Oh, the sneer was there, that hint of menace that has always made his acting so much fun to watch.

When Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa glared in a recent episode of "Hawaii Five-0," guest-starring for the first time as a yakuza crime boss, his fans were so excited, they started a Twitter trend. And as they cheered him on in 140-character bursts, he joined in as well.

But it was more than a virtual celebration for the veteran actor. It was a welcome homecoming for Tagawa, who left Hawaii three years ago after an embarrassing arrest that forced him to re-evaluate his life.

Now he’s back working in the islands: planning for more time on "Five-0," speaking at local schools, giving clinics to Hawaii’s aspiring actors, and promoting his philosophy on health and fitness. He’s even preparing to promote all of it through a social media network he’s dubbed the Tagawa Ohana.

Fans need not worry, though. The 60-year-old Tagawa isn’t about to quit acting — he’s waiting word of a role in Universal Pictures’ "47 Ronin" — but he is definitely evolving.

"I’ve been spending the last two years formulating the transition to my real work, and my real work is healing," said Tagawa, who is so soft-spoken in person he almost whispers. "Hollywood is my day job."

Tagawa has 99 titles on his acting resume, including appearances on NBC’s "Heroes" and in the films "Balls of Fury," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Pearl Harbor" and Tim Burton’s remake of "Planet of the Apes."

The oldest son of a U.S. Army soldier, Tagawa was born in Japan but moved whenever his father was stationed somewhere new, including Schofield Barracks and in several Southern states.

Long before his Hollywood career, he began creating his own martial art, Chuu Shin, which uses breathing to empower the body. He’s been refining it for 33 years and now wants to teach people how to tap into it.

"I believe the body can take care of itself," he said. "It’s all about self-health. It’s about depending on our breathing."

Tagawa also wants to promote a separate martial arts training program he calls Ninjah Sportsz as a way to improve athletic performance, regardless of age.

"This whole system is not only about training the body, but also the mind and the spirit," he said. "It is very much about that. I am very much about that. I really want to raise and train a whole generation of Hawaii kids that has an alternative to the systems that are available today."

Tagawa feels lucky to be here and admits that his efforts, which include acting workshops with the Hawaii Actors Network, are testing the waters of community acceptance. He left Hawaii after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of harassing his girlfriend and being ordered to attend domestic violence intervention classes. His time away included living in Warner Springs, Calif., and Sedona, Ariz.

"I felt I had ruined my reputation completely and I needed that time off completely," he said. "It was a real luxury to take that time out for myself and just collect my spirit. In Hollywood we run at such a hectic pace, and certainly I had some demons that were chasing me."

He said his time on the "Five-0" set was a blast and that he wants to see his character, Hiro Noshimuri, back in front of the cameras — something the show’s executive producer, Peter Lenkov, confirmed is in the works.

It was Tagawa’s second shot at "Five-0." Last year at this time, the actor was preparing to audition for the part of Detective Chin Ho Kelly, which was written as an older uncle until Daniel Dae Kim came along.

"It was disappointing, but when I heard he got it, I was very happy for him," Tagawa said.

No matter what happens on "Five-0" or the big screen, Tagawa believes the Tagawa Ohana will give him more creative freedom. He envisions characters and projects that appear only online.

"It’s faster, it’s more efficient and it’s more personal, more direct," he said.

Before he left Hawaii, Tagawa would speak to troubled high school students and prison inmates. His message still applies, but this time on a more personal level. Credit his efforts to evolve, his transition.

"It’s not whether you fall or make a mistake, it’s what you do when you fall," he said. "And I say you stand up. You keep standing up. It’s not how many times you fall, it’s how many times you stand up."