Miyu Irino

In the 2010s, Irino continued to take roles that appealed to both mainstream anime audiences and viewers of emotionally driven drama. He voiced Jinta Yadomi in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, a story built around grief, friendship, and unresolved childhood trauma. He played Kōshi Sugawara in Haikyu!!, contributing to one of the most popular sports-anime ensembles of its era. He also appeared in series such as Seraph of the End, Monogatari-related projects, and Mr. Osomatsu.

A major later film role came with A Silent Voice, in which Irino voiced Shoya Ishida. The film follows bullying, guilt, disability, isolation, and the possibility of repair. As Shoya, Irino had to communicate shame and emotional withdrawal as much as dialogue, making the performance central to the film's quiet intensity. The part stands alongside Haku as one of his best-known feature-film roles and showed how his voice could mature from child and teen roles into more inward adult drama.

Irino has also recorded music, releasing material through Kiramune and Nippon Columbia and working as part of the unit Kamiyu. His public profile includes his 2021 announcement that he had married. In 2024, he was announced as the new Japanese voice of Sabo in One Piece following Tōru Furuya's retirement from the role, a high-visibility assignment in one of anime's longest-running franchises. That casting reflected his established status as a dependable performer for emotionally important characters in large fictional worlds.

Irino's career is significant because it bridges several generations of Japanese popular culture. He is linked to Studio Ghibli through Spirited Away, to global games through Kingdom Hearts, to television anime through Haikyu!! and Anohana, and to contemporary feature animation through A Silent Voice. His performances often emphasize clarity and emotional sincerity, qualities that have made him effective in stories about growth, loss, friendship, and identity.

References:

[1] Wikipedia, “Miyu Irino” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyu_Irino

[2] Wikipedia, “Spirited Away” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away

[3] Wikipedia, “A Silent Voice (film)” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Silent_Voice_(film)

[4] Wikipedia, “Eyeshield 21” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyeshield_21

[5] Wikipedia, “Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsubasa:_Reservoir_Chronicle

[6] Wikipedia, “Kingdom Hearts” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts

[7] Wikipedia, “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anohana:_The_Flower_We_Saw_That_Day

[8] Wikipedia, “Haikyu!!” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haikyu!!

[9] Wikipedia, “One Piece (1999 TV series)” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece_(1999_TV_series)

[10] The Movie Database, “Miyu Irino” — https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19588-miyu-irino

The Rose of Versailles

as Bernard Châtelet (voice) · 2025 · Not rated yet