Kazunari Tanaka (田中 一成, Tanaka Kazunari, April 8, 1967 – October 10, 2016) was a Japanese voice actor from Osaka Prefecture who worked for Aoni Production.
Biography[]
Career[]
Graduated from the Broadcasting Department of Osaka University of Arts. Graduated from the second class of Aoni Juku Osaka School.
He originally liked western movies and anime, and his desire to appear in dubbed works led him to aspire to become a voice actor. When he was in high school, he auditioned for Aoni Juku, thinking "I might as well fail". He was a big guy because he was doing judo at the time, so the interviewer asked him to "do a call", and he did. According to Tanaka, "I think that's why I got in (laughs)". He made his debut in 1991 as four Lifestealers in the OVA "Wizardry". His first regular role was as Wataributa in 1992's "Maboroshi Mabo-chan".
In anime, he played many good-looking young men and comedic characters. In 2003, he formed the acoustic unit Dotonbori Divers, where he was the vocalist and guitarist.
Death[]
On October 11, 2016, Aoni Production released an announcement that Kazunari Tanaka unfortunately passed away on October 10, 2016, due to intracerebral haemorrhage.
Tanaka's last line recorded for Haikyū!! was in the 8th episode of the 3rd season, "I Hate You," in which he said, "Don't look down! Volleyball is a sport where you always look up!" Chado Horii, who played the role of Shunki Kawato, quoted this line in a comment of gratitude. This scene appears in the 183rd chapter of the manga, "The Man Who Wanted," in the 21st volume.
Dub Actors[]
| Actor | No. of Roles | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Devall | 2 | 
|
| Michael Lindsay | 2 | 
|
| Brian Beacock | 1 |
|
| Anthony Bowling | 1 |
|
| Don Brown | 1 |
|
| Chris Burnett | 1 |
|
| Jalen K. Cassell | 1 |
|
| Ethan Cole | 1 |
|
| Justin Cook | 1 |
|
| Benjamin Diskin | 1 |
|
| Paul Dobson | 1 |
|
| Peter Doyle | 1 |
|
| Jim Foronda | 1 |
|
| Tom Gibis | 1 |
|
| John Gremillion | 1 |
|
| Kyle Hebert | 1 |
|
| Troy Hughes | 1 |
|
| Steve Kramer | 1 |
|
| Christopher Loveless | 1 |
|
| Jim Malone | 1 |
|
| Jim McClellan | 1 |
|
| Mike McFarland | 1 |
|
| Scott McNeil | 1 |
|
| Ben Phillips | 1 |
|
| Greg Silva | 1 |
|
| Skip Stellrecht | 1 |
|
| John Stimac | 1 |
|
| Kirk Thornton | 1 |
|
| Marc Thompson | 1 |
|
| Bill Townsley | 1 |
|
| Todd Upchurch | 1 |
|
| David Wald | 1 |
|
| Kent Williams | 1 |
|
| Dave Wittenberg | 1 |
|
Filmography[]
| Year | Character | Title | Dub Voice | Dub Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-1996 | Chapuchai (ep. 196) | Dragon Ball Z | Scott McNeil | Canada |
| Justin Cook | United States | |||
| Maraikoh (eps. 197-198) | Paul Dobson | Canada | ||
| Kent Williams | United States | |||
| Tapkar (ep. 197) | Don Brown | Canada | ||
| Mike McFarland | United States | |||
| 1992-1993 | Reporter (ep. 11) | Sailor Moon | David Fraser | Canada |
| Nicolas Roye | United States | |||
| Thug (ep. 25) | David Fraser | Canada | ||
| Keith Silverstein | United States | |||
| Bank Robber (ep. 33) | David Fraser | Canada | ||
| Keith Silverstein | United States | |||
| 1994 | Shigeru Akatsuka (coach) | Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter | Jim Malone | United States |
| 1994-1995 | Tsutomu Rokutanda | Marmalade Boy | Tom Gibis | United States |
| Furutachi | Skip Stellrecht | |||
| 1996-1997 | Don Para | Dragon Ball GT | Ethan Cole | Canada |
| Bill Townsley | United States | |||
| 1999-present | Tararan | One Piece | Todd Upchurch | United States |
| Jim Foronda (ep. 407) | ||||
| Avalo Pizarro (eps. 484-513) | Greg Silva | |||
| Manboshi | Troy Hughes | |||
| Pastor Yomo | John Stimac | |||
| Blackback (eps. 754-761) | Anthony Bowling | |||
| 1999 | Kō Hiko | Soul Hunter | Christopher Loveless | United States |
| 2000-2004 | Villager (ep. 1) | InuYasha | Trevor Devall | Canada |
| Genbu (eps. 137-139) | ||||
| 2002-2006 | Soya (ep. 94) | Pokémon Advanced Generation | David Wills | United States |
| 2003 | Tadamoto Ijuin | Green Green | Peter Doyle | United States |
| 2003-2004 | Hachirota Hoshino | Planetes | Kirk Thornton | United States |
| 2003-2006 | Hiroshi Yamanaka | Zatch Bell! | Dave Wittenberg | United States |
| 2004 | Larry | Area 88 | Jim McClellan | United States |
| 2004-2012 | Abirama Redder | Bleach | Benjamin Diskin | United States |
| Principal of High School Karakura (ep. 11) | Brian Beacock | |||
| 2006 | Inuyama | Air Gear | John Gremillion | United States |
| 2006-2007 | Shinichirō Tamaki | Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion | Michael Lindsay | United States |
| 2006 | Drowa | Freedom | Marc Thompson | United States |
| 2007 | Ambassador (ep. 10) | Heroic Age | Ben Phillips | United States |
| 2008 | Shinichirō Tamaki | Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 | Michael Lindsay | United States |
| 2014-2020 | Keishin Ukai (eps. 1-58) | Haikyū!! | David Wald | United States |
| 2014 | Baron Blood (eps. 42-43) | Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers | Steve Kramer | United States |
| 2014-2016 | Achiral | Sailor Moon Crystal | Kyle Hebert | United States |
| 2015-2018 | Referee | Dragon Ball Super | Chris Burnett | United States |
| 2016 | Junya Kaneshiro (original) | Persona 5 | Jalen K. Cassell | United States |
External Links[]
- Kazunari Tanaka on the Anime News Network’s encyclopedia.
- Kazunari Tanaka on AniList.
- Kazunari Tanaka on Behind The Voice Actors.