Anime Anime Global

Apr. 16 is Nojima Hirofumi-san's birthday.

He debuted as a voice actor in the 2000s. In 2020, he voiced the main characters from animes, such as the 3rd season of “Kingdom” and “Skate-Leading Stars”. He is known to be a bicycle nerd, and is well-known for his radio program about bicycles and as a road bicycle racing commentator.

Here at Anime!Anime!, we conducted a survey asking, “Who is your favorite character voiced by Nojima Hirofumi?”, to celebrate his birthday. There were 80 votes during the voting period from Apr. 5 to Apr. 12.
There were more female voters with a gender ratio of 60% female to 40% male, and the age range was on the younger side with 40% under 19 and 25% in their 20s.

■Soccer, Basketball, Bicycles… Many sports animes ranked high!

1st place was taken by Gouenji Shuuya from “Inazuma Eleven” with roughly 30% of the votes.
He is the 2nd-grade student of the Raimon Jr High soccer team. The forward player is a popular character that also appears in the later series.
He was popular for being the reliable ace striker of the team and received comments, such as, “'Inazuma Eleven' was the anime that introduced me to Nojima-san. His voice really complemented Gouenji's coolness and strong will,” and “He's the cool-headed ace player but also the kind-hearted big brother of the team with passion. He's an impeccable character!”
“I have been watching the series since I was a child. Gouenji is the character that first comes to mind when thinking about Nojima-san,” is one of the many comments from the fans in their teens.

Coming in 2nd was Izuki Shun from “Kuroko's Basketball” with roughly 15% of the votes.
He is the vice-captain of the Seirin High Basketball team. The point guard has an ability called the Eagle Eye, which helps him keep track of the whole court.
Unexpectedly, he loves puns (dajare) and “Izuki-senpai is one of those disappointing cuties. But once the game begins, he is an awesome point guard,” is a comment showing that fans love this gap.

3rd place was Ishigaki Koutarou from “Yowamushi Pedal” with roughly 8% of the votes.
He is a 3rd-grade student of Kyoto Fushimi Highschool. He assists the 1st grader, Midousuji Shou, and has mixed feelings about how Midousuji is changing the team policy.
His strong passion for bicycle racing moved many fans' hearts and received comments, such as, “I feel his love of bicycles through the voice acting!” and “Nojima-san, who loves bicycles, perfectly matched the patience of Ishigaki-kun.”

■Here are some comments for other characters!!
For Gainer Sanga from “Overman King Gainer”, “This character introduced me to Nojima-san. Though having a low-tone voice, his age and character settings were well portrayed through the awkwardness, making him very likable.”
For Murakami Kou from “World Trigger”, “I loved how his quiet yet powerful voice gave him the presence of a very capable person,” and “Because he is calm and has dignity.”

For Saotome Yasaburou from “Macross Frontier”, “He's my favorite character. Thanks to Yasaburou-niisan, Alto-san was able to fly.”
For Meng Tian (Mou Ten) from “Kingdom”, a series which has its latest season aired, “I love how he's usually a light-hearted character, but when in battle he becomes so serious. Even better, he's a balanced character who can both fight and strategize.”

Characters who are into club activities ranked high in this survey.

■Top 10
“Who is your favorite character voiced by Nojima Hirofumi?”
1. Gouenji Shuuya “Inazuma Eleven”
2. Izuki Shun “Kuroko's Basketball”
3. Ishigaki Koutarou “Yowamushi Pedal”
4. Kitamura Yuusaku “Toradora!”
4. Gainer Sanga “Overman King Gainer”
6. Commander Warz Gill “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger”
6. Meng Tian (Mou Ten) “Kingdom”
8. Phantom/PhanPhan “Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!”
8. Hoshimura Junichirou “Blast of Tempest”
8. Murakami Kou “World Trigger”

(Voting Period: Apr. 5 to Apr. 12, 2020)

※This survey was held to investigate “the awareness and attention of the current anime” of the readers. The ranking is not intended to determine characters to be superior to others.
We hope this article becomes an introduction to new titles and characters.

■List of characters that received votes
“Who is your favorite character voiced by Nojima Hirofumi?”
Gouenji Shuuya “Inazuma Eleven”
Izuki Shun “Kuroko's Basketball”
Ishigaki Koutarou “Yowamushi Pedal”
Kitamura Yuusaku “Toradora!”
Gainer Sanga “Overman King Gainer”
Commander Warz Gill “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger”
Meng Tian (Mou Ten) “Kingdom”
Phantom/PhanPhan “HappinessCharge PreCure!”
Hoshimura Junichirou “Blast of Tempest”
Murakami Kou “World Trigger”
Cobraja “HeartCatch PreCure!”
Grant “Pokémon XY”
Sagittarius Sisyphos “Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas characters”
Jimmy “Hardcore Henry”
Shuga “Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit”
Howard Stark “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Rabirin-jin “Sgt. Frog”
Manabe Jinichirou “Inazuma Eleven GO”
Saotome Yasaburou “Macross Frontier”
Tomoegata Naginata “Touken Ranbu -Online-”
Blond Guy “Bungou Stray Dogs”

(Voting Period: Apr. 5 to Apr. 12, 2020)