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

Public image

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

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

Personal life

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

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

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

Ryuchell and Peco discussed their marriage and Ryuchell's sexual orientation in a September 2022 interview with Japanese women's magazine Very. "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. He was also an organizer for Tokyo Rainbow Pride since 2018. In the final months of his life, Ryuchell had begun to present as female – but, although her had been seen holding the transgender flag and making statements in support of transgender individuals, Ryuchell never publicly stated that he identified as transgender.

Death

On July 12, 2023, Ryuchell was found unconscious by his manager in the offices of a talent agency located in the Sasazuka neighborhood of Shibuya. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the cause of death was believed to be suicide. Ryuchell was 27.