But still, they are no less important than their female counterparts in breathing life in to anime and many of them have been crucial in to making anime such a high quality medium of story telling now. This list, while limited, combines some of my most respected and most talented male seiyuus of out time, in my humble opinion.

1. Norio Wakamoto.
-THE- voice of GOD, Norio Wakamoto posseses one of the most unique and recognizable voices in the industry. His voice is…. just in a class of it’s own and my best description of it would involve using literal amounts of the “GAR” word, over and over again. Plus, not only does he possess a godly voice, in real life, he was an ex-riot police and he’s martial expert as well, making him even more godly and deserving of respect. Over the years, he’s held a number of influential roles in anime, usually in a supporting or antagonist role, but whatever the role, he still remains as godly as ever.

Notable roles: Kouichiro “Coach” Ohta, Top wo Nerae!; Alexander Anderson, Hellsing series; Chiyo-chichi, Azumanga Daioh; Gargoyle, Yoshinaga-san’chi no Gargoyle.

2. Takehito Koyasu.
While Megumi Hayashibara may have been known as having more leading roles than any single female seiyuu can have in a lifetime, the true holder of the most number of roles held by a seiyuu firmly belongs in to Takehito Koyasu, numbering over 250 and still counting. While one cannot be an otaku without having watched at least one Megumi Hayashibara role, one cannot BE an anime fan without having at least watched a Takehito Koyasu role.

Notable roles: Mwu la Fraga, Gundam SEED series; Ilpalazzo, Excel Saga; Kururu, Keroro Gunsou; Fool, Kaleidostar.

3. Sugita Tomokazu
One of the most talented male voices around, Sugita Tomokazu is a master of voice acting. His voice can be equally caring, sarcastic, funny and serious whenever he wants it and he masterfully uses it to each of his roles, usually teenagers or gentlemanly ones. While he has been steadily gaining fame, his name truly exploded when he was casted in the hit anime, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi.

Notable roles: Mayama Takumi, Honey & Clover; Kyon, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi; Motosuwa Hideki, Chobits; Tsuchimi Rin, SHUFFLE! series.

4. Seki Tomokazu
Versatility is his forte, and it shows in Seki Tomokazu’s credits list. Another prolific male seiyuu, his list of credits is long and varied and he has played everything from a talented pianist to a caring elder brother and even a cosplay mania otaku. His voice has a good vocal range and he is known to use his smoking habit to suit his voice for the character if required. Some of his best work has been done alongside fellow seiyuu Ayako Kawasumi.

Notable roles: Sagara Sousuke, Full Metal Panic; Shi Ryuuki, Saiunkoku Monogatari; Kinomoto Touya; Cardcaptor Sakura; Chiaki Shinichi, Nodame Cantabile.

5. Kazuya Nakai
One of the GAR voices on this list, Kazuya Nakai has had relatively limited roles but those roles are probably some of the more memorable ones. He is well known for his deep voice which usually he uses in rowdy characters and also swordsmen roles.

Notable roles: Roronoa Zoro, One Piece; Mugen, Samurai Champloo, Karasu, Noein.

6. Jouji Nakata
Famed for his deep, GAR voice, which he has used to great effect on some of the most popular male leads in anime. He is a great voice actor and he has held a number of expressive roles requiring a good vocal range, which he has well provided and at the same time earning respect from many for his roles. Most famously credited as the voice of the GAR’est of vampires, Alucard yet he is also well known for his comical role as Giroro in Keroro Gunsou as well.

Notable roles: Alucard, Hellsing series; The Count of Monte Cristo, Gankutsuou; Giroro, Keroro Gunsou; James “Jack” Bukhar, Sentou Yousei Yukikaze.

7. Akira Ishida
Possessing rather high-pitched voice, Akira Ishida is famous for voicing effeminate male roles and also antagonist roles in anime. His voice is famous amongst many fangirls (personal experience) alongside fellow seiyuu Hoshi Souichiro as well and they have both co-starred a few times, most famously in the Gundam SEED series recently. His voice is a very versatile one and he has a really awesome vocal range, contributing in to voicing some of the most memorable and enigmatic roles in anime.

Notable roles: Nagisa Kaworu, Neon Genesis Evangelion (note that he appeared for only one episode); Athrun Zala, Gundam SEED series; Nagi Homura, Mai HiME; Cho Hakkai, Saiyuki series.

8. Hoshi Souichiro
Possessing an even more high-pitched voice than Akira Ishida, Hoshi Souichiro has voiced a number of leading roles in which his character is usually boyish or initially weak but turns extremely strong throughout the series. He is another fangirl favourite after Akira Ishida. Incidentally, some of his roles are one of the most popularly bashed characters amongst male fans.

Notable roles: Yamato Kira, Gundam SEED series; Son Goku, Saiyuki; Kusanagi Kei, Onegai series; Seiichiro Sano, Law of Ueki; Maebara Keiichi, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

9. Yuji Ueda
Another versatile male seiyuu, Yuji Ueda has been in numerous major roles throughout the years and his talent is such that it can be hard to recognize his voice at times. Having voiced almost everything ranging from weak simpletons to violent characters, his talent is the top of the class in the industry.

Notable roles: Urashima Keitaro, Love Hina; Tenkawa Akito, Martian Successor Nadesico; Morita Shinobu, Honey & Clover; Sagara Sanosuke, Rurouni Kenshin series.

10. Jun Fukuyama
Jun Fukuyama is a rather new name for me, but in the past year, he has made some memorable performances in Code Geass and Inukami. While his voice does not have any significant feel to it, his voice acting is top notch, evidenced by his performance in Code Geass and his credits list gave me a rather good surprise too.

Notable roles: Lelouch “Zero” Lamperouge, Code Geass; Kawahira Keita, Inukami; Tsubaki Issei, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu; Kimihiro Watanuki, xxxHoLic.

Honorable Mention: Romi Paku
Yes, I know. She’s a female, but Romi Paku has voiced some of my favourite male characters in anime and she definitely has a manly voice, but she can also do well at female roles as well. One of the rare seiyuus to be talented in both male and female roles, Romi Paku definitely requires mention. She’s also from Korean descent and can speak fluent Korean as well.

Notable roles: Ueki Kousuke, Law of Ueki; Edward Elric, Full Metal Alchemist; Hitsugaya Toushiro, Bleach series; Osaki Nana, NANA.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Bonus points if you understand the joke.

Disclaimer: This is by no means a “Top 10″ list and I don’t intend it to be such.

Seiyuus… they are the life of anime. Seiyuus are the link between 2D and 3D, and without them, anime, well, wouldn’t even exist. Somehow though, as important as they are, seiyuus aren’t exactly popular amongst a majority of fans who can remember the characters but not the people who bring it to life, as if Tobey Maguire was only known as Peter Parker, so this article is meant for me to bring up and expose the people behind the characters, the voices that bring them to life who manage to give them a place in our hearts as otakus and fans alike.

1. Ayako Kawasumi
Quite possibly the top female seiyuu of current times, Ayako possesses an instantly recognizable voice which almost seems to possess a thousand different variations yet still remaining the same at the core. Her talent is such that even with a single voice range, she never seems to be stereotyped in to a single character archetype and has played many roles throughout her career from an android maid to a valiant knight and even princesses. While a show with her in the credits list might not be guaranteed to be the best, but her name itself ensures that her character will surely be one of the memorable ones.

Notable roles: Lafiel Abriel, Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars series; Mahoro Ando, Mahoromatic series; Chikane Himemiya, Kannazuki no Miko; Sara Werec, Soukou no Strain; Fuu, Samurai Champloo.

2. Yui Horie
Ahh… Hocchan, as her fans fondly call her, is one of the most famous seiyuus in the industry. First making a bang with her role as Naru Narusegawa in Love Hina (of which the writer is still in love with), she then went on a slump only to reemerge more actively recently with a slew of leading roles including Otoboku, Kanon and Manabi Straight. She is mostly associated with the “active attractive girl” archetype but has done a number of roles outside that archetype. She is also a good singer and has released a number of solo and group albums, that usually include an anime song.

Notable roles: Naru Narusegawa, Love Hina; Kotori Shirakawa, Da C(r)apo; Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket; Yoko, Inukami; Amamiya “Manabi” Manami, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight; Siesta, Zero no Tsukaima.

3. Noto Mamiko
If there was a seiyuu who would be famous because and only because of her voice, that seiyuu would be Noto Mamiko. Owner of a legendary voice, her voice is enough to send her fanboys in to a moe high (ok, that’s me, but I’m sure the other fanboys do to) and she has been attributed to possesing a “Noto time-space”. She has rather been stereotyped in to certain archetypes but nonetheless she does have real talent at voice-acting and surprisingly she has voiced a number of male roles as well which showcases her vocal range nicely.

Notable roles: Ana Coppola, Ichigo Mashimaro; Tsukamoto Yakumo, School Rumble; Enma Ai, Jigoku Shoujo; Sasaki Yukinari, Girl’s Bravo; Angol Moa, Keroro Gunsou; Shihou Matsuri, sola.

4. Megumi Hayashibara
No seiyuu list would be complete without a mention of Megumi Hayashibara, essentially -the- queen of seiyuus. Her credits list is long and illustrious one and she has been said to have more leading roles than any other seiyuu can have in a life time. In fact, it is quite impossible for one to be an otaku without having at least watched one of her roles once. Recently, she has slowed down due to her marriage and the birth of her first daughter, but she has been slowly making a comeback, slated for a few roles in a few upcoming anime series. Interestingly, she shares the same birthday as Ayako Kawasumi on the 30th of March.

Notable roles: Ayanami Rei, Neon Genesis Evangelion; Faye Valentine; Cowboy Bebop; Saotome Ranma(female), Ranma 1/2.

5. Rie Kugimiya
Another prolific seiyuu in recent times, Kugimin is most famous for her roles as loli-tsundere characters in the past two years starting with Shakugan no Shana to Zero no Tsukaima and most recently Hayate no Gotoku. Her semi high pitched voice makes her easily recognizable but she has quite a vocal range as well.

Notable Roles: Enpatsu Shakugan no Uchita “Shana”, Shakugan no Shana; Louise de La Vallière, Zero no Tsukaima; Nagi Sanzenin, Hayate no Gotoku; Alphonse Elric, Full Metal Alchemist.

6. Aya Hirano
The top rookie seiyuu now, Aya Hirano first debuted a few years back and even held a leading role in Kiddy Grade.
However, her popularity truly exploded after her role as Suzumiya Haruhi and since then she has been in the spotlight continuously. She possesses a truly promising talent for voice acting and her vocal range has been one of her selling points. Definitely a seiyuu to watch out for.

Notable roles: Suzumiya Haruhi, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi; Lumiere, Kiddy Grade; Izumi Konata, Lucky Star; Etoh Mei, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight.

7. Mai Nakahara
A talented seiyuu, she has voiced a number of leading roles. She is well known for her “youthful and active girl” roles such as in Mai Hime, Onegai Twins and Kaleidostar. Her voice is unarguably one of the top ones of the industry, and she is considered an A-list seiyuu.

Notable roles: Tokiha Mai, Mai Hime; Miyafuji Miina, Onegai Twins; May Wong; Kaleidostar; Ryuugu “Rena” Reina, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni; Nanbu Chitose, Amaenaideyo! series.

8. Itou Shizuka
Her voice absolutely defines “elegance” and she has held a number of notable roles lately, Itou Shizuka is destined for greatness. She holds unique vocal range that can be used for a variety of situations, but her roles in To Heart 2 and Pumpkin Scissors still remain one of her career defining ones. Her number of roles are gradually increasing and this season has seen her in a variety of shows.

Notable Roles: Alice L. Malvin, Pumpkin Scissors; Kousaka Tamaki, To Heart 2; Nogami Shouko, Asatte no Houkou; Nadie, El Cazador de la Bruja; Hinagiku Katsura, Hayate no Gotoku.

9. Yukari Tamura
Possessing a rather nasal voice which makes her instantly recognizable, Yukari Tamura, or affectionally known as Yukarin amongst her fans, is another A-list seiyuu with a long list of credits. She usually gets associated with 2 archetypes, the girlish type, unsurprising due to her voice, and rather surprisingly, the silent, enigmatic type as well.

Notable Roles: Takamachi Nanoha, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series; Kawasumi Mai, Kanon series; Furude Rika, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Morino Ichigo, Onegai series; Ranpha Francoise, Galaxy Angel series.

10. Inoue Kikuko
Second only to Megumi Hayashibara in prolificness is the “Onee-sama” of seiyuus, Inoue Kikuko. Over the years, she has totally conquered the “caring, motherly and dignified” character archetype as if her voice was tailor-made for it. Her long list of credits reads like the “Who’s who” of MILF’s but yet, she has had roles outside of that archetype as well. She is respected by many in the industry, attested to the fact her “Eien ni jyunanasai” cult is joined by a few in this list as well.

Notable roles: Belldandy, Aa! Megami-sama series; Kasumi Tendo, Ranma 1/2; Alv, Kiddy Grade (can anyone recognise it’s her?); Kazami Mizuho, Onegai series.

That concludes my article for today, and by no means it’s a complete one. There’s a multitude of other names I wanted to mention as well, but due to my decision to choose ten, I’ve left them out. This article was more focused on the recent top names as well, so some of the rather established ones have been left out as well, and I might cover them in another article, if I feel like doing so :P.

For those who want a male version of this article though… don’t keep your hopes up. I have a few male seiyuus I love of course, but I’m not sure if there’s enough for me to write out an article like this.

©2009 Kurogane's Anime Blog. All Rights Reserved.