He is famous for acting the part of
Shuya Nanahara in
Kinji Fukasaku's controversial 2000 film
Battle Royale. He continues the character as a leader of the "Wild Seven" in the sequel,
Battle Royale II: Requiem. He stars as
Light Yagami, the leading role in
Death Note and
Death Note: The Last Name, films based on the
manga of the same name. He also has a cameo appearance in
L: Change the World, an
L spin-off movie for the
Death Note series. Fujiwara stated during filming that it was difficult to portray a character with such restrained emotions. During the filming of
Death Note: The Last Name, Tatsuya became close friends with
Kenichi Matsuyama, who plays L. Matsuyama mentioned that Tatsuya had done a good job. In theatrical works, he is known for collaborating with
Yukio Ninagawa, one of the most influential directors in Japan. He started his career in theatre, before his screen debut, with the title role of
Shintoku-maru, the boy who has an obsessive relationship with his step mother. He has also acted in
Shakespeare plays, including
Hamlet and
Romeo and Juliet. Fujiwara played one of the lead roles in
Hideo Nakata's psychological thriller film
The Incite Mill. Fujiwara has also done voice dubbing for
IRIS along with
Meisa Kuroki,
Yuu Shirota and his Death Note co-star
Hikari Mitsushima when Fujiwara plays Kim Hyun-jun played by
Lee Byung-hun He portrayed the role of
Shishio Makoto in the sequels of
Rurouni Kenshin in 2014. From January to February 2015, he will appear in
Hamlet directed by Yukio Ninagawa at
Sai-no-Kuni Saitama Arts Theater in
Saitama and at
Umeda Arts Theater in
Osaka for the first time in 12 years. After that, he is scheduled to play the role in
Taiwan in March and at
Barbican Theatre in May 2015. Hidayah Idris wrote in 2016 in the Singapore edition of the magazine
Cleo that Fujiwara is "probably one of the most recognisable Japanese stars" in Singapore. He appeared on the talk show Tetsuko’s Room (
TBS/
TV Asahi) on 11 April 2025 where he discussed aspects of his life including his childhood dream of being a professional soccer player and his wife’s role in the household. ==Filmography==