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Gloria Fung

Actress Yuyu Kitamura scored her first big break in the hit Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives. She plays a Japanese boarding school student – and audiences might have spotted that she is similar in some ways to her character Niko.

The artist and creative has tried her hand at everything from directing to self-publishing a book. Here, we look at who Kitamura is beyond the screen.
Yuyu Kitamura is a third-culture kid

Born to Japanese parents, Kitamura, 25, spent her formative years in her native Hong Kong, where she went to international school.
There, she was exposed to a diverse set of classmates in one of Asia’s most international cities. She credits her Hong Kong upbringing with shaping her perspective and career path, as it was at secondary school that she had the opportunity to enrol in theatre classes. In an interview with Wonderland Magazine, Kitamura shared that her life would have been quite different if she hadn’t been exposed to such a culturally rich environment while growing up.
Experiencing Hong Kong’s Westernised culture as a Japanese native, she added, broadened her horizons, although she experienced difficulties around identity.
Her theatre dreams led her to New York

By the tender age of 10, Kitamura knew she wanted to live and study in New York. She described herself as obsessed with studying in the city and had New York University at the top of her list as the best option for drama. She ultimately landed a spot at her dream school and graduated with a degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
She made her first short film during Covid

After graduation, the actress decided to head home and return to her beloved Hong Kong. Hit by Covid travel restrictions, she took matters into her own hands and created, wrote, directed and acted in a short film, Invited In (2021), which delves into topics of isolation and finding a sense of community online.
She shared that the “can-do” attitude the city so wholly embraces inspired her to run with her idea and put her production in motion.
She’s been open about her mental health struggles

Kitamura told the Post that she struggled with mental health-related issues growing up. And while Hong Kong offered a multicultural environment, she felt it was challenging to open up about her emotions. Between the ups and downs experienced by many in their teenage years, Kitamura also had to deal with body-image issues, depression and even self-harm, according to an interview with non-profit organisation the KELY Support Group. During her school years, Kitamura felt she had to maintain a happy, cheerful facade and keep her dark feelings hidden from friends and family.
It wasn’t until she moved to New York that she could see a therapist. She urges others to take charge of their mental health and find creative outlets to process their trauma and emotions. “Finding a way to express your feelings is really important. You can’t keep it all inside,” she told the KELY group. “Besides acting, my other passion is writing poetry. I started doing it as a teenager because I couldn’t verbalise my feelings; I didn’t have the courage to say it out loud, so I would write it down.”
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services.
In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.


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Fame and celebrity

Meet Yuyu Kitamura, who plays Niko in Dead Boy Detectives: from growing up as a third-culture kid in Hong Kong, to studying drama at NYU and making her first short film during Covid

Meet Yuyu Kitamura, who plays Niko in Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives and grew up as a third-culture kid in Hong Kong. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

Yuyu Kitamura (second from right) plays a Japanese student in the Netflix series Dead Boy Detectives. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

Yuyu Kitamura was born and went to school in Hong Kong. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

Yuyu Kitamura lived her dream by moving to New York to study theatre. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

Yuyu Kitamura wrote, directed and acted in the short film Invited In during the pandemic. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

Yuyu Kitamura struggled with mental health issues as a teenager. Photo: @yuyukitt/Instagram

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Miss America 2025 is Alabamian Abbie Stockard. Photo: @abbiestockard/Instagram 

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Walker Kessler embraces his girlfriend Abbie Stockard after her Miss Alabama pageant win. Photo: @abbiestockard/Instagram 

Utah Jazz centre Walker Kessler and Abbie Stockard are in love. Photo: @abbiestockard/Instagram 

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Chris Convy and Nikki Glaser at the 2024 ESPY Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, last July. Photo: Getty Images for W+P

Nikki Glaser met her boyfriend while working on an MTV show. Photo: @nikkiglaser/Instagram

Comedian Nikki Glaser hosted The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady last May. Photo: AP Photo

Nikki Glaser has an open relationship with her partner Chris Convy. Photo: @nikkiglaser/Instagram

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A childhood photo of Anna Ermakova with her mother, Angela. Photo: @annaermakova1/Instagram

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Anna Ermakova as a child with her father, Boris Becker. Photo: @borisbeckerofficial/Instagram

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Kitamura’s journey has been one of resilience, creativity and mental health awareness after she overcame body-image issues, depression and self-harm as a teenager


Meet Yuyu Kitamura, who plays Niko in Dead Boy Detectives: from growing up as a third-culture kid in Hong Kong, to studying drama at NYU and making her first short film during Covid

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Kitamura’s journey has been one of resilience, creativity and mental health awareness after she overcame body-image issues, depression and self-harm as a teenager

Yuyu Kitamura is a third-culture kid

Kitamura’s journey has been one of resilience, creativity and mental health awareness after she overcame body-image issues, depression and self-harm as a teenager