Anime Anime Global

Aug. 17 is Hatanaka Tasuku’s birthday.

Hatanaka Tasuku started his career as a voice actor in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, which was released in 2006, and have been voicing a lot of protagonists in many films and animes.
He debuted as an artist in 2017 as well, and have been loved by many fans. He will release his 4th single “HISTORY” on Aug. 19.

Anime!Anime! interviewed him about why he decided to become a voice actor, and his career as an artist.

Anime!Anime! conducted a readers survey titled “Who is your most favorite character voiced by Hatanaka Tasuku?”, celebrating his birthday. The survey had been conducted from Aug. 5, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2020, and received 154 answers.
The male-to-female ratio was about 35% to 65%, which means that the female readers accounted for a large percentage. About 35% of the readers were under 19-year-old, 30% were in their twenties, and about 20% were in thirties.

■1st place went to Kaminari Denki from “My Hero Academia”.
A lot of fans like his voice when his brain short-circuits.
1st place
“My Hero Academia” Kaminari Denki received about 20% support ratings.
Kaminari Denki is a potential hero, who can be electrified. However, his brain short-circuits and he goes craze if he overuses the electricity. Some comments have arrived such as, “It is sad but heartwarming that even though he has a great potential, he cannot make the most of it and he sometimes goes crazy.”, and “He is usually acting silly, but he can get things done when he has to, which is nice!”. A lot of fans like his line “Waaaay” when he overuses the electricity, which shows that they are attracted by the difference between his playing an active role, and being silly.

2nd place
“KING OF PRISM” Series Kougami Taiga received about 18% support ratings.
He is good at street-style breaking dance. Many fans call him “enthusiastic” and describe him as, “He is blunt, so even though he looks cold-hearted, he has much enthusiasm. Hatanaka’s powerful voice recreates it well”, and “He is handsome and looks cold-hearted, but he is enthusiastic and likes festivals. He respects a senior that he has been admiring too much, which is funny.” Some other fans also like his performances on the event, “It was great that I could watch Taiga’s dancing and singing just as in the anime.”

3rd place went to “Ultraman Z” with about 14% support ratings.

“Ultraman Z” has just started in 2016. The signature phrase “I Ask That You Chant My Name!” loved by many readers. The comments such as, “He respects the senior Ultra Warriors too much, and he cannot speak the language used in the earth well, which is comical. I really like Ultraman Z.” show that he is still a new character, but already popular.

■Other comments are below.

For “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress” Ikoma.
“I still remember that Hatanaka did his best to voice Ikoma, who was struggling to survive. I really like this.”
“I really like his humane and passionate voicing. I nearly felt pain when I heard his screaming.”
For “Ushio and Tora” Aotsuki Ushio.
“His gentle but strong voice matches the robust character.”

For “Yumeiro Cast” Jougasaki Subaru.
“I was attracted because he is cheerful and always tries his best. On top of that, his song is wonderful! I was amazed when I listened his solo ‘You& Me de, wave?’ for the first time.”
For “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal” Tsukumo Yuma.
“I got to know Hatanaka through this character. Yuma is energetic and never gives up, which is encouraging.” Some fans voted for this work, which is the Hatanaka’s first voicing of the protagonist in the anime.

The readers voted not only for the animes but also for the games, films with special effects, dubbed western films, and others. Some works related to his songs were also ranked in the top 10.

■Ranking Top 10
“Who is your most favorite character voiced by Hatanaka Tasuku?”
1. Kaminari Denki “My Hero Academia”
2. Kougami Taiga “KING OF PRISM” Series
3. Ultraman Z “Ultraman Z”
4. Ikoma “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress”
5. Hyodo Kumon “A3!”
6. Tsukumo Yuma “Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal”
7. Jougasaki Subaru “Yumeiro Cast”
8. Edmund Pevensie “The Chronicles of Narnia” Series
8. Nagami Yuu “My Sister, My Writer”
10. Aotsuki Ushio “Ushio and Tora”
10. Nagakura Gou “Battery”
10. Busujima Eiji “Senryu Girl”
10. Leslie Kyle “Final Fantasy VII Remake”

(Survey Period is from Aug. 5, 2020 to Aug. 12, 2020.)