Summary
“God”Usopp, the cowardly sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates inOne Pieceis one of the most famous and beloved comedic characters in all anime, and he’s a big part of what makes the main pirate crew so iconic and endearing. Needless to say, Usopp would be nowhere as memorable if it wasn’t for the greatKappei Yamaguchi, who has been voicing him for 25 years.
He is one of the most underrated Japanese voice actors in the industry, because, while most people may associate him with goofy but kind characters like Usopp, he has actually shown off his impressive vocal range on a number of occasions, even beforeOne Piecebegan airing. There’s a lot to choose from, but the following 8 roles are some of the best in Yamaguchi’s entire career.
Even though he has voiced many secondary characters and villains, Kappei Yamaguchi has also starred in many iconic anime shows, with one of the biggest examples being his extensive tenure asRanma Saotome, the protagonist ofRanma ½.Of course, some people may be unaware of this fact because he only voices the male version of the titular character, while the female version is portrayed by a legendary voice actress, Megumi Hayashibara.
Yamaguchi always excels at voicing lighthearted characters with stubborn and determined personalities, so his performance as Ranma helps make him more likable, while keeping him flawed when necessary. The most impressive part is thathe returned to voice Ranma once again in the recentRanma ½remake, and he sounds just as good as he did 35 years ago.
Kappei Yamaguchi voicedShinichi Kudo,the main character ofCase Closed/Detective Conanbut, similarly to his performance as Ranma Saotome, most fans may have forgotten about this because he only voices Shinichi when he’s a teenager, while Minami Takayama voices him when he’s shrunken down. And this is a real shame, because Yamaguchi’s youthful voice perfectly fits this brilliant young detective.
However, it seems that TMS Entertainment was aware that not letting Yamaguchi voice the main character more often was a waste of his talents, so they also cast him as the thief known asKaitou Kid, the protagonist ofMagic Kaito, another series created by author Gosho Aoyama that often crosses over withCase Closed. This was most likely intentional, because of the physical similarities between Shinichi and Kaitou, and yet Yamaguchi managed to make it work quite well by making their voices different enough whenever it’s necessary.
That’s right; Kappei Yamaguchi basically dominated the Japanese industry during the 90s and 2000s, seeing as he portrayed multiple iconic main characters. In this case, he voiced the titular main character inInuyasha, and it ended up becoming one of his best and memorable performances.
Inuyashais a bit different from his previous roles, like Usopp or Shinichi Kudo, as this half-demon is much more stubborn, arrogant and ruthless, yet he still has a soft side to him, not to mention that he usually takes part in funny comedic scenes related to his dog-like features. As a result of the impressive range he displayed, Inuyasha has remained one of Yamaguchi’s most popular roles.
Kappei Yamaguchi always excels at voicing sidekicks and protagonists, but he stands out because he can also portray minor one-off characters and still give out an impeccable performance. One of the most prominent examples of his great talent was inCowboy Bebop, where he voicedRhint Celoniasin episode 10,Ganymede Elegy.
Even though he’s not the most important figure in this Jet Black-focused episode, Celonias is still quite different from most of Yamaguchi’s other roles, as he is violent, impulsive and skittish, yet he has an innocent side that really shines through his high-pitched voice. This is one of many instances that proved Kappei Yamaguchi can also take part in more serious shows whenever he wants.
Adding a lot to his already impressive vocal range, Kappei Yamaguchi has also shown that he can seamlessly voice antagonists as well, with his performance asFeitan Portor(One of the Phantom Troupe’s many members) in the 2011 version ofHunter x Hunterbeing one of his most memorable ones so far.
This is once again an unexpectedly different role when compared to characters like Usopp or Inuyasha, asFeitan is a cold and calculating criminal who is proficient in torture, and yet he always sounds like he’s tired of everything and everyone. However, whenever he’s fighting (which doesn’t happen very often), Feitan comes out as incredibly ruthless and intimidating. Yamaguchi managed to make all these different elements work together very well, which cemented this as one of his absolute best vocal performances.
3Kechizu
In Jujutsu Kaisen
As weird as it may sound, Kappei Yamaguchi has a unique, high-pitched voice that he can adapt to any role he’s assigned to, and it works especially well for weird and/or monstrous characters. This is most likely why he was chosen to portrayKechizu,one of the Cursed Womb brothers inJujutsu Kaisen.
It’s a real shame that MAPPA decided to use a filter over his performance, because Yamaguchi totally managed to make Kechizu feel creepy, which goes perfectly with his disturbing appearance and destructive Cursed Technique, while still maintaining a childish and tragic side to him, which is exceptionally evident during his tragic final moments.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureis one of the most important and influential shōnen anime ever made, and Kappei Yamaguchi had the honor of voicing not one, nor two, but three of its most memorable characters. He made his debut inStardust Crusaders, where he voicedForever, a creepy orangutan and the user of the Strength stand. Yamaguchi was so good at this role, that most viewers may be completely unaware that an actual voice actor was behind this strange character, and that the production team didn’t use real animal noises at all. Later inStone Ocean, Yamaguchi voicedYo-Yo Ma, a living stand that acted clumsy and silly, but that was actually extremely dangerous. And once again, he gave him a perfectly charming voice that made this annoying character a lot less unbearable.
But Yamaguchi’s bestJojo’s Bizarre Adventurerole can be found inDiamond is Unbreakable, in which he voicedShigekiyo YanguAKA Shigechi. This weird looking young boy constantly shifts his personality, as he starts off as innocent and childish, later becomes greedy and violent and ends up becoming unexpectedly brave and honorable, and yet his voice never falters.The scene of Shigechi’s tragic death at the hands of Yoshikage Kirastill stands out as one of the saddest moments in the entire show, and it would have never gained this reputation if it wasn’t for Yamaguchi’s heartbreaking performance.
Yes, Usopp fromOne PieceandLfromDeath Notehave the same Japanese voice actor. This is one of those fun facts that anime fans constantly share with each other, and how could they not? These two characters couldn’t be more opposite of each other, and yetKappei Yamaguchi has brought them both to life with his iconic voice and his spectacular range.
It is no wonder why L is so popular worldwide, since he’s intelligent and calm, but he’s also quirky and friendly. He is such a fascinating and complex character with many layers to him that only an extremely talented voice actor could have portrayed him, and Yamaguchi was the perfect man for the job. L is the most distinctive character he has ever voiced and one of the best performances in his entire career, maybe only second to Usopp himself.
