JAV Performer Tierlist
I've been thinking about making a top performers list in JAV for some time now and I figured why not make something a little more visually stimulating like a tier list. I have separated all the actresses that I currently watch into six different tiers. Obviously, S tier is reserved for the best of the best while F tier is for the absolute worst. I have lightly grouped them in order as well in the individual tiers but in some situations, it's like splitting hairs with how close they are in terms of their acting ability. I'll go over each tier and the actresses included starting with the prestigious S tier.
S Tier
Deciding on my S tier was relatively easy compared to other tiers here. These actresses are all incredibly talented performers and rarely ever disappoint. In terms of reliability, they're incredibly consistent all around. Now let's break this tier down individually and see who we got.
Alice Otsu - What can I say? Alice on screen is the truest form of a semen demon. She absolutely crushes any form of nympho or dominant role with the utmost ease without it feeling too fake. You'll never see her just phoning it in. And she can hold her own in submissive roles too but obviously, it's not her signature style. Plus, she's got a really fun and vibrant personality too. I could go on and on about Alice but let me just end it here by saying she's my personal pick for the best performer right now in JAV. If only we got to see her with Kurea Hasumi...
Yayoi Mizuki - She had such a meteoric rise to the top over the past year in regard to both her career and acting. She'd always been a decent performer but she really stepped her game up and is among the best in JAV right now. One of her best strengths has to be her facial expressions. She really draws you into every scene making it a much more engaging watch as a result. And she can get mighty sweaty with how active she is. Just watch DVAJ-587 if you have any doubts. You won't regret it.
Mina Kitano - If I had to think of one word that best fits Mina Kitano, I'd probably go with "spunky". It perfectly describes her high-spirited personality. Her devilishly lewd facial expressions and exuberant enthusiasm make for a wonderful combination. You give her a dominant role and she'll absolutely knock it out of the park with ease. Or if you need her to play something a bit more seductive like in HMN-136, she'll crush that as well. One day I hope to see her take on a succubus role because that could be the pinnacle of the genre.
Chitose Saegusa - I'm surprisingly not as crazy about Chitose physically as you may think especially given my liking towards busty/meaty actresses, but goddamn is she a fantastic performer. I've already praised her top-tier acting before here in the 2nd volume of my Paizuri Report post. She's always brimming with energy and rarely ever just phones it in. In addition, her facial expressions are wild and she's not afraid to get a little hands-on with her female co-stars which is always a major plus.
Ichika Matsumoto - While I may not have much Ichika right now and really only enjoy her for her impeccable booty, I can easily say she's among the best right in regards to acting and especially personality. She's so insanely expressive and outgoing which makes her films much more engaging to watch as a result. Ichika shines the brightest when she gets to just be herself or at least play a dominant role. There's a reason she's one of the most popular actresses around right now and her stellar performances are certainly a major component.
A Tier
My A-tier performers are mostly all just shy of punching into S-tier. There's just one minor aspect that's holding them back. Otherwise, all of them are brilliant and usually bring their A game majority of the time.
Akari Mitani - As someone who worked with Kurea Hasumi several times and "trained" under her, it certainly shows. Her raw enthusiasm is a chip off the old block. When she kicks it into nympho mode, she goes HARD. She can ride and grind with the best of them even holding her own against her teacher. Positions like cowgirl and doggstyle are where she really shines the best as she can take control and just go off. I just didn't put her higher as I haven't watched her in quite some time. But I can still safely put her at the top of the A tier without a doubt.
Ai Sayama - I was very close to putting Ai Sayama into the S tier as she just barely missed the cut. The best aspect when it comes to Ai's acting is consistency. She's easily one of the most consistent performers we have right now in JAV. From the early days of her career to even now she still delivers quality acting each and every time she's on-screen. Ai Sayama mainly gets cast into milf roles lately which is perfect for her as she always delivers. And her acting always feels really genuine too. From top to bottom, she's a brilliant performer.
Nao Jinguji - Speaking of consistency, Nao Jinguji is another one that usually always delivers a solid performance. You'll rarely ever see her just half-ass or phone in a performance. Even in more submissive-style films, she's quite good. I really love the strong sensual persona that she has. She's also great at maintaining eye contact. I've slacked off on watching her lately but when I do I'm rarely ever disappointed by her acting especially in a femdom-themed video. She always crushes it.
Rino Yuki - If Rino Yuki was just a tad more consistent she could've found herself pushing into S-tier. Her peaks in regards to her acting are some of the best you'll see currently in JAV. When she gets into the zone, she fucking goes off. Her raw enthusiasm is electric and a testament to that is how much she sweats during her scenes. It's not uncommon for her to be fully glistening by the end of a film. And I love her "foxy" aura that she's got going on that is often reflected in her performances. Just a very good performer all around.
B tier
My B-tier performers all fall into the slightly above-average range. Some are a bit better than others but overall pretty solid all around. Subpar performances from them are pretty rare in general. But at the same time, don't expect to be blown off your feet by them. They get the job done and are serviceable in mostly every regard.
Karen Yuzuriha - Here we have an actress that honestly kinda hit the ground running with her acting. It really didn't take her too long to become a solid performer. After just a few months, you could see signs of this in all of her films. She exuded this strong spunky persona early on although that has definitely diminished a bit since becoming a dual exclusive to Oppai and Premium. Despite that, she's still great. She has a real knack for selling the action extremely well.
Hana Himesaki - If I had to choose one word to best summarize Hana and her personality it would definitely be "bubbly". Her youthfulness shines brightly in most of her work. Her peppy and upbeat attitude makes for a satisfying watch which is easily noticeable in her cheerful facial expressions. And I find her enthusiasm to be above average most of the time. I especially have to commend her cowgirl technique as she is a pro at grinding and riding. She can be a tad too submissive at times though but beyond that she's a firm above average performer.
Yuria Yoshine - I don't know if this placement is controversial or not but I honestly think Yuria is a super solid performer, at least as of now. I will admit that she was certainly lackluster for quite some time but she's recently stepped her game up. The one aspect that jumps out to me the most is her facial expressions. She is super expressive which makes her scenes much more engaging as a result. She's also down for just about anything including anal, deepthroat, lesbian, and cum swallowing. She's an absolute champ and takes it all in relative stride.
Fumika Nakayama - Here we have an actress that I feel flies under the radar for many folks. I myself am a big fan as she's pretty cute and obviously has a great set of natural tits. And I ultimately think she's a better performer than some may give her credit for. Even in the early days of her career, you could see signs of a good performer. She really gets into her scenes with terrific enthusiasm all around. She's also quite adept at paizuri too. If you need a recommendation that showcases her acting, try MIDV-259. I reviewed it here and it's one of her best films.
Konan Koyoi - While this isn't exactly a high bar to cross, I firmly believe Konan is the best performer currently at S1. Now granted the pool of actresses that I watch from them isn't as expansive as in previous years but as you'll see here in my list she's easily above the rest. She can be a bit hit-or-miss at times but she's mostly solid boasting decent energy and facial expressions. And she's pretty good when it comes to seduction. I'm still just waiting for a real standout performance from her though. Something that really blows me away.
Nina Nishimura - I would say that Nina is an actress that just scrapes into above-average territory for me personally. Despite being an actress of a bigger size, she can move pretty well and usually boasts solid enthusiasm. She engages pretty well too. That said I've yet to see a performance from her that's really knocked me off my feet. She's gotten close several times but never quite there. But if nothing else she is very reliable and I've never really been too disappointed by her acting overall.
Non Ohana - I gotta admit, Non Ohana was one of the harder actresses to properly rate and place on my tierlist. She has some moments for sure where she looks really impressive but for the most part, she just straddles the line of averageness. Her facial expressions can be a tad hit-or-miss and sometimes it feels like she just phones it in. Not to an egregious level like other actresses down below but still a bummer to see. But to her credit, she frequently works up a sweat in her scenes showing that she does put in the work. All around an average performer with some peaks here and there.
Maria Nagai - I always feel like Maria is an actress that has a lot of potential for better performances. You can see some hints of it at times during her films where she looks genuinely impressive. But most often she just feels average. One of her bigger weaknesses is her facial expressions. I don't find her to be that expressive sadly. Her enthusiasm is a mixed bag too but if she gets a dominant role she'll usually handle it pretty well. I'd be really curious to see how she'd fare in western porn honestly. I wouldn't mind seeing her going the Sumire Mizukawa route.
Nanami Matsumoto - Got another actress here that I also struggled with where to properly place. Sometimes her acting is deserving of C-tier with mediocre enthusiasm but then other times she can look pretty lively and surpass your expectations. I often go back and forth with her but I think the back end of B-tier is where she belongs. I've never been too let down by her acting but often it feels like she lacks conviction and just goes through the motions. But every now and then she does churn out a stellar performance that can really wow you.
C tier
My C-tier consists of actresses that are slightly below average. Yes, they can churn out a good performance occasionally but more often than not leave a little something to be desired. Usually, they just lack consistency and can feel rather flat at times. I will say my last pick here is an exception to this as you'll soon see.
Hana Haruna - Now I haven't been watching Hana for a terribly long time as I only just started watching her a year or two ago. As such, I haven't seen a ton of her work but from what I have seen I can't say I'm all that impressed. She's not awful at least and does have a few sparring moments and films where she looks good like in PPPD-915. But more often than not her facial expressions really leave a lot to be desired combined with middling enthusiasm.
Yuri Oshikawa - When it comes to frustrating performers, Yuri Oshikawa takes the cake. It always feels like she's holding something back. You often like she's just right there at the edge but never pushes herself beyond that line of pure averageness. Now in fairness, her facial expressions are usually not too bad but the main criticism I have is with her energy as she's just not that exciting to watch. It's so painfully frustrating because her body is absolutely killer but her acting always leaves me feeling underwhelmed.
Misono Mizuhara - Here we have another actress that was a bit difficult to rate. On one hand, when it comes to paizuri she's among the very best right now. Her technique is masterful and for the most part, she can be very expressive. But where it starts to come off the rails for her is during the actual sex as she's super hit-or-miss. Sometimes she's not too bad but more often than not her enthusiasm is severally lacking and her facial expressions can really miss the mark. I still love her but she can be quite frustrating at times.
Nene Tanaka - I can't say that I've ever truly been blown away by one of her performances. She's just not the most compelling actress to watch as always straddles the line between average and slightly below average. Don't get me wrong her energy and facial expressions can be solid but she never really goes above and beyond to push herself. She often just stays at the same level and that's it. She's still a favorite of mine but admittedly it's almost entirely just because of her body, not exactly her so-so acting.
Momona Koibuchi - For being quite new to JAV, Momona has greatly impressed me already. It's easy to write her off as just another lazy big titty actress that can't act but to her credit she's very capable. She knows how to sell it really well. Even when she's just lying on her back getting railed, she's quite expressive and will frequently roll her eyes into the back of her head making for a really intense look. All around her facial expressions are fantastic and really add a lot to her performances. I can easily see her shooting up to B-tier or higher as she continues to improve. I just can't justify putting her higher yet as she's still pretty new.
D tier
Now things are getting a bit rough. All these performers are habitual offenders of lousy performances. I will admit that once in a while they can impress but more often than not they are disappointing and lackluster in their own way. Just consistently underwhelming overall.
Shiori Tsukada - Despite being a ten-year veteran in the business, Shiori's performances are really lacking for someone with her level of experience. Now I'll admit that she has a few films where she's actually quite good like CJOD-346 where she co-stars with Yuria Yoshine and engages in lesbian action. But 90% of the time she's very lackluster with facial expressions that leave a lot to be desired on top of underwhelming enthusiasm. She's also a little too submissive for my liking. Shiori makes for some lovely juicy eyecandy but that's about it.
Iori Himeka - Having made her AV debut in September of last year, she's not too bad so far. I think she has the potential to reach even higher for sure such as at least C tier but it's still too early to throw her in up there. Her facial expressions are fine but need some more diversity for one thing. And I'd like to see a bit more "oomph" out of her as I think she could do better at engaging with the male actor and displaying more enthusiasm. All in all, not terrible given she's so new and hopefully she'll continue to improve over time.
Mei Washio - The stigma of "mediocre performing big titty S1 actress" rings true with this one. Now I'll admit she's far from the worst of this trope as you'll see later on but she's never really impressed me with her acting. I'll give Mei credit for her solid tittyfuck skills but that's about it. She's not that engaging and is lacking in real proper enthusiasm. And when it comes to her facial expressions, she's fine but often very one-note. What I mean is that she almost always just has that same smile on her face with little diversity.
Ruu Yumemi - Ruu is one of my current favorite exclusive actresses but I gotta admit that she's a very mediocre performer all around. You just don't feel much passion at all really from her acting. Most of the time it feels like she just phones it in with the same facial expressions and middling energy. She has one level and she rarely strays away from it. You just never feel a real sense of connection between her and the scene like there's a barrier in-between. I still love her but I really wish her acting would improve even just a little bit.
Ena Koume - You be familiar with Ena Koume after she landed in the top 5 of my most frustrating actresses post. She has a phenomenal body overall sporting one of the best pairs of natural tits in the business right now. But sadly as a performer is the epitome of lackluster. In stark contrast to her chest, she's very flat in regard to her underwhelming enthusiasm. And her facial expressions don't fare much better as she's pretty one-note. She shares many similarities with Yuri as she too boasts a killer body but is brought down by her mediocre acting. Such a shame.
Aka Asuka/Shiose/Nagi Hikaru - I still can't believe she's gone through three different names at this point. It's ridiculous. Now I'll happily admit that she's a big guilty pleasure for me. I love her huge tits and her slimmer body has been looking stellar lately. But she does nothing to break the stereotype of "busty S1 star that can't act". She's not completely hopeless as there are a few moments occasionally where she's decent but overall she's pretty underwhelming thanks to some empty facial expressions and middling enthusiasm.
Tsukasa Aoi - What a coincidence that I got two S1 actresses back to back. S1 and mediocre performers, name a more iconic duo. I really enjoy Tsukasa for sure as I love her boobjob and her ass is one of the best around right now. But man, she's a very weak performer. She's improved a bit recently but nowhere near enough for being around for over a damn decade. There's just very little effort from her all around. It's really noticeable in VR which I talked about here. A weak performance in VR like that just ruins the experience and she was a complete dead fish.
F tier
The worst of the worst. I don't think I can really say that I've ever been impressed by any of their acting. They falter in nearly every category and fail to meet even the most minimum of standards.
Ai Kano - Now we're getting into some really terrible performers and as much as a guilty pleasure she is for me, she's an incredibly uninspiring performer. Possibly due to some work she's done on her face, there's very little range in her facial expressions. She's just so stiff which will be a reoccurring trend with the rest of my F-tier actresses. You just get no real spark from her during her performances. She puts forth very little effort and it shows. You can tell she just relies on her huge tits to do the heavy lifting and sell the scene.
Rin Hachimitsu - I'm willing to cut her some slack here as she's only been around for about ten months as of writing this post. But even then that's not a total excuse for how bad she is as other actresses have debuted around the same time such as Momona and are leagues above her. She always just looks so disinterested and devoid of any real authentic emotion on top of always looking painfully stiff. There's been very little growth from her since her debut so my hopes aren't too high that she'll improve anytime soon sadly.
Ria Yamate - Coming in dead last is none other than yet another busty S1 actress. I've only very recently started watching her in preparation for an upcoming first impressions post but dear lord is she awful. I've always heard people rag on her for her poor acting and damn they were right. Her facial expressions are awkward and simple and her enthusiasm is nearly non-existent. You can clearly tell that they just focus on her tits and sell her as 100% pure eyecandy, which is effective to some degree I'll admit. Maybe once I watch a few more films I'll change my opinion but I'm not holding my breath.
Comments
I like the way this is constructed, the proposed tiers and reasoning behind placing the performers on a certain tier. I would like to add (imho ofc) that there’s a few girls missing from the list.
Niimura Akari
She absolutely rivals the best actresses from the proposed S-tier – Alice Otsu, Yayoi Mizuki – and most likely even beats them (yes, even Alice and I admit that she’s a great performer!). In fact, she recently has.
There was a release in earlier in April 2024 – MANX-001. When you watch a JAV video you can see the stars who literally radiate sexual energy. Yayoi Mizuki and Arioka Miu absolutely do, but Akari is the center of gravity here – both at the poster and in the whole movie overall.
She clearly loves having sex and the camera loves her. Absolutely an S-tier true superstar on this list. I would go as far as say that Niimura Akari has become an integral part of JAV industry overall.
She’s not my favorite actress but the more I watch her releases the more I tend to believe that "Niimura Akari" (or Aramura Akari, or other aliases she had) in Japanese means "insatiable sexual lust coupled with unstoppable sexual drive".
I’d like to mention some other names albeit briefly.
Ishihara Nozomi
I would place her on the A tier here. The girl radiates positivity and energy. She is always earnest in her performances. Love her energy.
Takarada Arisa
She entered JAV industry before Ishihara Nozomi and in a way was a predecessor to her. Loves having sex, her energy is infectious. Also an A tier here.
Aimi Rika
Another girl who always gives an earnest performance in every movie she’s in. She’s also an A on this list.
Two other girls that I want to mention who share the same pecularity (apart from being beautiful ofc) – seemingly cold outside they harbor fire within. It’s actually very uncommon – both in Western porn and in JAV – there are a lot more girls who are beautiful and cold than those who seem cold but actually are a sexual volcano.
Ninomiya Waka
A beautiful JAV actress who can absolutely act. She has been in a lot of movies with weird scenarios and she’s always incredibly sexy in them. That’s the thing with JAV – some JAV movies have weird plots that can distract the viewer but some actresses can shine through no matter what – you see her on screen and it’s clear that the girl is a star. It might be shocking to some but I would say that Ninomiya Waka is an S on this list – due to the range of her acting skills that she has shown over the years.
Hanazawa Himari
A seemingly subdued and restrained personality but behold. Looks like a very fine actress (with her and Ninomiya Waka I’m talking about acting, not just having sex on camera in different scenarios). There is a sexual fire burning inside the cold beauty of this girl. Absolutely no lower than A here.
Overall, none of the girls that I’ve mentioned can be placed into B "slightly above-average range", these girls are stars that can act and make you believe that they love and enjoy what they are doing.
I also think Karen Yuzuriha belongs in A Tier. She is an incredible performer with that patented legs resting on the man during cowgirl technique. Her BJs are improving too. Miu Arioka and Miho Rujimori are also A Tier.
Yeah, I was admittedly close to putting Karen in A tier. She'd likely be in an A- tier if I had one.
The top tier means that almost all of the films must be watched. bottom tier i like the actresses but the movies always lack passion.
*limited to those that are still active
S: JULIA, Tsubasa Amami, Yuna Shiina
A: Monami Takarada, Honoka Tsujii, Yuko Ono, Hikari Sena
B: Mina Kitano, Tsukasa Aoi, Karen Yuzuriha
C: An Mitsumi, Yui Hatano, Mio Kimijima
D: Hana Haruna, Reiko Kobayakawa, Mei Washio, Ai Sayama
F: Aka Asuka, Suzume Mino, Saki Okuda
Says your name checks out. Though there are lots of other slim and stacked in other tiers: Hana Himesaki in B, Momona Koibuchi in C, Aka Asuka in D, just to name some.
Misono Mizuhara, Alice Otsu, Karen Yuzuriha, and Momona Koibuchi, in that order from left to right. Cheers!
Yuri Oshikawa is personally my favorite actress so I might be a bit biased but I would put her in B I think it the right roles she puts on some really good performances, if she co-stars with someone she seems to get a bit more into it as well.
Maria Nagai im actually surprised she hasnt gone into western porn at this point, she speaks a bit of English and her western porn bimbo imagine seems like something that would have been pounced on by now.
Yayoi has really blossomed into one of the best around for sure. Her charisma and facial expressions are just top-notch.
And yeah I could potentially see Maria doing well across the seas. She isn't exactly the best performer but that hasn't stopped plenty of other western pornstars from finding success.
Akari Mitani, to me, is the perfect example of that. She's a top-level performer who does great when she gets something to work with.
With your permission, I will rank Nao Jinguji in S-level for her gangbang performances and Yuria Yoshine for her anal performances. I agree with you about Tsukasa, but I confess that I love her POV movies.
I can easily see Nao Jinguji sliding into S tier. And as far as Yuria is concerned I will give her credit that she can tank anal quite well. Better than some others out there for sure.
Nice list! I think the only major complaint I have is Nao Jinguji, who I would place in S rank. The actresses you have in S all excel at more upbeat stuff, which Nao can do, but Nao is also one of the better submissive performers out there.
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