Ken Nishida

西田健

Nishida Ken (born June 24, 1945) is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is known for his performances in Return of Ultraman, Eyeful Daisakusen, Uchuu Keiji Gavan, Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger, G-Men '75, and Shin Kyoto Meikyuu Annai. His guest appearances have spanned multiple episodes of Key Hunter, Mito Koumon, Taiyou ni Hoero!, Zenigata Heiji, and Abarenbou Shougun. He is also a frequent guest star in the two-hour prime-time special drama format, having appeared 35 times on Tuesday Kayou Suspense Gekijou and 25 times on Saturday Doyou Wide Gekijou. As a veteran jidaigeki actor, Nishida played the recurring villain Mugensai, who orchestrated the plot to assassinate the shogun in the series Shogun Iemitsu Shinobi Tabi Part II. He portrayed Asano Daigaku, the younger brother of the daimyo whose forced seppuku sparked the events of the Forty-seven ronin, in The Fall of Ako Castle. A modern role was featured in the 1986 Kei Kumai film adaptation Umi to Doku, based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo. Three films from the Gokudou no Onna-tachi series of gangster movies are also credited to him. In anime, Ken provided the Japanese voice for Gouda Kazundo in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG.