Sue Shiomi
(Etsuko Shiomi)
|
Biography
In the mid '70, this lady called the strongest contender to Angela Mao's title of Top Female Fighter. She was the protege of Sonny Chiba and a member of his J.A.C. (Japanese Action Club). She was the only woman to remain, when (2) other women dropped out because they couldn't take the rigorous training. There she studied Karate, as well as Gymnastics before learning the "Tricks-of-the-Trade" that would make her an International star as well.
She was a intense and physical fighter, who's fierceness when fighting struck a nerve both men and women. She moves like her mentor, and like Chiba, she goes for the spleen. She fought more like a man than any of her other female competition, including Polly Shang-Kuan. When Sister Street Fighter first came out, people couldn't believe their eyes - yet, everyone wanted to know her name. There was even a write-up in a magazine, as to who was the better fighter, - her or Angela Mao. She didn’t have the type of following that Mao did (she was even a fan of hers).
On the screen, Angela definitely had the edge, but in a real confrontation, I'd put my money on this lady. She was using Nunchakus better than some men, in fact, I believe she was the first female that I'd ever seen use them. Films like Shogun's Ninja and the slightly under-rated Roaring Fire gave us another look at her awesome talents. She also did a lot of film and television work in her native Japan along with classmate Henry Sanada.
My personal favorite from her has to be Dragon Princess. In this movie, she displayed just about everything you could ask from her (even took on some Doberman Pinchers). Teamed with follow friend Yasuaki Kurata, they literally mopped the floor with everyone that stood in their way. He also appeared in obscure and interesting Sister Street Fighter-2, the sequel to her first major hit. To fans around the world who've had the chance to see her in action, she will always be the original Lady Karate.