Summary

  • Tetsu Inada voices iconic characters like Endeavor, Sajin Komamura, and Daz Bones in many popular action shonen anime.
  • Inada's deep voice effectively brings powerful and intimidating characters like Tarkus and Ira Gamagoori to life.
  • Inada always showcases his impressive vocal range: from serious characters like Gantetsusai Tamiya to comedic roles in shows like Nichijou.

Enji Todoroki – better known by his Pro Hero name, Endeavor – is undoubtedly one of the most controversial and complex characters in My Hero Academia. He was initially an abusive father obsessed with surpassing All Might, but he eventually underwent massive character development that inspired him to become a better Pro Hero and to try and atone for all of his sins. Regardless of whether he successfully redeemed himself or not, it can’t be denied that he’s a truly fascinating character, and the excellent performance of his Japanese voice actor, Tetsu Inada, contributed a lot to that factor.

A collage of characters that were voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto: Genya Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer, Ghiaccio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist, Himmel from Frieren: Beyond The Journey's End and Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia.
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Nobuhiko Okamoto, the Japanese voice of Bakugo in My Hero Academia, has lent his talents to a wide variety of other beloved anime roles.

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He’s a legendary artist who has been working in the anime industry for over thirty-three years, and he’s still going quite strong. Of course, this means that he has worked on a multitude of popular shows, in which he got to use his deep and gravelly voice to bring some of the most intimidating anime characters to life. Needless to say, he has a lot of impressive credits under his name, but the following are some of the most remarkable roles in his entire career.

8 Bleach

Sajin Komamura / Love Aikawa

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Bleach
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Release Date
2004 - 2012-00-00
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Seasons
2
Studio
Pierrot

Of course, My Hero Academia is not the only popular action shonen anime in which Tetsu Inada has worked on, seeing as he was also part of the cast of Bleach, one of the many series that influenced My Hero Academia. In Pierot’s adaptation of Tite Kubo’s iconic manga, Inada voiced not one but two different characters: He’s the voice of Sajin Komamura, the captain of Soul Society’s 7th Division, and he was able to perfectly convey how intimidating but heroic he is, mainly due to his wolf-like appearance.

Curiously enough, Inada also voiced the former captain of the same division, Love Aikawa, who is part of the Visored alongside Shinji Hirako and Rose. Despite sharing voice actors, Love Aikawa and Sajin Komamura couldn’t be any more different, with the former being much more laid-back and dramatic than the latter. Nevertheless, Inada’s performance made it possible for him to come off as really cool and funny, making it almost impossible to believe that these two are portrayed by the same voice actor.

7 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood

Tarkus

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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
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Release Date
October 6, 2012
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Seasons
6
Studio
David Production

Due to his deep and imposing voice, Tetsu Inada has naturally been chosen to portray big and powerful brutes many times, and the 2012 adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure’s first part is no exception. In this case, he was assigned the role of Tarkus, one of the two infamous English knights that Dio Brando resurrected as a zombie, which must have felt like quite an honor, considering that this is a legendary manga character that has existed since 1987.

Tarkus and his partner, Bruford, feel like the first real threats that Jonathan and his allies encounter in their adventure, like a prelude to their inevitable fight against Dio himself. Of course, Inada’s amazing voice work was so excellent that it elevated Tarkus’ imposing presence, even if most of his performance was made up of random grunts and screams. Sometimes, screaming at the top of one's lungs in order to make an anime character seem powerful is all a talented voice actor needs to do, and Inada definitely succeeded on that front here.

6 Jujutsu Kaisen

Juzo Kumiya

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Jujutsu Kaisen
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Release Date
October 3, 2020
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Seasons
1
Studio
MAPPA

Tetsu Inada has obviously been involved in the production of almost every single iconic shonen series, including MAPPA’s legendary adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen, where he was chosen to portray Juzo Kumiya, an evil sorcerers who attacked Gojo and Gakuganji during the invasion of the Goodwill Event. Curiously enough, this seems to be one of Inada’s most distinctive performances so far.

A collage of five characters who are voiced by Kenta Miyake: Scar, Mike Zacharias, Giovanni, Mohammad Avdol and All Might.
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While Juzo is obviously supposed to be an intimidating villain, he’s also a psychopath who’s obsessed with killing people and using their corpses to build furniture. Because of this, Inada was able to let loose a little bit more than usual, and as a result, he made Juzo come off as the unhinged weakling he truly is. He’s definitely one of the most hateable antagonists in Jujutsu Kaisen, which wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Tetsu Inada’s successful performance.

5 Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

Gantetsusai Tamiya

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Hell's Paradise
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
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Release Date
April 1, 2023
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Seasons
1
Studio
MAPPA

Gantetsusai Tamiya from Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku feels like a character who was specifically designed for Tetsu Inada to voice in an anime adaptation (even if he most likely wasn't), seeing as he’s a big and strong swordsman who, oddly enough, looks a lot like both Endeavor and a random Bleach character.

Needless to say, Inada does an impeccable job at using his deep voice to make Tamiya sound and feel very intimidating, especially during his many action sequences. He initially seemed like an unlikable antagonist, but his role in the latter half of Season 1 turned him into one of the most impressive and beloved characters in Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, and Inada’s excellent portrayal certainly contributed a lot to his newfound popularity.

4 Record Of Ragnarok

Hajun

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Record of Ragnarok
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6 /10
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Release Date
June 17, 2021
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Seasons
3
Studio
Graphinica, Yumeta Company (Season 2)

Record of Ragnarok is a popular action anime centered on the intense war between gods and humans, meaning that at least half of its cast is made up of powerful deities from throughout history. One of the most evil members of this pantheon is the Demon Lord of the Sixth Heaven, Hajun, who took Zerofuku’s place in the battle against Buddha.

As always, Tetsu Inada used his deep and gravelly voice to make Hajun come off as intimidating and terrifying, like someone with the title of Demon Lord should be. However, Hajun is also extremely sadistic and arrogant, and he doesn’t hesitate to mock his opponent in battle, which allowed Inada to showcase his impressive range and make this high-quality performance stand out even more than usual.

3 Kill La Kill

Ira Gamagoori

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Kill La Kill (2013)
Kill la Kill
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Release Date
2013 - 2014
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Streaming
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Seasons
1
Studio
Trigger

While Kill la Kill is better known for its over-the-top female characters, it also features a fair share of interesting male characters, with one of the best examples being Ira Gamagoori. As part of the Student Council's Elite Four, Gamagoori is a serious, stern, ruthless, and intimidating fighter, meaning that Inada’s deep voice fits him perfectly.

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Of course, since Kill la Kill is also a bizarre comedy, Gamagoori has been the star of many hilarious comedic scenes in which Inada’s fast-paced performance did not disappoint. Furthermore, his growing relationship with Mako Mankanshoku is surprisingly endearing and a bit adorable, which was possible thanks to the impeccable chemistry between the voice actors of both characters.

2 Nichijou

Manabu Takasaki

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Nichijou (2011)
Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
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Release Date
2011 - 2011
Directors
Tatsuya Ishihara
Writers
Jukki Hanada
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Seasons
1
Studio
Kyoto Animation

Hearing a voice actor who’s famous for their work in dramatic and/or action-based anime working in a comedic show can be truly mind-blowing. Tetsu Inada is obviously no exception, seeing as he was cast to voice Manabu Takasaki, the Japanese literature teacher of Tokisadame High School in Nichijou, one of the most beloved surreal comedies in the entire anime industry.

The shocking contrast of hearing Inada’s deep and loud voice coming out of a character who was designed with Nichijou’s adorable and cozy art style is already hilarious on its own, but he went all out with this role and gave an excellent performance that elevates the hilarious comedy of this show. When he voices Takasaki, this legendary actor never hesitates to scream and/or do funny voices when necessary. Regardless of whether he’s voicing a cool-looking brawler from a shonen action anime or a weird but funny character from a comedy like Nichijou, Tetsu Inada always gives it his all.

1 One Piece

Daz Bones / Jesus Burgess / Brogy / Patty / Ritchie

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One Piece
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Release Date
October 20, 1999
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Seasons
21
Studio
Toei Animation
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Tetsu Inada may be known for his incredible voice work as famous characters from iconic shonen anime like My Hero Academia or Bleach, but the truth is that this legendary actor has contributed to One Piece more than any other show in his extensive career. In Toei Animation’s adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s legendary manga, Inada has voiced not one, not two, not three, but nine different characters over its extensive 26-year-old run.

Of course, this means that Inada's work in One Piece is the perfect example of his incredible vocal range, seeing as he has brought many characters to life that don’t fit his usual style. As Daz Bones, he sounds cool, calm, and collected, as Jesus Burgess, he sounds cruel, bombastic, and intimidating, as Brogy he sounds friendly and honorable, as Patty he sounds aggressive and volatile, and he even got to show off his excellent pantomiming skills when he voiced Richie, Mohji’s pet lion and the temporary captain of the Buggy Pirates. To top it all off, Inada was also tasked with voicing several antagonists from filler arcs, like Pudding Pudding or Lake. The best part of his extensive tenure in One Piece is that most of his characters (like Daz Bones, Burgess, and Brogy) will have prominent roles in future arcs, so Tetsu Inada has job security for many years to come, which he definitely deserves.

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Release Date
2016 - 2025-00-00
Network
TBS, MBS, Nippon TV
Directors
Shouji Ikeno, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Ikuro Sato, Takudai Kakuchi, Masashi Abe, Tetsuya Miyanishi, Kazuma Komatsu, Yoshifumi Sasahara, Masayuki Otsuki, Daisuke Tsukushi, Takayuki Yamamoto, Yohei Fukui, Takuro Tsukada, Masatoyo Takada, Naomi Nakayama, Sayaka Morikawa, Takanori Yano
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Daiki Yamashita
    Izuku Midoriya (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kaito Ishikawa
    Manga Fukidashi (voice)

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Seasons
8
Studio
Bones