Japanese star Yutaka Takenouchi entered the Godzilla franchise with the Japanese Academy Award Best Picture Shin Godzilla (2016), but his tenure in tokusatsu franchises didn't end with the King of the Monsters. Though he played Prime Minister's Aide, Hideki Akasaka, in the aforementioned Godzilla triumph, he's merely billed as a "Government Official" in Shin Ultraman (2022) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023). Since then fans have theorized that Takenouchi is, in fact, playing Akasaka in all three movies, thus linking the three Shin Japan Heroes Universe (SJHU) films into the same universe.
"Although they are probably completely different people, they are actually the same person," Takenouchi weighed in, "However, it is not clearly defined as a specific role or person, so I intentionally grayed out that part in my mind when performing."
Takenouchi was frank, that he doesn't really know whether or not the man he plays in all three SJHU movies is Akasaka, but he likes to think so.
"To be honest, only Director Anno knows the real answer. I, who actually plays the part, haven't been given any clear details. Personally, I try to make it look like the same person in terms of how I speak, how I use my personality, and how I use facial expressions. I thought I would be happy if a mystery was born from a strange connection."
In the book, "Shin Ultraman Design Works", Anno seems to hint that Takenouchi is the same character. However, it is important to remember that he introduces himself as "Tachibana" in Shin Kamen Rider. Whether this is his real name or an alias is certainly up for interpretation.
Since the three live action SJHU movies are produced by unrelated studios, there could be an issue with Anno, or the actors, explicitly claiming there are crossover characters. However, Takenouchi seems to enjoy the similarities he's built between each performance.
What do you think? Is Hideki Akasaka the connective tissue between the three, live action SJHU films? Sound off!
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Source:
Pinzuba
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