Akira Kamiya

Akira Kamiya
神谷 明
Born September 18, 1946
Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Occupation Voice actor
Years active 1970–present
Notable credit(s)

Fist of the North Star
as Kenshiro
Kinnikuman
as Kinnikuman (character)
City Hunter
as Ryo Saeba
Urusei Yatsura
as Shutaro Mendou
Maison Ikkoku
as Shun Mitaka
Detective Conan
as Kogoro Mori

Super Robot Anime
Getter Robo
as Ryoma Nagare
Brave Raideen
as Akira Hibiki
Gaiking
as Sanshirō Tsuwabuki
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
as Roy Focker
Beast King GoLion
as Sincline

Akira Kamiya (神谷 明 Kamiya Akira, born September 18, 1946 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama) is a Japanese voice actor. He has been represented by Theater Echo, Aoni Production, and others. He is currently represented by Saeba Shoji.

Career

Kamiya made his debut on Mahou no Mako-chan in 1970 while working for Theater Echo. He went on to have a regular role on Akaki Chi no Eleven as Sasuke Yatsume and later co-starred with Kei Tomiyama in Fushigi na Merumo.

In 1973 he played the title character in Babel II, and then went on to play the lead role in many Super Robot anime, such as Ryoma Nagare in Getter Robo, Akira Hibiki in Yuusha Raideen, Jimmy Orion in Mechander Robo, and Takuma Ichimonji in Wakusei Danguard Ace. Because of his tendency to shout dramatically, he earned the nickname Sakebi no Kamiya (叫びの神谷, Screaming Kamiya).

Kamiya has also played many playboy lady-killer types, including pretty-boy pitcher Satoru Satonaka in Dokaben, Godai's tennis-coach rival Shun Mitaka in Maison Ikkoku, and rich and arrogant characters such as Shinnosuke Kazamatsuri in Yawara! and Mendou Shuutaro in Urusei Yatsura. (When Urusei Yatsura creator Rumiko Takahashi's later work Ranma 1/2 was adapted to anime, Takahashi had Kamiya in mind for the role of another rich and arrogant playboy character, Tatewaki Kuno, but the directors chose Hirotaka Suzuoki for the role instead.) In addition to this he has also played goofier roles, like Tosaka-senpai in Kyuukyoku Choujin R and Nyarome in Mouretsu Atarou. Until 2009, he was playing the lazy, washed-up private detective Kogoro Mori in the long running Detective Conan anime.

The 1980s would see a string of memorable performances from Kamiya, including Shutaro Mendou in Urusei Yatsura, Suguru Kinniku in Kinnikuman, Kenshirou in Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star), Roy Focker in Macross and Ryo Saeba in City Hunter.

Apart from anime, Kamiya has done some dub work, most notably dubbing Pierce Brosnan in Remington Steele and 2 James Bond movies (GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies).

In recent years, he has lectured at the Nihon Kogakuin Vocational School. Some of his students include Megumi Toyoguchi, Ryoko Shintani, and Ai Shimizu.

The Kinnikuman Incident

After reprising the role of Ryo Saeba for the City Hunter movie series and Kenshiro for the Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) video games, Kamiya reprised the role of Kinniku Suguru for the initial Kinnikuman Nisei movie and the GameCube game Kinnikuman Nisei: Legend Chojins vs. New Generation Chojins. However, he was replaced by Toshio Furukawa for the Nisei (Ultimate Muscle) TV series and the expanded version of the video game (Kinnikuman Generations, PS2). No official reason had been given for this cast change and Kamiya himself claimed in an interview on Waratte Iitomo that he was never even offered the roles. Most fans were upset by the change and confused about why it was done. During a February 3, 2007 guest appearance on Seishun Radimenia, Kamiya said that he was unable to play Kinnikuman on those occasions because of the production budget.

As of the second expansion of the video game (Kinnikuman Muscle Generations, PSP), Kamiya has resumed the role of Kinniku Suguru.

Kamiya also ceased playing Kenshiro in 2001 and Kogoro Mori in 2009.[1] He is said to be one of the highest ranking[2] voice actors in Japan and thus may be out of the price-range of most anime and game productions' modest budgets.[3]

Rumiko Takahashi Works

Kamiya played the rival character in Rumiko Takahashi's works Urusei Yatsura (Shuutarou Mendou) and Maison Ikkoku (Shun Mitaka). She was so impressed with his performances that she personally recommended him for the part of Tatewaki Kuno from Ranma ½. However, director Tomomi Mochizuki wished to use newer voice actors (as anime based on Takahashi's works tended to use the same voice actors), so he chose the late Hirotaka Suzuoki instead (though Hirotaka previously did the voice of Inaba in UY). Takahashi then requested that Kamiya portray Kuno's anime original servant Sasuke Sarugakure, but this too was rejected and Shigeru Chiba was chosen instead (although Chiba, too, had had major roles in previous Takahashi anime, as Megane in UY and Yotsuya and Soichiro-san the dog in MI).

Kamiya would later appear in two episodes of Rumic Theater. He did not do any voices in InuYasha.

Notable voice roles

TV Anime

OVA

Anime Movies

Games

Dub Work

Pachinko

  • Sammy: Hokuto no Ken (Kenshirou)

Tokusatsu

Puppet Show

  • Purinpurin Monogatari (Bon-Bon, Zerozerozebun Hennakibun)
  • Benikujaku (Kotemoku)

Radio

Internet Radio

  • Kamiya Akira Returns (AII Radio) May 9, 2005
  • Kamiya Akira Hot Beat Party (Saeba Shouji) May 3, 2005~

CD

Commercials

Other

Music

Honours

References

  1. ↑ Detective Conan's Akira Kamiya to Leave Kogoro Mouri Role
  2. ↑ w:ja:声優#ランク制
  3. ↑ w:ja:神谷明#『週刊少年ジャンプ』作品

External links