Kenji Ohba, original Space Sheriff Gavan, has died
Kenji Ohba, the actor who originated Space Sheriff Gavan (Retsu Ichijouji), has died. Ohba also appeared in Super Sentai productions and became known for performing many of his own stunts on and off camera. His trademark Gavan transformation sequence and on-screen fights exemplified tokusatsu action choreography and stunt technique. Ohba's decades-long career shaped how masked heroes are presented and influenced generations of tokusatsu actors and stunt performers.
Today we learn of the sad passing of Kenji Ohba. With roles as Gavan, Battle Kenya, DenziBlue, a wide range of characters and suit work in tokusatsu over many decades, he truly was one of the very best. Our hearts go out to his loved ones. Rest in peace to a legendary hero. #大葉健二
ChaosOverlordZ4last year, me and my boss/friend watched Gavan. Oh the fun, the cheese. It was enjoyable. I am saddened to hear of his passing.
Renato4One of the greatest in the Tokusatsu industry. Hope the guys in Gavan Infinity could do a proper homage in the series up to the end in July. The first Gavan deserves all the praise.
T Videshow2Stay heroic Kenji, forever always. 🙏🫡
RIP Kenji Ohba, one of my favorite tokusatsu actors. A brilliant example of the power of finding a charismatic stunt performer and putting them at the center of your show. Always moving dynamically, jumping over things that could simply be walked around, and just a joy to see on screen.
Nihilistic Wrong Hordak 🏳️⚧️3I just started watching Gavan recently and it is so good. It’s one of the few shows I’ve watched and wished I could have seen as a kid because it is everything I loved. RIP 💜
Chris Martin2Aw man, what a loss! Pretty sure he was the inspiration for the parody character Kogoro from Sgt. Frog - always laughing, posing, and never walking anywhere when he could thrust himself forward dramatically.
