The ten most gorgeous East Asian men in the world

Wed 12 May 2010 by abagond

Here are the ten most gorgeous East Asian men in the world who are famous enough to have an article in the Wikipedia and who are at least half East Asian by blood. See below for how I made the list.

1. Daniel Henney (1979- ) is an American-born actor who made his name on South Korean television – even though he barely knew any Korean! He is half Korean, half White American by blood.

2. Takeshi Kaneshiro (1973- ) is a Chinese actor who is one-eighth Okinawan, which is why he has a Japanese name. He has appeared in both Hong Kong films and on Japanese television.

4. Will Demps (1979- ) is an American football player. His father is black, his mother is Korean.

5. John Cho (1972- ) is an Korean American actor. He was born in Seoul, South Korea but grew up in Los Angeles. He has appeared in the “American Pie” films, the latest “Star Trek” (2009) film as Sulu and on television in “FlashFoward” where he was Gabrielle Union’s boyfriend.

6. Rain (1982- ) is a South Korean singer and actor.

7. Ken Watanabe (1959- ) is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in some Hollywood films, like “The Last Samurai” (2003).

8. Johnny Tri Nguyen (1974- ) is a Vietnamese American actor. He was born in Vietnam, half Vietnamese and half Chinese by blood. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was eight.

9. Bruce Lee (1940-1973) is a world-famous Chinese American actor and martial artist. He was born in San Francisco but grew up in Hong Kong, coming back to America at age 18. He is one-fourth German and three-fourths Chinese by blood.

10. Tony Leung Ka-fai (1958- ) is a Chinese actor from Hong Kong.

Honourable mentions: Will Yun Lee, Oh Ji-ho, Piolo Pascual, Nicholas Saputra, Leehom Wang, Sam Milby, Lee Jun Ki, James Kyson Lee, Bae Yong Joon

How I made the list: I had three and a half days of open nominations on my blog followed by six days of an online poll. Commenters were allowed any number of nominations and seconds, but voters could only vote for one man. There were 87 men nominated but only 30 were seconded. All 30 made it into the poll.

There were 287 votes. All who got at least 11 votes made it into the top ten. All those who got between 4 to 10 votes made it into honourable mentions. The top ten got 75% of all votes.

The poll was done in English. You see the effects of that in who won: most of the top ten is familiar to Americans while three of the top four are only half East Asian.

Will Demps placed in the top ten both in this poll and the one on The Most Gorgeous Men in the World. Russel Wong was also in that poll but did way better this time. Oh Ji-ho, on the other hand, did way worse! He won that poll but only pulled an honourable mention here.

See also:

The most beautiful East Asian women – not from any poll, just my opinion
Gorgeous East Asian men:
Gorgeous men:

Posted in stuff | 61 Comments

61 Responses

on Fri 14 May 2010 at 17:34:34 Natasha W

These men are gorgeous (except for a couple)!

I think what you said about popularity is very true. For instance, I don’t think Bruce Lee would have made the list if he weren’t so popular in the US, and Ken Watanabe garnered his place due to “The Last Samurai” for sure. Not that they are terrible looking, but there are hotter men.

Will Demps is just okay, IMO. Why he is on both lists is a mystery to me, but I guess the “muscular pretty boy football player” look is appealing to some.
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 18:42:09 islandgirl

When I opened this, my first reaction was – Wow! These men are absolutely gorgeous! I’m thankful that these ladies on here are open to all types of men and their beauty. And were willing to share their favorites.

It’s very disappointing that Piolo did not make the list, but at least Takeshi did.

Great post! Now it’s time for Southeast Asian.;)
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 19:45:20 Joe Clyde

meh!
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 21:07:59 Jasmin

I know Island girl, I was pulling for Piolo, but I’ll take Daniel Henney over Takeshi! *winks at Natasha*

I’m not into Will Demps either, but I cosign everyone on the list besides him, Bruce Lee, and Ken Watanabe (probably because they are “old”).
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 21:29:24 Aiyo

Well I like Will Demps I think he is cute. Rain I thought he would make it higher on the list oh well he is high on my list lol.
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:09:48 Leaveumthinking

This is a good list. I agree Bruce Lee looks okay and made it probaly because he is popular.
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:16:16 J

If we are being truthful aren’t most people who are considered ‘beautiful/attracive’ viewed that way because they are in the public eye and/or the media holds them up as such??
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:30:30 Y

I didnt know Russell Wong was 1/2 white… Thats funny because when I say his picture in polling my first thought was he looked like a white guy I know… Interesting.
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:30:43 Hathor

Jasmine,

I was glad there were some older guys, since I’m old. I was going to nominate Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, but I thought he might be too old and obscure.
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:39:34 Dee

Russel Wong is gorgeous! He’s number one on my list
on Fri 14 May 2010 at 22:55:51 leigh204

Dang! My man Oh Ji Ho didn’t place in the top ten! *sigh* Oh, well. He won where it counts. J/k! I think Daniel Henney is quite goodlooking, but in a way, I’m not surprised he won. Takeshi Kaneshiro is a hottie, too. Still, I’m a bit…I don’t know the right word…astonished, I guess, that a half Asian guy is the winner of this poll.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 00:15:59 hellokittyfan1993

Rain is so hot. I love his body.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 00:32:53 Ankhesen Mié

Hathor,

I’m all about some Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa!!!! *shivers* Remember how he looked in Mortal Kombat?
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 02:43:29 Mel

Fine with the list, though I am sure people will be peeved that 3 of the top 5 are mixed.

I am still peeved about the absence of Daniel Dae Kim in the voting list, but whatever.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 03:23:16 Ako

Korean and Japanese men are hawt! Co-sign Hathor!
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 05:31:17 Peanut

the last guy is the cutest.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 05:32:16 Peanut

i recant that, johnny nguyen is the hottest
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 05:33:26 Ames

Three words: Russell Wong. Wow.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 05:34:59 Ames

(He’s just one of those people you can’t tear your eyes off of. I could stare at him indefinatly. Guess I couldn’t get it all in three words!)
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 05:39:09 Jeri

@Peanut

I agree with you. Johnny Tri Nguyen is very, very attractive. I had hard time choosing between Johnny Tri Nguyen and Daniel Henney. Both of them are gorgeous. I wish Johnny had received more votes. But I am glad he is in the Top 10.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 07:38:12 Eurasian Sensation

@ Natasha W:

“Will Demps is just okay, IMO. Why he is on both lists is a mystery to me, but I guess the “muscular pretty boy football player” look is appealing to some.”

From my perspective, he has just the right mix of pretty boy looks, and rugged/muscular good looks. And the black/Asian thing makes him look a bit unusual and intriguing.

Mind you, I know nothing about NFL so I’ve only seen him in pictures on this blog. But having seen “House of Flying Daggers”, I can certainly attest that your boy Takeshi has the intangible x-factor to go with that face.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 09:24:26 Mira

Daniel Henney is ok, but not the most gorgeous, imo. I guess I’d prefer Takeshi on the top of the list (even though I didn’t vote for him ), but ok.

Will Demps is good looking. I didn’t really like his photo in the “most gorgeous men”, but I like this one.

I agree about Ken Watanabe and Bruce Lee.

As for Oh Ji Ho, he is good looking no doubt, but I guess he won the most gorgeous men list with the help of his fans (I mean, his fanbase was voting for him more than the general population).
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 11:23:21 leigh204

@Mira:

As for Oh Ji Ho, he is good looking no doubt, but I guess he won the most gorgeous men list with the help of his fans (I mean, his fanbase was voting for him more than the general population).

I was surprised to find he won The ten most gorgeous men in the world post. I was hoping he’d make it to the top ten, but he went straight to the top. I think when his fans got wind of this poll, they voted for him straightaway.

I’m very glad that Johnny Nguyen made it in the top ten. He as well as Oh Ji Ho are virtually unknown outside of Asia. It’s comforting, well, for me that they’re getting recognized. I’ve always known Asian men were handsome. Screw what Hollywood tells you.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 11:36:22 Mira

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Oh Ji Ho didn’t deserve to win that list… It was refreshing to see this kind of a list where white men didn’t dominate. Indeed, a white man with the best result got third place only, and you can argue that he (Johnny Depp) is in fact, mixed, and so is 4th place Keanu. So the white man with the best result was who? James Franco? Paul Newman?

I’m very glad that Johnny Nguyen made it in the top ten. He as well as Oh Ji Ho are virtually unknown outside of Asia.

Well, the fact I don’t know any of these men and their work (except for Bruce Lee) actually helped me decide, because I wasn’t influenced by their work. For example, I am not a football fan so I think that would influence my opinion on Will Demps. Similarly, I don’t think Keanu can act so it prevents me to see him as hot. Seeing men in this poll simply as attractive men made my opinion (gorgeousness-wise) more objective, I think. I guess it didn’t work the same for other people (that’s how more famous men got in top 10).
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 11:43:51 leigh204

The men in the top ten are kind of “well known” so to speak. The ones who’ve made an appearance in Hollywood which is pretty much all of them with the exception of Johnny Tri Nguyen and Oh Ji Ho.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 11:46:57 Mira

Well, I guess people vote for familiar celebrities.
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 11:59:15 leigh204

@Mira:

True. That’s why I was pleased as punch that abagond made a post like this. It’s truly wonderful to see the “beauty” of Asian being showcased like this. And not this.

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/psy457_lamyiu/files/asian_nerd.jpg
on Sat 15 May 2010 at 12:15:34 B.R.

Oh, so you all dont like “old”…well , I guess that squashes my intended write in vote for Gengis Khan…..I mean , he conquered half the world and 1/4 of the Mongolian territory has his dna in their genes…that guy got around….
on Mon 17 May 2010 at 13:55:02 Joe Clyde

I like how some ladies zero in on Will Demps. Could it be because he is half-Black?
on Mon 17 May 2010 at 14:08:40 Mira

True. That’s why I was pleased as punch that abagond made a post like this. It’s truly wonderful to see the “beauty” of Asian being showcased like this. And not this.

True, true. Well, nothing wrong with nerds per se, but it’s really frustrating to know that’s the main stereotype about whole group of humans. Not to mention the “not enough masculine” stereotype. So while I’m not into muscular guys, I’m glad you and the other girls posted all those shirtless photos, so people can see Asian men the way Hollywood doesn’t want them to be seen.

I like how some ladies zero in on Will Demps. Could it be because he is half-Black?

What does “zero in” mean?

Will is very attractive. I just didn’t like that other photo. Couldn’t see his face. lol
on Mon 17 May 2010 at 14:31:58 Natasha W

J,

“If we are being truthful aren’t most people who are considered ‘beautiful/attracive’ viewed that way because they are in the public eye and/or the media holds them up as such??”

In general, that may be true. Some celebrities are hyped and that affects perception of them. But in polls like these, with real people voting, the overall best looking are usually on top. If that weren’t the case, the original “Most Gorgeous Men” list would have featured Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, etc.

Eurasian Sensation,

“And the black/Asian thing makes him look a bit unusual and intriguing.”

I agree: it’s also partly the “exotic” draw.

Mira,

“Daniel Henney is ok, but not the most gorgeous, imo. I guess I’d prefer Takeshi on the top of the list (even though I didn’t vote for him)…”

…Wha? Who did you vote for???

And of course Takeshi should be on the top of the list. In a head to head, with maybe 10 rounds of different photos, he would win. I blame myself for choosing that picture of Daniel Henney which caused him to shoot to the top.

Joe Clyde,

“I like how some ladies zero in on Will Demps. Could it be because he is half-Black?”

What do you mean “zero in?”

I don’t personally find him that good looking, half black or not. He isn’t unattractive, but hardly the most gorgeous.
on Mon 17 May 2010 at 14:54:00 Mira

I voted for Leehom Wang. I liked several of his pictures. Not sure why. The guy isn’t “hot hot hot” per se, but I really liked his eyes.

I really thought Takeshi would end up on the top.
on Mon 17 May 2010 at 15:00:28 J

With regard to:

“But in polls like these, with real people voting, the overall best looking are usually on top”.

Just to add that we have also seen here that people have voted according to ‘pre-conceived ideas’ ie I wanted to vote for a full-blooded Asian.

This is one of the problems in research, ie do votes actually represent or tap into the the ‘facts’, or something else??

Nevertheless your point is taken and understood.
on Tue 18 May 2010 at 22:59:46 leigh204

@Mira:

True. That’s why I was pleased as punch that abagond made a post like this. It’s truly wonderful to see the “beauty” of Asian being showcased like this. And not this.

True, true. Well, nothing wrong with nerds per se, but it’s really frustrating to know that’s the main stereotype about whole group of humans. Not to mention the “not enough masculine” stereotype. So while I’m not into muscular guys, I’m glad you and the other girls posted all those shirtless photos, so people can see Asian men the way Hollywood doesn’t want them to be seen.

Hollywood is full of bull crap. It’s up to us to show what Hollywood does not.

I like how some ladies zero in on Will Demps. Could it be because he is half-Black?

What does “zero in” mean?

Will is very attractive. I just didn’t like that other photo. Couldn’t see his face. lol

“Zero in” means directed onto a point or target. In this case, Joe Clyde was referring to Will Demps being half-Black. That’s what stood out.
on Tue 18 May 2010 at 23:03:28 Mira

Thanks for the explanation. I thought Joe meant we didn’t like Will or something.
on Thu 20 May 2010 at 15:04:29 Natasha W

I know what “zero in” means in general, but what did it mean in this context? At any rate, no one was zeroing on Will Demps (except Joe Clyde); there were just as much, if not more comments regarding Russell Wong, Bruce Lee, etc. Was that because they are [mostly] Asian?
on Sat 22 May 2010 at 09:17:52 NyNy

Yeah, Daniel Henney and Rain are fine.
But what about Se7en or new found Matsushita Yuya?

I’m actually surprised Jaejoong is not on the list really.
on Mon 7 Jun 2010 at 03:58:21 Shan

Man, I just got through fanning myself. These men are hot!! I voted for Daniel H. He is a stunner. He does not look half white at all. Those Asian genes are strong!
on Fri 6 Aug 2010 at 00:01:51 Oceane

These men are just GORGEOUS (well some of them..) of all of them Takeshi and Johny Tri Nguyen are my favorites…gosh make me wanna move in Asia,lol
on Sat 5 Feb 2011 at 21:12:21 asad

i like burs lee
on Wed 2 Mar 2011 at 01:56:07 SlatkaMala

What about Aaron Kwok? He’s super sexy, too! Or Ishii Tatsuya?
on Mon 11 Apr 2011 at 13:46:51 afindaya

hi..
if you search for T.O.P of Big bang..he has the the sexiest eyes for pure korean.
on Fri 16 Sep 2011 at 15:08:25 Cathy

Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong. Just because they are younger doesn’t mean that they aren’t gorgeous. Oh Ji Ho yum yum, Takeshi Kaneshiro OMG I wouldn’t kick Jet Li out of bed for eating rice cakes either.
on Mon 3 Oct 2011 at 15:08:23 amanda

I agree with afindaya. T.O.P. is seriously one of the hottest men on earth. O_O
on Thu 3 Nov 2011 at 16:09:37 poetess

Asian men are the hotness, I have always thought so. I can’t believe Chow Yun Fat was not on this list. He’s older, but he is one of the handsomest Asian guys I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I want to give my friend the link to this post. She is Vietnamese and she doesn’t think Asian men are cute.
on Sat 10 Dec 2011 at 23:55:17 Heloisa

The list is very good, but I missed Jet Li and Chow Yun Fat.
on Tue 13 Dec 2011 at 07:40:09 Ameera

I’ve always felt that Asian men resemble black people. They have our nose, our lips. I think Rain is drop dead gorgeous. I remember going to see him in a movie strickly for the eye candy. When I found out he also sang and danced, I had stars in my eyes!
on Fri 6 Jan 2012 at 14:40:06 LiisK

I’m also sad Chow Yun Fat did not make it. He is hot…
I cannot even believe there could be someone on this planet who thinks Asian men are not attractive – the hair, eyes, cheekbones – who could resist?
on Fri 6 Jan 2012 at 15:24:46 Happiness

I nver pay attention these top ten lists simply because everyone has their own list or perception of who or what they find beautiful, handsome and so on. I’m surprised Jt Li isn’t on the lust though…..But like I said, everyone has their own beauty ideal, so evryone is going to have a different top 10 list, if any at all.
on Fri 6 Jan 2012 at 17:42:10 sepultura13

@ Happiness:

I was going to say the same thing; I can’t believe that Jet Li was overlooked – I find his looks and physique very captivating. But Rain…all I can say is, WOW!
All of the men on this list are appealing to me, for various reasons – but I can’t deny that they look great, too!
on Tue 10 Jan 2012 at 15:30:57 indigoblu

I’ve seen random Asian guys who look better than some of these well known guys. None of these guys do anything for me, except Russell Wong. He put does put me on edge a little.
:-
on Tue 17 Jan 2012 at 06:25:22 Jason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DVZo7rzbRo

This guy is gorgeous….i found him on youtube
on Sun 12 Feb 2012 at 08:41:49 sushiandperogies

I LOVE this list! =) and I’m so glad this list isn’t made up of a majority of white looking Eurasian men.

No person in their right mind could look at this list and say any of these men are asexual geeky nerdboys. So much for that inaccurate stereotype
on Sun 12 Feb 2012 at 10:11:17 Bulanik

I wish I had known about blog Abagond when this poll was being held…
on Sat 10 Mar 2012 at 09:35:34 Bulanik

PEDRO KEN.
Japanese Brazilian footballer.

http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/730814084/pedro-ken-e-apresentado-pelo-cruzeiro-1262810289418_200x285.jpg
on Sat 7 Apr 2012 at 02:08:57 deedee7789

I need Bi (Rain) to come out of the military quicker.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAhBUB5CvAY&feature=player_embedded)
on Sat 14 Apr 2012 at 15:26:25 iij

2. Takeshi Kaneshiro is Taiwanese.
on Sat 14 Apr 2012 at 16:23:09 Jefe

Actually, Takeshi Kaneshiro is Japanese.

He was born and raised in Taipei, and his mother is Taiwanese, but he holds Japanese citizenship. It was because of this he was denied a “Golden Horse” award for the most outstanding Taiwanese achievement in film.

http://n.yam.com/cna/entertain/200810/20081031999824.html
(in Chinese)
on Wed 25 Apr 2012 at 06:24:30 Zhear

Bruce lee ………. Bigbiga
on Thu 10 May 2012 at 04:36:40 cleonette

I’ll take number 1, 3, and 5 for my birthday….. Will Demps for the rest of the year…..~innocent smile~
on Thu 10 May 2012 at 04:46:27 cleonette

Rain for LIFE!!!