Key takeaways
- Ayaka Miyoshi plays Kaneko, a yakuza-connected Japanese executive who orchestrates an international gambling operation between Japan and Vietnam in Tazza 4.
- The film reunites former friends Byun Yo Han and Roh Jae Won for a revenge-driven story set six years after the last installment, premiering during Chuseok in September.
- Ayaka learned poker for authenticity and coached Roh Jae Won's Japanese dialogue, following a casting discovery by director Choi Kook Hee via Netflix's Alice in Borderland.
- Kaneko continues the franchise's tradition of featuring powerful female characters who control the narrative's course through intelligence and calculated strategy.
Japanese actress Ayaka Miyoshi is entering Korean cinema through a high-profile role in “Tazza 4: The Song of Beelzebub,” marking her debut in the country’s film industry. The film arrives as the latest installment in a franchise that has attracted prominent talent, with the new chapter releasing during the Chuseok holiday period in September after a six-year gap from the previous installment.
A Franchise Returns with New Stakes
The “Tazza” series resumes its story of deception and gambling ambition with Jang Tae Young (played by Byun Yo Han) as a man who believes he has secured his fortune through a flourishing online casino operation. His certainty unravels when his former best friend Park Tae Young (Roh Jae Won) dismantles everything he built. When circumstances pull both men back into the world of high-stakes gambling, they enter a contest steeped in revenge and calculation.
Setting the Stage for International Intrigue
Into this collision between former allies steps Kaneko, Ayaka Miyoshi’s character, who represents a bridge between Japan’s criminal underworld and global gambling markets. As a managing director at a Japanese corporation with connections to yakuza operations, Kaneko positions herself as an investor in the casino enterprise run by the two estranged competitors. Her involvement extends beyond passive funding—she takes charge of architecting an elaborate gambling operation that brings together powerful figures from both Japan and Vietnam, effectively controlling the game’s architecture and determining its flow.
A Legacy of Complex Women
Ayaka Miyoshi joins a lineage of formidable female characters within the “Tazza” universe. The original “Tazza” film featured Kim Hye Soo in a commanding role, while “Tazza: The Hidden Card” showcased Shin Sae Kyeong. The pattern establishes that each chapter elevates a female character who operates with intelligence and agency rather than as a supporting fixture, and Kaneko follows this tradition as someone whose strategic mind shapes the narrative’s outcome.
Kaneko’s Calculated Presence
The character Kaneko operates on two levels—an exterior of refinement and composure masks an interior of sharp analytical capacity. She reads situations with precision and steers developments through her understanding of human psychology and gambling dynamics. Character stills released for the film capture this duality through her piercing gaze, which suggests an ability to penetrate the facade of every player in the game and anticipate moves before they materialize.
A Sharp Mind Behind Elegant Presentation
On the surface, Kaneko maintains the sophisticated bearing expected of someone in her position, yet this veneer conceals a calculating intelligence that allows her to exert influence over a game involving some of the most powerful individuals from two countries. Her power derives not from overt aggression but from her capacity to perceive patterns, read intentions, and position herself several moves ahead of her opponents.
Ayaka’s Preparation and Contribution
Bringing Kaneko to life required Ayaka Miyoshi to invest considerable effort beyond typical dramatic performance. Recognizing that her character needed to convincingly command a gambling scenario, Ayaka learned the rules and strategy of poker, building authentic expertise rather than merely performing familiarity. This preparation extended beyond her own work—she also assisted Roh Jae Won in refining his Japanese dialogue, working through the nuances of speech patterns, sentence construction, and delivery to ensure his performance authentically conveyed a Korean actor speaking Japanese.
Method Preparation for Authenticity
The depth of Ayaka’s commitment reflected in behind-the-scenes photography, which documented her serious concentration during filming sessions. Her approach treated the role not as a guest appearance but as a fully realized character requiring technical preparation and collaborative contribution to ensemble performance.
Discovery Through International Streaming
Director Choi Kook Hee identified Ayaka Miyoshi as his choice for Kaneko after viewing her performance in Netflix’s “Alice in Borderland” Season 2. The director’s attention centered on her distinctive screen presence and the forceful energy she brought to that series. This discovery trajectory reflects how contemporary casting increasingly operates across borders and platforms, with streaming services providing visibility to talent that international film directors can recognize and pursue.
Experience on a Korean Film Set
Reflecting on her inaugural Korean film experience, Ayaka Miyoshi emphasized the professional equality she encountered. She stated that the production treated her “not as a foreign actress, but simply as an actress,” a distinction that speaks to the collaborative atmosphere the filmmakers fostered. When discussing her time on set, Ayaka expressed her attachment to the production by noting that “there wasn’t a single day during filming when I wanted to run away,” indicating both the quality of the working environment and her personal investment in the project’s success.
Integration into Korean Production Culture
Her comments reflect a production environment where international collaborators are absorbed into the creative process as equals rather than positioned as outsiders navigating unfamiliar territory. This integration likely contributed to her ability to deliver nuanced work in her character, drawing on both her preparation and the collaborative support of her scene partners and director.
September Release and Franchise Continuation
“Tazza 4: The Song of Beelzebub” enters theaters during South Korea’s Chuseok holiday season, positioning it for substantial viewership during a period when families traditionally gather and consume entertainment together. The timing and scale of this release underscore the franchise’s commercial and cultural standing, with the studios clearly confident in the appeal of a story featuring Byun Yo Han, Roh Jae Won, and now Ayaka Miyoshi in a tale of betrayal, revenge, and the ruthless mathematics of high-stakes gambling. The film represents both a continuation of an established franchise and a gateway for an emerging Japanese talent to establish herself within Korean cinema’s competitive landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays the main characters in Tazza 4: The Song of Beelzebub?
Byun Yo Han plays Jang Tae Young and Roh Jae Won plays Park Tae Young, with Ayaka Miyoshi playing Kaneko, a Japanese managing director with yakuza connections.
How did director Choi Kook Hee discover Ayaka Miyoshi for this role?
Director Choi Kook Hee noticed Ayaka Miyoshi in Netflix's Alice in Borderland Season 2, impressed by her unique presence and powerful energy, and cast her as Kaneko.
What preparation did Ayaka Miyoshi undertake for her character?
Ayaka learned how to play poker to authentically portray someone who reads and controls the gambling game, and she also helped Roh Jae Won refine his Japanese dialogue by working through speech patterns and sentence endings.
