Chiba made his name with the 1970s Street Fighter trilogy, before Quentin Tarantino’s admiration brought him fame in the west

Sonny Chiba, the Japanese martial arts movie star who found late-career renown in Hollywood after outspoken admiration from Quentin Tarantino, has died aged 82 from a Covid-related illness.

Chiba died late on Thursday in a hospital near Tokyo where he had been treated for Covid since 8 August, his management Astraia said, adding that he had not been vaccinated.