Sabu (サブ, Sabu, born November 18, 1964) is the pseudonym of Japanese actor and director Hiroyuki Tanaka. Born in Wakayama Prefecture, Sabu studied at an Osaka fashion school before deciding to go to Tokyo to become a professional musician. It was suggested he try acting and in 1986 he made his film debut in Sorobanzuku. He earned his first starring role in the 1991 World Apartment Horror, a live-action film directed by Katsuhiro Ōtomo of Akira fame. Working from a script he wrote himself, he made his directorial debut with the 1996 Dangan Runner, a film that set his early style of "quirky action-comedies propelled by characters who hurtle headlong though squirming narratives steered more by the forces of incidence and coincidence than the actions of the protagonists themselves." Shin'ichi Tsutsumi played the lead in Sabu's first five films. Blessing Bell, starring Susumu Terajima (who has played minor roles in nearly all of Sabu's films), was a turn away from his kinetic, parodic, and black comedy narratives, and earned the NETPAC Award at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. Later films featured the J-pop band V6. In 2009, he directed The Crab Cannery Ship, a modern adaptation of a classic of Japanese proletarian literature written by Takiji Kobayashi. He has continued to work as an actor, such as in Takashi Miike's Ichi the Killer (2001). His film Chasuke's Journey was selected to be screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 18, 1964 (61)
- Wakayama, Japan
- Director, actor and writer
- 12 on MovieCove · 43 credits in all
What are Sabu's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 4
Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3
Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 4
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2
Casual 1 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous3
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 Sabu's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Sabu'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
43 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Kuang wang jing tan(2026)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Under Your Bed(2023)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Redder Than Yesterday, Bluer Than Tomorrow: Cinema Fighters Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Jam: The Drama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
My Blood and Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Dancing Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Jam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Mr. Long(2017)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Silence(2016)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Chasuke's Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Miss Zombie(2013)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Bunny Drop(2011)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Trouble Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Kanikôsen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Sakuran(2006)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Dead Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Hold Up Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
A1012K (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Hard Luck Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Blessing Bell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Drive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Ichi the Killer(2001)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Monday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Unlucky Monkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Postman Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Dangan Runner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Don't Look Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
(Ura) Tôsatsu nanpa-dô (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Costume Club Wars - Angel of Sumata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Shinjuku Triad Society(1995)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Zeiram 2(1994)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Kiriko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
800 Two Lap Runners(1994)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Warrior's Justice 2: Full Battle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
New Book of the Waru 3: Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Kuma-chan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
High-Speed NSX: The Screaming Boogie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
A Legend of Turmoil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Savage City: Angel Whisper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
World Apartment Horror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Career shape
A full career of 43 titles, 42 of them dated from 1991 to 2023.
Biggest box office
Bunny Drop (2011)
Highest rated
Bunny Drop (2011)
Most popular right now
Ichi the Killer (2001)
Film career
- 1995Screen debut· Shinjuku Triad Society
Billing
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 Sabu's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 75/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Sabu work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sabu's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Takashi Miike shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Takashi MiikeShared titles: Ichi the Killer (2001), Shinjuku Triad Society (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Takashi Miike
Actors
- Tōru TezukaShared titles: Miss Zombie (2013), Ichi the Killer (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Tōru Tezuka
Composers and editors
- Junichi MatsumotoShared titles: Kuang wang jing tan (2026), Mr. Long (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Junichi Matsumoto
- Yasushi ShimamuraShared titles: Ichi the Killer (2001), Shinjuku Triad Society (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Yasushi Shimamura
Producers
- Shôzô IchiyamaShared titles: Kuang wang jing tan (2026), Mr. Long (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Shôzô Ichiyama
- Toshiki KimuraShared titles: Ichi the Killer (2001), Shinjuku Triad Society (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Toshiki Kimura