Ken Kaneko

Actor · Born October 19, 1976 (50) · Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Ken Kaneko is a Japanese actor, TV personality and former mixed martial artist. Kaneko is best known for his role in the Takeshi Kitano film Kids Return (1996), in which he and Masanobu Ando portrayed a couple of high school dropouts trying to find purpose and direction in life. Kaneko is also notable for Himitsu (1999), Rescue Wings (2008) and Blade of the Immortal (2017). He was also a mixed martial artist in the Welterweight division and fought Charles Bennet in Pride FC Shockwave 2005.

What are Ken Kaneko's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight

Bonds

41%

Self

30%

Survival

16%

Morality

13%

Grief2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3

Dark

Tone · Weight

lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Stylized

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 0 · Intense 2

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

Engaged

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Heavy

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2

Open-ended

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Heroas Masaru Miyawaki in Kids Return (1996)
Allyas Fumio Kajikawa in Himitsu (1999)

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic

2

Tense

2

Bittersweet

2

Contemplative

1

Hopeful

1

Other

2

How their films linger

Bittersweet3

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 Ken Kaneko's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

Also on these channels

Magnolia Selects1 title, show their title on Magnolia Selects
Warriors & Gangsters1 title, show their title on Warriors & Gangsters

Subscription and free streaming for Ken Kaneko'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

51 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Blade of the Immortal(2017)
as Hishiyasu Shido
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Leaders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Show 2 episodes · as Takeshi Sakurai
Loser 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Kurokouchi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Show 10 episodes · as Shima Mitsuo
Lion's Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Bloody Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Hyena (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Loser (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Savage Chivalry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Actor
Strawberry Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
as Yoshinori Kawakami
I Love Tokyo Legend - Kawaii Detective - (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Show 1 episode · Actor
SPEC: Birth(2010)
Show 1 episode · as Haruki Gokitani
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Rescue Wings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Actor
Nagai Nagai Satsujin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Actor
Bizan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Actor
Miracle of Serendip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Actor
The Pride of the Temp(2007)
Show 1 episode · as 土屋
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
Snakes & Lizards (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Show 179 episodes · as Zao
Homicide Team 9 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Show 1 episode · as Yuichiro Kashiwagi
I Hate Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Show 4 episodes · as Kihara Kensuke
ペルソナの微笑 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Actor
横山秀夫サスペンス「ペルソナの微笑」 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Actor
第三の時効 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Actor
Mibu Gishiden: Shinsengumi de Ichiban Tsuyokatta Otoko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Show 4 episodes · Actor
Gokusen(2002)
Show 33 episodes · as Tetsu Asakura
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
TOKYO G.P. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
as Young Man Taking Photos
Bring Me to the Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Show 12 episodes · as Yoshiyuki Chiba
優雅な悪事 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Shin Gonin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
as Togo
Shin Gonin 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
as Togo
Cupid's Arrows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Show 10 episodes · Actor
Le Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
as 梶川文也
Ice World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Show 11 episodes · as Sakota Shogo
Himitsu(1999)
as Fumio Kajikawa
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
同窓会へようこそ～遅すぎた夏の帰郷～ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Danger de mort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Actor
Free and Easy 10 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Actor
Happy Mania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Show 12 episodes · as Takahashi Shuichi
Ando Gumi Gaiden Genealogy of the Group Wolf 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Actor
Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Show 11 episodes · Actor
End of Our Own Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Actor
Lost Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Show 12 episodes · as Kinugawa Toru
Black Market Emperor: Silver and Gold 7 - Underworld Horse Racing Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
as Ryohei Kawamatsu
Account of the Ando Gang: Tale of a Scarface (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Actor
Black Market Emperor: Silver and Gold 6 - Trap of Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
as Ryohei Kawamatsu
Kids Return(1996)
as Masaru
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Ando Gumi Gaiden Genealogy of the Group Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Actor
King of Sushi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Show 16 episodes · as Tatsumi
The Files of the Young Kindaichi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Show 2 episodes · as Tatsuyuki Hiyama
The Girl of Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
as Shizuo
Twins Teacher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Show 11 episodes · as Taguchi Kensuke

Career shape

Star power in the 85^th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 51 titles from 1993 to 2017; peak year 1996.

Biggest box office

Blade of the Immortal (2017)

$7.2M worldwide

Highest rated

Kids Return (1996)

Midcredits 93^rd

Film career

19932017

Peak 1996 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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.

1996Screen debut· Kids Return

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting51 of 51 · 73^rd

By decade

1990s20 · acting2000s19 · acting2010s12 · acting

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.

How do Ken Kaneko's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75^th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

76^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

71^stpercentile

Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

89^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

75^th and up2
50^th to 74^th4

Shape of the crowd

None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 5 are Crowd Pleasers.

Crowd Pleaser5
Mixed1

Most loved · actor

Kids Return (1996)

Midcredits 93^rd · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 40. 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.

Who does Ken Kaneko work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ken Kaneko's MovieCove titles; Hatsuo Yamaya shares the most, 2.

Hatsuo Yamaya2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Hatsuo Yamaya