At first glance, one may hear the name Kenshiro Daniels and think of another member of the Philippines’ Japanese diaspora.
With players like Daisuke Sato and Hikaru Minegishi in the Azkals’ squad, it's an understandable conclusion to draw.
However, the story behind the California-born Daniels’ name instead involves a Hollywood star and one of the most iconic anime characters of all time.
Follow along with Main Stand to learn the remarkable story behind Sukhothai’s new ASEAN signing, Kenshiro Daniels.
The rise of Gary Daniels
It feels appropriate to start our story all the way back in the 1970s, a whole four decades before Kenshiro Daniels first made his debut for the Azkals.
That was around the time that his father, Gary Daniels, entered the world of martial arts.
Reportedly inspired by the trailer of a Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon, at the age of eight, Gary went on to study Kung Fu and Taekwondo.
He began competitive kickboxing in 1979 and built a strong record in the British and American amateur scene.
To further his rise, Gary turned his attention across the Atlantic, moving to the United States in his early 20s. He supplemented his development in martial arts by attending acting classes and taking up roles in commercials.
Before making it big in Hollywood, however, he would need to cross yet another ocean to make his big break. Daniels moved to the Philippines to star in action films such as Final Reprisal and The Secret of King Mahis Island.
He would later describe his two years in the Philippines as “the best years of [his] life,” in an interview with nanarland.com in 2008.
Having made his name in the film industry, more significant roles would follow in the early 1990s. He played the lead role in films such as Capital Punishment and American Streetfighter. He even featured alongside Jakie Chan in the movie City Hunter, who had been Gary’s idol since his teenage years.
“You are already dead”
The name ”Kenshiro” will certainly be familiar to anime fans.
It belongs to one of the most iconic characters in the entire medium, the main protagonist of the classic 1980s anime and manga series Fist of the North Star.
One of the most influential fictional properties of all time, its manga would go on to sell 100 million copies worldwide.
It inspired an entire generation of Shōnen anime and manga. Its hero Kenshiro captivated audiences with his bombastic displays of power and might, which have now become iconic around the world.
He is also known for uttering one of the most-quoted lines of dialogue ever; “Omae wa mō shindeiru” (lit. “you are already dead”), after which his opponent would inevitably meet their end.
As with many famous anime and manga properties, Fist of the North Star would attract the attention of Hollywood and was slated for a live-action film adaptation in 1995. With the property drawing influence from kung-fu and martial arts movies such as those of Bruce Lee, it was only fitting that it would turn into one itself.
Tipped to play the role of Kenshiro in the American adaptation was none other than Gary Daniels, who had developed quite a reputation as a lead action star.
It was during his time playing the post-apocalyptic martial arts hero that Gary’s son was born.
“He was conceived while I was shooting that film and we would call him [Kenshiro] while he was in the belly as a joke,” Gary explained in the same aforementioned interview. “When he was born, I hadn’t really thought of any other name so it stuck.”
A Superhero on the pitch?
Unlike many of the foreign-born players in the Azkals squad, Kenshiro has spent his entire professional career in the Philippines league.
After playing high school football in the United States, he made his professional debut in 2013 with Kaya F.C.-Iloilo at 18. His senior debut for the national team came just one year after, as he was selected for the Azkals 2014 AFF squad.
That same year was also a major breakout campaign for Kenshiro at club level, as he netted an impressive 11 goal contributions from 21 league appearances for Kaya. He would go on to be a mainstay in their forward line, as the club would challenge Ceres Negros (now United City) on the domestic front.
The nature of domestic football in the Philippines has led many players to seek opportunities elsewhere. The introduction of the Thai League’s ASEAN quota in 2019 came as a huge boon for the Azkals’ top stars, who were suddenly in high demand and had plenty of opportunities to play in the region’s fastest-developing league.
Kenshiro, however, opted to remain loyal to his club and continue to develop with them; a decision which was rewarded in 2021 when the side qualified for the AFC Champions League proper for the first time in their history.
After seeing off a Shanghai Port reserve team in qualifying, the Filipino side were drawn into a group with V. League 1 winners Viettel FC, South Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai and Thai champions BG Pathum United, with the latter hosting all of the group’s matches.
Now well-established as the side’s main striker, and with plenty of experience in the AFC Cup, Kenshiro took the opportunity to show his quality on Asia’s biggest stage.
Despite failing to pick up any points from their outing, many of the side’s players made an impression on the Thai League scouts in attendance. Dylan De Brucker completed a move to Nakhon Ratchasima shortly after the campaign, while Marco Casambre joined Sukhothai, teaming up once again with coach Dennis Amato who previously signed him to Chainat Hornbill.
Despite the interest in Kenshiro from the Thai League, he would instead make a move to United City, giving him another chance to compete in the AFC Champions League. Once again, he would play in a group hosted by BG Pathum, this time alongside Jeonnam Dragons and Melbourne City.
Kenshiro featured in all six matches, forming a contingent of players to earn Thai League moves thanks to their impressive performances at the BG Stadium.
Pete Forrosuelo, Mark Hartmann, and Hikaru Minegishi were all snapped up by second-tier sides. However, after scoring four goals in six games domestically and earning a starting spot for the Azkals at the AFF Cup 2022, Kenshiro was snapped up by the Fire Bats.
Sukhothai experienced something of a crisis up top during the first leg of their T1 return, with foreign imports Admir Bajrovic and Nicolas Velez both failing to impress coach Dennis Amato. The German boss took the chance to reshape his forward line during the winter transfer window, welcoming back club legend John Baggio while retaining center-forward Osman Sow to lead the line.
That left the missing piece in Amato’s jigsaw as a striker who can work tirelessly to press the opposition and close down space. Ideally, this would also be someone who has the speed and awareness to force high turnovers or make a difference on the counter-attack.
Enter Kenshiro - an energetic and industrious attacker who is comfortable anywhere across the forward line.
His debut at the weekend against Buriram United showed that he is a perfect fit for the side’s new-look attack. Now, all that remains to be seen whether he is the hero Sukhothai need to fight off the threat of relegation and protect their Thai League 1 status.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Daniels
https://www.transfermarkt.com/kenshiro-daniels/profil/spieler/307435
https://www.nanarland.com/interviews/entretiens/en/gary-daniels.html
