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Voice Actor Comparison: Dragon Ball/Z/GT – Piccolo

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My pick: Toshio Furukawa

Reasoning: I love how Toshio Furukawa can sound snarky and arrogant one minute and really serious and sharp the next, depending on Piccolo’s mood. He’s got that devilish feel to him. However, it’s not a "character voice"; it sounds natural in every scene. As far as the English dub(s) are concerned, Scott McNeil’s Piccolo edges out the competition by having a wild flare to it, while still remaining solidly rooted. In comparison, Sabat’s Piccolo seems a little bland and the others just sound plain bad. read more

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Anime Voice Talent Highlight #7: Kei Tomiyama

#7 Kei Tomiyama
 

One of the classic anime voices of the 70s and 80s, Kei Tomiyama’s tragically short life was nevertheless fruitful in his industry. Already well-known by the seventies for his role as the wrestler eponymous Tiger Mask, an character who has endured as an anime icon for decades, he went on to play a few other very notable roles. His tender, sincere voice at times belied his often firey delivery.


He played three classic science fiction characters. One of them is the hotheaded, but honest Susumu Kodai from Space Battleship Yamato. He brought a sense of romantic conviction to the character, and as the character grew from an angry young man looking to avenge his brother to a man willing to sacrifice himself for his convictions, his voice reflected it. In a different work associated with Leiji Matsumoto, he played Captain Harlock’s trusted friend and designer of the ship Arcadia, Tochirou Oyama in Galaxy Expres 999. These roles alone would have been enough to qualify him for this higlight. But he played one more unforgettable character in anime.
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