Born in Osaka, Ryoichi Hirano trained at Setsuko Hirano Ballet School. He joined The Royal Ballet in 2002, having won the Prix de Lausanne Gold Medal in 2001, and was promoted to Principal in 2016. His repertory includes Albrecht, Florimund, Siegfried, King Leontes, Espada, Romeo, Prince Gremin, Jean de Brienne (Raymonda Act III), Crown Prince Rudolf, Prince (Prince of the Pagodas, The Nutcracker), Solor, and roles in Symphony in C, Corybantic Games, After the Rain, Elite Syncopations, Woolf Works, Song of the Earth, Two Pigeons, Gloria, Concerto, Chroma, Viscera, ‘Emeralds’ and ‘Diamonds’ (Jewels), Serenade, DGV: Danse à grande vitesse, Scènes de ballet, Cinderella, Aeternum, Within the Golden Hour, Multiverse and Medusa. He created roles in Infra, Obsidian Tear, Asphodel Meadows, The Dante Project and Boundless.