Ike Nwala

Ike Nwala is a Nigerian American comedian, actor and narrator based in Tokyo, Japan. He was born on June 5, 1986, in Manhattan, New York and was raised in Seattle, Washington. Nwala is a member of the comedy group Chō Shinjuku and is represented by Watanabe Entertainment. While in college working at a Japanese video shop in Chinatown–International District, Seattle, Nwala was shocked by Junji Takada's early morning bazooka corner on the comedy programme Tensai Takeshi no Genki ga Deru TV!!. When he saw the characters Muneo Kurii and Yabao Gesu played by Hironari Yamazaki in Richard Hall, he could not understand the dialogue, but felt it was "comical and funny!", and his interest in comedy increased. After receiving recommended from a fellow clerk, he continued to watch Japanese comedians and their shows, such as Junji Takada, Untouchable, Ogiyahagi, Ninety-nine, Downtown, Cream Stew, etc. After graduating from university with a dream of becoming a comedian in Japan, he moved to Hirano-ku, Osaka and self-taught Japanese and the Kansai dialect through watching more programs.Five years after he came to Japan, he participated in the Chō Shinjuku audition at the recommendation of actor Gota Watabe. Nwala joined Chō Shinjuku on September 29, 2011.