Welcome to Anime Rants, today taking a look at the famous Japanese voice actor Akira Ishida. He is a real talent, and played roles in a plethora of anime series over the years since the 90s. He continues acting in anime to this day. First, I’ve picked twenty of his roles that I know about or enjoy. Next, I’ll add some of my notes about Mr. Ishida. Last of all, I’ll mention my first time hearing this seiyuu and which role was my favorite. Let’s RANT!

Roles

Aru Akise (Mirai Nikki)

Athrun Zala (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED)

Cavendish (One Piece)

Gaara (Naruto)

Gabriel Miller (Sword Art Online: Alicization)

Hideo Shimada (Parasyte: The Maxim)

Hyouga (Dr. Stone)

Inari (Kyousou Giga)

Judeau (Berserk 1997)

Kaworu Nagisa (Evangelion series and movies)

Keiju Takubi (Mawaru Penguin Drum)

Koemushi (Bokura no)

Kotarou Katsura (Gintama)

Margo (Casshern Sins)

Shinobu Sensui (Yuu Yuu Hakushou)

Shuichi Natori (Natsume Yuujinchou)

Shuusei Kagari (Psycho-Pass)

Xerxes Break (Pandora Hearts)

Yunan (Magi franchise)

Zeref (Fairy Tail)

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Notes

Akira Ishida has a distinct voice which sounds a bit nasal-y and smooth. In recent years, many of the characters he’s played are the suspicious, creepy types who either turn out villainous or stay good but always a little sketchy. A great example of this type of character is Xerxes Break from Pandora Hearts. He’s sly, charming, a little weird, and always scheming something. He knows more than he lets on, which makes him seem suspicious.

The sly and/or creepy character is not the only type that Mr. Ishida can play. When it comes to characters like Kaworu, he sounds softer, more genuine, a bit melancholy, and mysterious. Despite his voice being quite distinct, Akira Ishida makes various roles work by using very subtle differences in tone and inflexion. He can also play highly comedic and over-the-top characters like Katsura in Gintama. In Psycho-Pass, Mr. Ishida did a perfect job voicing Kagari, who is much more enthusiastic, boyish, and roguish than his typical characters.

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First Time Hearing

Kaworu Nagisa from Neon Genesis Evangelion was the first character I ever heard voiced by Akira Ishida. His character left a big impact on me, as I’m sure it did with most Evangelion fans. The way Kaworu is written and animated definitely helps make the character memorable, but a another big part of it was the voice. I believe this was one of Ishida’s earliest roles– the series was released in 1995– which makes it all the more impressive that he pulled it off so well. I will always remember the mysterious Kaworu and his heartbreaking end.

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Favorite Role

Although Kaworu is a close second, my favorite role by Akira Ishida is Katsura from Gintama. In this role, he’s a comedic genius. The same can be said for many seiyuu from that anime, but Katsura always struck me as one of the funniest because he’s so damn weird. I understand not having time or interest to watch hundreds of episodes, but maybe check out some of the ones that feature Katsura! I can almost guarantee you will laugh.

Thanks for reading and have a great day. 🙂

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PATREON