The 20 Greatest Japanese Voice Actors In Anime History
Voice actors, also known as seiyus, play a key role in bringing fan-favorite characters to life. Like English voice artists, Japanese voice artists are immensely talented. There's a lot of pressure placed on these specific performers, as they're the ones giving their character an initial voice. It's their decisions that shape how the character is introduced to the world. With that in mind, it's clear these actors deserve far more recognition than they have received.
Who are the best Japanese voice actors in anime? With such incredible talent to choose from, it's hard to select just a handful - but these actors have extensive resumes and regularly deliver powerful performances.
- 15,701 VOTES
Eren Jaeger's signature scream is the work of prolific voice actor Yūki Kaji, who has worked in the industry since 2004. Besides providing the voices for a wide variety of anime characters, Kaji also hosts a web radio series and variety show. In addition, he once participated in a four-person singing group.
Notable Roles: Todoroki Shōto - My Hero Academia, Speed-O'Sound Sonic - One-Punch Man, Meliodas - The Seven Deadly Sins, Issei Hyodo in High School DxD, Eren Jaeger - Attack on Titan
- 24,127 VOTES
If you remember Light Yagami taking a potato chip and eating it, or the character Rin Matsuoka crying, you remember Mamoru Miyano's voice. Miyano began voice acting in 1990 and, in 2007, he began working as a pop and rock musician. He has won multiple awards, including "best musical performance" in the sixth and eighth Seiyuu awards, as well as "best lead actor" in the 2011 Newtype Awards.
Notable Roles: Light Yagami - Death Note, Rin Matsuoka - Free!, Jean-Jacques Leroy - Yuri!!! on ICE, Osamu Dazai - Bungo Stray Dogs, Tamaki Suoh - Ouran High School Host Club
- 35,255 VOTES
Hiroshi Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor from Chiba, Japan, who's been active in the industry since 1994. In addition to playing the protagonists of a variety of series, he also hosts a radio show and provides the voices for Boys Love CDs - audio stories from the BL genre.
Notable Roles: Natsume - Natsume's Book of Friends, Yato - Noragami, Izaya Orihara - Durarara!!, Trafalgar Law - One Piece, Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan
- 43,465 VOTES
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Daisuke Ono is an established voice acting talent who is responsible for a number of protagonists' voices. In an impressive victory, Ono won the fourth and ninth Seiyu Awards for "best lead actor" for his roles as Sebastian Michaelis and Jotaro Kujo. He also hosts a radio show called Dear Girls Stories along with fellow voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya.
Notable Roles: Sebastian Michaelis - Black Butler, Jotaro Kujo - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Shukuro Tsukishima - Bleach, Shizuo Heiwajima - Durarara!!, Erwin Smith - Attack on Titan
- 52,973 VOTES
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Romi Park is a Korean-Japanese voice actress who was born in Edogawa, Tokyo. She tends to play tough, aggressive female characters and male characters who are considered geniuses - Edward Elric (one of her most notable roles) is a clear example of this. Park has also provided voices for video game characters and Japanese dubs of Western media, such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Matrix Revolutions.
Notable Roles: Temari - Naruto, Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist, Tōshirō Hitsugaya - Bleach, Zoe Hange - Attack on Titan, Ragyo Kiryuin - Kill la Kill
- 61,024 VOTES
Kenjiro Tsuda
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Kenjiro Tsuda's voice is among the most distinct in the industry - the instant one of his characters opens their mouth, it's clear who their seiyuu is. In addition to a voice acting career that spans all the way back to 1995, Tsuda has been involved with stage acting, narrating, film acting, and even directing.
Notable Roles: Overhaul - My Hero Academia, Seto Kaiba - Yu-Gi-Oh!, Nanami Kento - Jujutsu Kaisen, Tatsu - The Way of the Househusband, The Beholder - To Your Eternity
- 7883 VOTES
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After attending Yoyogi Animation Academy, Yuichi Nakamura began taking on a variety of voice acting roles, most of which involved male characters in their teens, 20s, and 30s. In addition to a wide range of voice acting roles, he's acted in multiple Tokusatsu properties and Drama CDs. In 2020, he started his own Youtube channel with Pop Team Epic artist Bukubu Ōkawa.
Notable Roles: Hawks - My Hero Academia, Gojo Satoru - Jujutsu Kaisen, Shigure Sohma - Fruits Basket, Gray Fullbuster - Fairy Tail, Mumen Rider - One Punch Man
- 82,314 VOTES
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Jun Fukuyama has a wide range of vocal abilities, lending his talents to unique characters like Lelouch and Koro-sensei. In addition to his anime work, he sometimes lends his voice to Japanese dubs of Western media like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. In 2017, he announced his intention to host a concert, proving himself to be a musical talent as well.
Notable Roles: Lelouch Lamperouge - Code Geass, Yukio Okumura - Ao no Exorcist, Koro-sensei - Assassination Classroom, Yuuta Togashi - Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Kimihiro Watanuki - xxxHolic
- 9571 VOTES
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As a teenager, Saori Hayami attended the junior class of Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyūjo, then passed her first audition two years later. Since then, she's played countless award-winning roles, and has also gotten involved in the world of music. She's written the themes for several anime she's acted in - for example, she played Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair, and also wrote the series' two opening themes, Gentle Hope and Sono Koe ga Chizu ni Naru.
Notable Roles: Yamato - One Piece, Yukino Yukinoshita - My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Yumeko Jabami - Kakegurui, Shinobu Kocho - Demon Slayer, Shirayuki - Snow White with the Red Hair
- 10736 VOTES
Natsuki Hanae
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Natsuki Hanae began voice acting as a teenager and has been active under Across Entertainment ever since. In addition to his anime roles, he also lends his voice to video games and drama CDs, and occasionally appears on television. He also runs a Lets Play series on Youtube with over 2 million subscribers.
Notable Roles: Ken Kaneki - Tokyo Ghoul, Kōsei Arima - Your Lie in April, Tanjiro Kamado - Demon Slayer, Vanitas - The Case Study of Vanitas, Odokawa - Odd Taxi
- 111,623 VOTES
Miyuki Sawashiro is an acclaimed voice actor who won the Special Jury Prize for her very first role in Di Gi Charat. Sawashiro is one of the only voice actors who's played the same role in both the Japanese and English versions of a show (Puchiko in Leave it to Piyoko). She even moved abroad to Pennsylvania to learn and practice English.
Notable Roles: Beelzebub - Beelzebub, Celty Sturluson - Durarara!!, Kurapika - Hunter x Hunter, Sinon - Sword Art Online II, Haruka Nanami - Uta no Prince-sama, Puchiko - Leave it to Piyoko
- 121,574 VOTES
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Rie Kugimiya is an award-winning voice actress active in the industry since 1992. Because she's lent her voice to several tsundere characters like Taiga Aisaka and Louise, she's known to some as the "queen of tsundere."
Notable Roles: Alphonse Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist, 001 - Darling in the FranXX, Louise - The Familiar of Zero, Taiga Aisaka - Toradora!, Kagura - Gintama
- 131,605 VOTES
Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa is a multi-talented actress involved in voice acting, singing, and live-action performances. She began her voice acting career while still a college student, playing the lead role in the anime Kobato. In 2015, she won the award for Best Supporting Actress in the 9th Seiyu Awards, as well as Best Actress in the Newtype Anime Awards.
Notable Roles: Kanade Tachibana in Angel Beats!, Akane Tsunemori - Psycho-Pass, Rize Kamishiro - Tokyo Ghoul, Hina Kawamoto - March Comes in Like a Lion, Shirase Kobuchizawa - A Place Further than the Universe
- 141,583 VOTES
Best known for her role as Hinata Hyūga from Naruto, Nana Mizuki has a reputation for voicing shy, unassuming girls. Her career extends beyond just anime voice acting - she's also a trained enka and pop singer, as well as a video game voice actor.
Notable Roles: Hinata Hyūga - Naruto, Saya Kisaragi - Blood-C, Alois Trancy - Black Butler II, Moka Akashiya - Rosario + Vampire, Wrath - Fullmetal Alchemist
- 151,607 VOTES
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Tatsuhisa Suzuki has worked as a voice actor since 2002. He's represented by both I'm Enterprise and Lantis. In 2002, he started singing for the band OLDCODEX under the stage name Ta_2. OLDCODEX has provided the theme songs for several anime, including Free! and Servamp.
Notable Roles: Makoto Tachibana - Free!, Tsubaki - Servamp, Hiroomi Nase - Beyond the Boundary, Setsuna Sanzenkai - Island, Ban - The Seven Deadly Sins
- 16414 VOTES
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Ikue Otani is the reason why Pokemon say their own names. Originally, that wasn't in the cards, but the staff at OLM was so taken by her voicework as Pikachu that they made a decision that would define the series. Besides her role in Pokemon, Otani is known for playing other small, cute characters.
Notable Roles: Konohamaru Sarutobi - Naruto, Tony Tony Chopper - One Piece, Morgana - Persona 5: The Animation, Ash's Pikachu - Pokemon,
- 171,169 VOTES
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Maaya Sakamoto is known for her prolific voice acting, as well as her incredible singing and theater work. She's played a wide variety of characters across genres, having collaborated musically with artists like Yoko Kanno and Steve Conte. She's also played theater roles like Éponine in the Japanese version of Les Misérables. Sakamoto has a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Notable Roles: Haruhi Fujioka - Ouran High School Host Club, Shinobu Oshino - Monogatari, Hitomi Kanzaki - The Vision of Escaflowne, Ciel Phantomhive - Black Butler, Motoko Kusanagi - Ghost in the Shell: Arise
- 18892 VOTES
Kenichi Suzumura has remained a staple in the anime industry since 1994. Though he started off being represented by Arts Vision, he started his own voice acting agency in 2012. Aside from voice acting, he's also taken a number of live-action roles, notably in Kamen Riders and Super Sentai.
Notable Roles: Sōgo Okita - Gintama, Lavi - D.Gray-man, Momotarou Mikoshiba - Free!, Kamui Shirou - X, Rogue Cheney - Fairy Tail
- 19869 VOTES
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Yui Horie began auditioning for voice acting roles during her first year of college and, since then, her career has exploded. Not only has she led countless anime series, she also became an idol and released multiple albums. In addition, she created multiple anime theme songs, including "Vanilla Salt" from Toradora! and "Love Destiny" from Sister Princess.
Notable Roles: Tohru Honda - Fruits Basket, Naru Narusegawa - Love Hina, Minori Kushieda - Toradora!, Carla - Fairy Tail, Yuki Cross - Vampire Knight, Miss Monochrome - Miss Monochrome
- 20828 VOTES
During the 1990s, Megumi Hayashibara was one of the most famous voice actresses in the industry. In addition to playing some of the most popular anime roles in history, she also has experience as a DJ and cartoonist. She also qualified to be a nurse, but because of her focus on voice acting, she has never worked as one.
Notable Roles: Rei Ayanami - Neon Genesis Evangelion, Lina Inverse - Slayers, Musashi (Jessie) - Pokémon, Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop, Miyokichi - Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū
