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Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the actor widely known as Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, died on December 4, 2025, at age 75. His manager, Margie Weiner, confirmed to the Associated Press that Tagawa died in Santa Barbara, California, surrounded by family, from complications due to a stroke.
What Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was known for
For many viewers, Tagawa’s defining role was Shang Tsung, the sorcerer and antagonist in Mortal Kombat. The Los Angeles Times called it his best-known role, and the Television Academy lists Mortal Kombat among his screen credits. His work on the property also reached video games: he appeared in Mortal Kombat and Tekken credits listed by the Television Academy.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Mortal Kombat (Blu-Ray) | $11.55 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Mortal Kombat [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41wNrnAqKZL._SL160_.jpg)
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Mortal Kombat [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray] | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Mortal Kombat Triple Feature (Mortal Kombat / Mortal Kombat: Annihilation / Mortal Kombat: Legacy) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sjEXbur+L._SL160_.jpg)
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Mortal Kombat Triple Feature (Mortal Kombat / Mortal Kombat: Annihilation / Mortal Kombat: Legacy)... | $10.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Mortal Kombat II (Blu-ray + Digital) | $22.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Mortal Kombat (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) | $14.95 | Buy on Amazon |
Tagawa’s manager remembered him as “a rare soul: generous, thoughtful, and endlessly committed to his craft,” the AP reported.
A career from The Last Emperor onward
Breakthrough in film
Tagawa’s career gained momentum with Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor (1987), in which he played Chang. The film helped establish a screen career that crossed genres and decades.
#1 Best Overall
- Mortal Kombat (2021)
Selected film and television credits
Among the later film credits highlighted by the AP are Licence to Kill, Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, and Memoirs of a Geisha. The Television Academy also lists television work including The Man in the High Castle. These roles show a career broader than his signature martial-arts fantasy character.
Martial arts beyond the screen
Tagawa also developed Ninjah Sportz, a martial-arts training system. As he described it, the practice was intended as a tool for training and healing, rather than a competitive fighting system.
Rank #2
- Smart Earthlings must win a martial-arts battle in another dimension or see their world enslaved.
Tagawa on Asian actors and Hollywood
In a 2005 interview with Midweek, Tagawa assessed the industry this way: “The good news for Asian actors and Hollywood is that it’s better than it’s ever been, but the bad news is that it hasn’t changed that much.” That was his view at the time, not a current measure of the industry.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
- Bonus Content
- Blu-ray
- Digital Copy
Rank #3
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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