Actor Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa has passed away at age 75 due to complications from suffering a stroke. He portrayed countless characters in a lengthy career that saw him tackle projects such as The Man in the High Castle, Planet of the Apes, and The Last Emperor. But to legions of video game fans, he will always be Shang Tsung, the villain in the first and best Mortal Kombat film.
When he looked at fallen foes and delivered the sorcerer's iconic "Your Soul Is Mine!" we felt it in our bones. Decades later, it's hard to imagine anyone else embodying the soul-snatching baddie. He returned to the role in 2019's Mortal Kombat 11. MK Co-Creator Ed Boon remembered him on X:
We lost a legend today. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa @CHTOfficial played Shang Tsung in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film and sadly passed away at age 75. We had the privilege of his portrayal on the first MK film but also as an amazing voice actor in the Mortal Kombat 11 game.
— Ed Boon (@noobde) December 5, 2025
Cary was one… pic.twitter.com/iAnTc0odGH
He was so authentic in the martial arts blockbuster because he was well versed in both Kendo and Chun-Shin. And not all of his fighting experience came in sparring contests.
"I was born in Tokyo and began training in Kendo,” Tagawa told Deadline in 2010.“Then, when I was five, we moved to Fort Bragg, NC; and that’s when I got my first real lesson in how to use the martial arts. Being Japanese and living in the south during the ’50s was pretty tough.”
The first MK made more than $100 million on a $20 million budget, paving the way for future adaptations such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Minecraft, and soon the inevitable Mortal Kombat reboot, which will star Karl Urban as Johnny Cage.
Tagawa also portrayed Heihachi Mishima, well known to gamers as the villain behind all Tekken's machinations, in two films based on that franchise. He lent his distinctive voice to numerous game projects, including World of Warcraft: Legion, Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, and Soldier Boyz.
His life and career was a true "Flawless Victory."