Anime Anime Global

Jun. 17 is Yamadera Kouichi's birthday.

Yamadera Kouichi made his debut as a voice actor in the 1980s. He won the Tomiyama Kei Award, which is given to the person who has contributed to popularizing the profession of voice acting, at the 3rd Seiyuu Awards. He also received the Foreign Movie/Drama Award at the 14th Seiyuu Awards. In 2020, he appears in a wide range of other works, such as “The Genie Family 2020” and “Nakitai Watashi wa Neko o Kaburu”.

To celebrate Yamadera Kouichi’s birthday, we conducted an annual reader survey asking, “Who is your favorite character played by Yamadera Kouichi?”. During the survey period between Jun. 5 to Jun. 12, a total of 159 responses were received.
There were more female respondents with the gender ratio being 40% male and 60% female. The age group was about 40% for those under the age of 19, about 20% for those in their 20s, and 20% for those in their 30s.

■Genie from “Aladdin” is on top!
The 1st place goes to Genie from “Aladdin” with an approval rating of about 15%, ranking up from 4th place of the last year.

Yamadera Kouichi had voiced Genie in both the anime and the foreign movie adaptation. He is a “non-stop-talking” and a very charming genie who is imprisoned in his magic lamp. Some comments were received from the fans, such as “I love him, he's always so thrilled”, and “He's so cheerful and friendly that it makes me feel good every time I watch him”.
Some fans were impressed by his singing voice, since the songs in the movie were also dubbed; “The lyrics of the fast-singing 'Friend Like Me' fit the Genie character perfectly”.

The 2nd place goes to Spike Spiegel from “Cowboy Bebop” with an approval rating of about 10%, ranking down from the top of last year.

Comments for the bounty hunter and protagonist Spike have also arrived; “I love how Yamadera's voice fits perfectly the cool Spike”, and “Yamadera's voice is a perfect match, and his acting is also very Spike-like”.
The popularity of “Cowboy Bebop” for its variety of episodes ranging from dramatic to comical scenes has also been appreciated; “He is able to play both the roles of a lover and comedian, so he's perfect for this part”.

The 3rd place goes to Meiken Cheese from “Soreike! Anpanman” with an approval rating of about 8 %, ranking up from the 8th place of last year.
Many fans were very impressed by the incredible acting; “I was surprised when I found out that Yamadera-san was voicing Cheese. The seven-colored voice is exactly what it sounds like”, and “Just the line “An, An” is enough to tell you what Cheese is trying to say. I admire his work, he's great”.
Readers were surprised to know that he has taken over the role of Uncle Jam along with many different characters from 2019.

■Let's introduce other comments!!
Hibiki Ryouga from “Ranma ½”; “Yamadera is the only one who can switch between the human Ryouga and the black pig P-chan in an instant!”.
Togusa from “Ghost in the Shell”; “As the only 'entirely human' member, he is a sub-character who plays an important role in the story. Yamadera-san can express that feeling very well”.

Hamasaki Densuke from “Tsuribaka Nisshi”; “He is a useless employee who loves fishing and gets along well with his boss, Su-san. Yamadera-san's voice was perfect for Hama-chan. I was particularly impressed by the line, 'Domodomo!'”.
Zorori from “Kaiketsu Zorori”; “He's a fox and a thief, but Yamadera's sexy voice makes him very”, and “Even when I read the book, I can hear Yama-chan's voice in my head!”. Popular characters from the latest works, which are currently broadcast, ranked in as well.

The survey also includes many characters of international titles, such as Axel Foley from “Beverly Hills Cop”, Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch”, and the already mentioned Genie from “Aladdin”.

■Top 20
“Who is your favorite character played by Yamadera Kouichi? 2020 Ver.”
1. Genie “Aladdin”
2. Spike Spiegel, “Cowboy Bebop”
3. Meiken Cheese “Soreike! Anpanman”
4. Yoshida Shouyou “Gintama”
5. Inspector Zenigata “Lupin III”
6. Kayaba Akihiko “Sword Art Online”
7. Abelt Desler “Star Blazers 2199”
7. Hibiki Ryouga “Ranma ½”
9. Zorori “Kaiketsu Zorori”
10. Wataribe Kurama “Mashin Hero Wataru”
11. Gentle Criminal “My Hero Academia”
12. Kaji Ryouji “Neon Genesis Evangelion”
12. Xiang Yu “Fate/Grand Order”
12. Corazon (Donquixote Rosinante) “One Piece”
12. Mew “Pokémon: The First Movie”
15. Axel Foley “Beverly Hills Cop”
15. Otomura Gakuya “Inazuma Eleven”
15. Stitch “Lilo & Stitch”
15. Togusa “Ghost in the Shell”
15. Donald Duck “The Three Caballeros” and others
15. Hamasaki Densuke “Tsuribaka Nisshi”
15. Beerus “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods”

(Response period: Jun. 5 – Jun. 12, 2020)