From Undergoing Arms Training To Getting A Manual License: City Hunter Live-Action Star Reveals Intense Training For Ryo Saeba's Role

The latest City Hunter live-action film made its worldwide debut on Netflix on April 25, 2024, and actor Suzuki Ryohei’s portrayal of the Saeba Ryo in the film has captured the hearts of the audiences worldwide, with many praising him for the accurate depiction of the iconic character.

Turns out Suzuki went above and beyond to prepare for the role of Ryo Saeba in the film, with the aim of preserving the essence of the original manga while infusing the adaptation with realism and entertainment fit for a live-action film.

One of the most demanding aspects of the role for Suzuki was mastering the intricacies of firearm combat.

During filming, Suzuki tackled six types of firearms, practicing extensively with model guns to ensure seamless handling on set. But his dedication didn’t stop there. To truly understand the nuances of gun handling and recoil, Suzuki underwent four to five days of intensive training abroad, ensuring a realistic portrayal of firearm use in the film’s gun battles.

Adding a playful touch to the authenticity, the Colt Python used by Ryo in the film bears the initials “MK” of gunsmith Kenichiro Mashiba, a nod to the original manga series.

But Suzuki’s dedication didn’t stop at firearms training. In a testament to his commitment to the role, he obtained a manual driver’s license to operate the beloved red Mini Cooper featured prominently in both the manga and anime series.

“Once the script was finalized, I first got my manual driver’s license. Since my license was limited to automatic transmission, I needed to be able to drive the Mini Cooper for the role.“

City Hunter Live-Action Film released worldwide on Netflix on April 25, 2024.

Netflix produced this live-action and described it as, “a modern-day updated version of the manga, set in the bustling streets of Shinjuku”.

The live-action is directed by Yuichi Sato. Tatsuro Mishima was in charge of the script, and Yoshihide Otomo composed the music for the film.

Cast includes:

• Ryohei Suzuki as Ryo Saeba
• Misato Morita as Kaori Makimura
• Masanobu Ando as Hideyuki Makimura
• Fumino Kimura as Detective Saeko Nogami
• Tetta Sugimoto as Akitaka Ito
• Ayame Misaki as Tsukino Seta

The franchise had spawned a media franchise consisting of numerous adaptations and spin-offs from several countries. The franchise includes four anime television series, three anime television specials, two original video animations, several animated feature films (including a film released in February 2019), several live-action films (including a Hong Kong film starring Jackie Chan and a French film), video games, and a live-action Korean TV drama.

City Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991 and collected into 35 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha.

The manga was adapted into an anime television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987.

It also had a spin-off manga, Angel Heart, which in turn spawned its own anime television series and a live-action Japanese TV drama.

Source: Oricon