ARROW Recasts Rila Fukushima as Katana

Well, so much for Devon Aoki.

Deadline reported yesterday that the CW series Arrow has recast the role of Tatsu Yamashiro, better known as the DC Comics superhero Katana.  According to the article, previous actress Devon Aoki pulled out due to a scheduling conflict, so the recurring role will now be portrayed by Rila Fukushima, best known as Yukio from the 2013 movie The Wolverine. 

According to the article, Tatsu will be "one of Oliver’s mentors in the [Hong Kong] flashbacks and a critical influence on his journey to eventually become The Arrow of present day."  Tatsu's husband, Maseo Yamashiro, will be portrayed by Karl Yune.

Created by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, Katana first appeared in The Brave and the Bold (vol.1) #200 in 1983. Skilled in martial arts, Katana was married to Maseo Yamashiro until Maseo was killed by his brother Takeo with a sword, a katana called Soultaker, as their children are killed. Tatsu took possession of Soultaker and learned that her husband's spirit resided inside her sword, allowing her to hear his voice.

Originally introduced as a regular member of the superhero team The Outsiders, Katana eventually received a short-lived ongoing comic book series and recently appeared in the pages of Green Arrow during the storyline "The Outsiders War." The character has also appeared in two animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Beware the Batman.

Arrow returns to The CW on October 8, 2014 at 8 p.m. EST.