May 16 is Toriumi Kosuke’s birthday.
Toriumi Kosuke made his voice acting debut in the 1990’s. In 2021, he plays as main characters in “Pretty Boy Detective Club” and “The Movie: Dakaretai Otoko 1‑i ni Odosarete Imasu. – Spain Arc-”
In 2020, he opened his official YouTube channel “Tori-san Gakkyu”. Using the channel as a school, he presents a variety of projects such as Japanese (reading), Home Economics (cooking), and Music (singing).
So, Anime! Anime! conducted the same reader survey as last year titled “Who is your favorite character played by Toriumi Kosuke?” to celebrate Kosuke Toriumi’s birthday. We received responses from 352 people during the survey period from May 6 to May 13.
The ratio of males to females was about 10 % of males, and about 90 % of females. About 35% of the age group were teens, and about 30% were in their 20s.
■New titles to be aired in 2020 and 2021 also ranked in!
1st place
Yuri Lowell of “Tales of Vesperia” took first place with a support rate of about 10%, up from last year’s 4th place.
Yuri is the main character of this work. He used to work for the Knights. We received comments from readers seeing him as a dark hero who is an attractive grown-up man: “He is the first main character in 20s in the ‘Tales of’ series. I was attracted to Toriumi’s voice, which shows his determination and the way he carries his sins alone as a senior member in the party.”
“He is a wonderful protagonist who makes choices that could be called outrageous for the justice he believes in, but somehow he can’t leave people in trouble alone. I’m also happy to hear Toriumi’s voice for the many technique names,” said another reader, referring to the variety of special moves.
2nd place
The 2nd place went to Saito Hajime from “Hakuouki”, who did not take the top spot for the second year in a row, but was only a few votes behind the 1st place.
He is popular for his inner passions and unexpected sides: “He is a taciturn loner who has the ability to make calm decisions and take action, and never forgets to repay debts of gratitude. I like the gap between his cool samurai way of life and his naturalness when it comes to love,” and “He is usually cool, quiet and unsociable, but I can feel the strong feelings he sometimes shows for his friends.”
“I had no interest in history at all, but ‘Hakuouki’ got me hooked on the Shinsengumi,” said another reader who became interested in history through this work.
3rd place
The 3rd place goes to Mikazuki Munechika from “Touken Ranbu: ONLINE”. The approval rate was about 9 %, the same as last year.
Many readers commented that the character and the voice matched each other perfectly, saying, “Nobleness as a nobleman in the Heian period, laid-back atmosphere, and braveness in battle. Toriumi-san is the only one who can express each of them so beautifully!” and “It’s amazing that he can play such a difficult role as a graceful character who is a little bit careless and calls himself ‘old man’.”
■Introducing other comments!!
To Aijima Cecil from “Uta no Prince-sama,” “Aijima Cecil is lively and beautiful. Toriumi Kosuke’s angelic voice and his ability to express a dignified sexiness make me lose my mind.”
As for Guido Mista from “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind,” “It’s amazing that in addition to Mista himself, he also plays each of the six members of the Sex Pistols,” and “I really like the way he acts when he and Trish switched.”
There are some votes to the works broadcast in 2020: To Mutsuki Hajime from “Tsukiuta. THE ANIMATION,” “He IS the King! He’s so dignified and perfect, but the gap between him and his partner when he shows his weaknesses is so cute!”
As for Minato from “Decadence,” “His coolness as a commander with dignity, his devotion to his best friend, and his conflict over the role he has been given. I was captivated by his wonderful performance that oozed with various emotions.”
In the 2021 version of the survey, the ranking has changed, and characters whose new series is currently airing, such as Rin Setsua from “Thunderbolt Fantasy Touriken Yuki”, are also in the top 10.
■Ranking Top 20
[Who is your most favorite character that Kosuke Toriumi has played? 2021 ver.]
1st place: Yuri Lowell “Tales of Vesperia”
2nd place: Saito Hajime “Hakuouki”
3rd place: Mikazuki Munechika “Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-”
4th place: Aijima Cecil “Uta no Prince-sama”
5th place: Sakamaki Shu “DIABOLIK LOVERS
6th place: Mutsuki Hajime “Tsukiuta. THE ANIMATION”
7th place: Imaizumi Shunsuke “Yowamushi Pedal”
8th place: Mikejima Madara “Ensemble Stars!”
9th place: Guido Mista “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind”
10th place: Minato “Decadence”
10th place: Rin Setsuna “Thunderbolt Fantasy Touriken Yuki”
12th place: Inuzuka Kiva “NARUTO”
12th place: Sakusa Kiyomi “Haikyu!! TO THE TOP”
12th place: Sengoku Kiyosumi “The Prince of Tennis”
15th place: Nozel Silva “Black Clover”
16th place: Robin Hood “Fate/Grand Order”
17th place: Kawakami Otojiro “Meiji Tokyo Renka”
17th place: Szayel Aporro Granz “Bleach”
17th place: Chopin “ClassicaLoid”
17th place: Watanabe Satoru “Stand My Heroes”
(Survey period: May 6, 2021 – May 13, 2021)
*This questionnaire is part of a survey of our readers’ “attitudes toward current anime works and characters.” The results are not intended to determine the superiority or inferiority of any character or work. We hope that this article will provide you with an opportunity to learn about new works and characters, and deepen your understanding and interest in them.