'Ajosshi' Yoshihiro Akiyama Surpasses 'Daechi Mom' Lee Su-ji to Become No.1... Reaches 1.98 Million Subscribers

[Financial News] In YouTube's '2025 Year-End List,' former mixed martial artist and broadcaster Yoshihiro Akiyama topped the 'Most Popular Creator' category.

On the 3rd, YouTube released its year-end lists for this year, including: trending topics, most popular creators, most popular songs, and most popular Shorts tracks.
Yoshihiro Akiyama ranked first among the most popular creators, a category based on subscriber growth throughout the year. His channel now boasts 1.98 million subscribers.
YouTube explained, "Creators who attract viewers with their charm and distinct content strategies made the top creator rankings," adding, "Among them, Yoshihiro Akiyama stood out by sharing honest, down-to-earth, and comedic daily life content."
Last November, Akiyama drew significant attention with his first video, 'Yoshihiro Akiyama Living as a Boarder at Yano Shiho's House.' What sparked even more buzz than revealing their 5 billion won home in Tokyo was his candid display of an unkempt bedroom while his wife, Yano Shiho, was away.
Viewers responded enthusiastically, leaving comments such as, "Now this is a real home," "A true man who doesn't tidy up even though he knows he's filming," "I've never seen anyone reveal their home like this," and "Akiyama's lack of pretense makes his videos entertaining."
Later, Akiyama shared a follow-up story about having an argument with Yano Shiho, which again became a hot topic. The video has now reached 10.99 million views and garnered around 7,700 comments.
Comedian Lee Su-ji's channel 'Hot Issue Ji' ranked second with character-driven content reflecting the times, while Michelin-starred chef Sung Anh placed sixth. The AI hamster character 'Hamzzi Kim with Emotional Instability' took seventh place with content satirizing the realities of office workers.
This year's trending topics included three K-content titles: the Netflix animation 'KPop Demon Hunters,' the drama 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' and 'Squid Game.'
On the most popular songs list, three tracks from KPop Demon Hunters—'Golden,' 'Soda Pop,' and 'Your Idol'—ranked first, third, and tenth, respectively. In addition, Woodz's 'Drowning' (2nd), ZOZAZZ's 'Don't You Know' (4th), and Maktub's 'Starting With You' (6th) were also among YouTube's top hits.

moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter