
Masanobu Ando
Known for Acting · 88 credits
- Born
- 1975-05-19 (age 51)
- Place of birth
- Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
- Also known as
- Masanobu Andô · Andō Masanobu · Masanobu Andō · Andô Masanobu · Masanobu Andou · Andou Masanobu
Biography
Masanobu Ando (安藤 政信, Andō Masanobu, born May 19, 1975 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and director.
For his second film, in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award, starring in Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return.
Ando has extensive experience in both Japanese television drama and film and has played a large variety of different roles: mentally challenged (Innocent World), bank robber (Space Travelers, Drive), doctor (Transparent), ninja and samurai (Red Shadow), even a corpse (Monday). Out of all of Ando's characters, he is best known for his role as Kazuo Kiriyama, the heartless, psychopathic killer in the controversial film, Battle Royale (2000). He also played an art forger in the low-budget Battle Royale parody Tokyo 10+01 (2003).
As well as acting, Ando has been in Japanese ad campaigns for the popular Japanese snack food, Pocky, Toyota, and for DoCoMo mobile phones.
In 2003, he directed his first film, Adagietto. Sehr langsam, starring Japanese actress, Kumiko Aso. The short is included in Hiroyuki Nakano's Peacedelic compilation called Short Films. In it, he also stars in the short, 県道スター (loosely translated to "Prefectural road star").
Known For
TV Shows (26)

Fishbowl Wives
2022
as Takuya Hiraga [Sakura's husband]

Code Blue
2008
as Shinkai Hiroki

Your Turn to Kill
2019
as Go Sano

House of the Owl
2024
as Ichiro Ogami

Keigo Higashino Mysteries
2012

シリーズ・横溝正史短編集
2016
as Haruki Kagawa

Voice
2019
as Kyosuke Kuon

The Ship of Theseus
2020
as Mikio Kimura

The Sun Does Not Move
2020
as Osamu Sakurai

Pandora's Fruit
2022
as Caen Karl

The Secret Lives of Kyoto Folk
2015

Love and Fortune
2018
as Tsuchiya Jo

The Royal Family
2025
as Hiroshi Hironaka

Destiny
2024
as Okuda Takashi

My Second Aoharu
2023
as Hinata Shogo

Gossip
2022
as Masaki Niwa

Cheers to Miki Clinic
2019
as Miki Shouichirou

Tokyo Houchi Shokudou
2021
as Kotaro Higashi

DIVER -Special Investigation Unit-
2020
as Naoya Date(伊達 直哉)

The Ideal Man
2021
as Mitsuyasu

When the Saints Go Marching In
1998
as Takahara Ren

Black Scandal
2018

Koi no sanriku ressha kon de iko!
2016
as Osako Tatsuya

Blue Days
1998
as Shuri Sawaki

それを愛とまちがえるから
2019
Tomodachi no Koibito
1997
Movies (62)

Battle Royale
2000
as Kazuo Kiriyama (Boy #6)

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
2021
as Shinsaku Takasugi

City Hunter
2024
as Hideyuki Makimura

Sadako vs. Kayako
2016
as Keizō Tokiwa

Sukiyaki Western Django
2007
as Yoichi

Still Life of Memories
2018
as Haruma

Code Blue: The Movie
2018
as Hiroki Shinkai

Railroad Man
1999
as Toshiyuki Yoshioka

Sakuran
2006
as Seiji

ZOKKI
2021

A Flower Aflame
2016
as Yasunori Ochi

Rex: A Dinosaur's Story
1993

Kids Return
1996
as Shinji

The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill
2021
as Suzuki

Space Travelers
2000
as Makoto Fujimoto

Monday
2000
as Mitsuo Kondo

Gonin Saga
2015
as Seiji Shikine

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 1: The Sun Flag
2011
as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale - Part 2: The Rainbow Bridge
2011
as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan

The Yin Yang Master Zero
2024
as Sadafumi Heguri

TAKAYUKI YAMADA DOCUMENTARY「No Pain, No Gain」
2019

Smuggler
2011
as Spine

Red Shadow
2001
as Akakage

Self-Bondage: All Tied Up with My Own Rope
2013
as Shuji Yamura

69
2004
as Adama

The Setting Sun
2022
as Jiro Uehara

Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation
2016
as Yasui

Rohan at the Louvre
2023
as Ryunosuke Tatsumi

Forever Enthralled
2008
as Ryuichi Tanaka

Strawberry Shortcakes
2006
as Kikuchi

Crickets
2006
as Taichi

Transparent: Tribute to a Sad Genius
2001
as Kenichi Satomi

Aegis
2005
as Don-chol

Thousand and One Nights
2022
as Yoji Tamura

Nightmare Detective
2007
as Detective Wakamiya

The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman
2011
as The Mute

Black Kiss
2004
as Tatsuo Sorayama

Day and Night
2019
as Kenichi Kitamura

Adrenaline Drive
1999
as Satoru Suzuki

Karaoke Terror
2003
as Sugioka

Ushijima the Loan Shark The Final
2016
as Hajime Gakuto

Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
2006
as Shiro Kazuki

Shooting Film is Battleground: Making of BATTLE ROYALE
2001
as Self

Kokoro
2016
as Jiro

Lenses on Her Heart
2018
as Yuji Kiba

Petal Dance
2013
as Naoto

Stay Mum
2024
as Yasuo Inukai

Drive
2002
as Kodama Makato

Synesthesia
2005
as Takashi Nohara

An Emblem Dedicated To You
2017
as Kamimura Ren

SHORT FILMS
2003

School Ghost Story: Curse Special
2000
as Satô

Innocent World
1998
as Takuya

No No Sleep
2015
as Japanese Man

Making-of Kids Return
1996
as Himself

Green Mind, Metal Bats
2006
as Ishioka

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
2012
as Genji Kojima, Constable at Tonbara clan

Tokyo 10+01
2002
as Fake

Making of 'Battle Royale'
2000
as Self

My Brother, The Android And Me
2022

Sakura
2021

Beautiful 2015
2015
About Masanobu Ando
Masanobu Ando (安藤 政信, Andō Masanobu, born May 19, 1975 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese actor and director. For his second film, in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award, starring in Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return. Ando has extensive experience in both Japanese television drama and film and has played a large variety of different roles: mentally challenged (Innocent World), bank robber (Space Travelers, Drive), doctor (Transparent), ninja and samurai (Red Shadow), even a corpse (Monday). Out of all o… With 88 credits spanning from 1993 to 2025, Masanobu Ando has appeared in 62 films and 26 TV shows.
Fans searching for Masanobu Ando movies, Masanobu Ando filmography, or the latest projects starring Masanobu Ando can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Masanobu Ando Movies
- Battle Royale (2000) — as Kazuo Kiriyama (Boy #6)
- Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021) — as Shinsaku Takasugi
- City Hunter (2024) — as Hideyuki Makimura
- Sadako vs. Kayako (2016) — as Keizō Tokiwa
- Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) — as Yoichi
Where to Watch Masanobu Ando Films
Most Masanobu Ando movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Masanobu Ando, check our movies catalogue and browse page.