa (Sandwich Man)
8th Haruka Ayase
9th Keiko Kitagawa
10th Yuki Amami

About 'Nikkei Entertainment!'

'Nikkei Entertainment!' is a popular culture magazine that provides insights into entertainment hits across all genres, including TV, music, film, anime, books, manga, and games. Each issue explains what is currently popular, why it became a hit, and what is likely to be the next big thing, from a unique perspective.
Frequency: Monthly (released on the 4th of every month)
Format: A4 variant

Details of the latest issue: https://project.nikkeibp.co.jp/ent/monthly/2026/07/

Contact Information

For inquiries regarding the content of this release, please contact the 'Nikkei Entertainment!' editorial department (inquiry form: https://support.nikkeibp.co.jp/app/ask_0101/p/269). For interview requests, please use the inquiry page on the Nikkei BP corporate website (https://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/faq/).