Anime Anime Global

June 13 is Sakurai Takahiro’s birthday.

Sakurai Takahiro debuted as a voice actor in the 1990s. He won the Overseas Fan Award at the 6th Seiyuu Awards. In the new TV anime spring season 2021, he appeared in many titles, including “The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent”, “Seven Knights Revolution: Hero Successor”, and “Backflip!!”. And the movie “Knights of Sidonia: Ai Tsumugu Hoshi” is on a big screen now.

Therefore, to celebrate Sakurai Takahiro’s birthday, we conducted an annual reader’s survey “Who is your favorite character played by Sakurai Takahiro?”. We received responses from 2,896 people during the survey period from June 2 to June 9.
The male-female ratio is about 15% for males and about 85% for females. About 40% of the age group were teens, about 25% were in their 20s, and about 20% in their 30s.

■ Reliable characters are ranked high!
1st place
1st place goes to Tomioka Giyuu from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” with an approval rating of about 11%, ranked up from 3rd place last year.

The passionate performance even with few lines attracted many fans, “He is a quiet person who doesn’t talk much, but he is kind, cares about his friends and all that is really nice.”, and “You can feel burning passion even in the calm voice, which is perfect matches to Giyuu-san.”
Memorable lines are another reason for the popularity, “His powerful words stole my heart, ‘Don’t let others control your life and death!'” The character from the super popular series, the new release of which soon will be on air, is topping the list.

2nd place
2nd place goes to Osomatsu Matsuno from “Mr. Osomatsu” with an approval rating of about 9%, down one place from last year’s top.

The gap from the usual performances gained attention, “An older brother who looks sloppy, but he really cares about his brother. I like how the eldest son comes to help in case of an emergency.”, and “His performance of the calm person with a very warm and soft voice easies my mind when I hear it. Osomatsu-san performance in various situations is amazing.”
Someone commented on voices and interactions between characters, “I like the fact that he puts the unique cast member together just like the eldest son.”

3rd place
3rd place goes to Miyuki Kazuya from “Ace of Diamond” with an approval rating of about 6%, up from 5th place last year.

Reliable senpais are topping the list, “The key person of Seido High School! A catcher who pulls the pitchers and has an overwhelming presence in terms of batting. The appearance of 2nd-year student who works hard until 3rd-year is really strong and cool.”, and “Although he is usually easygoing, he is passionate more than anyone else about baseball and can inspire people around. Sakurai-san’s acting makes it even more attractive, like acting of secretly showing expectations for the main character.”

■ Let’s introduce other comments!

For Arataka Reigen from”Mob Psycho 100″, “It is a strange and shady character, but the difference is beautifully expressed and I was overwhelmed.”
About Kururugi Suzaku from “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, “Sakurai-san’s calm voice gives a sense of justice, and the contrast between justice and evil with the main character Lelouch was vivid.”

For Shibuya Yuuri from “Kyo Kara Maoh!”, “At first, he seems a cute and energetic boy, but as he grows up, he becomes calm and has a strong core as a demon king. It is wonderful to enjoy various voice expressions in one role”
About Geto Suguru from “Jujutsu Kaisen”, “The feeling of not being able to catch it hearty is perfect for Sakurai-san’s play! I’m looking forward to the movie.”

In this survey, reliable characters such as seniors and eldest sons ranked high in the top three. In the top 20, not only humans but also animal characters have appeared.

■ Ranking Top 20
“Who is your favorite character played by Sakurai Takahiro? 2021 Edition”
1st place Tomioka Giyuu “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
2nd place Osomatsu Matsuno “Mr. Osomatsu”
3rd place Miyuki Kazuya “Ace of Diamond”
4th place Cloud Strife “Final Fantasy VII Advent Children”
5th place Makishima Shougo “PSYCHO-PASS”
6th place Arataka Reigana “Mob Psycho 100”
7th place Geto Suguru “Jujutsu Kaisen”
8th place Rohan Kishibe “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Diamond Is Unbreakable” “Rohan Kishibe Doesn’t Move”
9th place Kururugi Suzaku “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion”
10th place Kusuriuri “Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales” “Monono Kai”
11th place Takamine Kiyo “Zatch Bell!”
12th place Oshino Meme “ Series”
13th place Shibuya Yuuri “Kyo Kara Maoh!”
14th place Polar bear “Shirokuma Cafe”
15th place Merlin “Fate / Grand Order -Absolute Demon Beast Front Babylonia”
16th place Saito Shimaru “Gintama”
17th place Asbel Lhant “Tales of Graces”
18th place Mukami Ruki “DIABOLIK LOVERS”
19th place Kanda Yu “D.Gray-man”
20th place Takahashi Misaki “Junjo Romantica”

(Response period: June 2 to June 9, 2021)

* This survey is part of a survey of readers’ awareness of “current interest in and attention to anime works and characters.” Regarding the results, we do not intend to decide the superiority or inferiority of any character or work. We hope that this article will help you to get to know new works and characters, and to deepen your understanding and interest.