Munetaka Aoki

The graphic design career that ended in a brawl

Munetaka Aoki was never the typical teen magazine heartthrob in Japan. In 1980, he was born in the city of Yao, in Osaka Prefecture. His original training had nothing to do with scripts or cameras.

He was studying graphic design and planned to build a career around paintbrushes or layout software. But movies crossed his path in 2002 with a small role in the production of Battle Royale II: Requiem.

And the change was permanent.

During his first years in the business, he worked on low-profile projects. He appeared in Umizaru in 2004 and in Hagetaka in 2009. But his imposing physique led directors to offer him characters with more dramatic weight.

The obsession with the weight of weapons

In 2012, his career took a turn with the release of Rurouni Kenshin. He played Sanosuke Sagara, and audiences connected with his raw energy. For that shoot, he had to handle an oversized sword called the Zanbatō.

He didn't use stunt doubles for most of the physical contact scenes. Aoki spent months training so his movements wouldn't look like dance choreography. In samurai films, the weight of the weapon has to be felt in every frame.

The actor steers clear of easy roles.

In 2016, he married actress Yua Shikawa. The Japanese tabloid press tried to follow his every move, but he kept his private life under lock and key. He prefers people to talk about his work in films like Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese in 2016.

Breaking into Korean cinema

In 2023, Aoki decided to try his luck in South Korean action cinema. He accepted the role of Ricky in The Roundup: No Way Out. It was a risky bet, since he was the first Japanese villain in the franchise.

He learned his lines in Korean through phonetics to add realism. The film grossed $78 million in its domestic market alone. That's how his name started to gain serious traction beyond Japan's borders.

And the gamble paid off.

In 2023, he also appeared in Godzilla Minus One, playing Sosaku Tachibana under the direction of Takashi Yamazaki. Filming took place mainly on location in Ibaraki Prefecture. The production's budget barely topped $15 million.