My Hero Academia has introduced an entire generation of anime watchers to its expansive cast of lovable characters, with the series’ protagonist, Izuku Midoriya (AKA Deku), being one of the most memorable ones. Needless to say, his inspiring story, heroic attitude and super-powered feats were all elevated by Daiki Yamashita’s excellent voice performance.
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Yamashita is a prosperous Japanese voice actor who has been working in the anime industry for more than thirteen years. He often stands out due to his youthful voice, which he uses to bring several kind, noble and charming characters to life, across many different shows. He has delivered numerous incredible performances throughout his career, but the following eight are his absolute best ones so far.
8 Yushiro
In Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Network
- Adult Swim
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- ufotable
- Japanese Title
- Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Based On
- Manga
- Number of Episodes
- 63
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
Curiously enough, anime fans often mix up Daiki Yamashita with Natsuki Hanae, seeing as both Japanese voice actors have fairly similar voices. But, while Hanae is famous for voicing Tanjiro Kamado in Demon Slayer, Yamashita has lent his voice to another character who acts completely different from the protagonist: Yushiro, Tamayo’s loyal demon companion who’s deeply in love with her.
He’s hot-headed, passionate and a bit resentful, and Yamashita managed to use his unique voice to make him seem both endearing and funny, especially during comedic scenes. For an actor that became popular for voicing a character as noble and kind as Deku, it’s fascinating to hear him voice someone so unexpectedly mean. At the end of the day, however, Yushiro is a good demon who wants to help humans, so maybe Yamashita was not so out of his element after all.
7 Goh
In Pokemon Journeys
Pokémon
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1997 - 2023
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 25
In 2019, Daiki Yamashita had to face a monumental task: He was cast as the voice of Goh, Ash Ketchum’s sole companion in Pokemon Journeys, meaning that he was going to work right alongside the legendary Rika Matsumoto. Despite the intimidating pressure and the massive workload, he did an excellent job with this new character.
Goh is supposed to work as a foil for Ash, a younger and less knowledgeable rookie trainer who had a lot to learn about Pokemon from the series’ iconic protagonist. Yamashita’s performance worked perfectly for this role, as he made Goh sound both innocent and smart, but also hot-headed and even exasperating when the story called for it. Furthermore, his impeccable chemistry with Masumoto’s Ash was one of many elements that helped Pokemon Journeys become one of the best seasons of the show.
6 Ryūnosuke Yuki
In Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Bleach
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2004 - 2012-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo
- Showrunner
- Tite Kubo
One of the best aspects of Pierrot’s recent adaptation of Bleach’s Thousand-Year Blood War Arc is the fact that many up-and-coming Japanese voice actors (who weren’t active during the original show’s run) could now lend their voices to this long-awaited new season and Daiki Yamashita was obviously one of them, seeing as he voiced Ryūnosuke Yuki in the very first episode.
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Yuki shares a lot of similarities with Yamashita’s usual characters: he’s the new Shinigami who is in charge of guarding Karakura Town, so he’s obviously quite strong and noble, but he’s also very timid and a bit of a coward. As expected, Yamashita’s soft-spoken performance was completely perfect for this new character, and it certainly helped him stand out among Bleach’s huge cast of Shinigami fighters.
5 Yamada Asaemon Senta
In Hell’s Paradise
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 1, 2023
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Japanese Title
- Jigokuraku
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Yuji Kaku
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Yamada Asaemon Senta from MAPPA’s 2023 adaptation of Hell’s Paradise feels like a character that was basically made for Daiki Yamashita to voice, since he’s extremely similar to some of his other characters, like Deku or Goh. As the Asaemon monitor in charge of watching over Yuzuriha, he initially came off as shy, nervous and even a bit pathetic.
This gradually changed over the course of the season, however, as Senta often proved to be quite a strong and brave fighter, despite his shortcomings, not to mention that his relationship with Yuzuriha was both funny and endearing. Needless to say, Yamashita’s voice was not only a perfect fit for this character, but it’s also important to point out that he did a particularly impressive job during an emotional moment that takes place at the end of the season.
4 Young Zeke Yeager
In Attack on Titan
Attack On Titan
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2013 - 2022-00-00
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- Wit Studio, MAPPA
- Franchise
- Attack on Titan
- Characters By
- Hajime Isayama
- Japanese Title
- Shingeki no Kyojin
- Based On
- Manga
Zeke Yeager is, without a doubt, one of the most complex and polarizing characters in Attack on Titan. As a result, he’s voiced by two talented Japanese voice actors: the legendary Takehito Koyasu voices an adult Zeke, while Daiki Yamashita has voiced his child version in all of his crucial flashbacks. While he’s quite a ruthless antagonist now, Zeke used to be a good kid who was unfortunately shaped and changed by the ideas of his father, Grisha, who wanted to take advantage of his royal blood to turn him into a warrior and a spy.
In this case, Yamashita delivered an incredible performance that shows how Zeke’s childhood was ruined by his parents, and how he slowly became the cruel villain that Attack on Titan fans love to hate and empathize with. This famous actor did such a good job at this role that it almost feels like Zeke’s child version was voiced by a younger Takehito Koyasu.
3 Hokuro
In Ranking of Kings
Ranking of Kings
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2021 - 2022-00-00
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Studio
- Wit Studio
- Japanese Title
- Ousama Ranking
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Sōsuke Tōka
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
- Number of Episodes
- 33
As always, Daiki Yamashita excels at voicing noble and kind characters who can act heroically whenever it’s necessary, and one of his most noteworthy recent performances was Hokuro from the 2021 hit series, Ranking of Kings. Despite his size and appearance, Hokuro is a loving guardsman of the Bosse Kingdom who is extremely loyal to Prince Bojji.
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He’s one of the few soldiers in the kingdom who willingly learned sign language in order to communicate with the prince, and he didn’t hesitate to attack Domas when he tried to kill Bojji. To no one’s surprise, Yamashita nailed this role, and his kind-sounding voice helped Hokuro become one of the most wholesome and popular characters in an anime that is filled to the brim with selfish and cruel people.
2 Senpai (Naoto Hachiouji)
In Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro
Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2021 - 2023
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
While Daiki Yamashita often stars in mainstream action shōnen anime, he has also been involved in many other types of shows. For example, one of his most popular and iconic works is his performance as Senpai (real name: Naoto Hachiouji) in the romantic comedy Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro.
Senpai is a character who’s supposed to come off as timid and pathetic (especially when he’s being teased and bullied by the titular Hayase Nagatoro) who also has a more assertive and romantic side to him. Once again, Daiki Yamashita shined in this role, since this character is not too different from Senta or Yuki, and his impeccable chemistry with Sumire Uesaka made the relationship between the two main characters all the more funny and adorable.
1 Narancia Ghirga
In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 6, 2012
- Showrunner
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
- Franchise(s)
- Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 6
- Studio
- David Production
- Japanese Title
- JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken
- Based On
- Manga
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu
Part 5 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was initially published back in 1996, meaning that Narancia Ghirga had existed in the manga for over 22 years before he and his fellow Team Bucciarati members were brought to life in David Production’s modern animated adaptation. Of course, a lot of other respectable Japanese voice actors had already voiced him in the video games, but the studio chose Daiki Yamashita for the official anime, who was fresh off his recent success as Deku in My Hero Academia. To the surprise of most fans, Yamashita delivered an excellent performance, and eventually became the best voice of this beloved character.
After all, Narancia is nothing like his usual roles, since this young criminal is temperamental, crass, violent and a bit of a ruthless prankster. But the most important aspect of his character is his childlike innocence and his appreciation for his close friends, which Yamashita managed to portray with his recognizable soft-spoken voice. While most anime fans will always remember Daiki Yamashita for his role as Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia, there’s no denying that his excellent performance as Narancia Ghirga cemented him as one of the most talented voice actors currently working in the anime industry.
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