Kenji Ōba, the Japanese actor behind ‘X-Or’ / ‘Space Sheriff Gavan’, has died
Kenji Ōba as Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan in "Space Sheriff Gavan", known in French-speaking markets as "X-Or". Promotional image © TOEI COMPANY, LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Japanese actor and stunt performer Kenji Ōba, born Kenji Takahashi, died on May 6, 2026, after a period of illness, Japan Action Enterprise announced on May 7. He was 71 years old.
Kenji Ōba became internationally known through Toei’s 1982 tokusatsu series “Space Sheriff Gavan”, in which he played Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan. The series aired in Japan from March 5, 1982, to February 25, 1983, across 44 episodes, and is listed by the Broadcast Program Center of Japan as the first entry in both the “Space Sheriff” and “Metal Hero” lines.
In France and other French-speaking markets however, “Space Sheriff Gavan” became known as “X-Or, le shérif de l’espace” which debuted on the French TV channel Antenne 2 on October 26, 1983. The French version kept the space-sheriff concept but localized several names, with Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan becoming Gordan/X-Or.
The character’s transformation sequence became one of the most recognizable elements of the series. In the Japanese version, Gavan used the command “Jōchaku”; in the French version, the call became “Transmutation”. The character was a half-Bird Planet, half-Earth hero sent by the Galactic Union Police to defend Earth from the space-crime organization Makuu.
“X-Or” helped introduce a generation of French viewers to live-action Japanese tokusatsu outside the better-known anime exports of the period. The series also later circulated through other French-language channels, including TMC, AB1, Mangas and Ciné FX.
Later returns as Gavan
Kenji Ōba returned to Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan several times after the original television run. “Space Sheriff Gavan” returned in January 2012 through “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”, followed in October 2012 by the standalone “Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”.
The 2012 crossover “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie” marked the 30th anniversary of “Gavan” and the Metal Hero Series. The film teamed Gavan with the “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger” cast. In “Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”, released in Japan on October 20, 2012, Kenji Ōba reprised his original role while Yuma Ishigaki played Geki Jumonji, the new Gavan Type-G. The film was made for the 30th anniversary of the first Metal Hero entry and also brought back Toshiaki Nishizawa and Shōzō Iizuka from the original series.
“Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger” continued the post-2012 Gavan line in 2017. Coincidentally there is a new Gavan broadcast as Toei launched “Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity” on February 15, 2026, as the first entry in its “Project R.E.D.” tokusatsu brand, with a weekly Sunday 09:30 broadcast on TV Asahi’s 24-station network.
About Kenji Ōba
Kenji Ōba was born Kenji Takahashi on February 5, 1955, in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. He entered action work through the Japan Action Club, founded by Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba, and began working in tokusatsu through stunt assignments before moving into regular on-screen roles. He first worked under his birth name and later adopted the stage name Kenji Ōba.
His early screen work included stunt duties on “Android Kikaider” in 1972–1973. His first major regular tokusatsu role came in “Battle Fever J” in 1979–1980, where he played Shiro Akebono/Battle Kenya. Kenji Ōba then played Daigoro Oume/DenziBlue in “Denshi Sentai Denziman” in 1980–1981. In both series, Kenji Ōba also performed stunt work.
In 1982, Ōba took the lead role in “Space Sheriff Gavan”. The series placed him at the start of Toei’s Metal Hero line, a strand of tokusatsu separate from Super Sentai but connected through Toei’s action-production system, creators and later crossover films. The original “Gavan” cast listed by Toei Video includes Ōba, Wakiko Kano, Toshiaki Nishizawa, Kyoko Nashiro and Masayuki Suzuki.
Outside “Gavan”, Ōba continued film and television work through the 1980s. His credits include “Kotaro Makaritoru!” and the period-action series “Kage no Gundan IV” and “Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen”. In 2003, he appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” as Shiro, assistant to Sonny Chiba’s Hattori Hanzo, which introduced him to many viewers outside the tokusatsu audience.
Ōba later ran the action and event company Luck JET. He returned to Japan Action Enterprise through a business tie-up in 2007, after earlier leaving Tokyo to return to Matsuyama while caring for his mother.
His later career repeatedly returned to his three best-known hero roles. In 2011, he played Daigoro Oume again in “Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle” and later returned as Shiro Akebono in episode 44 of “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger”. In 2012, “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie” brought his past roles together: Retsu Ichijouji, Daigoro Oume and Shiro Akebono all appeared in the same film.
His final major credited tokusatsu return before his death was “Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger” in 2017, where he appeared as the original Retsu Ichijouji alongside the second-generation Gavan. The film also included live-action combat scenes by Ōba himself.
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