Kinji Fukasaku (深作欣二 Fukasaku Kinji) is a Japanese film director. He is best known in the west for directing the smash hit Battle Royale in 2000 but his 32-year career was riddled with film-making innovations, not the least of which was the way he revolutionized yakuza films by replacing chivalry and honor previously seen with the gritty violence and chaos that has become the standard approach today. He died of prostate cancer in 2003 during the filming of Battle Royale II: Requiem. His son Kenta Fukasaku took over direction of the film.