Koichi Sakamoto

Koichi Sakamoto
Born	September 29, 1970 (age 54) Adachiku, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Stunt coordinator, stuntman, director, producer
Years Active	1991 - present
Spouse	Unknown (divorced) Motoko Nagino (2002 - present)
Profile	Alpha Stunts
External Links

Koichi Sakamoto is a Japanese director, producer and stunt actor, who is prominent in tokusatsu.

Career

As well as the Ultraman Series, Sakamoto is well-known for his work in the Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers franchises. He worked on several episodes in Gokaiger, and was principle director for Kyoryuger. In Power Rangers, he directed fight scenes for Mighty Morphin, directed more, until becoming a producer and drafting storyboards for In Space. He continued work on the series after Ninja Storm, but not as stunt coordinator.

Directing Style

While directing the series, Sakamoto is fond of action female characters and demonstrated affinity for the characters' own movement and coordination. His inspiration comes mainly from Chinese action films, including those of Jackie Chan.

Personal Life

He is married to actress Motoko Nagino and has a daughter named Matilda and a son named Yuri.

Directing Works

Ultraman Series

• Ultraman Ginga S (2014) - Main Director
  • The Opening Force
  • Ginga VS Victory
  • Pride of a Warrior
  • The Adventure Called Life
  • The Fight for Tomorrow

• Ultraman X (2015)
  • All for One
  • When the Aegis Shines
  • End of the Rainbow
  • Sword of Victory
  • The Shining Sky, and the Land Beneath It

• Ultraman Geed (2017) - Main Director
  • Welcome to the Secret Base
  • The Girl Who Cuts Monsters
  • Salaryman Zero
  • A Job Where You Investigate Aliens
  • The First Day of the End of the World
  • The King's Miracle! Time to Change Fate!!
  • The Fragments of Hope
  • The Symbol of Geed

• Ultraman Z (2020)
  • The Man Returns!
  • His Majesty's Medal
  • The Mystic Power
  • Individual Tomorrows
  • Prelude to a Nightmare

• Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga (2021) - Main Director
  • Connection of Light
  • Leap to the Future
  • The Ultra-Ancient Light and Darkness
  • The Golden Threat
  • Operation Dragon
  • My Friend
  • The Ruler of Shadows
  • To the Ones Who Believe in Smiles / Pull the Trigger

• Ultraman Decker (2022)
  • The Light of Hope from the Red Planet
  • Light and Darkness, Again
  • Standing Tall for Someone Special
  • Invitation from Another Dimension
  • Warriors on the Moon

Film Series

• Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy: The Movie (2009) - Main Director
• Ultraman Ginga S The Movie: Showdown! The 10 Ultra Warriors! (2015) - Main Director
• Ultraman Geed The Movie: Connect the Wishes! (2018) - Main Director

Spin-Offs Series

• Ultra Fight Victory (2015) - Main Director
• Ultra Fight Orb (2017)
• Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes (2019) - Main Director
• Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy (2020) - Main Director
• Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad (2022) - Main Director
• Ultraman Regulos (2023) - Main Director
• Ultraman Regulos: First Mission (2023) - Main Director

Gallery

Trivia

• His favorite Ultraman Series is Ultraman Leo and even considers directing its reboot should he be given the chance. His favorite Ultras are Ultraman Leo, Ultraman Zero, and Ultraman Geed. His favorite Kaiju is Zetton.
• His father runs an aluminum factory and had planned to have Koichi inherit the company should he be unsuccessful in his career by the age of 30.
• Sota Fukushi (the actor of Gentaro Kisaragi in Kamen Rider Fourze) mentioned that Sakamoto is just "a young boy growing up".
• Sakamoto is bilingual, as he speaks Japanese and English, due to his nationality being in USA.
• When watching the first episode of Ultraman Blazar as a reference to record a promo for the series, he was surprised to learn that Hideyoshi Iwata was voicing Ultraman Blazar, as he recognised Iwata's voice and wondered why it had been left in the final product before being informed by staff.