Anime Anime Global

Feb. 10 is Hosoya Yoshimasa’s birthday.

Hosoya Yoshimasa made his debut as a voice actor in the 2000s. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Male Actor at the 8th and 10th Seiyu Award Ceremony.
In 2020, he was in charge of the main characters in the TV anime “ID: Invaded”, in the movie “Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna”, and others. He also participates in many Western movies’ dubbings.

Anime!Anime! have interviewed him on his appearance in in “Strike the Blood” and “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans”.

To celebrate Hosoya Yoshimasa’s birthday, we conducted a reader survey asking “Among the characters he played, who is your favorite one?”, followed by the same survey held the previous year.
During the survey period between Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, a total of 132 responses were received. There were more female respondents with the gender ratio being 20% male and 80% female while the age group was about 40% for those under the age of 19, and about 35% for those in their 20s, mainly focusing on youngsters.

■ Cool and hot-blooded characters are included in the ranking!
The 1st place goes to Kunikida Doppo from “Bungo Stray Dogs” with a percentage of votes equal to approximately 12%, rising from the 4th place of the previous year.

Regarding Kunikida Doppo, a member of the Armed Detective Company (a group of detectives with their own special powers), many fans were fascinated by his outbursts that are shown not quite often; “Though he is diligent and strict towards himself, and others, he’s actually thoughtful of his friends. I love him!”, and “He’s a calm and cool character, but there are also battle scenes where he shows his wonderful emotions.”
The combination with his partner Dazai Osamu (voiced by Miyano Mamoru) was also appreciated by the fans, becoming very popular; “He is very meticulous and always brings with him a notebook which he believes to be an “ideal”. I also like how he overcome their enemies with his partner, Dazai Osamu”, and “It is very interesting to see how the duet with Dazai Osamu is so well balanced. I can feel it in both the serious and gag scenes”.

The 2nd place goes to Orga Itsuka from “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans”, with an approval rating of approximately 8%. Although he was not able to remain at the top for two consecutive years, his popularity still remain.

Orga Itsuka has been supported for his leadership in the faction Tekkadan, “He has a great chivalrous spirit, making him attractive!”. The votes came not only from female fans, but also male fans who fell in love with him. This could be the main reason why he broke into the top ranks.

3rd place goes to Shiraishi Kuranosuke from “The Prince of Tennis”, dropping from 2nd place in the previous year.
Shiraishi Kuranosuke is the captain of the tennis club at Shitenhouji Middle School. A lot of votes were gathered from the female fans; “I love the Kansai dialect of Hosoya-san. Since it is a character he’s been playing for more than 10 years, you can feel some changes in the acting over time. His character songs are also very charming”, and “His famous phrase “Ecstasy!” is very popular. He is also handsome, kind, caring for others, tall, great voice, good at tennis, and he is a captain. The type of man that would be very popular if he was real!”.

■ Let’s introduce other comments!!
Kappard from “Star ☆ Twinkle PreCure”; “Since he looks like an alien I’m not sure if he is actually good-looking or not, but he looks cool with Hosoya-san’s voice”.
Tokoyami Fumikage from “My Hero Academia”; “The difference of voice from the double roles, the character and the quirk Dark Shadow, was very impressive. I couldn’t imagine it was the same person playing both of them!”.

Daryun from “The Heroic Legend of Arslan”; “I love his loyalty to Arslan and his overwhelming strength. The effort and kindness shown by the character can only be expressed by the voice of Hosoya-san.”
Many votes also went to Ohta from “Tanaka-kun is Always Listless” for its comedy; “His motherly side is very strong, and he is also kind. Tanaka-kun wouldn’t have a listless life without the help of Ohta!”.

A wide range of characters are included in the ranking, and there is also a tie for the 7th and 14th places with 7 characters each. The top ranking gathers various types, such as orthodox handsome characters, straight hot-blooded figures, and villains not hated by the fans.

■ Top Ranking 20
[Among the characters Hosoya Yoshimasa played, who is your favorite one?]
1. Kunikida Doppo “Bungo Stray Dogs”
2. Orga Itsuka “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans”
3. Shiraishi Kuranosuke “The Prince of Tennis”
4. Azumane Asahi “Haikyuu!!”
5. Kappard “Star ☆ Twinkle PreCure”
5. Daryun “The Heroic Legend of Arslan”
7. Uduki Arata “Tsukiuta. The Animation”
7. Kanata Hoshijima “Astra Lost in Space”
7. Kuboyasu Aren “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.”
7. Tanigaki Genjiro “Golden Kamuy”
7. Tokoyami Fumikage “My Hero Academia”
7. Hyuuga Junpei “Kuroko’s Basketball”
7. Yamazaki Sousuke “Free!”
14. Akatsuki Kojou “Strike the Blood”
14. Ageha Yummy “Kamen Rider OOO”
14. IV / Thomas Arclight “Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL”
14. Belial “Granblue Fantasy The Animation”
14. Yasuri Shichika “Katanagatari”
14. Wataya Arata “Chihayafuru”
14. Ohta “Tanaka-kun is Always Listless”

(Survey period: Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, 2020)