Kane Kosugi
Kane Kosugi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kane Takeshi Kosugi October 11, 1974 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, martial artist |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Parent(s) | Shook Kosugi, Sho Kosugi |
| Website | http://www.kanekosugi.com |
Kane Takeshi Kosugi (ケイン・健・コスギ, Kein Takeshi Kosugi, born October 11, 1974) is an American actor and martial artist of Japanese and Chinese descent.
The son of Japanese martial arts film star Sho Kosugi, Kane began his career as a child actor starring opposite his father in films like Revenge of the Ninja and Pray for Death. He first gained recognition in Japan for his starring role as Jiraiya (Ninja Black) in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, being the second American-born sentai ranger. He has appeared in over 30 films and television series, including the video game adaptations DOA: Dead or Alive and Street Fighter Alpha. He competed on six seasons of the obstacle challenge program Sasuke, where he was the first American competitor.
Like his father, Kosugi has appeared in both Japanese and American media. In Japan, Kane is considered gaijin tarento (foreign talent) due to his Nisei (second generation) foreign born heritage. Kane's mother, Shook Gim Chan, was born in China.
Acting career
[edit]Since 1983, Kosugi has appeared in various roles as a voice actor for video games, stunt actor in movies and character actor in both English language and Japanese language films. His first movie, Revenge of the Ninja, had him playing the son of his real life father, Sho Kosugi. Kane kept his real name in the movie. He has also been in other movies starring his father as well. With the intention of following in his father's footsteps, Kane trained to become a martial arts actor. Kane has an extensive martial arts background in wushu, ninjutsu, taekwondo, karate, judo and kendo.[citation needed]
He made his Japanese acting debut in the 1993 television series Ryūkyū no Kaze (Dragon Spirit), the 31st entry in NHK's long-running taiga drama series. Kane followed this up with his first lead film role in the two-part Toei V-Cinema movies Za Kakuto Oh (The Fighting King) and Za Kakuto Oh 2 (The Fighting King 2) directed by his father. Next came the 1994 television series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, an installment in Toei's Super Sentai franchise. Kane was the only American-born cast member of Kakuranger and his character (Jiraiya) spoke almost exclusively in English during his first few episodes.[citation needed]
He could be seen regularly on the NHK children's program Karada de Asobo (体で遊ぼ), which was a weekday exercise show that ran until March 2010. He also does commercial spots for vitamin drinks and regularly appears on a physical challenge show called Kinniku Oukoku (筋肉王国), formerly known as Kinniku Banzuke. He had a brief role as a Yakuza member in the action-thriller, War, with Jason Statham and Jet Li.
Kane then began to work in China and Hong Kong. He played Ryu Hayabusa, a master Ninja in the live action adaptation of the video game DOA: Dead or Alive, directed by Corey Yuen. He would play the lead villain in Coweb, the directorial debut of Xiong Xin Xin and the lead role debut of Jiang Lui Xia. In 2011, he appeared alongside real-life best friend Sammy Hung and Sammy's father, Sammo Hung in Choy Lee Fut.
In 2013, Kane played the lead villain Nakamura in the film Ninja: Shadow of a Tear opposite Scott Adkins. The two reunited on the film Zero Tolerance. Kane would also play the character of Kazuya Mishima in the prequel Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge in 2014. In 2016, Kane played "God Lee" in the Takashi Miike-directed adaptation of manga and anime Terra Formars. He went to China to play a disfigured assassin in the straight to streaming action-horror film Heaven Inspector, followed by a role as "The Rider" in the recently released film The Driver opposite Mark Dacascos. He is set to reunite with Dacascos on One Night in Bangkok while another film he shot, Maxx, is currently in post-production.
Sportsman No. 1
[edit]From 1997 to 2004, Kane participated in the Japanese physical competition program Sportsman No.1 Decisive Battle, competing first against other celebrities and then against professional athletes, achieving unparalleled success winning a record 6 tournaments and finishing second in 4 others.
| Tournament | Airdate | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Survival Battle #2 | 1997.04.02 | Winner | 560 points (125 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #3 | 1998.04.01 | Winner | 950 points (540 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #4 | 1998.10.02 | Winner | 810 points (305 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Pro Sportsman Tournament #5 | 1999.01.01 | 4th place | 300 points (80 less than winner) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #5 | 1999.03.26 | 2nd place | 615 points (5 less than winner) |
| Pro Sportsman Tournament #6 | 2000.01.01 | Winner | 385 points (10 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #6 | 2000.03.24 | Winner | 685 points (205 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #7 | 2000.10.10 -14 | Winner | 446 points (96 more than 2nd place finisher) |
| Pro Sportsman Tournament #7 | 2001.01.01 | 2nd place | 455 points (125 less than winner) |
| Celebrity Survival Battle #8 | 2001.03.23 | 2nd place | 613 points (1 less than winner) |
| Pro Sportsman Tournament #8 | 2002.01.01 | 2nd place | 540 points (25 less than winner) |
| Pro Sportsman Tournament #10 | 2004.01.01 | 4th place | 350 points (105 less than winner) |
Sasuke
[edit]Kane competed on Kinniku Banzuke/Oukoku's special show Sasuke (known in America as Ninja Warrior) for several years (from 1997 - 2001). Thus far he is one of only four foreigners (with the others being Jordan Jovtchev from Bulgaria in SASUKE 8, Lee En-Chih from Taiwan in SASUKE 24, and René Kaselowsky from Germany in SASUKE 37), and the only American, to make it to the Final Stage in SASUKE, out of 3,700 total competitors to date and twenty-seven different Final Stage competitors. Despite his strong performances, #98 is the highest number he has ever worn.
He stopped participating after the 8th competition. Around the time of SASUKE 11, in an interview with the Kinniku Banzuke successor, Taiku Ookoku, he said, "私は訓練に時間があれば、私は競争したいと思います。", which roughly translates to, "If I have time to train, I would like to compete." Kane is still the only competitor to compete five times without failing the first stage. He was the first competitor to beat the Spider Climb in the final stage, doing so in Sasuke 8.
After a 21 year absence on the show, Kane appeared again in SASUKE 40. He kept his streak of first stage clears alive, and became the oldest competitor to ever clear the First Stage at age 48.
Here is a table of information of his participation in Sasuke.
| Competition | Airdate | Competitor # | Stage | Obstacle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SASUKE 1 | 1997.09.27 | 89 | Third | Failed Pole Bridge |
| SASUKE 4 | 1999.10.16 | 97 | Third | Failed Cliff Hanger |
| SASUKE 6 | 2000.09.09 | 98 | Third | Failed Body Prop |
| SASUKE 7 | 2001.03.17 | 98 | Second | Failed Spider Walk |
| SASUKE 8 | 2001.09.29 | 91 | Final | Failed Final Rope |
| SASUKE 40 | 2022.27.12 | 3991 | Second | Failed Backstream |
Personal life
[edit]Kane was born in Los Angeles, California, on October 11, 1974, as the eldest of three siblings. His parents are legendary Ninja film actor Sho Kosugi, who is Japanese; and Shook Kosugi, who is Chinese Hakka.[1] Kane has a brother, Shane (born 1976), who made occasional appearances on Kinniku Banzuke (known on G4 as Unbeatable Bansuke) and Sasuke as well as appear as Kane's younger brother in some of their father's ninja films in the 80's; and a sister, Ayeesha (born 1983), who is a golfer and a former senior at University of Las Vegas.[2] He was romantically involved with female golfer Riko Higashio, but broke up in 2005 when they seemed on the verge of marriage.[3] In December 2009, Kane married a woman from Hong Kong.[4] On March 4, 2019, Kane became a dad when his wife gave birth to a baby daughter.[5]
Rift with father
[edit]Kosugi and his father were seemingly no longer on speaking terms due to Kane choosing a career in Japanese television instead of helping to run some of his schools under the banner of his institute, and even taking some of Sho's staff with him. In reference to Kane, Sho was reported as saying on a television show with fortuneteller Kazuko Hosoki in April 2007, "My son is a coward!" (息子は卑怯だ, Musuko wa hikyō da), saying Kane "stabbed me in the back" and at one point made a reference to Judas Iscariot.[6] However, Sho was seen at Kane's wedding in late 2009, indicating that they are reconciling or already have.[7]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Revenge of the Ninja | Kane Osaki | |
| 1985 | 9 Deaths of the Ninja | Kane Yamada | |
| Pray for Death | Takeshi Saito | ||
| 1988 | Black Eagle | Brian Tani | |
| 1991 | Journey of Honor | Yorimune Tokugawa | |
| 1994 | The Fighting King | Ken Ōshiro | V-cinema |
| Ninja Sentai Kakuranger | Jiraiya/Ninja Black | ||
| The Fighting King 2 | Ken Ōshiro | V-cinema | |
| Super Sentai World | Ninja Black (voice) | Short film | |
| 1995 | Zero Woman II | Ken | V-cinema |
| 1996 | Chōriki Sentai Ohranger: Ole vs. Kakuranger | Jiraiya/Ninja Black | V-cinema |
| 1997 | Cat's Eye | Lee, the Black Flag | |
| 1998 | Who Am I? | Takeshi | |
| 2000 | Street Fighter Zero: The Animation | Ryu (voice) | Japanese version |
| 2002 | Muscle Heat | Joe Jinno | |
| 2004 | Godzilla: Final Wars | Kazama | |
| 2006 | DOA: Dead or Alive | Ryu Hayabusa | |
| 2007 | War | Temple Garden Warrior | |
| 2009 | Baton | Satan (voice) | Japanese version |
| Coweb | Song Li-shan | ||
| Timeless | Kane | Short film | |
| 2011 | Choy Lee Fut | Shōsa Takeda | |
| 2013 | Ninja: Shadow of a Tear | Nakabara | |
| 2014 | Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge | Kazuya Mishima | |
| 2015 | Zero Tolerance | Kane | |
| 2016 | Terra Formars | God Lee | |
| 2018 | Heaven Inspector | Ya Ba | Web film |
| 2019 | The Driver | The Rider | |
| 2020 | One Night in Bangkok | Japanese Fixer | |
| 2021 | MAXX | Maxx | |
| 2022 | Kamen Rider Revice the Movie: Battle Familia | Azuma |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Master | Bobby | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Dragon Spirit | Ken | 16 episodes |
| Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero | Kenichi Kai | 13 episodes | |
| 1994 | Ninja Sentai Kakuranger | Jiraiya/Ninja Black | 51 episodes |
| 1996 | The Kindaichi Case Files | Wataru Iwano | 2 episodes |
| Legend of St. Dragon | Daisaku Sendō | 10 episodes | |
| 1999 | Truth: My Child's Murder Diary | Tsuyoshi Nomura | Television film |
| Hagure Keiji Junjoha | Hideyuki Noda | Seasons 12–14 | |
| 2008 | Parallel Space | Kurakane | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Tokumei Kakaricho Tadano Hitoshi | Shunsuke Tōdō | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Detective Hachikei: Brilliant Reasoning | Keitarō Hachiya | Television film |
| 2018 | The Top Fair | Officer Kane | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy[8] | Ultraman Powered (voice) | English version |
Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Wild Hearts | Nobumitsu Tsumori (voice) | English version[9][10] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Interview with Kane Kosugi" Kung Fu Kingdom, 29 December 2013
- ^ "UNLV Rebels - Women's Golf: Ayeesha Kosugi"
- ^ "Junichi Ishida headed for marriage with golfer Higashio". Tokyograph.
- ^ "Kane Kosugi ties the knot". Tokyograph.
- ^ "Kane Kosugi Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
- ^ Sho Kosugi - "My son is a coward!", He Vents (Japanese)
- ^ "Happy News to End the Year". Japan Zone.
- ^ Lauren Christine (November 23, 2020). "Kane Kosugi Discusses Reprising Ultraman Powered in New Interview". Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Omega Force. Wild Hearts. Electronic Arts. Scene: Ending credits, 42:06 in, ENGLISH VOICE-OVER CAST.
- ^ Takano, Rikiya [@1104Rikiya] (February 13, 2023). "Casting Director を務めましたゲーム"Wild Hearts"の英語版音声のメインキャストが発表されました‼︎作品のコンセプトに合わせ英語音声のキャスティングを日本で行えたことを嬉しく思うと共に、総勢46名のキャストの皆様とご一緒できたことに感謝の気持ちでいっぱいです‼︎ @playWildHearts" (Tweet). Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Twitter.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1974 births
- American male film actors
- American male karateka
- American male taekwondo practitioners
- American wushu practitioners
- American male judoka
- American stunt performers
- American male voice actors
- Expatriate television personalities in Japan
- Living people
- Contestants on Japanese game shows
- American male actors of Japanese descent
- American male actors of Chinese descent
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- 20th-century American sportsmen