Yusaku Matsuda

was a Japanese actor. In Japan, he was best known for roles in action films and a variety of television series in the 1970s as well as a switch to a wider range of roles in the 1980s. His final film appearance was as the villain Sato in Ridley Scott's Black Rain. He died in 1989 at the age of 40.

He is considered one of Japan's most important film actors. Several manga, anime and video game characters are based on him, including Kenshiro in Fist of the North Star, Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Rikiya Busujima in Zombie Revenge, Aokiji in One Piece, Wabisuke in Summer Wars, and Jubei Yagyu in Onimusha 2.

Career He began acting after graduating from high school, moving through several theatre companies before joining the Bungakuza theatre group at around the same time as Kaori Momoi. His career as a screen actor started in 1973 with a role as a junior police officer in a TV detective drama called Taiyō ni Hoero! He went on to appear in various television series and action films during the seventies. His most remembered role on television was in Tantei Monogatari, in which he starred as an unlikely private detective. In films, he was known for such gun-toting roles as assassin Shōhei Narumi in the Yūgi (Game) series of films, and master criminal Asakura in Resurrection of the Golden Wolf.

In the 1980s, desiring to be seen as more than an action star, he moved from action films to a wider range of dramatic roles. In 1985 he took the lead role in the award-winning Sorekara. In 1986, he directed A Homansu, after the scheduled director left due to disagreements. This was the only film he directed. During the eighties, he also appeared in many commercials, such as for Gatsby hair products or Triangle shochu. In addition to acting, from the late seventies to the eighties he toured as a singer, releasing several albums of music.

In 1989, although already diagnosed with cancer, he starred as the villain, Sato, in Black Rain. Director Ridley Scott and co-stars Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, and Kate Capshaw praised his professionalism and performance, despite his suffering. He died shortly afterwards, after making a final appearance in a special television drama with Florence Griffith-Joyner, in which he was supposed to run against her, but was unable to do so because of his illness.

After his death, his image continued to be used in commercials, such as a 2000 campaign for Schick razors using his image from the Tantei Monogatari television series. Books, films, television specials, and other products, such as scale models of his most famous characters, continue to appear long after his death. In 1998, a film called Yomigaeru Yūsaku: Tantei Monogatari Tokubetsu-hen was released, containing two episodes of the Tantei Monogatari television series and some additional material. In 2009, his second wife, Miyuki Matsuda, produced a tribute film, Soul Red, including clips from his films and interviews with actors such as Andy Garcia, as well as his two sons.

Personal life Matsuda was born out of wedlock in Shimonoseki, to a Japanese father, a probation officer, whom he never met, and a Zainichi Korean mother, Kaneko Matsuda, originally Kim.

He changed his citizenship from Korean to Japanese while he was starring in Taiyō ni Hoero!, with the help of Michiko, whose father was a member of the Liberal Democratic party who was head of the then-Prime Minister's support office.

In popular culture A number of manga and anime characters were inspired by Matsuda. Manga author and artist Tetsuo Hara cited Yūsaku Matsuda as one of the two major influences on the character design of Kenshiro, the protagonist of manga and anime series Fist of the North Star. The other major influence was martial artist Bruce Lee, with Hara combining the appearance and character traits of Lee and Matsuda when he came up with the character design of Kenshiro.

In the anime series Cowboy Bebop, protagonist Spike Spiegel's appearance was primarily based on the main protagonist of Tantei Monogatari, portrayed by Matsuda. Spike's voice actor Kōichi Yamadera was a fan of Matsuda, but avoided imitating Matsuda's distinctive manner of speaking, noting that it "wouldn't have sounded right" for Spike. Matsuda also inspired the character Aokiji from the manga series One Piece.

In the video game Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, the hero Jubei Yagyu was modelled after Yūsaku Matsuda.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1973 Horror of the Wolf(狼の紋章) Dō Haguro 1974 Tomodachi(ともだち) Komatsu Ryoma Ansatsu(竜馬暗殺) Yūta Aba yo Dachi kō(あばよダチ公) Onagi Natsuki 1976 Hito-goroshi(ひとごろし) Twin Rokubei The Classroom of Terror(暴力教室) Mizuguchi 1977 Proof of the Man(人間の証明) Munesue 1978 The Most Dangerous Game(最も危険な遊戯) Shōhei Narumi The Killing Game(殺人遊戯) 1979 Murder in the Doll House Toshio Katsu Oretachi ni Haka wa Nai Katsuo Shima The Resurrection of the Golden Wolf Tetsuya Asakura The Execution Game(処刑遊戯) Shōhei Narumi 1980 Rape Hunter Nerawareta Onna Insurance Salesman Uncredited Bara no Hyōteki Hotel Guest The Beast to Die Kunihiko Date 1981 Yokohama BJ Blues B.J. Kagerō-za Shungo Matsuzaki 1983 The Family Game Katsu Yoshimoto Detective Story Shūichi Tsujiyama 1985 Sorekara Daisuke Nagai 1986 A Homansu Kaze also director 1988 Wuthering Heights Onimaru A Chaos of Flowers Takeo Arishima 1989 Black Rain Sato Koji 1998 Yomigaeru Yūsaku: Tantei Monogatari Tokubetsu-hen Shunsaku Kudō Posthumous role 2009 Soul Red: Yusaku Matsuda Himself Documentary

Television Year Program Role Notes 1973 Taiyō ni Hoero! Jun "Jiipan" Shibata 1974 Akai Meiro Jun, Momoe's Uncle 1975 Oretachi no Kunshō Yuji Nakano 1976 Daitokai Himself, Guest Saraba Rōnin Himself, Guest 1977–1978 Daitokai Part II Isao Tokuyoshi 1978 Daitsuiseki Himself, Guest (final episode) 1979–1980 Tantei Monogatari Shunsaku Kudō 1982 Haru ga Kita Unknown Shi no Dangai Unknown Shin-Jiken Dr Stop Unknown Home Sweet Home Himself, Guest 1982–1983 Anchan Himself, Guest 1983 Nettai ya Unknown Dansen Unknown 1984 Shin-Yumechiyo Nikki Unknown Onna Goroshi Abura no Jigoku Unknown 1986 Ou Otoko Unknown 1988 Sakurako wa Warau Unknown 1989 Kareinaru Tsuiseki Unknown With Florence Griffith-Joyner

Video games

YearFilmRoleNotes2002 Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny Jūbei Yagyū Matsuda's likeness was used for that of the lead character.