Ryuji Higa
りゅうちぇる
Ryuchell in 2019
Born	Ryuji Higa September 29, 1995 Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Died	July 12, 2023 (aged 27) Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Other names	Ryuchell
Education	Okinawa Prefectural Ginowan Junior High School Kitanakagusuku High School
Occupation	Model
Agent	Starray Production
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Spouse	Peco ​ ​ (m. 2016; div. 2022)​
Children	1
Relatives	Chiharu Higa (sister)

Ryuji Higa,^[2] (比嘉 龍二, Higa Ryūji, September 29, 1995 – July 12, 2023) known professionally as Ryuchell,^[3] (りゅうちぇる, Ryūcheru) was a Japanese television and social media personality, model, singer, and activist.

Public image[edit]

Ryuchell originally spelled their stage name in hiragana (りゅうちぇる), but began using the Romanized version in 2018 after debuting as a singer.^[4] Ryuchell was one of the key influential figures for the genderless fashion subculture in Japan, due to their penchant for androgynous and colorful clothing.^[5]

Ryuchell eventually became a prominent LGBT figure in mainstream Japanese media, making regular appearances on variety shows and at LGBT-themed events in Japan.^[6] As their popularity grew, they were also subjected to numerous negative harassment campaigns on Japanese social media, which primarily criticized Ryuchell's personal life and gender nonconformity.^[7]

Personal life[edit]

Ryuchell was born in Ginowan, Okinawa, on September 29, 1995.^[1][8] Ryuchell's older sister was singer Chiharu Higa.^[9] Ryuchell also attended the same high school as JO1 member Sho Yonashiro.^[10]

On December 31, 2016, Ryuchell married model and fellow Japanese social media personality Peco.^[11][12] In July 2018, they announced the birth of their son,^[11] named Link after Link Larkin from Hairspray.^[13]

On August 25, 2022, Ryuchell announced through Instagram that they no longer identified as a husband – an identity that they felt had been a burden throughout their marriage to Peco. Ryuchell stated that they would rather be considered as a "life partner" and "parent" to Peco and their son instead.^[11] Ryuchell and Peco's agencies confirmed that the two divorced, but initially denied the couple was living separately.^[14]

Ryuchell and Peco discussed their marriage and Ryuchell's sexual orientation in a September 2022 interview with Japanese women's magazine Very.^[15] "Being able to fall in love with a woman allowed me to imagine a life completely different from the one I thought I would have and taught me joys I never knew existed," Ryuchell explained to the magazine. "Somewhere along the way, I began to struggle with the concept of being the 'ideal man' and the 'ideal husband' and who I really was. When I got married, I decided to take the truth about my sexuality to the grave."

In the months following the divorce, Ryuchell became a vocal supporter of the LGBT community and made numerous appearances on Japanese talk shows advocating for LGBT rights in Japan. They were also an organizer for Tokyo Rainbow Pride since 2018.^[16] In the final months of their life, Ryuchell had begun to present as female^[17] – but, although they had been seen holding the transgender flag and making statements in support of transgender individuals, Ryuchell never publicly stated that they identified as transgender.

Death[edit]

On July 12, 2023, Ryuchell was found unconscious by their manager in the offices of a talent agency located in the Sasazuka neighborhood of Shibuya.^[8][18] They were pronounced dead shortly afterward. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the cause of death was believed to be suicide. Ryuchell was 27.^[19][8]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

TV series[edit]

Stage[edit]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]