Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#346
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Kenjiro Tsuda represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 26 years in, and Kenjiro is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Kenjiro Tsuda appears in 46 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Kenjiro. Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent is the clearest case: a film rated 10.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for romance, music, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Shukou Murase, Tomoaki Koshida, Tomohiko Ito and others, Kenjiro Tsuda helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent (2026) as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice) · Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur- (2026) as Shoichi Yajima (voice) · Revue Starlight: The Movie (2021) as Giraffe (voice)
Career snapshot
Ranked #346 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
46
2000–2026
Career length
26 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
10.0
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
Average Nutevio score
6.7
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
10.0
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
Most frequent director
Shukou Murase
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Shukou Murase
Most common genre
Animation
35 titles
Average runtime
1h 37m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.9
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
7.5 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. Yi Yi — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
7.5
Across 1 catalogue film in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
8.0
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Yi Yi.
Most productive era
2020s
39 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 7.51 film | 6.62 films | 6.921 films |
| Action | — | 6.23 films | 6.817 films |
| Comedy | — | 7.51 film | 7.07 films |
| Crime | — | 7.21 film | 6.72 films |
| Romance | — | 6.32 films | 7.25 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2000Yi Yi
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Robata Restaurant Clerk.
First Nutevio masterpiece · Highest rated performance · Career peak
2026Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
The first film here to clear 9.0 on our scale — a threshold fewer than one film in ten reaches. 10.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room - Capital Crisis
The current state of the argument, as Kazumi Shiba.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
46 of 46 films
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
Directed by Tomoaki Koshida
as Shoichi Yajima (voice)
Directed by Unknown
as Sokichi Narumi / Kamen Rider Skull (voice)
Directed by Unknown
as Giraffe (voice)
Directed by Unknown
as (voice)
Directed by Tomohiko Ito
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
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The defining work
#1
Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent (2026)
Performance score9.7
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Hokuto Mizorogi (voice) gives Kenjiro Tsuda a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Shoichi Yajima (voice)
Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur- (2026)
Performance score8.6
Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur- asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Shoichi Yajima (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Sokichi Narumi / Kamen Rider Skull (voice)
Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull (2024)
Performance score8.3
Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Sokichi Narumi / Kamen Rider Skull (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Giraffe (voice)
Revue Starlight: The Movie (2021)
Performance score8.1
Revue Starlight: The Movie asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Giraffe (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
Start here. Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent is the clearest statement of what Kenjiro Tsuda does — accessible, 87 minutes, and rated 10.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Kenjiro at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Revue Starlight: The Movie (2021)
Keeps the fantasy register of Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent but asks for a colder reading of it.
Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull (2024)
Same director as Revue Starlight: The Movie, different problem to solve. Watching them in order shows how much of the effect was the collaboration.
Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur- (2026)
Same director as Fuuto PI: The Portrait of Kamen Rider Skull, different problem to solve. Watching them in order shows how much of the effect was the collaboration.
The Keeper of the Camphor Tree (2026)
Keeps the drama register of Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur- but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Eisaku Kawanami
Director
2 films together
Notably Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
Hoshino Kazunari
Director
2 films together
Notably True Beauty: The Movie - Part 2
Mamoru Hosoda
Director
2 films together
Notably Belle
Shukou Murase
Director
2 films together
Notably MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM HATHAWAY The Sorcery of Nymph Circe
Edward Yang
Director
1 film together
Notably Yi Yi
Tatsuya Ishihara
Director
1 film together
Notably Sound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day
Takaomi Kanasaki
Director
1 film together
Notably KONOSUBA – God's blessing on this wonderful world! Legend of Crimson
Shingo Natsume
Director
1 film together
Notably ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. - Regards
Kyohei Ishiguro
Director
1 film together
Notably Bright: Samurai Soul
Shinji Aramaki
Director
1 film together
Notably Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War
Sunghoo Park
Director
1 film together
Notably Jujutsu Kaisen 0
Masaaki Yuasa
Director
1 film together
Notably Inu-Oh
Shinji Higuchi
Director
1 film together
Notably Shin Ultraman
Yoshimi Itazu
Director
1 film together
Notably The Concierge
Ayuko Tsukahara
Director
1 film together
Notably My Happy Marriage
Tatsuyuki Nagai
Director
1 film together
Notably Fureru
Chika Nagaoka
Director
1 film together
Notably Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram
Shigeaki Kubo
Director
1 film together
Notably Golden Kamuy
Yoshiaki Murao
Director
1 film together
Notably Trillion Game
Shota Goshozono
Director
1 film together
Notably JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution
Tatsuya Yoshihara
Director
1 film together
Notably Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc
Aya Matsuki
Director
1 film together
Notably Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room - Capital Crisis
Shoji Kawamori
Director
1 film together
Notably Labyrinth
Tomohiko Ito
Director
1 film together
Notably The Keeper of the Camphor Tree
Tomoaki Koshida
Director
1 film together
Notably Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Shukou Murase
Director
2 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM HATHAWAY The Sorcery of Nymph CirceMamoru Hosoda
Director
2 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
BelleHoshino Kazunari
Director
2 films together · 7.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
True Beauty: The Movie - Part 2Eisaku Kawanami
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Free! the Final Stroke the First VolumeTomoaki Koshida
Director
1 film together · 10.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the SerpentTatsuya Yoshihara
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze ArcTomohiko Ito
Director
1 film together · 8.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Keeper of the Camphor TreeSunghoo Park
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jujutsu Kaisen 0Shinji Higuchi
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Shin UltramanTakaomi Kanasaki
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
KONOSUBA – God's blessing on this wonderful world! Legend of CrimsonEdward Yang
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Yi YiMasaaki Yuasa
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Inu-OhAyuko Tsukahara
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Happy MarriageShingo Natsume
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. - RegardsTatsuya Ishihara
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New DayShigeaki Kubo
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Golden KamuyChika Nagaoka
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar PentagramYoshimi Itazu
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ConciergeShinji Aramaki
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable WarShoji Kawamori
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
LabyrinthTatsuyuki Nagai
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FureruShota Goshozono
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
JUJUTSU KAISEN: ExecutionYoshiaki Murao
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Trillion GameKyohei Ishiguro
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bright: Samurai SoulAya Matsuki
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room - Capital CrisisSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Samurai Ballerina -L'étoile de Paris en fleur-
as Shoichi Yajima (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Yi Yi
as Robata Restaurant Clerk
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Kenjiro Tsuda has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
26 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Animation Legend
Awarded
35 catalogue titles in animation, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Love on Trial
as Koichi Yoshida
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Mononoke the Movie: Chapter III - The Curse of the Serpent
as Hokuto Mizorogi (voice)
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Golden Kamuy
as Narrator (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Free! the Final Stroke the First Volume
as Seijuro Mikoshiba (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Revue Starlight: The Movie
as Giraffe (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
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Michael Caine
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David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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