Toshio Furukawa

• 1. Soldier B

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  Toshio Furukawa is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. His first voice role was tiny. In the 1975 series Brave Raideen, he played a soldier credited only as Soldier B.

  From that modest start came a career that reaches across anime, video games, live-action shows and dubbed Hollywood films. Many listeners have heard his voice without ever learning his name.

  How does one performer play both a clown and a stoic fighter? Why do the same characters keep calling him back across decades? And what did he do when the recording booth was empty?

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• 2. Clowns and Comedians

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  In 1981, Furukawa took the part of Ataru Moroboshi in the television series Urusei Yatsura. Ataru is a comic lead, and he stands for the lighter side of Furukawa's range. The role never really ended. Furukawa returned to Ataru in a run of theatrical films from 1983 to 1991, and in original video animation that stretched from 1985 to 2008.

  The same year brought Taro Soramame in Dr. Slump and Arale-chan, a credit that also includes the sun and narration. Taro came back in theatrical films through the 1980s. He returned again in 2007 in Dr. Mashirito and Abale-chan.

  Inumaru Yomota in Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai! was another comic part. The character appeared in an original video animation in 1989 and then in the 1990 film Maroko. In 2004, Furukawa played Kagege in Keroro Gunso, the series known in English as Sgt. Frog.

  When Urusei Yatsura was made again in 2022, Furukawa came back to the world he had joined four decades earlier. This time he voiced Ataru's father.

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• 3. Calm and Serious

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  In 1984, Furukawa voiced Shin in Hokuto no Ken, known in English as Fist of the North Star. Shin is one of the calm, serious characters that sit opposite his comic work.

  Asuma Shinohara in Patlabor was another role that made him famous. Furukawa voiced Asuma in the 1989 television series and in the 1989 film Patlabor: The Movie. He returned for Patlabor 2 in 1993 and for WXIII in 2002.

  In 1998, he began voicing Misao Yamamura in Case Closed. Misao also appeared in the Detective Conan films The Raven Chaser in 2009 and The Eleventh Striker in 2012.

  Furukawa also played Olivier Poplin in the Legend of the Galactic Heroes original video animation, which ran from 1988 to 2000. That is twelve years of one character.

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• 4. Young Heroes

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  Furukawa is also capable of a boyish voice, and he has used it for noble, hot-blooded heroes. Kento Tate in the 1979 series Future Robo Daltanius is one example. Prince Mito in the 1981 series Saikyo Robo Daioja is another.

  The late 1970s and early 1980s were crowded with such roles. In 1976 he voiced Takeru Houjou in Magne Robo Gakeen. In 1977 he played Hideto Oboshi in Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace.

  Trider G7 in 1980 gave him Genichi Ooyama. Armored Fleet Dairugger XV in 1982 gave him Aki Manabu. Lightspeed ElectroGod Albegas in 1983 gave him Daisaku Enjouji.

  In 1984, he voiced Kimball Kinnison in Galactic Patrol Lensman and in the film Lensman: Secret of The Lens. A few years later, in 1987, he played Arsene Lupin III in Lupin III: The Plot of the Fuma Clan. In 2022, he voiced Lupin II in the net animation Lupin Zero.

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• 5. Two Roles, Many Decades

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  Dragon Ball arrived in 1986 and handed Furukawa two parts, General Blue and Piccolo. When Dragon Ball Z began in 1989, Piccolo came with it.

  Films followed quickly. He voiced Piccolo in Dead Zone in 1989, then The World's Strongest and The Tree of Might in 1990. Lord Slug and Cooler's Revenge came in 1991. The Return of Cooler and Super Android 13 followed in 1992, and Broly and Bojack Unbound in 1993.

  Kai Shiden first spoke in Furukawa's voice in the 1979 television series Mobile Suit Gundam. The film versions followed, with Mobile Suit Gundam and Soldiers of Sorrow in 1981 and Encounters in Space in 1982.

  Kai returned in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam in 1985. He appeared in two Zeta Gundam: A New Translation films, in 2005 and 2006. Gundam Unicorn followed from 2012 to 2014, and Gundam: The Origin from 2016 to 2018. The 2022 film Cucuruz Doan's Island brought Kai back once more, and the character has even reached video games in SD Gundam Battle Alliance.

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• 6. Games and Live Action

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  In Dead or Alive, Furukawa voiced the fighter Jann Lee. He kept the role through Dead or Alive 2, 3 and 4. Since 1999, the Mr. Driller series has used his voice for Taizo Hori and Ataru Hori. Taizo Hori also appears in Namco x Capcom alongside a second part, Joker.

  His game credits spread widely from there. He voiced Roy Campbell in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Jean in Everybody's Golf Portable. Dragon Ball games have carried his voice for Piccolo and General Blue since 1993.

  In 1972, Furukawa already had a live-action television credit in Shin Heike Monogatari. In 1974, he appeared in the tokusatsu series Jumborg Ace, a Japanese live-action genre built on special effects. There he played a worker and also performed in the suit of Dump Kong. That work came a year before his first voice role.

  He played Shiro Ginga in X-Bomber in 1980 and appeared in the film The Red Spectacles in 1987. In 2004, he narrated Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. In 2012, he took the role of Wiseman in Kamen Rider Wizard and in the film Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider Wizard and Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum.

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• 7. Dubbed Voices

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  Furukawa is the Japanese voice of Billy Crystal in several films. He played Mitch Robbins in the TV Tokyo edition of City Slickers and Mickey Gordon in Forget Paris. He also voiced Ben Sobel in the 2001 TV Asahi edition of Analyze This, Artie Decker in Parental Guidance and Burt Walnut in Small Apartments.

  Kevin Kline is another actor he has dubbed. Furukawa voiced Dave Kovic in the 1997 TV Asahi edition of Dave and Ben Hood in The Ice Storm. For Lance Henriksen, he voiced the android Bishop in the 2003 Ultimate Edition of Aliens and the 2005 Ultimate Edition of Alien 3.

  The 1989 TV Asahi edition of Back to the Future gave him George McFly, played by Crispin Glover. In the 1999 TV Asahi edition of Independence Day, he voiced President Thomas J. Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman. The 2002 TV Tokyo edition of Fargo gave him Jerry Lundegaard, played by William H. Macy.

  His dubbing list also includes Erik Estrada as Ponch in CHiPs, Steve Buscemi as Seymour in Ghost World, and Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in Out of Africa. Jeff Daniels in Speed, Robert Carlyle in The World Is Not Enough and Terry Gilliam in Monty Python are there too.

  In animation, he voiced Z in Antz and Herb Copperbottom in Robots. He also voiced Panchito in the Three Caballeros projects, and Hazel in Watership Down.

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• 8. Off the Microphone

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  Furukawa is married to fellow voice actress Shino Kakinuma. Outside the studio, he performed in a band alongside Toru Furuya, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Yuji Mitsuya and Akio Nojima.

  In 2007, the group Slapstick got together to pay tribute to two former members, Hirotaka Suzuoki and Kazuyuki Sogabe, who played guitar.

  His pets carried the names of his characters. He owns a Shih Tzu named after Asuma Shinohara of Patlabor. His earlier dog, also a Shih Tzu, was named Ataru after Ataru Moroboshi, and died in 2008 at the age of fifteen. Tribute pages were made for both dogs.

  Honors have followed too. At the 5th Anime Grand Prix in 1982, he was named Most Popular Voice Actor of the Year. In 2024, the 18th Seiyu Awards honored him with a Merit Award.

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