Anime Anime Global

June 29 is Kimura Subaru-san’s birthday.

Kimura Subaru-san debuted as a voice actor as Gian in “Doraemon” in 2005. He won the Singing Award as a member of “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle” in the 13th Seiyu Awards.
In 2021, he is taking part in various titles such as “2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team”, “100 Nichikan Ikita Wani”, and dubs the foreign film “Tom and Jerry”. He is also the host of the morning variety show “Oha Suta”.

To celebrate his birthday, we conducted the same survey as last year asking, “Who’s Your Favorite Character Played by Kimura Subaru-san?” There were 280 votes during the voting period from June 11 to June 18.
Most of the voters were female with a gender ratio of 20% male to 80% female, and the age range was on the younger side with 50% under 20 and 30% in their 20s.

■From his debut title to the latest works! Memorable characters made the list!
1st Place
Yamada Ichirou from “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle” topped the list with roughly 38% of the votes, keeping him at the top for two consecutive years.

He received comments pointing out his big-brotherly dependable personality and impressive singing skills, “Subaru-kun’s singing and rap skills are fully displayed through this character. His sense of justice and family-oriented personality matches his voice,” “I love Ichirou-kun leading his brothers with his powerful rap,” and “Since the show features rap, which Subaru-san loves, I can feel him enjoying the role from his heart!”
“‘Hypnosis Mic’ taught me about the fun and depth of rap music. I love how he’s always the first performer at the concerts and entertains us with all his might!” is a comment that shows how he fascinates his fans through his performance.

2nd Place
Coming in 2nd was Gian from “Doraemon” with roughly 17%, he also kept his position for two consecutive years.

He received comments such as, “I’ve been listening to his voice since I was a kid, so I naturally came to like it. I also love how he seems like a villain but is actually a nice guy!!” and “He’s a super violent brat, but also can be chivalrous and has a kind big-brother personality, which I think matches Subaru-san’s personality.”

Since it is a long-running series, there were comments from readers over 30 saying, “This is his debut as a voice actor and representative role. It’s a reminder of Subaru-san’s effort to get to where he is today,” and “I was surprised he was only 14 when he took over the role from Tatekabe Kazuya-san. And more than 15 years have passed since then! Time flies so fast.”

3rd Place
Toudou Aoi from “Jujutsu Kaisen” took 3rd place with roughly 11% of the votes. A new character from a 2020 title made it in the top 3.

Toudou Aoi is a 3rd-year student at Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College. The masculine character received comments such as, “A Grade 1 sorcerer with a huge muscular body, dreadlocks, and a fierce look. He seems to have no weaknesses, but I like how he has a cute side that loves the tall idol Takada-chan,” and “Toudou’s invincible strength, intimidation, and dignified appearance are all brought out thanks to Kimura-san.”
There were also fans saying that he has an unusual charm, “It’s funny how he refers to the protagonist as my brother,” and “He has an odd presence and makes me want to see him again and again.”

■Here are comments for some other characters!!

For Tendou Satori from “Haikyuu!!”, “What’s amazing is his acting that makes the unique character stand out even more. He starts off as an annoying character but gradually becomes likable, thanks to Kimura-san’s greatness.”
For Takakura Kanba from “Penguindrum”, “I felt him connecting with the character as the story progresses and by the end, it was like watching a real human being. It was realistic to the point that went beyond the quality of the performance. This anime made me want to watch anime when I see Kimura Subaru in the performers.”

For Badgerclops from “Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart”, “I enjoy watching this anime filled with fast-paced dialogue. I also like how there are a few scenes where he sings and raps.”

There were also votes for a character from a title that will be receiving its latest series, Inuramu Touma from “Idolish7”, “Touma’s good nature, which he can’t hide even when trying to act tough, perfectly matches Kimura Subaru-san’s cheerful, and kind personality!”, and “He’ll be finally appearing in the anime in the 3rd season which will start in July! I’m excited to see him in action!”

In the 2021 survey, various characters from his debut title to upcoming anime made it on the list.

■Top 10
“Who’s Your Favorite Character Played by Kimura Subaru-san? 2021 Edition”
1. Yamada Ichirou “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”
2. Gouda Takeshi (Gian) “Doraemon”
3. Toudou Aoi “Jujutsu Kaisen”
4. Tendou Satori “Haikyuu!!”
5. Inumaru Touma “Idolish7”
6. Takakura Kanba “Penguindrum”
7. Yo! Hey “B Rappers Street”
8. Gyoza “Zoid Wild”
9. Terasaka Tatsuma “Assassination Classroom”
10. Sam “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
10. Hoodlum “Akudama Drive”
10. Nanashiro Mage “Dance with Devils”
10. Beat “The World Ends with You”

(survey period: June 11 – June 18, 2021)

■All characters that received votes
“Who’s Your Favorite Character Played by Kimura Subaru-san? 2021 Edition”
Yamada Ichirou “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”
Gouda Takeshi (Gian) “Doraemon”
Toudou Aoi “Jujutsu Kaisen”
Tendou Satori “Haikyuu!!”
Inumaru Touma “Idolish7”
Takakura Kanba “Penguindrum”
Yo! Hey “B Rappers Street”
Gyoza “Zoid Wild”
Terasaka Tatsuma “Assassination Classroom”
Sam “Disney: Twisted-Wonderland”
Hoodlum “Akudama Drive”
Nanashiro Mage “Dance with Devils”
Beat “The World Ends with You: The Animation”
Gary “Eggsy” Unwin “Kingsman”
Pesci “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind”
Badgerclops “Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart”
Buggy as a boy “One Piece”
Baltazar von Adalbrecht (Balthus von Albrecht) “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”
Migo “Smallfoot”
Marume Chiguma “ACTORS -Song Connection-”
Ookuma Yuusuke “2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team”
Kitajima Noriyuki “Fushigi Dagashiya Zenitendou”
The character he played in the stageplay “AD-LIVE 2020”