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Shô Kosugi

Shô Kosugi

Actor, also producer and writer · Born June 17, 1948 (78) · Minato, Tokyo, Japan

Sho Kosugi (born Shōichi Kosugi; June 17, 1947) is a Japanese martial artist with training in shindō jinen-ryū karate who gained popularity as an actor during the 1980s, usually playing a ninja. He is the father of Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi. After taking a hiatus from film, he started a taiko group in California. In Japan, he also runs an internationally oriented group of martial arts acting schools known as the Sho Kosugi Institute. It is common for Kosugi to have his sons co-star in movies when the plot includes family relations. Films in which Kosugi's sons perform alongside their father include Black Eagle, Revenge of the Ninja, and Kabuto (aka Shogun Warrior).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 17, 1948 (78)
From
Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Actor, also producer and writer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 21% in 30 days

What are Shô Kosugi's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
44%
Bonds
20%
Survival
15%
Self
10%
Ideas
5%
Power
3%
Society
3%
Revenge4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 3 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 5

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 7 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 7
Shadow
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Thrilling
8
Absurd
2
Manic
2
Joyful
1
Other
7

How their films linger

Fun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Shô Kosugi's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Shô Kosugi's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

25 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Dahmer vs. Gacy(2010)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Ninja Assassin(2009)

    as Ozunu

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Scorpion King(2002)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Fighting King 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • The Fighting King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 2 episodes · as Gali

  • Dark Society in the East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Larry Matsuda

  • Wind of the Ryūkyū Islands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 23 episodes · Actor

  • Journey of Honor(1991)

    Producer · Writer · as Daigoro Mayeda

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Blind Fury(1989)

    as The Assassin

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Black Eagle(1988)

    Fight Choreographer · as Ken Tani

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Aloha Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Yukinaga Konishi

  • Rage of Honor(1987)

    Fight Choreographer · as Shiro Tanka

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Nine Deaths of the Ninja(1985)

    as Spike Shinobi

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Pray for Death(1985)

    as Akira Saito

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Master Ninja 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Okasa

  • Ninja III: The Domination(1984)

    Fight Choreographer · as Yamada

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Master Ninja (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Choreographer · Stunt Coordinator · as Okasa

  • Master Ninja II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Okasa

  • The Master (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 13 episodes · as Okasa

  • Revenge of the Ninja(1983)

    Fight Choreographer · as Cho Osaki

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Enter the Ninja(1981)

    as Hasegawa

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • The Bad News Bears Go to Japan(1978)

    as Kata Demonstrator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Suzuki (uncredited)

  • The Godfather Part II(1974)

    as Passerby in Coat with Cap Pulled Down (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 25 titles from 1974 to 2010; peak year 1984.

Biggest box office

Ninja Assassin (2009)

$62M worldwide

Highest rated

Ninja Assassin (2009)

Midcredits 54th

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19742010

Peak 1984 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting21 of 25: 15 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score30thDirecting2 of 25: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting1 of 25: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 25: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew7 of 25: 2 only other crew, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score25th

25 titles, 6 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s3 · acting1980s13 · 13 acting · 5 crew1990s6 · 4 acting · 3 crew2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s1 · crew

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 67% of 9 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Shô Kosugi's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 14 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985)

80th percentile spread · 64% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 34/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 49, detractors 19. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Shô Kosugi's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Shô Kosugi work with?

People who share at least 2 of Shô Kosugi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kane Kosugi shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers