"I want to be rich."
You've thought that at least once, right?
But most people will never become rich in their lifetime.
Why do you think that is?
There is someone who answers this clearly.
It's YouTuber Hikaru, who has total assets of 14 billion yen.
In a July 2025 video, Hikaru revealed his total assets were 13,765,000,000 yen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mPkFBDOzFY
Cash: ~2.2B, Stocks: ~7.5B, Real Estate: ~4.0B.
Including other assets, he says it's "about 14 billion yen."
But he started as a high school graduate NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
He got a job at a local factory but quit in a few months, spending his days playing games at home.
From there to 14 billion yen.
This gap cannot be explained by talent or luck alone.
It's because Hikaru had a clear "way of thinking that separates those who become rich from those who don't."
And that difference, following his own words, boils down to just one thing.
Today, I will explain that.
Let me say upfront: this is completely different from the image of "Hikaru, the YouTuber who spends money flashily."
Rather, it is plain, realistic, and that's why it's the real deal.
Most People Stumble Here
First, why can't most people become rich?
Hikaru's answer is surprisingly simple.
"Because they just vaguely think 'I want to be rich.'"
In his book, Hikaru reflects:
His former self didn't even have a fixed idea of "what he wanted to be."
During his NEET days, he was just frustrated between ideal and reality.
He wanted money.
But he couldn't see at all what he should do or how.
Most people stop here.
They have the desire to "be rich."
But the "Okay, how?" after that remains blank.
That's why they can never start moving.
Hikaru changed when he clarified "what he wanted to be" and decided on the path to get there.
Turning desire into a concrete path.
This is the first turning point.
But this is just the entrance.
The real "single difference" lies beyond this.
There are 4 Types of Earning Money
There is a story Hikaru learned from a certain business owner.
This is the core of this article.
In business, human roles can be divided into four.
- Worker ... Employee, civil servant, part-timer
- Self-Employed (Sole Proprietor)
- Business Owner
- Capitalist (Investor)
And Hikaru explains that these four have completely different ways of earning money.
Let's look at them in order.
① Worker
Someone who exchanges their time for money.
They sell their labor bit by bit and receive compensation in return.
The merit is having a somewhat fixed income every month. It's stable.
But Hikaru says flatly:
As long as you work as a worker, it's hard to become rich.
The reason is clear.
Your time is limited.
A day has only 24 hours. In a way of working that sells time, there is a cap on the amount you can earn.
② Self-Employed (Sole Proprietor)
This is the same as a worker in that they exchange their time and labor for money.
The difference is that instead of income becoming unstable, your hard work reflects directly in your compensation.
The more results you produce, the more your income increases.
There is no promised monthly salary, but there is no upper limit to the amount you can earn.
Here, the ceiling is removed.
③ Business Owner, ④ Capitalist (Investor)
And beyond that are the business owner and the capitalist.
What these two have in common is that they are not selling their own time.
Business owners have people or systems work for them.
Capitalists have money work for them.
Both have structures where money continues to be generated even while they are not moving.
This is the "Single Difference"
Now, coming this far, we can see it.
The single difference that separates those who become rich and those who don't.
It is whether or not you are trying to escape the "way of working that sells your own time."
People who can't become rich remain as ① workers and continue to sell their time.
They think that's the only way to earn.
People who become rich try to move to ②, ③, and ④.
They gradually move to the side that makes results, systems, and money earn, rather than their own time.
Hikaru himself has followed exactly this path.
YouTuber as a self-employed professional (②), then a business owner with multiple brands like ReZARD (③), and finally a capitalist managing assets with stocks and real estate (④).
Starting from ①, he climbed the stairs to ②, ③, and ④.
The important thing is that you don't need to aim for ④ suddenly.
First, from ① to ②.
Take a step into a way of working that earns by results, not by hourly wages.
A side hustle is fine.
Experience your results becoming your compensation directly.
The next step only starts from there.
Where you are now and where you are trying to move next.
This divides everything.
3 Realities Hikaru Talks About for Becoming Rich
Based on the "4 classifications," let's look a bit more specifically at the money mindset Hikaru talks about.
All of them are realistic theories without sugar-coating.
Reality 1: Make money first, then do what you love
Hikaru says something to the effect of "A job that makes money and a job you love are different."
Don't chase both from the start.
Many people think "I want to earn money doing what I love."
But what you love doesn't necessarily turn into money as it is.
That's why he says the order is important.
First, build a foundation with something that makes money.
After you have financial leeway, head towards what you love.
He is not denying dreams. It's a story about the order to realize dreams.
Reality 2: Change the people you associate with
Hikaru also says something like "If you want to be rich, meet rich people."
No matter how much you ask people with poor ideas, you'll only get poor answers.
This may seem blunt, but it hits the essence.
People unconsciously absorb ways of thinking from their surroundings.
If you are surrounded by people for whom selling time is natural, you cannot escape that mindset.
Go near people who know the world one level above.
Just by doing that, the scenery you see and the standards of what's natural will change.
Reality 3: Business sells "Trust"
In Hikaru's talk about business, there are words to the effect of "Business doesn't sell products. It sells trust."
This is a core point often overlooked in becoming rich.
Anyone can sell once with tricks.
But people who earn big continuously always build up "trust."
The reason Hikaru's brand sells is that the trust built up through videos is the foundation.
Prioritize the accumulation of trust over immediate sales.
This is a common trait of people who continue to earn for a long time.
Unexpected Truth: Even with 14 Billion Yen, a 400 Yen Beef Bowl
Finally, I'll introduce the most surprising fact about Hikaru's attitude toward money.
Despite having these assets, Hikaru's daily life is surprisingly simple.
He reveals this himself.
Spending money like water in videos is only for filming.
It's like a production cost for a program.
For daily meals, "a 400 yen beef bowl is enough."
He orders it by delivery.
He rotates a few favorite pieces of clothing.
Brand-name goods are just props for a "Rich YouTuber."
There is deep learning here.
People who become rich don't have "spending" itself as the goal.
For Hikaru, money is a tool for self-expression and fuel for running businesses.
It's not something to waste for vanity.
Many people who say "I want to be rich" actually just "want to live a flashy life by spending money."
But people who truly build wealth are not obsessed with money itself.
Earning and spending. They clearly separate these two.
This is also a characteristic of people who become rich.
Summary: Which Way of Working Are You Doing?
Summarizing Hikaru's money philosophy.
The single difference that separates those who become rich and those who don't.
It's whether or not you are trying to escape the way of working that sells your own time.
To that end, the path Hikaru shows is this:
- Don't stop at "I want to be rich," clarify your ideal self and the path.
- Move from worker (selling time) to the side where results, systems, and money earn.
- Make money first, then do what you love.
- Associate with people in the world one level above.
- Sell trust, not products.
- Separate earning money and spending it.
None of these require special talent.
It's a story of how to take the next step from where you are now.
The reason Hikaru, who was a high school graduate NEET, could build 14 billion yen is that he had this way of thinking at an early stage.
Where are you among the four now?
And where are you trying to move next?
Everything starts from answering that question.
Finally: You can receive learning about money and business for free
I usually post about side hustles using AI, X operations, and ways of thinking for individuals to earn.
The "thinking methods of people who become rich" like today, and how to create a way of working that doesn't sell time, are shared specifically in my free open chat.
Open Chat "X Operation Strategy Room"
Here, I share:
- The first step to escape the way of working that sells time
- Specific methods for individuals to "earn by results"
- Procedures to create a system even by yourself using AI
I share parts that I couldn't write in the article.
Participation is free.
If you are even slightly interested, please take a look from the link below.
People who don't stop at "wanting to be" and start moving will change.
I look forward to your participation.
Yamamoto Ryuji ( @ryuji_affiliate
