How Takeshi Kitano Reinvented Cool

You may know him as Takeshi Kitano or Beat Takeshi. You might have seen him in Battle Royale or Ghost in the Shell. You might have watched the Japanese game show he hosted. You may have even played his video game. Kitano has done a little bit of everything. And he made it all look so cool. But how did this one man become so prolific?
Early and Comedic Beginnings
Kitano’s iconography can be traced back to his childhood. He grew up in the working-class part of Tokyo known as Adachi. There were two types of idols Kitano had during the time: baseball players and the yakuza. Since there were more professional yakuza than professional baseball players in his neighborhood, the life of a gangster seemed more attainable.
But it wasn’t crime that was in Kitano’s future. It was comedy. After dropping out of college at 19, he aimed to become a comedian. This was the early 70s.
After several odd jobs, including a lift operator at a strip club, he met fellow comedian Nirō Kaneko. The two joined forces and decided to choose stage names for their comedy. They formed a team called Two Beats. So Takeshi Kitano and Nirō Kaneko became Beat Takeshi and Beat Kaneko.
For the 1970s Japanese comedy scene, the Beat brothers pushed the envelope with their humor. While comedy duos were not uncommon for the era, they were not as provocative and controversial as Two Beats. The bulk of that material came from Kitano himself. His jokes often involved mocking the elderly, ridiculing the poor, and exposing himself. His comedy pushed so many buttons, especially on television. One performance on NHK where Kitano exposed himself got him banned from the studio for five years.
Kitano’s comedy had flourished, but he decided to take a different direction. During the 1980s, he broke things off with Kaneko to fly solo. It turned out Kitano had the chops to sling jokes with the best of the best. Throughout the 80s, he was considered one of the top TV comedians.
Becoming an Actor
Kitano’s grander ambitions of becoming an actor came about with the 1983 film, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Set during World War 2, Kitano would play a gruff prisoner-of-war camp sergeant. This was a pretty big role considering he’d be working with legendary director Nagisa Ōshima. He also had the pleasure of being cast in a film alongside David Bowie. Yes, THAT David Bowie.
[show clip of Bowie singing Dance Magic Dance in Labyrinth]
Kitano’s role was a real change of pace because there was nothing comedic about it. He’d have to play a serious, intimidating figure, leaving no room for his usual brand of absurd comedy. While filming, Kitano thought he came across as serious. When he watched the film in a theater, not so much. He took note of how the audience still laughed anytime Kitano popped on the screen. They just couldn’t stop thinking about the actor’s previous work as a comedian.
A lesser man might have taken the film as a sign to call it quits with the serious. But this is Kitano we’re talking here. He knew he didn’t become a comedian overnight. It’d take more than one film to make him a star. Little did Kitano know, however, that he wasn’t just bound to become an actor. He was going to be a director. Before that, however, he had his own castle. Well, on television at least.
The Man in the Wild Castle
Prior to his bigger break in movies, Kitano hosted the game show Takeshi’s Castle in 1986. And by game show, we mean a themed physical challenge contest. Yes, long before the days of Wipeout and American Ninja, there was Takeshi’s Castle.
The slapstick competition would eventually be broadcast in America during the 2000s. This version, however, was heavily butchered and retitled “Most Extreme Challenge.” The show was heavily edited and given a mocking English dub that was 100% unfaithful to the original.
[show clips from the terrible English dub of Most Extreme Challenge]
And this was after two previous attempts to air the show as King of the Mountain and Storm the Castle.
Why did American TV networks keep trying to localize Takeshi’s Castle? Well, because it was massively popular. It ran for 133 episodes between 1986 and 1990. The show’s popularity can be traced to the reality TV of today. Recently, the show was revived in 2023, with Beat Takeshi himself returning to oversee the chaos. Between the original and revival, however, is where Beat Takeshi truly became cool....
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[@user-bw2ew3py7i]

For those unaware or unfamiliar with Takeshi Kitano, I’d say start with Violent Cop or Zatoichi.

[@splatcreator]

Nicely summarized. Kitano is a legend for sure but very rarely covered in mainstream. Thanks 🙌

[@MR_JG792]

Man, this video was such a cool video. l feel like There aren't really any video essays on the man and this was such a well done video. Cheers brother, thanks for the video.

[@flicksideofficial]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🙌

[@Carnomus]

damn I expected this video to have thousands of views, its very well put together

[@flicksideofficial]

Thank you ❤ Don’t forget to pass it along to your cinephile friends 😊