Encore: Discover Show Kasamatsu’s Rapidly Growing International Catalog
In 2011, actor Show Kasamatsu moved from Aichi to Tokyo with strong hopes of breaking into Japan’s central entertainment hub. After nearly two years of trying, he gained his first acting credit with the psychological thriller film The Sacrifice Dilemma – Above (2013), where he played a supporting role as a student fighting for survival. With each new year, the budding actor eagerly took on any opportunity that came his way. To date, he has now gained over 100 credits across film and television. In a 2024 interview with Awards Radar, Kasamatsu explained his mindset when it comes to deciding which roles to take on: “I was born as an actor, I want to take on any challenge! Sometimes I [might] want to play a superhero, or a criminal, or fall in love with a prince or a princess, or go to space. I’m ready for any character.”
Outside of conquering a multitude of roles in his home country, Kasamatsu has begun trickling his way into the international entertainment sphere, first with his breakout role in Tokyo Vice (2022) and most recently with Taxi Driver 3 (2025). From big screen to small screen and one destination to the next, EnVi presents seven Show Kasamatsu projects for those looking to become familiar with the rising international star.
Establishing Roots in Japan
Following his first role in 2013, Kasamatsu continued with a streak of supporting roles in several projects, including My Loser Husband (2017), Like Shooting Stars in Twilight (2018), and Day and Night (2019). His first lead role came with the musical drama film Flowers and Rain (花と雨 Hana to Ame), which premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1, 2019.
Inspired by the album of the same name from Japanese hip-hop artist SEEDA and directed by Takafumi Tsuchiya, the film centers on Hakuhiro Yoshida (Kasamatsu), who returns to Japan after spending his childhood in London with his father and older sister, Saki (Ayaka Onishi). Despite the negative experiences he had abroad, Yoshida finds the atmosphere was more tolerable than that of collectivist Japan. As he deals with even more bullying than before, the young boy becomes socially isolated, with his dream of becoming a rapper being his only source of hope.
While trying to integrate into the underground rapping world, Yoshida, who comes from a relatively cushy financial background, struggles to craft lyrics that align with his perception of hip-hop culture. As he struggles to find his true artistry, Yoshida becomes involved in a life of crime, dealing drugs and interacting with local street gangs. With this new lifestyle yielding nothing but pain and despair, the aspiring rapper must learn to pull from a place of authenticity — even if that means addressing the parts of himself he tried to outrun.
Over the next two years following this role, Kasamatsu added nearly 20 credits to his ever-growing filmography. He had significant appearances in series and films like Dear Patient (2020), Dong Teng Town (2020), Bewitched by My Sexy Boyfriend (2021), and Love You As the World Ends (2021).
Tokyo Vice (2022 – 2024)
On September 21, 2021, the finalized cast of the HBO Max series Tokyo Vice was released, highlighting actors who would be joining as series regulars alongside Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe. Announced second in the lineup was Show Kasamatsu, who would later be revealed to play Akira Sato, a yakuza enforcer.
Based on the memoir of the same name, the crime drama follows American investigative journalist Jake Adelstein (Elgort), who becomes the first foreign employee at a major Japanese newspaper. As he becomes acquainted with local vice squad detective Hiroto Katagiri (Watanabe), the budding journalist becomes all too familiar with Tokyo’s criminal underworld. While in pursuit of rousing stories, Jake graces every section of the crooked hierarchy, which leads to the formation of some complicated connections. Outside of his interactions with Katagiri, another prominent partnership arises with the introduction of Akira Sato (Kasamatsu), a yakuza member who is disillusioned with the violent and restrictive lifestyle. Throughout the series, viewers see the cognitive dissonance that Sato experiences as he helps Jake investigate a trafficking operation. He also develops a relationship with foreign hostess Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller).
During an interview with Awards Daily, Jake Adelstein revealed that Akira Sato was actually a fictionalized addition to his real-life story. In the mind of the show’s creator, J.T. Rogers, Sato is presented as a parallel to Adelstein’s ascent in the journalistic ecosystem. Although he had reservations at first, Adelstein eventually accepted the idea with open arms, contributing personal knowledge of the yakuza to help craft a layered and believable character that audiences would take well to.
Gannibal (2022 – 2025)
Shortly after his successful international debut, Kasamatsu ended the year with yet another nuanced performance in the folk horror series Gannibal, where he took on a main role alongside Yuya Yagira. Based on the manga of the same name by Masaaki Ninomiya, the story focuses on the strange occurrences surrounding an allegedly cannibalistic family.
After his daughter is involved in a traumatic event, hot-tempered police officer Daigo Agawa (Yagira) takes on a new position in a seemingly quaint, remote village. Unaware of the strange disappearance of his predecessor, Agawa does his best to integrate into the small-town lifestyle for the sake of himself and his family. However, the peaceful atmosphere is quickly shattered when Gin Goto (Mitsuko Baisho), the matriarch of a powerful family, is found deceased in the woods. Upon investigation, Agawa finds her manner of death suspicious: there appear to be human teeth marks on her body. As he tries to decipher the lies of the Goto family, Agawa peels back the layers of a centuries-long secret.
On the other side of the investigation is the Goto family’s newest patriarch, Keisuke Goto (Kasamatsu). From the outside looking in, he seems like the perfect choice to lead the family lineage. Underneath his distant facade, however, Keisuke deals with immense anguish. Similar to his performance in Tokyo Vice, Kasamatsu finds himself taking on a character that has been bred into an environment that they can’t conform to. As he deals with external pressures from family and haunting visions of his deceased grandmother, Keisuke strategically fights to end the village’s wicked traditions.
Megan Thee Stallion’s Mamushi (ft. Yuki Chiba) (2024)
Are you ready for a music break? In late 2024, Kasamatsu’s international exposure continued to grow after an unexpected collaboration with award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Following the viral success of the track “Mamushi” (ft. Yuki Chiba) on her self-titled studio album Megan, the Houston native kept the good times coming with the release of an accompanying music video. Directed by Kevin “Onda” Leyva, the music video draws on several elements of Japanese culture, highlighting Japan’s pit viper (referred to as mamushi まむし), and making references to renowned films like Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990).
In a covert operation innocently housed in a local bathhouse, Yuki Chiba and Megan Thee Stallion team up to take advantage of gangsters. Their first victim of the day is Show Kasamatsu, who picks Stallion to join him as he partakes in the soothing atmosphere. However, the mood quickly turns sour when his host is revealed to be a yokai called a nure-onna 濡女 (literal translation: wet woman). Following the shocking reveal, the true purpose of the bathhouse operation comes to light. After the unsuspecting men are killed, their souls are revived and they become a part of a blue-faced army who adheres to every one of Megan’s commands.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2025)
In November 2023, it was announced that Kasamatsu would be joining the cast of Prime Video Australia’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Based on the Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name by Richard Flanagan, the five-episode series follows army surgeon Dorrigo Evans (whose younger version is played by Jacob Elordi) as he sifts through haunting memories of WWII and a forbidden love.
The only way out is through. Decades after being forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway (or the Death Railway) as a prisoner of war, an older Dorrigo Evans (played by Ciarán Hinds) struggles to fully integrate back into society due to repressed trauma. While in the midst of book launch prep in 1989, the emotions he’s tried to keep hidden away beg to be let out when the media begins to pry for the intimate details of his time in the war.
The narrative spans three timelines. Kasamatsu appears in Evans’ recollections of 1942 as Major Nakamura, one of the Japanese officers overseeing the railroad construction. Despite his heartless exterior, Nakamura displays moments of sympathy for the prisoners, who struggle to build the railroad at an adequate pace due to factors such as malnutrition and disease. Although he is in a higher position of power compared to the prisoners, Nakamura is also dealing with the underlying effects of the war. Throughout the operation, he attempts to advocate for the prisoners. However, he finds himself facing pushback from his superiors, who see the captives as subhuman.
At the end of the day, even in the face of countless atrocities, Nakamura ultimately chooses to show allegiance to his country. He believes there is no higher honor than strengthening the Japanese Empire.
Good News (2025)
A few months after that series, Kasamatsu checked off yet another destination. He made his Korean debut with the black comedy film Good News, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025. Inspired by the real-life events of the Yodogo Hijacking Incident in 1970, the film, directed by Byun Sung-hyun (Kingmaker, Kill Boksoon), centers on the chaotic rescue mission.
In the wake of rising political tensions, nine members of the Japanese Red Army Faction, led by Denji (Kasamatsu), successfully hijack a passenger plane as it departs Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The original destination of the flight was meant to be the Itazuke Airport located in Fukuoka, Japan, but the kidnappers, who have a strong interest in communism, demand to be taken to Pyongyang, North Korea. Once they arrive, they hope to strengthen their movement and overthrow the Japanese government.
Upon hearing of the abduction, the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) immediately takes action — or at least that’s what they want the public to think. The director of the organization, Park Sang-hyeon (Ryoo Seung-bum) lacks clear competence. He chooses to recruit an undocumented North Korean defector, Nobody (Sul Kyung-gu), and ROK Air Force personnel Seo Go-myung (Hong Kyung) to head the operation in his place. From making plays in the sky to putting on a literal play on the ground, will the two men be able to save the day, or will the operation go up in flames?
Taxi Driver Season 3 (2025)
In his last international project of the year, Kasamatsu made his Korean television debut, joining the third season of Taxi Driver. He starred alongside established actors such as Lee Je-hoon and Kim Eui-sung. An adaptation of the webtoon “Deluxe Taxi (Red Cage)” by Carlos and Lee Hae-jin, the action-revenge series follows former special forces officer Kim Do-gi (Lee), who works for the Rainbow Taxi Company. On the surface, the establishment seems like any other. In reality, it is a front for a secret revenge call service offered to victims of a flawed justice system.
Appearing as the primary antagonist in the third season’s opening two episodes, Kasamatsu takes on the role of Keita Matsuda, the head of a criminal organization that engages in illegal gambling and trafficking. After the Rainbow Taxi Company receives a call from a high-school student who fell victim to the mobile gaming app Neko Money, they immediately begin an investigation. As they retrace her steps, the team discovers that she has accumulated a massive amount of illegal loans and has been coerced into paying them off in Japan. What she thought would be a month-long repayment period turned out to be a permanent form of servitude.
What’s Next?
On January 21, 2026, it was reported that Kasamatsu had been cast in the upcoming Korean film Shave (Korean title: 면도 myeondo) alongside actress Roh Jeong-eui (Hierarchy) and ITZY’s Ryujin. The film is set to be the second film by Kim Jung-hoon, who made his directorial debut with the crime-drama film Tinker Ticker (Korean title: 들개; trans: wild dogs) in 2013. Production for the film will be overseen by Star Platinum, who previously worked on Good News. With filming just beginning, there is no set premiere date at this time.
Regarding other future endeavors, the sky might just be the limit for this rising actor. Shortly after the second season of Tokyo Vice premiered in 2024, it was revealed that Kasamatsu signed exclusive contracts with American-based artist management agencies CAA (Los Angeles) and Brookside Artist Management (New York). With an increase in global connections ahead and a truly impressive body of work behind him, you will never know where you might see Show Kasamatsu next — but you definitely will see more of him soon.
Looking for more ACT!ON content? Check out our breakdown of Netflix’s Japanese film “10DANCE” here!
