Ryotaro Araki

Ryotaro Araki joined Kashima Antlers straight out of Higashi Fukuoka High School in 2020 and did not take long to make his mark, winning the J.League Rookie of the Year award in 2021. Over his time at the club he made 123 league appearances and scored 14 goals across all spells.

In December 2023 he was loaned to FC Tokyo for the 2024 season, scoring seven times in 29 league matches. He returned to Kashima Antlers in January 2025 and was part of the squad that won the J1 League title that year, though his own season was quieter, with 19 league appearances and no goals. In 2026 he added 16 more appearances and one goal before his departure from the club.

Araki's biggest impact at international level has come with Japan's youth sides. He was part of the squad that won the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship, scoring twice in the tournament, including a brace against Thailand. Six years later he won the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup with Japan's U-23 side, scoring in the semi-final against Iraq and setting up a goal in the final against Uzbekistan. That side also went on to represent Japan at the Olympic Games in 2024.

Despite that record with the youth national teams, Araki had yet to earn a first senior cap for Japan as of late 2024.