Kenji Tanigaki

is a Japanese action choreographer, stunt performer, and film director. He is best known for his works in Hong Kong action cinema, and has expanded his career in Japanese cinema and Hollywood.

Inspired by Jackie Chan's action films, Tanigaki migrated to Hong Kong in 1993 and began his career in action choreography by collaborating with Donnie Yen in the ATV martial arts drama series Fist of Fury (1995). Since then, Tanigaki has participated in numerous Hong Kong action films, serving as a stunt coordinator in SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), Flash Point (2007), Bodyguards and Assassins (2009), Raging Fire (2021), and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024), and as an action director in See You Tomorrow (2016), Hidden Man (2018), and Sakra (2023). Tanigaki won a Golden Horse Award for Hidden Man and two Hong Kong Film Awards for Raging Fire and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.

In addition to his work in Hong Kong, Tanigaki has developed careers in Japan and the United States. He had participated in the American film Blade II (2002), the Japanese films Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), and Kamui Gaiden (2009). He gained international recognition for his work as the action director of Rurouni Kenshin (2012), and its sequels Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (both 2014), and Rurouni Kenshin: The Final (2021). Tanigaki's international action directing credits also include the Japanese film Shinjuku Swan II (2017) and the American film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021).

Early life and education Tanigaki was born on 13 October 1970 in Nara Prefecture, Japan. He had seizures at a young age and was physically weak, but Tanigaki considered that his childhood spent playing in the wild helped him develop a strong physique naturally. He joined a shorinji kempo coaching school and began martial arts training while in high school, winning in a prefectural tournament. He returned to Japan to continue his studies at the School of Law and Politics, Kwansei Gakuin University and later graduated with a law degree. Tanigaki joined a martial arts academy formed by Hong Kong-based Japanese choreographer Yasuaki Kurata to learn karate while studying in university in 1989. During his time at the academy, he acted in films in Kyoto but did not find opportunities to utilize his martial arts skills, prompting him to seek acting roles in Hong Kong, which he considered "the center of kung fu and martial arts movies". He moved to Hong Kong alone to pursue a career in filmmaking in 1993, starting off as a cast extra and volunteered in police identity parades.

Career Early ventures (1994-2001) When Tanigaki first arrived in Hong Kong, he contacted more than 200 film production companies seeking work as an extra, but was initially rejected by most because he could not speak Cantonese. In 1994, Tanigaki was invited to become a stunt actor by action choreographer Stephen Tung, In 1995, ATV began production of the martial arts series Fist of Fury. Due to the extensive number of stunt actors required for the shoot, Donnie Yen, the lead actor of the series, sought to recruit every available stunt actor in Hong Kong and brought Tanigaki on board, where the two became acquainted on set. The following year, he made his directorial debut in Japan with the action film Legend of Seven Monks, featuring Sonny Chiba and Yasuaki Kurata in lead roles. He once again served as an action director in the Japanese action film and horror film . From 2010 to 2011, Tanigaki was involved in the Hong Kong martial art film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, a sequel to the television series Fist of Fury, while commended the action sequences as being of the highest quality in Japanese cinema. In 2016, Tanigaki served as the action director for the Chinese-Hong Kong romance films Finding Mr. Right 2 and See You Tomorrow. while Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post described the film as a Frankenstein monster that combines elements from classic Hong Kong movies. In 2021, Tanigaki once again assumed the role of action director for the action film Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, the fourth installment of the Rurouni Kenshin film series. Mark Schilling of The Japan Times commended the film's battle sequences and referred to Tanigaki as the person who "brings panache and impact to these scenes that lift them above the Japanese action norm".

Tanigaki assumed the roles as action director, stunt coordinator and second unit director in the 2021 American superhero film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. and Susan Hornick of South China Morning Post credited Tanigaki for the "truly stellar" sword choreography. The same year, Tanigaki choreographed for the Hong Kong action film Raging Fire,

Tanigaki collaborated once again with Donnie Yen in the 2022 action drama film and the 2023 martial arts film Sakra as the action director. while Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com called the action "thrilling" and credited Tanigaki with elevating the action to a larger scale. The film also became the most-watched Hong Kong domestic film, with a record of over 1.5 million viewers. Tanigaki also collaborated with Yen on The Prosecutor in the same year, a film directed, produced, co-choreographed and starring Yen. However, the production faced initial communication challenges due to language barriers, resulting in many action scenes needing to be reshot. He also directed the action film The Furious, a Hong Kong-funded English-language project set in Thailand,

Tanigaki's next directorial effort is The Reckoner, an action film for Lionsgate Films with Peter Dinklage in a starring role.

Personal life Tanigaki got married in the late 1990s and held his wedding in Japan. As of 2020, he has resided in Hong Kong for 26 years. In his award acceptance speech at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, he referred to himself as a Hong Kong filmmaker. He has learnt to speak Cantonese fluently over the years, and has a basic proficiency in Mandarin. On 23 August 2026, Tanigaki announced his marriage to actress Luna Fujimoto.

Filmography As director Year Title Notes 2006 Legend of Seven Monks 2025 The Furious 2026

As action choreographer Year Title Stunt coordinator Action director Notes 1996 Once Upon a Time in Triad Society 1997 Legend of the Wolf 2003 The Twins Effect Always: Sunset on Third Street 2007 Flash Point 2008 2009 Bodyguards and Assassins Kamui Gaiden Shinjuku Incident 2011 The Lost Bladesman 2012 Rurouni Kenshin Television series 2013 Special ID 2014 The Monkey King Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends 2016 Finding Mr. Right 2 See You Tomorrow 2017 God of War Shinjuku Swan II The Liquidator 2018 Monster Hunt 2 Hidden Man Big Brother 2021 Rurouni Kenshin: The Final Raging Fire Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins Also as second unit director 2022 2023 Sakra 2024 Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In The Prosecutor 2026 Video game Filming

Acting credits Year Title Role Notes 1994 Fist of Legend Japanese fighter 1999 SK Kölsch Miroto 2005 SPL: Sha Po Lang Wong Po's bodyguard 2015 3rd Japan Action Awards Best Action Director Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno/Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends 201855th Golden Horse AwardsBest Action Choreography Hidden Man Monster Hunt 2 2019 2019 Taurus World Stunt AwardsBest Action in a Foreign Film Big Brother 2022 2022 Taurus World Stunt AwardsRaging Fire 40th Hong Kong Film AwardsBest Action Choreography 2024 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards Sakra 9th Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Best Action Choreography Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In 2025 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards Best Action Choreography