In Memoriam: Sonny Chiba (1939-2021)

Thursday started off for a lot of us here in the morning with word that actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba reportedly passed away at the age of 82 from pneumonia related to Covid-19. Japanese outlets initially broke the news followed by trade sources confirming the updates thereafter, with further news circulating on social media.

Chiba was an accomplished athlete and martial artist who began his career in entertainment around 1960, with a list of credits spanning over 100 film titles for Toei, notably including movies that would showcase his proficiency in martial arts and screenfighting in cult hits like Karate Warrior, Wolf Guy and The Street Fighter franchise; Some of his recent credits include Deadly Outlaw: Rekka, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Ryuji Yamakita’s upcoming debut feature, Bond Of Justice: Kizuna.

I personally haven’t seen enough out of Chiba’s filmography to write a whole perceptive biographical review of his work, and that’s mainly due to access. Nonetheless, I can assert that his legacy won’t go forgotten going forward. His films are still the cream of the crop for many niche Blu-Ray re-releases. Gladly, the first time Chiba fell on my radar was Shigehiro Ozawa’s line of The Street Fighter films back in the VHS days of the 90s, followed by his guest appearances with starring actress Etsuko Shihomi with the Sister Street Fighter saga.

I’ve always planned on catching more of Sonny’s work before long, but now just feels like the right time to make good on that, so, this might be the weekend to do it. Sonny will be sorely missed by all, including and especially by our own Matt Essary who followed up on Twitter with his own reflections on the star’s contributions to the craft.

Hug your loved ones, folks. And please get vaccinated.