From Live-Action Prince to Global Star: How Kento Yamazaki Conquered Netflix

Breaking down the facts behind From Live-Action Prince to Global Star: How Kento Yamazaki Conquered Netflix—uncover what experts are saying.

Escaping romantic drama is one thing; carrying massive physical production weight is another. When Toho and Sony Pictures Japan announced the live-action adaptation of Yasuhisa Hara’s historical war manga Kingdom in 2018, industry watchers were skeptical. The manga’s protagonist, Shin, is a wild, dirt-smeared war orphan who screams his ambitions to the heavens and wields a heavy broadsword against seasoned military generals. It was miles away from polished school uniforms.

Director Shinsuke Sato pushed Yamazaki into intensive physical training. He lost body fat, rebuilt lean muscle mass, and spent months learning broadsword combat alongside stunt coordinator Yuji Shimomura. Filmed under extreme heat in China and Japan, Yamazaki threw himself into continuous fight sequences, taking direct hits and rolling through muddy trenches. The gamble paid off handsomely. The first Kingdom film grossed ¥5.73 billion ($40+ million) at the Japanese box office in 2019, securing its place as the top-grossing domestic live-action release of that year.

The franchise proved durable, spawning multi-film sequels that maintained identical commercial dominance. Rather than softening the character for mainstream appeal, Yamazaki leaned into Shin's raw, unvarnished grit. He leveraged this hardened screen presence again for the 2024 adaptation of Satoru Noda’s Golden Kamuy, stepping into the role of Saichi "Immortal" Sugimoto, a Russo-Japanese war veteran covered in scars. By trading manicured perfection for battlefield blood and grit, Yamazaki silenced lingering critics who once dismissed him as an actor reliant on good lighting.