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Kang Yu

Kang Yu

Actor · Hubei, China

Yu Kang was born in Hubei, China. Kang started training traditional Kung Fu and Martial Arts at a very young age. In his youth he won championships for many wushu competitions. He stepped into the film business as a action stuntmen and quickly moved to action director. Kang has been in Donnie Yen's Action team for over 10 years and participated in most of Yen's films. His career as an actor started after with a small role in Dragon Tiger Gate and was well received, he then continued to develop his acting skills in films. Kang appeared in many successful films including Dragon Tiger Gate, Wuxia, Special Identity, Iceman 3D part 1, and future releases like Iceman 3D part 2 and Kung Fu Jungle. Kang's performance in Iceman was spectacular and gained amazing reviews and praise as the main villain.

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Biography from IMDb.

From
Hubei, China
Works as
Actor
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 37 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 18% in 30 days

What are Kang Yu's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
28%
Self
25%
Bonds
16%
Power
13%
Survival
12%
Ideas
5%
Identity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 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 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 9

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 0 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 3 of 3 analyzed roles.

Shadow
3 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Thrilling
7
Dread
4
Melancholic
5
Hopeful
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Rousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous1

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 Kang Yu's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kang Yu'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

37 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Ghost Killer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • Operation Black-Ops(2024)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Lightkeeper of Jigu Temple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 24 episodes · as Liu Kanshan

  • Threads of the Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as 铜钱杀手

  • Nine-Ring Golden Dagger(2024)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Prosecutor(2024)

    as Kim Hung

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Death Game(2024)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • To Live Through Death(2024)

    as Pa Kun

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Sakra(2023)

    as You Ju

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Hunting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Hei Feng

  • Fierce Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • New Kung Fu Cult Master 2(2022)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • New Kung Fu Cult Master(2022)

    as He (xuanming duo junior)

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Mystery of Antiques: The Chinese Painting Code (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Raging Fire(2021)

    as Uncle Chuen

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Joker

  • Enter the Fat Dragon(2020)

    as Robber Leader

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Taibai Sword (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Producer

  • Revolt of Master Ma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Actor

  • Iceman: The Time Traveller(2018)

    as San Ko

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Attrition(2018)

    as Qmom

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Big Brother(2018)

    as Kane Luo

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Universe Of One's Own (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director · as Boss Wan

  • Zhang Sanfeng and Warriors of Last Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Timur

  • Return of Wong Fei Hung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Duan Tianci

  • Chasing the Dragon(2017)

    Action Director · as Chad

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Ip Man 3(2015)

    as Master Tam

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Kung Fu Jungle(2014)

    as Wang Chit

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Iceman(2014)

    as Niehu

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace(2014)

    Choreographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Special ID(2013)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Dragon(2011)

    as Yan Dongsheng

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Lost Bladesman(2011)

    Stunts

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Flash Point(2007)

    as Tony's Underling #2

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Dragon Tiger Gate(2006)

    as Shibumi

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Twins Effect(2003)

    Stunts · Actor

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • 正道非盗 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles, 36 of them dated from 2003 to 2026; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Chasing the Dragon (2017)

$88M worldwide

Highest rated

Dragon (2011)

Midcredits 81st

Most popular right now

The Prosecutor (2024)

Film career

20032026

Peak 2017 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. 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
Acting34 of 37: 30 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score46thDirecting2 of 37: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 37: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew4 of 37: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

37 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

2000s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew2010s16 · 13 acting · 6 crew2020s17 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 16 roles
0616

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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Kang Yu's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 24 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · actor

Attrition (2018)

78th percentile spread · 61% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Ip Man 3 (2015)

Midcredits 81st · 74% liked

Reviewers score the acting 59/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 33. 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 Kang Yu'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 29 · 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 Kang Yu work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kang Yu's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Donnie Yen shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers