Summary
The main characters ofOne Piece, the Straw Hat Pirates, are all voiced by a star-studded cast of talented Japanese voice actors,and Tony Tony Chopper is no exception. For over 23 years, the crew’s adorable reindeer doctor has been portrayed by the talentedIkue Ōtani.
Needless to say, Ōtani is a legendary voice actress with an extremely recognizable voice that she has used to bring some of the most beloved anime characters to life, and some of them may be even more famous than Chopper himself. There are a lot of solid examples to choose from in her extensive résumé, but the following eight performances are some of Ōtani’s absolute best.
This is the reason Ikue Ōtani will go down in history as one of the most iconic Japanese voice actors in history. Because, as incredible as her performance as Tony Tony Chopper is, nothing can top her 27-year-old tenure asPikachu,the famous mascot of the entire Pokemon franchise. Of course, she debuted by voicing Ash’s Pikachu, but her role has been expanded over the years, and now she voices almost every single Pikachu in the franchise, whether it’s in the anime or in other material. Ōtani’s voice has even been used in the mainlinePokemongames, which is an impressive feat.
And it’s not like she just says the name “Pikachu” over and over and calls it a day. The writers of thePokemonanime have created a specific Pikachu language that Ikue Ōtani follows to a tee, which allows her to add some much-needed emotional depth to her performance. After so many years, it’s almost impossible to discern that there’s a real human behind Pikachu’s signature voice. That’s how good of a job Ikue Ōtani has done (and is still doing).
Just like her colleagues, Kazuya Nakai (Zoro) and Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji) Ikue Ōtani is one of many Japanese voice actors who have portrayed characters in bothOne PieceandNaruto. However, she stands out because she has voiced a relatively important character as early as the second episode of the series:Konohamaru Sarutobi.
When she’s not voicing small and adorable mascot characters, Ōtani usually portrays young male children, and Konohamaru is one of the most prominent examples of this type of role. He is a simple and effective character, since he’s an enthusiastic but troublesomeaspiring ninja who sees Naruto as his idol and mentor. And Ōtani’s performance gives him that sense of innocence that really makes him appealing to audiences, despite how annoying he can be at times. And she carried this excellent portrayal over toNaruto Shippuden, where a slightly older Konohamu began getting involved in a few more action scenes.
A few years before Pikachu and Tony Tony Chopper, Ikue Ōtani voicedMitsuhiko Tsuburaya, one of themost memorable characters inCase Closed(known asDetective Conanin many countries). While she had been working as a voice actress for a few years prior to this show, there’s no doubt that this is the role that put her on the map, and for good reason.
Mitsuhiko is one of Conan Edogawa’s closest friends, alongside Genta and Ayumi. While he’s one of the smartest and most methodical members of the group, he’s also fairly innocent and clueless since, after all, he is still a 6-year-old boy. Ōtani’s flawless performance has cemented Mitsuhiko as one of the most endearing characters in the series. What’s especially impressive is that new episodes ofCase Closedare still being made to this day, which means that Ikue Ōtani has been voicing Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya for much longer than most of her other roles.
As previously mentioned, Ikue Ōtani specializes in voicing either cute mascots or young boys. So what happens when both of these character archetypes are combined? Well, that’s exactly what happened when she was cast to voiceZatch Bell,the titular character of one of the most underrated gems of the action shōnen genre:Zatch Bell!. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, however, seeing as this anime was produced by Toei Animation, the studio behindOne Piece.
Similarly to Konohamu, this powerful Mamodo is an optimistic boy with a rampant battle spirit, but he can also be immature and innocent at times. Ōtani’s endlessly recognizable voice really helps Zatch stand out among other similar characters and makes him a lot more likable to the viewer. Not to mention that this was a starring role for her, which meant that she had to put a lot of effort into her acting, and she definitely succeeded.
All the characters mentioned so far are males but, as an adult woman, Ikue Ōtani had the chance to voice a fair share of female characters as well (even if it didn’t happen very often). One of the most memorable examples isCandy,one of the two main mascots of the classic magical girl series,Smile Pretty Cure!.
After she voiced so many male characters, it feels both unusual and refreshing to hear Ōtani’s voice coming from a female character. Fortunately, she’s a natural at this, and she got to use the full extent of her talents in order to make Candy sound as adorable, feminine and stylish as possible. This is undoubtedly one of Ikue Ōtani’s most distinctive roles so far.
Ikue Ōtani has made a huge impact in the world of gaming because not only does she voice Pikachu inPokemon, but she has also lent her voice toMorgana,one of the main playable characters inPersona 5. And she didn’t just stick to the games, since she continued voicing this lovable feline in the animated adaptation,Persona 5: The Animation.
Once again, Ōtani was chosen to voice an adorable and charming mascot character with a lot of personality and, as always, she knocked it out of the part. Unlike Pikachu or Chopper, Morgana is a lot more arrogant and exasperating, but Ōtani’s fun performance greatly contributes to making him way more endearing, especially during comedic scenes.
At first glance,Mannish BoyfromJojo’s Bizarre Adventuremay seem like another young & innocent boy for Ikue Ōtani to voice, but this actually ended up being one of her most distinctive characters. In reality, this literal baby is an evil and murderous stand userwho tried to kill the main cast ofStardust Crusaderswith his deadly stand,Death Thirteen.
There are two sides to this performance: Mannish Boy himself, who mainly speaks through an inner monologue that lets the viewer know how truly cruel and intelligent he is. And the disturbing stand that he controls: Death Thirteen, in which he showcases the more playful part of his personality. After all, who can forget his signature catchphrase “Lali-Ho!”? Surprisingly enough, Ōtani’s signature high-pitched voice managed to perfectly convey how despicable Mannish Boy is, further proving that she has much more vocal range than most people may think.
After voicing so many mascots and young boys for numerous years,Cheadle Yorkshire, from the 2011 animated adaptation ofHunter x Hunter, is undoubtedly one of Ikue Ōtani’s most remarkable and important voice performances. This is because, unlike most of her usual roles,Cheadle is a calm and intelligent adult woman.
She was introduced during the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc, which is less focused on action and more on politics and bureaucracy. As a result, there are a lot of long and complex conversations in this arc, and fortunately, Ōtani used all her talents to make Cheadle as likable as possible. This was an especially important task, seeing as she ended up being chosen as the new Chairwoman of the Hunter Association at the end of the arc. Anime fans will always remember her for her iconic performances as Pikachu and Tony Tony Chopper, but Ikue Ōtani’s excellent portrayal of Cheadle Yorkshire should never be forgotten.
