Kazuhiko Inoue

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, singer and voice-school founder whose career reaches from 1970s anime to contemporary global franchises. Born on 26 March 1954 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, he began voice acting in the 1970s and became one of the durable figures of the profession. His roles include heroic leads, elegant rivals, comic eccentrics, mentors, villains and supernatural beings, a range that has kept him relevant across several generations of anime viewers.

Inoue’s early prominence came through roles such as Anthony Brown in Candy Candy and Joe Shimamura, also known as Cyborg 009, in the 1979 version of Cyborg 009. These parts placed him in works that became important to the development of television anime as a mass medium. In the 1980s he continued to appear in science-fiction, robot and adventure series, including Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam as Jerid Messa and Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos as Rom Stol.

For many international fans, Inoue is best known as Kakashi Hatake in Naruto. Kakashi’s cool detachment, dry humor, authority as a teacher and hidden grief all depend heavily on vocal balance, and Inoue’s performance helped make the character one of the franchise’s most enduring figures. He also became closely associated with Natsume’s Book of Friends as Nyanko-sensei and Madara, a dual comic-and-majestic role that shows a different side of his range. Other notable roles include Ninzaburo Shiratori in Detective Conan, Eiri Yuki in Gravitation, Kars in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Gildarts Clive in Fairy Tail, Yoriichi Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Neuras in Metaphor: ReFantazio.