Kenji Utsumi

Kenji Utsumi (内海 賢二 Utsumi Kenji, August 26, 1937 – June 13, 2013) was a veteran Japanese actor and voice actor from Kitakyūshū, affiliated with the self-founded Ken Production. With a career that exceeded five decades, he was one of the most recognized seiyūs in Japan.

He is best known for his roles in Sally the Witch (as Sally's Papa), Fist of the North Star (as Raoh and Kaioh), Dr. Slump (as Senbei Norimaki), the Dragon Ball series (as Shenron, Commander Red and Recoome), Fullmetal Alchemist (as Alex Louis Armstrong), and Fighting Spirit (as Coach Kamogawa). He was also the official dub-over artist for actors such as Steve McQueen, Sammy Davis, Jr., Victor Mature, and Robert Shaw.

In 2009, he received a lifetime achievement award at the third Seiyu Awards.

Utsumi's final work was his reprisal of Shenron for the 2013 film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. Kenji Utsumi passed away from peritoneal cancer on June 13, 2013, at the age of 75. He was married to fellow voice actress Michiko Nomura at the time of his death.