Yukari Ōshima (大島ゆかり, Ōshima Yukari, born December 31, 1963, in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actress and action star who frequently stars in the late 80s / early 90s Hong Kong action films, usually in villain roles ever since starring as the cruel and lethal Yang-lin in Iron Angels and the effeminate henchman Rogan in Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. She was known as Yukari Tsumura, born to a Japanese father and Chinese mother. Prior to her film/TV career, Yukari was trained in Gōjū-ryū Seigokan karate at Ennouji Dojo and was further trained at the Japan Action Club (JAC).
Alongside Moon Lee (which Oshima co-starred in several movies, usually on opposing sides), Cynthia Khan, Sibelle Hu, and fellow Japanese action girl Michiko Nishiwaki, Oshima is one of the progenitors of Girls with Guns films Hong Kong cinema is well-known for.
Oshima took a break from acting in the early 2000s, showing up mostly in Marlboro Lite commercials as well as promoting tourism and TV/movie projects to be filmed in her native hometown of Fukuoka, Japan. However, she's still active as 2024.
Tropes relating to this performer:
- Action Girl
- Anti-Hero: Some of her roles, like Beauty Investigators and Dreaming the Reality
- Chronically Killed Actor: Was cast frequently in villain roles, and dies in every single one of them.
- But Not Too Foreign: Oshima is half-Japanese and half-Chinese, the latter from her mother's side.
- Dark Action Girl: In her roles as antagonists and assassins.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Plays the male henchman, Rogan in Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky.
- Fragile Speedster
- I Have Many Names: Filipinos may know her by the stage name "Cynthia Luster". "Yukari" is her real name, but her actual surname is Tsumura (津村) .
- Those Two Girls: Often appears with fellow action-girl, Moon Lee.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: If she stars in an action film alongside another action-girl actress, chances are that Oshima would be cast as the Tomboy.
- Vasquez Always Dies: Oshima usually plays Vasquez. In two of her movies (A Serious Shock! Yes Madam!, Mission of Justice) she avoids playing the tough-girl character, and she actually outlives the credits in both of them!
Yukari Oshima's notable films:
- A Book Of Heroes
- The Story Of The Gun
- Millionaires' Express
- Angel Terminators (both)
- Beauty Investigator
- Lethal Panther (Second movie only)
- Burning Ambition
- Kagaku Sentai Dynaman
- Space Sheriff Gavan
- Choudenshi Bioman - as Farrah Cat
- Space Sheriff Shaider
- Dreaming the Reality
- Iron Angels - Oshima appears in the first film, as Dark Action Girl Yang-lin.
- Outlaw Brothers
- A Serious Shock! Yes Madam!
- Angel of Vengeance
- Interpol Connection - also known as Hard to Kill. No, not this one
- Power Connection
- Leopard Hunting
- Never Say Regret
- Final Run
- Fatal Chase - Death by Cameo
- The Direct Line
- Angel The Kickboxer - a mix-and-match movie made by splicing leftover clips of the Cynthia Rothrock movie Honor and Glory with original footage starring Oshima, resulting in an uneven, confusing and completely nigh-indecipherable mess of a movie
- The Avenging Quartet
- Deadly Target
- Angel's Mission
- Mission of Justice
- Close Escape
- Guardian Angel - The Cameo and Advertised Extra. Also The Mouse, given she's prominently featured in the opening scene but disappears after the twenty-minute-mark without an explanation
- Kickboxer's Tears
- Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
- Super Cop 2 (cameo as an Elite Mook who disappears after getting defeated by Michelle Yeoh)
- Legendary Amazons - Oshima's first role in a decade of her career, in 2011, but she only had a cameo in that movie. Safe to say she's (sadly) not returning to the silver screen anytime soon...
