Daisuke Ban

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Daisuke Ban (伴大介 Ban Daisuke, Daisuke Ban^?) (born "Kiyonari Saito") is a Japanese actor. He was born on May 5, 1947 in Saitama prefecture, just north of Tokyo. He is best known for his role as Jiro in Android Kikaider.

Ban attended Saitama-Ken High School. While in college, Ban performed in a theater group that performed the works of French playwrights. He held a small job at a teahouse during college. Though he considered becoming a salaryman, ultimately he turned to acting. His first role was Oumuto Ni Watori, in 1971. He did not, however, audition for his breakout role in Kikaida. His photo was one of many sent in to NET while they were casting the programme—Ban was one of several finalists, and the producer's wife reportedly looked at his photo and said, "He's the one!". He was then cast in the title role.

Ban appeared in all 43 episodes of the original Kikaida, and also appeared in several episodes of the sequel series Kikaida 01. He was also a regular on Inazuman, Ninja Captor, Denkou Choujin Gridman, and Blood of the Samurai. Later in life, he starred in Ringu, Ringu 2, and Ringu 0: Basudei, renewing some of his cult popularity. He also starred in television advertisements for Ajinomoto and Marui Department stores. He took over Yukio Itô's role as Battle Cossack in the Super Sentai series, Battle Fever J. Ban has gained cult popularity in both Hawaii and San Francisco due to Kikaida being aired in those areas. He is best remembered for his performances in tokusatsu programs, though he has appeared in numerous different television series' of varying genres. Most recently, Ban appeared in the short film House of the Restless Spirits, released as part of the compilation Scary True Stories produced by horror film magazine Fangoria.

Ban currently resides in Nagasaki, Japan.

Ban's autobiography, Jinzo Ningen Kikaidaa: Jiro Tabi no Tochu de ("Super Android Kikaida: In The Midst of Jiro's Journey"), was published in August 2001 by Kadokawa Shoten.