Japanese actor Kenji Ohba, star of hit 80s series Space Sheriff Gavan, dead at age 72

The death of Kenji Ohba was announced by stunt agency Japan Action Enterprise on Thursday (May 7).

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Japanese actor Kenji Ohba, who amassed a legion of fans worldwide for his role in the hit 1982 superhero series Space Sheriff Gavan, has died at the age of 72. His death was announced by stunt agency Japan Action Enterprise (JAE) on Thursday (May 7).

According to JAE, Ohba died on May 6 and had been undergoing medical treatment for an unspecified illness for some time.

The company wrote: “We respectfully announce this news together with our sincere gratitude for the kindness and support shown to him during his lifetime.”

JAE added that in accordance with the wishes of his family, Ohba's wake and funeral services will be conducted privately with close relatives only.

It was reported in 2018 that Ohba had been hospitalised after collapsing at home, with some news outlets claiming that he had suffered a stroke at the time.

Space Sheriff Gavan aired in Japan from March 1982 to February 1983 and chronicled the adventures of Retsu Ichijouji, a Space Sheriff tasked with protecting the world.

The series was broadcast in many countries, including Brazil, France, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Space Sheriff Gavan became so popular that it even entered the Malay lexicon; the word "gaban", derived from Gavan, came to be used as an adjective quantifier denoting a large size.

In 2012, Ohba reprised his role as Retsu Ichijouji for the first time in decades in the movie Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger VS Space Sheriff Gavan, which went on to earn 520,000,000 yen (US$3.3 million) at the Japanese box office.

In addition to Gavan, Kenji Ohba portrayed numerous other superheroes in his lifetime, including Battle Kenya in 1979's Battle Fever J and DenziBlue in 1980's Denshi Sentai Denziman.

Ohba also appeared alongside martial arts icon Sonny Chiba in Quentin Tarantino's action epic Kill Bill, where he played Shiro, the assistant of Chiba's Hattori Hanzo.

News of Ohba's death has triggered an outpouring of condolences from the Japanese entertainment industry, including his former co-stars.

Actor Ryota Ozawa, who starred alongside Ohba in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger VS Space Sheriff Gavan, wrote that Ohba had “such a strong presence”.

“I remember admiring him and thinking, ‘I want to become an adult like this someday,’” he added. “I will treasure the things he taught me and carry them with me always.”

Singer-actress Shoko Nakagawa praised Ohba, saying that she will “never forget him” for the rest of her life.

“DenziBlue, Battle Kenya, Gavan. It is because of the great presence of Mr Ohba that the history of heroes shines so brilliantly.”

The official accounts of the Super Sentai and Project Red franchises have also expressed their condolences. The latter series is currently airing a revival of Space Sheriff Gavan, titled Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity.

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