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Exit 8's Walking Man Actor Yamato Kochi's Life Changes Overnight After Film's Hit Run

Actor Yamato Kochi, who played the Walking Man from the hit live-action film Exit 8 (8-Ban Deguchi), revealed to Japanese women's magazine Josei Jishin on Sunday changes in his life following his appearance in the film. Kochi stated that he has been recognized as the Walking Man while in public. “If I don't wear a hat, fans swarm around me, and if I do, no one notices me (lol)."

Kochi further recounted his six-year-old son taking his hat off while at a shopping mall and yelling, "It's Exit 8's Yamato Kochi, Yamato Kochi!"

"It was embarrassing, but my son seems to recognize my work in his own way. I'm happy about that," said Kochi.

Exit 8 is based on the popular indie infinite-loop horror game The Exit 8 by KOTAKE CREATE. The movie premiered during the 78th Cannes International Film Festival in May and subsequently opened in Japanese theaters in on August 29. The film reached #2 in its opening weekend, selling 672,000 tickets and earning 960,867,600 yen (about US$6.46 million). The film now has the highest earning opening three days for a live-action film in Japan for 2025.

North American film distribution company NEON (Oscar-winning films Parasite, Anora U.S. distributor) will release the film in North America in early 2026.

In the game, a player is trapped at a subway train station, in an underground passageway that goes in an endless loop. To escape to "Exit 8," the player must keep walking while looking carefully for any anomaly that foreshadows danger.

Sources: Exit 8 film's X/Twitter account, Josei Jishin via Hachima Kikō