Anime Anime Global

Jul. 31 is a Furuya Tooru-san's birthday.

Furuya Tooru has been in the industry from the mid-1960s to the nowadays. He received the Tomiyama Kei Award in the 2nd Seiyu Award, Synergy Award in the 4th, and Best Actors in Supporting Roles in the 13rd.. In 2020, he also played a role in “GeGeGe no Kitaro” (6th work).

Therefore, to celebrate Furuya Tooru-san's birthday, we conducted a reader survey titled “Who is your favorite character played by him?” following the survey conducted last year. We received 547 answers during the survey period from Jul. 13 to Jul. 20.
Male and female ratio settled in about 15% for men and about 85% for women. As for the age group, about 25% of answers came from the minors, about 30% of the people in their 20s, and about 25% of the people in their 30s.

■Man with three faces gets a triple score!
First place
The first place went to Amuro Tooru from “Detective Conan”. The approval rating is about 45%, and he gets to the top for the third consecutive year. With the amazingly strong triple score, he was ranked first.
Many comments about his delicate acting said, ” Under the name Amuro Tooru as a private detective, under codename Bourbon as a member of Black Organization, and Furuya Rei as a public security police officer. I think, Furuya's acting ability is what makes them feel like three different people, even though they are all the same person.”, and “I got mesmerized each time at the amazing acting as I am able to know who of three is talking by listening to his voice”.

Although some comments said, “I like Amuro Tooru's gentle fluffy voice,” many readers voted under the name of Furuya Rei. “From the three played persons, I like Furuya the most. The phrase “My lover is this country” from “Zero Enforcer” was thrilling!”, and “The attitude to protect what you love is beautiful, and he has the most of humanity of the three.”, opinions have been received as well.

Second place
Second place went to Amuro Ray from “Mobile Suit Gundam”. The approval rating was about 13%, and he remained at the same place as last year.

Many comments pointed on the changing of playing Amuro, the ace pilot of the Gundam series, through the time, “I love the innocence of the 1st, the sex appeal from the shadow of “Z”, the calm feeling of “Char's Counterattack”, and all the works of Amro.”, and “It's impressive how atmosphere changes from the 15-year-old boy Amuro to the 29-year-old adult Amuro, and he becomes adult even though it is the same character.”

There also were votes from teenage readers, and it has been proved that the character is loved by a wide range of generations, “My father led me to start watching the first 'Mobile Suit Gundam'. Furuya is known for playing Amuro Tooru in 'Conan', so I was surprised to hear his voice as the young boy, Amuro. I was captivated by it”.

Third place
Third place went to the Sabo from “One Piece”. The approval rating is about 10%, and he raised from 4th place last year.

Many comments about Luffy's older brother and No. 2 in the Revolutionary Army pointed on his popularity due to his trustworthiness and friendliness, “With his calm voice, he looks like a gentle older brother who is watching over Luffy. At the same time, I like the fact that he can differentiate the acting of Sabo's free and flirting parts”, and “The way he lives his life and his lines are so cool! It’s a long-awaited image of a man”.
Fans of the original manga have also supported, “He is my favorite character since his first apperance in the original manga. When I heard that Furuya-san got the role, I was impressed by his delicate working attitudeand passion, and thought that I'm glad that he played by Furuya-san”.

■Let's introduce other comments!
About Chiba Mamoru from the “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon”, “It's a yearning for the Sailor Moon generation. The act of distinguishing Mamoru's big brother character and the conceited Tuxedo Mask after transformation were amazing!”
About Pegas from “Saint Seiya”, “'Saint Seiya' is my youth. I was waiting for it every Saturday at 7:00 P. M.”, and “When I watched Seiya for the first time, I fell in love into the anime world and learned about the existence of a voice actor.”

About Tokugawa Tasuke from “Space Battleship Yamato: The New Voyage”, “Furuya-san is known for playing main protagonists, but Tasuke is a quite small role. However, in the second half, he continued to succeed in following his father's will, and the growth of the character was shown brilliantly which rivals with Amuro at that time.”
About Andrew Falk from “The Legend of the Galactic Heroes”, who was ranked as an unforgettable villain character, “It's rare for Furuya-san to play a villain. It was a good performance of a bad person who gradually breaks down.”

In the overall ranking, characters from the 1960s to 2020, from “Kyojin no Hoshi” Hoshi Yuma to “GeGeGe no Kitaro” (6th work) Kidou Ibukimaru, had gathered.

■All ranking
“Who is your favorite character played by Furuya Tooru? 2020 Edition”
1st Amuro Tooru (Furuya Rei/Bourbon) “Detective Conan”
2nd Amuro Ray “Mobile Suit Gundam”
3rd Sabo “One Piece”
4th Chiba Mamoru (Tuxedo Mask) “Sailor Moon”
5th Pegas Seiya “Saint Seiya”
6th Yamcha “Dragon Ball”
7th Kirishima Zen “The World's Greatest First Love” *Under the name of “Aotsuki Noboru”
8th Kasuga Kyousuke “Kimagure Orange Road”
9th Andrew Fork “Legend of the Galactic Heroes”
10th Aka Red “GoGo Sentai Boukenger vs. Super Sentai” and others
10th Kidou Ibukimaru “GeGeGe no Kitaro” (6th work)
12th Ribbons Almark “Mobile Suit Gundam 00”
13th Hoshi Yuma “Kyojin no Hoshi”
13th Tokugawa Tasuke “Space Battleship Yamato: A New Journey” and others

(Response period: Jul. 13 to Jul. 20, 2020)