An iconic booming bass voice, a technique like no other, and a career filled with accolades put the spotlight on Junichi Suwabe’s outstanding work as a voice actor.
Junichi Suwabe
KANJI: 諏訪部 順一
BORN: March 29, 1972
OCCUPATION: voice actor, narrator, singer
HEIGHT: 173,3 cm
Junichi Suwabe was born on March 29, 1972, in Tokyo and is currently represented by Tokyo Actor’s Consumer’s Cooperative Society (Haikyo).
Seiyuu
Contrary to what you may think, Junichi Suwabe had to go through quite a journey until he became a voice actor in his own right.
Since he was a child, Junichi Suwabe was passionate about movies.
He started going to movie theaters in high school, and during his university years, he immersed himself in movies by renting videos.
Due to that passion for TV and movies, throughout his elementary and middle school years, Suwabe was a member of the broadcasting committee, and during high school and university, he joined a movie production club.
All that love made young Junichi Suwabe aspire to become a movie director. However, after realizing that it would be difficult to make a living only through being a movie director, he decide to put his passion on the side.
He ended up graduating from university and went on to work for various companies – something Suwabe often reminisces about on his Twitter account – such as wholesale companies, a technical production company – yes, as a camera assistant -, a publishing company, and a media company.
After years of hopping between jobs – really close to his passion for movies and music, Suwabe decided to give it a try and enrolled at Actors Association Voice Actors Studio, a seiyuu school affiliated with Haikyo, the talent agency that now represents him.
But Suwabe enrolling and then graduating from the voice acting school wasn’t necessarily with the aim of becoming a voice actor in anime. At least, not initially.
After graduating in still in his 20s, Suwabe was actively working as a narrator and radio DJ, lending his voice to numerous narration spots on TV shows and commercials during prime time.
In 1996, Suwabe decided to give a shot at voice acting in anime and the rest is history.
Please note that, from this point on, there will be spoilers for some of the anime series he has been cast in.
1996 – 2001
Slow and steady wins the race
Junichi Suwabe made his debut as a voice actor in anime series in 1996. His debut role – a minor one – was in the action anime series, Taiho Shichauzo.
After a couple of minor roles in anime series, Suwabe was cast as Koji Fujiyoshi in the popular anime series, Great Teacher Onizuka.
A couple of years later, in 2001, he was cast as Fuma Monou, one of the main characters in the anime series, X.
Although starting out as a close friend to the series’ protagonist, Kamui Shiro, Monou ends up going on an antagonist journey of destruction and chaos.
This shift in tone for the character showcased Junichi Suwabe’s emotional range in the best light possible, going from a supportive character with a gentle voice tone to an intimidating individual with a cold-as-ice voice. Needless to say but his performance as Fuma Monou started to turn heads to Suwabe’s work as a voice actor.
And it would, eventually, open the doors for the big opportunity waiting for him in 2002.
Other anime series in which Suwabe has lent his talents include:
- Next Senki EHRGEIZ (1997)
- Flame of Recca (1998)
- AWOL -Absent Without Leave- (1998)
- DT Eightron (1998)
- Silver Cavalry Odian (2000)
- NieA7 (2000)
- Boogiepop Phantom (2000)
- Earth Defense Family (2001)
2002 – 2010
A Shot to Fame and Typecasting
In what is one of the most amazing casting decisions ever, Junichi Suwabe was cast as Keigo Atobe, one of the main characters in the wildly popular sports anime series, The Prince of Tennis.
Atobe is the captain of Hyotei Gakuen, a genius that managed to defeat all his team members when he was still in his first year. When it comes to his personality, Atobe is known for being extremely narcissistic, proud, and arrogant. Oddly enough, those traits end up making him quite charming and popular in the eyes of everyone at his school.
Behind the scenes, Atobe is quite attentive to his team members, purchasing things they need and taking the time to cheer up his friends if he notices that they are feeling down.
With such a deeply layered character in his care, Junichi Suwabe made him shine. Keigo Atobe was as charismatic and charming on the court as he was off of it. In no time, Atobe became one of the most popular characters in the anime series and later on in the franchise – which has spawned movies, otome games (dating sims), and even character songs.
From 2002 up until 2022, Suwabe reprised his role as Keigo Atobe in 3 seasons of the anime series.
It is undeniable that Keigo Atobe was Junichi Suwabe’s shot to fame, with the spotlight set on top of him from that point on.
From this point on, Junichi Suwabe started to voice more and more antagonistic/rival characters in anime series, excelling in those.
In 2003, he was cast as Katana, one of the main characters and the antagonist in the anime series, GAD GUARD.
Katana has a cold and aggressive personality, preferring to be solitary without getting involved with anyone, but he also has a competitive streak. Suwabe’s performance was unlike anything he’d done before in anime, perfectly fleshing out the cold and calculative traits of the character.
Still in the same year, Suwabe was cast as the calm and caring Masami Oyamada in the anime series, Someday’s Dreamers.
This would be the character that would start Suwabe’s streak of voicing handsome characters that most fans of anime (and later on games and 2D music projects) love.
2004 ended up being a quieter year for Suwabe, not getting any main or leading roles in anime. However, he got interesting supporting roles.
One such role is that of Sting Oakley in the anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Sting is a calm and caring character towards his friends but also extremely aggressive and competitive towards others, ending up becoming an antagonist in the series.
Still in same year, Suwabe joined the cast of the popular action/adventure anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist.
He was cast as the charismatic and arrogant Greed, one of the antagonists in the 2003 anime (later replaced by Yuichi Nakamura in the 2009 anime reboot).
In 2005, Junichi Suwabe was cast as Ren Maaka, an arrogant vampire and one of the supporting characters in the anime series, Chibi Vampire.
He was also cast in the popular CGI movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
He voiced Tseng, one of the antagonists in the movie – and game – however, one with a surprisingly softer, devoted side.
Wrapping up the year, he was cast as Cain Nightroad, one of the supporting characters in the anime series, Trinity Blood.
The trend of Junichi Sawabe voicing antagonists – most of those with a heart of gold and borderline anti-heroes – continued. As such, he was consistently being cast in those roles instead of getting leading roles.
In 2006, he was cast as the nihilistic and cynical Archer, one of the servants in the action anime series, Fate/stay night.
Like many of the characters Suwabe had voiced until then, Archer is actually quite protective and childish despite his cold, dark personality.
He ended up reprising the role in various seasons in the Fate/stay series.
Suwabe then joined the cast of the popular shounen action anime, BLEACH. He voiced the sadistic and extremely violent Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, one of the arrancars in the series.
Despite being one of the antagonistic characters in the series, Grimmjow actually is quite popular among fans of the manga/anime.
In a different twist in tone, Suwabe was cast in the drama anime series, Nana. He voiced the laidback Kyosuke Takakura, one of the supporting characters in the series.
Still in 2006, he was cast as Friagne, the calm and confident antagonist in Shakugan no Shana: The Movie. This was a change in tone for the type of antagonists that Suwabe usually voices.
For this role, he was calmer, more calculative, cunning even. And Suwabe’s performance reflected that in what was one of the highlights of the movie.
2007 introduced fans with 4 new main roles in anime series. He was first cast as Seiran Shinano, a butler for the main character in the mystery anime series, Suteki Tantei Labyrinth.
He was then cast as the ship captain Albert Valentino in the BL OVA series, Ikoku Irokoi Romantan.
He voiced Ren Nekoyashiki, an executive director and Onmyoudou expert, in the fantasy anime series, Rental Magica.
And wrapping up the year, he was cast as Gio, a Dragon from the ISDA with a strong sense of justice in Dragonaut: The Resonance.
2008 was one of the busiest years in Junichi Suwabe’s career, at least, when it comes to him voicing main and leading characters or even supporting characters that play a big role in the main story.
He was cast as the confident, nihilistic yet caring Nobuto Nakajou, one of the main characters in the action anime series, BUS GAMER.
One of his biggest roles in that year was as Akatsuki Kain in the popular mystery romance anime series, Vampire Knight. Despite his looks, Kain is actually quite calm and quiet and attentive towards others.
He was then cast as Shirogane, the purest embodiment of darkness and Direct Royal Shin King, in the anime series Monochrome Factor.
Wrapping up the year, Junichi Suwabe was cast as Undertaker, one of the most important supporting characters in the supernatural anime series, Black Butler.
Although initially a character with a mysterious background that has a passion for jokes and ends up being an informant, Undertaker ends up taking an interesting turn, taking on a much more important role in the series.
From goofy and even over-the-top to serious and imposing, Suwabe’s performance as Undertaker is all about the little details, fleshing out one of the most interesting characters in the Black Butler series.
2009 arrived with a main role as the bishop Frau in the action anime series, 07-Ghost.
Frau is seen as a big flirt with quite the bad boy streak but deep down, he has a heart of gold. He will do whatever it takes to support and defend his friends.
Although but a supporting character with not as much spotlight as some fans hoped, in 2009, Suwabe was cast as the calm and collected Freed Justine in the popular shounen anime series, FAIRY TAIL.
Other anime series in which Suwabe has lent his talents include:
- Gravion (2002)
- Chobits (2002)
- Heat Guy Jay (2002)
- E’s Otherwise (2003)
- Kaleido Star (2003)
- Gilgamesh (2003)
- PEACE MAKER Tetsu (2003)
- SD Gundam Force (2004)
- DearS (2004)
- Burst Angel (2004)
- Gunparade Orchestra (2004)
- Shakugan no Shana (2004)
- Transformers Galaxy Force (2004)
- Peach Girl (2005)
- BLOOD+ (2005)
- Shakugan no Shana (2005)
- Hellsing Ultimate (2006)
- Gintama (2006)
- Saiunkoku Monogatari (2006)
- Night Head Genesis (2006)
- Shounen Onmyouji (2006)
- Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (2006)
- Nodame Cantabile (2006)
- Lovely★Complex (2007)
- Zombie-Loan (2007)
- NARUTO (2007)
- Blassreiter (2008)
- Nabari no Ou (2008)
- Hanasakeru Seishounen (2009)
- PandoraHearts (2009)
- Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku (2010)
- Starry☆Sky (2010)
2011 – 2015
Newfound popularity
After years stuck voicing antagonists or anti-heroes in anime series, it was time for Junichi Suwabe to break the habit and have newfound popularity, this time around, thanks to a – back then – little PSP game series that turned into an anime series.
It was Uta no prince-sama that catapulted Junichi Suwabe to massive popularity among fans of music anime and 2D music.
The romance anime series based on the otome/rhythm game franchise of the same name was all the talk in town when an anime adaptation was announced. 2011 arrived and with it, the anime series premiered.
Almost every girl in Japan watched the series and it skyrocketed the sales and fame of each member in the series.
The fact that the series also features a luxurious cast of already established and/or experienced singers in the music industry – including Mamoru Miyano, Kishow Taniyama, Kenichi Suzumura, and Kousuke Toriumi – added up to the popularity this anime series got and ultimately reflected on the cast’s popularity among women in Japan.
Suwabe is the voice of Ren Jinguji, student of Saotome Gakuen, enrolled in the prestigious S Class, as well as a member of ST☆RISH.
It is safe to say that Jinguji’s flirtatious and smooth-talking skills easily made the character quite popular and, with Suwabe’s voice in the mix, it was impossible not to find the character even remotely charming.
Suwabe’s performance as Jinguji ended up opening the pandora’s door for him to break the habit of voicing antagonists and, instead, start voicing characters that are quite charming and flirtatious.
The Uta no Prince Sama stemmed from a games series (8 in total) and spawned 4 anime seasons, several movies, and specials.
In the same year, Suwabe was cast as the extremely competitive and reckless mangaka Shinta Fukuda in the popular anime series, Bakuman.
He was then cast as the anti-social Hayato Narita, one of the protagonists in the anime series, Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai: Under the Innocent Sky..
Although not one of the main characters, his role as Seiji Matoba in the popular slice-of-life anime series Natsume Yuujinchou San is quite relevant, being responsible for adding drama and moving the story forward.
Still in the same year, he was cast as the kind and caring Sirzechs Lucifer in the popular ecchi anime series, High School DxD.
A year later he was cast as Eden Orion in the classic anime series, Saint Seiya Omega.
The anime series went on to be quite the trainwreck story-wise, with many long-time fans of the franchise ending up disappointed about it.
Easily Junichi Suwabe’s biggest role in anime in 2012 is Daiki Aomine in the wildly popular sports anime series, Kuroko no Basket.
Being the ace he is and after beating everyone that there is, Aomine shifts from a diligent athlete to a lazy one that barely gets any practice. However, despite how arrogant and confident he may seem on the court when he is outside, he shows a caring side for his former and current teammates.
Yet again the “bad boy with a golden heart” trope was going strong with Junichi Suwabe’s characters.
From 2012 until 2017, the Kuroko no Basket anime series 3 anime series and several movies, being one of the most buzzworthy anime series of that decade.
Still in the same year, he was cast as the jazz player Junichi Katsuragi, a supporting character in the popular drama anime series, Sakamichi no Apollon.
2013 brought a lot of new projects to Suwabe’s side.
Suwabe kicked off the year with a main role in a comedy/gag anime series. He was cast in the anime series Cuticle Tantei Inaba as Hiroshi Inaba, a private detective whose power to gain information comes from examining people’s hair.
This character ended up being a big detour from everything Suwabe had done before, this time around with the character being entirely open about their feelings – and even borderline uncooperative in most cases – and the anime being nonsensical.
This was a good opportunity for Suwabe to showcase his emotional range and acting chops when it comes to comedy anime. Needless to say, he nailed it, being one of the few good points about this anime series.
On the other side, he was cast as Andy Hinomiya, one of the two protagonists in the action anime series, Zettai Karen Children.
He was then cast as the calm and collected Yamato Hotsuin in the supernatural action anime series, Devil Survivor 2 The Animation.
Hotsuin is known for being cruel and ruthless but then again, he is using all means at his disposal to give the best to the world he aims at creating, one based on meritocracy.
He is willing to sacrifice everything and everyone to achieve that goal, something that may give off those antagonist vibes that Suwabe’s characters usually have. However, the character never truly ends up going that route.
And back to characters that are known for their charm and looks. Suwabe reprised his role as the flirtatious and flashy Kaname Asahina in the anime adaptation of the popular otome game, Brothers Conflict.
Given the nature of the anime series – a reverse harem -, Kaname barely gets any spotlight but you can be assured that whenever he is in the scene, he will be either hitting on the main character or, in an interesting turn of events, being extremely caring and present to his brothers.
After that, he was cast as the short-tempered yet extremely responsible Yaichiro Shimogamo in the slice-of-life anime series, Uchouten Kazoku.
Wrapping up the year, Suwabe was cast as Yukiya Minabe, a shy and mysterious boy that is most fond of being indoors, in the anime series, Megane-bu!.
2014 continued that new trend of Suwabe voicing all kinds of characters in anime series from the most serious to the most nonsensical.
The year kicked off with him cast as the easygoing alien hunter Dandy in the sci-fi comedy anime series, Space Dandy.
He was then cast as Takeshi Nakazato, a skilled and crafty driver that has a short temper, in the New Initial D the Movie. Suwabe stepped in to replace Nobuyuki Hiyama, the original voice actor for the character in the main Initial D anime series.
After that, Suwabe was back to voicing characters in fantasy anime series, this time around as Jae-ha in the popular anime series, Akatsuki no Yona.
He is one of the four Dragon Warriors, possessing the blood of the green dragon deity. As such, he has the ability to fly by jumping high over long distances. He is known as a big flirt around everyone, no matter who they are.
And he was back to voicing antagonists with Fommt Berger in the movie Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199: Hoshimeguru Hakobune.
Still in the same year, he reprised his roles in Black Butler: Book of Circus, Space Dandy 2nd season, Yowamushi Pedal, Fairy Tail, Fate/stag night, The New Prince of Tennis, Brothers Conflict’s OVA and Kuroko no Basket’s specials.
In 2015, Suwabe was cast as Akira Hayama, a calm and collected student with a lot of confidence in him, in the popular anime series, Shokugeki no Souma.
In an interesting change of tone, Junichi Suwabe was cast as the nihilistic yet extremely kind-hearted freelance gangster, Worick Arcangelo in the crime anime series, Gangsta.
And wrapping up the year, he was cast as Youji Itami, First Lieutenant of the Ground Self-Defense Force and protagonist in the anime series, GATE.
Other anime series in which Suwabe has lent his talents include:
- Deadman Wonderland (2011)
- SKET Dance (2011)
- Highschool of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead (2011)
- Hellsing: The Dawn (2011)
- Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (2011)
- Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (2012)
- Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle – Orpheus Order-hen (2012)
- Hyouka (2012)
- Kingdom (2012)
- Kamisama Hajimemashita (2012)
- Zetsuen no Tempest (2012)
- Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic (2012)
- Medaka Box Abnormal (2012)
- Hanasaku Iroha Movie: Home Sweet Home (2013)
- Mushibugyou (2013)
- Battle Spirits: Sword Eyes Gekitouden (2013)
- Yowamushi Pedal (2013)
- Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai (2013)
- BlazBlue: Alter Memory (2013)
- Tokyo Ravens (2013)
- Lupin III: Princess of the Breeze – Kakusareta Kuuchuu Toshi (2013)
- Akuma no Riddle (2014)
- Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil (2014)
- Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (2014)
- Bakumatsu Rock (2014)
- Gundam: G no Reconguista (2014)
- World Trigger (2014)
- Barakamon (2014)
- Yuri Kuma Arashi (2015)
- JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season (2015)
- Young Black Jack (2015)
- Starmyu (2015)
- DD Hokuto no Ken 2 Ichigo Aji+ (2015)
2016 –
An icon among seiyuu
Up until 2016, Junichi Suwabe had established himself as one of the most reliable and fascinating voice actors when it came to voicing antagonists. Things started to change a little bit after Uta no Prince Sama went on to become massively popular, giving more opportunities for Suwabe to branch out.
But nothing would be quite like what would end up happening in 2016, when he was cast in the wildly popular anime series, Yuri!!! on Ice.
Junichi Suwabe was cast as the legendary charismatic and naturally flirtatious figure skater, Victor Nikiforov. He is a skating pioneer, known for his passion for surprising the audience with unique choreographies and technical jumps.
Suwabe’s performance as Victor, allied to the undeniably good first-ever animation of figure skating led to more people taking notice of him and his voice acting work.
The anime went on to become a global phenomenon, with even professional figure skaters following and commenting on it for its accuracy in the choreographies.
This role would be at the core of Junichi Suwabe’s Best Supporting Actor Award at the 12th Seiyuu Awards held in 2018.
From this point on, and allied to a really strong Fall season of anime in which Suwabe was almost everywhere, catapulted him to a newfound popularity, and to an icon popularity status among fellow seiyuu.
Although a supporting character in the series, there is much love for Suwabe’s voice acting as Shouta Aizawa in the action anime series, Boku no Hero Academia.
Reserved and apathetic for the most part, Aizawa is a teacher motivated by logic and with extremely high expectations of his students. That leads to him having one of the highest expulsion rates at the school, all so that he can give his students a taste of “death” to motivate them to become the best version of themselves.
He was then cast as Sakunosuke Oda, a kind mafioso with an incredibly perceptive side to him, in the popular anime series, Bungou Stray Dogs.
And wrapping up the year, he reprised his role as Kyosuke Kuga, one of the protagonists in the anime adaptation of the otome game, Prince of Stride: Alternative.
2017 was a year filled with interesting supporting characters in Junichi Suwabe’s repertoire. He was cast as Yami Sukehiro in the popular action anime series, Black Clover.
Sukehiro is, for the most part, stoic however he can be easily angered, something that usually leads him to make death threats instead of talking things out.
Still, he is quite respected for his power and experience as a warrior, able to read the strategies of his opponents with ease. Expect a rough voice and uncouth delivery by Suwabe, perfectly fleshing out Sukehiro’s personality.
Suwabe was also cast as Tetsuo Takahashi, a biology teacher and one of the main characters in the comedy anime series, Demi-chan wa Kataritai.
He was then cast as Reinhard Heydrich in the action military anime series, Dies Irae. The visual novel adaptation ended up falling flat due to the way the story was approached and its pacing, how the characters were introduced even its wonky animation.
Still, there are interesting things to take from this anime – which ended up not being well received -, Suwabe’s performance, yet again, as an antagonist as well as the ending theme for the series performed by Phero☆Men, seiyuu unit consisting of Junichi Suwabe and Kousuke Toriumi.
He then reprised his role as Abraham Van Helsing in the anime adaptation of the popular otome game, Code:Realize – Sousei no Himegimi.
Abraham is a renowned vampire hunter best known for his ability to overcome even the strongest and most evil vampires. He is an expert marksman often dubbed the “human weapon”.
During this year, Suwabe reprised his roles in Kuroko no Basket and Black Butler‘s movies, Uchouten Kazoku 2 and Boku no Hero Academia, Starmyu 2nd Season, and Yowamushi Pedal’s new seasons.
2018 kicked off with a supporting role in the space drama, Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These.
He voiced Paul von Oberstein, an admiral and advisor to Lohengramm himself (a character voiced by Mamoru Miyano). Although one that often played around with the idea of seizing power for himself and resorting to brutal methods to achieve his objectives, Paul remained loyal throughout the series to Lohengramm.
He was then cast as Kyousui Tougoku, shop owner and manager of Rokuhou-dou, in the slice-of-life anime series, Rokuhou-dou Yotsuiro Biyori.
He is passionate about the art of tea making, having quit his office job to take over the shop business from his family. For this performance, Suwabe focused on sounding level-headed and sharp while retaining a lot of that welcoming, warm vibe viewers get from Tougoku.
In 2018, he joined the cast of the popular supernatural action anime series, JoJo Adventure.
He was cast as Leone Abbacchio, an ex-cop with the dream of protecting other people that ends up failing in the line of duty, ending up giving up on that life to join a gang. This is one of the main characters of the series, one of the allies in Vento Aureo.
Still in 2018, Suwabe reprised his roles as Archer in Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan, Sakunosuke Oda in Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple, Tooji Kanzaki in Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line, Justine Freed in Fairy Tail: Final Series and Shouta Aizawa in Boku no Hero Academia 3rd Season.
2019 was a quieter year when it comes to the main and supporting roles Suwabe got but there were still some interesting ones in there.
He was cast as Rippou, a Legislator, and one most influential youkai in the Underworld, in the comedy anime series, Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki.
He was then cast as Kuroto Nakano, a white collar worker that starts having a dark aura around himself, in the slice-of-life anime series, Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san.
Still in the same year, Junichi Suwabe reprised his role as Adam and Eden’s Nagisa Ran in the anime adaptation of the popular 2D music franchise, Ensemble Stars!!.
Wrapping up the year, he was cast as Juzo Inui, a fair-minded over-extended Gun Slave Unit, in the sci-fi anime series, No Guns Life.
2020 was a strange year hit by a global pandemic that stopped everything in the world including anime productions. Many seiyuu saw their work reduced to a bare minimum, others saw many of their projects for the year canceled while others had no work.
In the middle of this chaos, Suwabe managed to actually come out of it with a solid year. He was cast as Ryuunosuke Akutagawa, the protagonist in the adventure anime series, Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma.
From literature to crime, Suwabe was cast as Laurent Thierry, an international con man best known for his quick wits and persuasiveness, in the anime series, Great Pretender.
The biggest role in 2020 was that of the manipulative, sadistic, and arrogant Sukuna Ryomen in the popular action anime series, Jujutsu Kaisen.
The anime series ended up becoming a massive hit in Japan and overseas, with many fans quite fond of Sukuna’s powerful and arrogant self.
Suwabe’s performance as Sukuna shines as he made those feelings of superiority and confidence shine through and confer the character with an almost imposing vibe about itself.
2021 kicked off with a leading role in the anime series Kemono Jihen. Suwabe voiced Kohachi Inugami, a calm and caring bake-danuki running a detective agency in Tokyo.
He was then cast as Yoshinobu Maeda, Captain of Code Zero and the “most powerful human”, in the action military anime series, MARS RED.
Still within the military theme in an anime series, Suwabe was cast as Kenneth Sleg, Colonel of the Earth Federation Forces, in the popular movie Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s Flash.
Out of the new roles Suwabe got in 2022, it was Shoei Baro in the popular sports anime, Blue Lock, that stood out the most.
Baro is a contender in Blue Lock, known for being extremely selfish and arrogant on the field. He aims at becoming the world’s best striker, looking down on others on his team as he obsessively tries to reach his goal.
Still in the same year, Suwabe reprised his roles in Kingdom, Boku no Hero Academia, Yowamushi Pedal, The New Prince of Tennis, Uta no Prince Sama, Ensemble Stars, New Initial D movie, BLEACH and Touken Ranbu.
2023 started off a bit quieter than usual for Junichi Suwabe that, in his almost 30 years of career, has managed to have a consistent number of roles in anime per year.
He kicked off the year with a main role as Tetsuo Tosu in the anime series, My Home Hero. Tosu is first introduced as a typical salaryman living a quiet and reserved life.
Throughout the story, the character grows and starts opening and patching things up with his family, slowly healing his troubled heart.
Other anime series in which Suwabe has lent his talents include:
- Koukaku no Pandora (2016)
- Durarara!!x2 Ten: Onoroke Chakapoko (2016)
- Ushio to Tora 2nd Season (2016)
- Sousei no Onmyouji (2016)
- Kiznaiver (2016)
- Servamp (2016)
- Danganronpa 3 (2016)
- Shuumatsu no Izetta (2016)
- Star Ocean: Anamnesis (2016)
- Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen (2017)
- ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka (2017)
- Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Movie: Hoshi wo Yobu Shoujo (2017)
- Fate/Apocrypha (2017)
- Saiyuuki Reload Blast (2017)
- Vatican Kiseki Chousakan (2017)
- Mahoutsukai no Yome (2017)
- Isekai Shokudou (2017)
- Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru (2018)
- Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu (2018)
- Hakyuu Houshin Engi (2018)
- Gundam Build Divers (2018)
- Piano no Mori (2018)
- Ninja Batman (2018)
- Back Street Girls: Gokudolls (2018)
- Lord of Vermilion: Guren no Ou (2018)
- Sword Art Online: Alicization (2018)
- Uchuu Senkan Tiramisù (2018)
- Lupin III: Goodbye Partner (2019)
- Diamond no Ace: Act II (2019)
- Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019)
- Kabukichou Sherlock (2019)
- Psycho-Pass 3 (2019)
- Runway de Waratte (2020)
- Bem Movie: Become Human (2020)
- Maou-jou de Oyasumi (2020)
- Tian Guan Ci Fu (2020)
- Tenchi Souzou Design-bu (2021)
- Yoru no Kuni (2021)
- Shuumatsu no Walküre (2021)
- Kageki Shoujo!! (2021)
- Tesla Note (2021)
- Tokyo 24-ku (2022)
- Tribe Nine (2022)
- Spy x Family (2022)
- Akiba Meido Sensou (2022)
- REVENGER (2023)
- TRIGUN STAMPEDE (2023)
Awards
Suwabe is one of the most awarded seiyuu active in the industry for his work both as a voice actor as well as how he promotes and gives visibility to this job using social media.
In 2012, he won the Singing Award as a member of the 2D idol unit ST☆RISH at the 6th Seiyu Awards.
In 2013, at the 7th Seiyuu Awards, Suwabe shared the Best Supporting Actor Award with Yuki Ono.
At the 12th Seiyuu Awards in 2018, Suwabe won the Best Supporting Actor Award.
At the 13th Seiyuu Awards in 2019, he won the Best Personality Award.
At the 17th Seiyuu Awards in 2023, Suwabe won the Kei Tomiyama Award. The Kei Tomiyama Award is awarded to seiyuu who are actively promoting the seiyuu profession in the media.
Radio
Junichi Suwabe started his career as a voice actor in radio shows. He has an extensive repertoire of radio shows he has hosted, co-hosted, or guested in.
When you listen to a radio show presented by Suwabe there are few things you can always expect. He has a perfect tone and cadence for radio work, speaking in a warm, full voice yet not in a boring way. As a host, he always brings interesting stories to share with his listeners, some of those being stories with lessons attached. Suwabe often does what other seiyuu don’t: speaking about the difficulties and challenges behind his career and how hard he has had to work to get where he now is.
You can expect him to talk sensitively about those topics, share what he learned, and always have a motivational way of delivering the story to the listener.
At times – and this really depends on who is questing or co-hosting a radio with him -, Suwabe may end up goofing around be it downright playing around with the guests or making clever jokes that lighten up the mood.
You can tell guests feel at ease in his presence, with all his radio shows having really good guest or interview segments.
Given how Suwabe has hosted over 30 radio shows in his career, let’s cover some of those in this section. If you want to go into detail about those, I welcome you to visit his official Japanese Wikipedia page for a more detailed overview of each show.
Junichi Suwabe & Masakazu Nishida no Kakusei Tune! (2014 – 2018)
In 2014, Junichi Suwabe teamed up with fellow seiyuu Masakazu Nishida to host the radio show “Junichi Suwabe & Masakazu Nishida no Kakusei Tune!“.
The radio show featured Junichi Suwabe, who portrayed Ricardo Martini, and Masakazu Nishida, who portrayed Kagami Kazuma, in the popular gun action game “Gunslinger Stratos”.
The show ran from 2014 until 2018, being one of the longest-running radio shows in Suwabe’s repertoire.
Boku no money ga konna ni fueru wake ga nai (2018 – 2019)
In August 2018, Suwabe teamed up with Wataru Hatano to host “Boku no money ga konna ni fueru wake ga nai” (僕のマネーがこんなに増えるわけがないっ!), radio show all about giving tips to listeners on how to save money.
The radio show ended in 2019.
Kabukicho Sherlock Pipe Cat Radio (2019 – 2020)
Stemming for the anime series Kabukicho Sherlock, from 2019 until 2020, Junichi Suwabe co-hosted the radio show “Kabukicho Sherlock Pipe Cat Radio” alongside fellow seiyuu Tatsumaru Tachibana.
GREAT PRETENDER The Swindlers’ Banquet (2020 – 2021)
Also stemming from an anime series is the radio show “GREAT PRETENDER The Swindlers’ Banquet“. Suwabe co-hosted this radio show alongside Chiaki Kobayashi.
Junichi Suwabe’s Weekly Ojisearch (2021 – 2022)
In 2021, Junichi Suwabe tried to change things up a little bit and launched his own podcast “Junichi Suwabe’s Weekly Ojisearch“.
In this radio show, Suwabe showed that he is an informed voice actor that knows a lot about many of the trending topics and buzzworthy subjects in Japan. In each episode, Suwabe covered what was trending and invited a guest to talk about it as well as their own projects.
Junichi Suwabe x Shinya Ishihara ‘Voice Pallet’ (2022 -)
In 2022, Suwabe teamed up with Saucy Dog’s vocalist and guitarist, Shinya Ishihara, to host the radio show, Junichi Suwabe x Shinya Ishihara ‘Voice Pallet’.
In this radio show mixing the creative sensibilities of a voice actor and an artist, both living through their “voices”, Suwabe and Ishihara performed voice dramas and shared their experiences.
Junichi Suwabe has lent his radio MC talents to radio shows such as:
- COSMIC HEAT ISLAND
- COSMIC BOOMBOOM STREET
- BLEACH “B” STATION
- Fate/stay tune UNLIMITED RADIO WORKS
- Junichi Suwabe no Denki Ningen El Paso
- The Prince of Tennis On the Radio
- Shuei Gakuen Otome Kenkyubu
- Junichi Suwabe no Denki Ningen El Paso Nyan Nyan
- Monthly Otokomae Tsushin “Monthly Junichi Suwabe”
- Radio Rental Magica Mahoutsukai, Shaberimasu!
- Vampire Knight Kurosu Gakuen Hoso-bu
- Radio Otoko-gumi L.A
- Mousou Este Special
Games
When it comes to his work in games, Junichi Suwabe has an extensive repertoire of over 100 credits.
He has voiced mostly antagonists or flirtatious characters (more common in romance/otome games) throughout his career. Still, most of the antagonists he voices tend to have a heart of gold or fundamentally good intentions despite how twisted their methods are.
Suwabe has lent his voice to characters in various game genres from mecha to action, RPGs, sports, fighting, Otome/romance, rhythm/music, visual novels, and more.
Some of the characters he has voiced in games include (note that this list is, by no means, extensive):
Seymour Guado in Final Fantasy X and X-2 (2001 and 2003)
In 2001, Junichi Suwabe was cast as the arrogant and nihilistic Seymour Guado, one of the antagonists in the wildly popular Final Fantasy games franchise.
He made an appearance in Final Fantasy X and X-2, being a challenging encounter for players. The character would later appear in other game iterations in the franchise.
Lars Alexandersson in Tekken series (2008 -)
In 2008, Suwabe was cast as Lars Alexandersson, one of the main playable characters in the popular fighting games franchise, Tekken.
Lars is, up until now, the character that Suwabe has voiced for the longest time in his career, spawning multiple games in over 15 years.
Ren Jinguji in Uta no Prince Sama games series (2010 – 2022)
One of Suwabe’s longest-running roles in games and the most iconic is, undoubtedly, Ren Jinguji in the Uta no Prince Sama games series.
This was a role that renewed the popularity Suwabe had and took it a bit further, making him a full-fledged star among seiyuu.
From 2010 until 2022, Suwabe voiced the suave, flirtatious, and caring Ren Jinguji, reprising the role across 15 games (between mainline games, fan discs, and remakes) in various games systems (PSP, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS).
Abraham Van Helsing in Code:Realize (2014 – 2019)
From 2014 to 2019, Junichi Suwabe voiced the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, one of the main characters in the popular otome games franchise, Code:Realize.
Suwabe reprised this role across 4 games in the franchise.
Nagisa Ran in Ensemble Stars! (2017 – 2019) and Ensemble Stars!! Basic / Music (2020 -)
Ensemble Stars!! is a story-driven game – also with a rhythm game component since 2020 with the launch of the dual game Ensemble Stars!! Basic / Music – that easily shot to popularity with its solid story and rich music released outside of the game.
In 2017, Ran Nagisa joined the franchise as the leader of Eden and Adam, participating in both games in the franchise.
Ensemble Stars! is a story-driven game that easily shot to popularity with its solid story and rich music released outside of the game.
Diamant in Fire Emblem Engage (2023)
In 2023, after years of voicing characters in the Fire Emblem games series, Junichi Suwabe got a chance at voicing a main character. He voices Diamant, the pacifist crown prince of Brodia.
As someone that despises war and tries to avoid direct confrontation, Diamant is a pacifist with a great sense of honor and respect for others, focused on making peace a reality.
Suwabe’s performance starts off pretty serious but as the game progresses and Diamant goes through his story arc, you get to see and hear more and more of his emotional range in what is one of the stand-out performances in the game.
He also voiced characters in the following games (list is not exhaustive):
- Kingdom Hearts II
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
- Street Fighter IV
- Last Escort: Club Katze
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
- BlazBlue series
- Asura’s Wrath
- Warriors Orochi 3
- Phantasy Star Online 2
- Granblue Fantasy
- PsychicEmotion6
- Shadowverse
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle
- Fate/Grand Order
- Nioh
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2
- Touken Ranbu
- Code Vein
- Tears of Themis
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Dragon Quest Treasures
Acting
Although Junichi Suwabe has never done any live-acting work on TV shows or dramas, he does have his fair share of experience as an actor, at least when it comes to reading dramas, having participated in over 20 of those in his career so far.
Some of the live reading plays he has participated include MARS RED, A BASE METAL, Valkyrie 〜 Story from RHINE GOLD 〜, VOICARION II, Homunculus, AnGeL fAlL, Jekyll vs Hyde, Chèvre Note, EL GALLEON, between many more.
At the same time, Suwabe tested himself in improv acting when he joined the lineup for AD-LIVE 2021.
AD-LIVE is a yearly stand-up/unscripted theater show created in 2008 by Kenichi Suzumura. It counts on a creative executive team led by Kenichi Suzumura and Showtaro Morikubo.
Junichi Suwabe teamed up with fellow seiyuu Hiroyuki Yoshino to deliver a hilarious – and quite non-sensical – performance in Tokyo in 2021, showing that there is much more to him than his suave voice.
While this is not necessarily acting on a TV series, Suwabe has lent his voice to several sentai live-action TV series such as Kamen Rider Kuuga, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad, among others.
Narration / Dubbing
Narration has been the core of Junichi Suwabe’s work since his debut as a voice actor in 1996.
Over the years, he has lent his voice to various commercials during prime time for brands such as Lawson, Apple, AQUA PHARMA, and has done extensive narration work for TV stations such as BS・CS, TV TOKYO, TV Asahi, Fuji TV, TBS, Nihon TV, and NHK.
When it comes to dubbing, Suwabe has extensive credits dubbing foreign movies and dramas. Some of those include (list is not exhaustive):
- Squid Game
- American Heist
- Crash Landing on You
- Dolittle
- Justice League
- iCarly
- Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
- F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers
- Green Book
- IT: The End
- House of the Dragon
- Tomb Raider
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- West Side Story
- Venom
- The Matrix Resurrections
Although not official, Junichi Suwabe has been the Japanese dub voice for the Korean actor, Gong Yoo.
Drama CDs
When it comes to drama CDs, Junichi Suwabe has over 100 credits. He has voiced characters in Otome/romance, BL (boys love), and regular voice dramas.
Other drama CDs in his repertoire are tie-ups with anime series or games.
Suwabe is often found voicing characters with a low voice, either intimidating or flirtatious. Although, as of late, Suwabe is not as active in drama CDs as he was in the past, from time to time, he lends his talents to works by Otomate and Rejet.
Some of the drama CDs he has voiced characters in include (list not exhaustive):
- Uta no Prince Sama series
- 07-Ghost series
- Brothers Conflict series
- DOLLS
- Tokyo Yamamote Boys series
- Hybrid Child
- √HAPPY+SUGAR=DARLIN
- PEACE MAKER series
- VitaminZ series
- STEAL YOUR LOVE
- Ikemen Ooku series
- Fate series
- FLESH&BLOOD
- Shounen Onmyouji: Kazane-hen series
- Hanayoi Romanesque series
- Landreaall series
- Akatsuki no Yona series
- Paradox Live franchise
Music
Although Junichi Suwabe never had a solo career per se, he has always been quite active in the music industry.
He started writing lyrics for his character songs as Keigo Atobe in the Prince of Tennis anime series, soon started seiyuu units just for fun like Otome Bancho and OtoJAPAN and wrote lyrics and composed music for those.
But it was with the visual-kei romantic pop seiyuu unit Phero☆Men that Junichi Suwabe showed how insanely creative he can be. Lyrics by Suwabe are usually romantic even if more on the mature side of it, bringing lust and devotion to the spotlight.
For those that are not familiar with his voice, Junichi Suwabe is a bass/low baritone with a sweet delivery and really good control. He has a natural allure about his voice, something that he is quite aware of, making sure that you don’t miss it in his performances either riffing, lowering his tone, or, in Phero☆Men’s case, going really close to your ears in a dummyhead-style of performance.
Over the years he has performed songs in the most varied of music genres: Eurobeat, rock, pop, EDM, R&B, ballads, hip-hop, you name it. And in almost all of those, Suwabe is found performing the songs really comfortably and with a natural charisma that makes it hard to not focus on him.
Still, in 2021, Junichi Suwabe participated in UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN’s covers album series “woven songs“.
Suwabe performed “COVER～LOVE～“, album featuring a wide variety of love songs performed by popular Japanese artists.
He’s best known for being part of the following music groups:
ＳＴＡ☆ＭＥＮ (2002 – 2013)
Suwabe’s longest-running seiyuu unit project was ＳＴＡ☆ＭＥＮ (Nazo no Shin Unit Starmen), unit consisting of fellow seiyuu Junichi Suwabe, Daisuke Kishio, Hiroki Takahashi, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Makoto Yasumura, and Kousuke Toriumi.
This unit had quite a hilarious start. STA☆MEN was a wild idea proposed by Kenichi Suzumura during a drinking party.
Everyone agreed on a whim, and Suwabe, who went home earlier than all others, jokingly announced it on his personal website, causing an unexpected response from fans that were, actually, quite excited about that.
Seeing that response, the group started their activities, with Junichi Suwabe assuming the role of the group’s leader.
As a unit, the group released three singles:
- Kimi no Tame ni (2003),
- Taiyou ga kureta kisetsu / Sei Star ☆ men gakuen koukou kouka (2009), and
- Busters Ready Go!/Kizuna ~Go-Busters! (2012).
They had songs featured in 8 installments of Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. Besides their singing activities, the unit was been part of an astounding amount of events during its 11 years of activity.
They were often regarded as the very first seiyuu project group (a lot like DABA or Project 40 in the past decade). Variety and music propelled this unit to be one of the long-lasting ones in the industry.
From this project was born Phero☆Men, a visual-kei pop unit consisting of Junichi Suwabe and Kousuke Toriumi.
Phero☆Men (2009 -)
Known for their theatrical sound and visual-kei looks, Phero☆Men is a seiyuu unit like no other.
Consisting of Junichi Suwabe and fellow seiyuu Kousuke Toriumi, the duo has been one of the most innovative and creative seiyuu units to debut in the past 2 decades.
During the events of the enigmatic seiyuu unit STA☆MEN, there was an event called “Hello! Star☆Men.”, there were a few performances centered around singing, with Suwabe and Toriumi as the main performers. This led to the start of their activities as “Fero☆Men” in 2009.
Later on, Columbia, company responsible for releasing the CDs and DVDs of STA☆MEN, approached them and asked, “Why don’t you release a CD as Star☆Men?“. However, due to differences in musical preferences and each member’s schedule, they couldn’t seem to find time to work together or work with other producers and thus, they decided to do it all themselves.
Phero☆Men write their lyrics and create the concepts behind their CDs even down to the clothing and makeup. On top of that Suwabe handles planning, composition, and design work such as lettering and cover art design.
The duo made their debut in 2009 with “Kinki no bara 〜 Aphrodisiac 〜“. Their sound was immediately completely different from everything else other seiyuu units were doing at that time.
This was also the first time a seiyuu unit or artist used panning on the vocals to emulate a dummyhead mic, creating a more immersive experience for the listener.
Urgency led the way through the strings as the rest of the danceable – eurobeat – instrumental gave off a regal, elegant vibe. The CD entered Oricon’s Weekly Singles chart at #16.
“Iroha Uta” was the follow-up single release by the duo, arriving in stores in Japan in 2010.
The duo brought a dramatic mix of traditional Japanese music with old-school pop-rock, creating a unique sound that basked in its beautiful soundscape.
The single would have a massive performance on Oricon’s Weekly Singles charts, reaching #9.
A year later, in 2011, Phero☆Men returned with new music, their 3rd single, “MIDNIGHT☆BUTTERFLY“.
The duo’s sound changed slightly to incorporate more electronica, creating a danceable sound reminiscent of the late 80s.
The downtempo danceable tunes still brought the unique strings melodies that were a staple for the group.
“MIDNIGHT☆BUTTERFLY” rose to #11 on Oricon’s Weekly Singles charts.
It would take 2 years until the unit would return to the music industry with a new single.
“IMMORAL WEDDING” arrived with an industrial pop-meets-orchestral title track that completely blew everyone away. And while the single was rather inconsistent from that point on, it still brought some unique features such as a song fully recorded using a dummyhead mic.
The duo had been flirting with their unique panning of the vocals but in this single, they truly brought a dummyhead mic to the vocals recording and what you get is a unique listening experience.
The single was extremely well received, rising to #9 on Oricon’s Weekly Singles chart.
“Dakiyosete TONIGHT” arrived in 2014 with a bolder sound and lyrics. This was the very first time that the duo was this transparent about the themes in their lyrics.
While the title track was all about its rock-meets-eurobeat sound, things changed a bit when the b-side “Baby I love you” kicks in. It introduced the duo’s first rock tune but it fell a bit short, especially in comparison to the duo’s usual complex and theatrical sound.
The single skyrocketed to #6 on Oricon’s Weekly singles chart.
And in 2016, the duo finally released their 1st full-length album “MAGIC MIRROR“.
At the time I reviewed their album I said “Ranging from their disco tunes to the more risqué stuff they’ve done, Pheromen is really unique. It’s difficult to find a seiyuu unit that does music as they do – all because they stray away from mainstream trends and limit themselves to music they like. The result: they are without a doubt, a unit unrivaled in what they do.“.
And it remains true to this day. Pheromen was in a league of its own when “MAGIC MIRROR” was released.
A year later, the duo would return with a new single, “OPERA“.
The single, which had its title track featured as the ending theme for the anime series “Dies Irae”, was a return to their dramatic, heavily theatrical romantic sound but with a massive twist.
The duo went darker and darker, shocking some fans and making the fans of the anime criticize the song.
Since then, the group has been on a hiatus.
ST☆RISH (2011 -)
It’s almost impossible to be part of the seiyuu fandom without knowing this unit.
STARISH is an all-star seiyuu unit founded in 2011 and is quite possibly one of the most successful units in Japan and a bit over Asia in these past 5 years.
Topping charts with its unit, group, solo, and cross-unit releases, STARISH has established itself as one of the most powerful units in the business.
STARISH includes the main cast of the Uta no Prince-sama series: Kenichi Suzumura, Kishow Taniyama, Hiro Shimono, Takuma Terashima, Kousuke Toriumi, Miyano Mamoru, and Junichi Suwabe.
The unit features experienced singers and all of them have solo and/or band/unit projects under their belts. With the franchise’s popularity, this group rose to fame and whenever a new season is in place, fans don’t shy away from making their releases reach some interesting places in the Oricon charts.
The group grew insanely in popularity soon after the first season of the anime adaptation aired.
What was the first stage in a small hall with barely 1000 people gave way to 2016’s performance at the sold-out Saitama Super Arena, proving the group’s massive popularity.
The unit has changed a bit since its debut in terms of its musicality, embracing a more danceable, electronic sound than it did back when it started.
Besides this, the unit’s core is still the same, and compositions in their repertoire often impress the listeners because of the beautiful piano parts and vocal performances.
Some of the unit’s releases include:
- Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji LOVE 1000% ED Single – Maji LOVE 1000%,
- Uta no Prince Sama♪ Shining All Star CD,
- Maji Love 2000%,
- WE ARE ST☆RISH!!,
- Setsugetsuka,
- Uta no Prince-sama ♪ Maji LOVE Kingdom Special Unit Drama CD collection.
Eden / Adam (2018 – )
Junichi Suwabe joined the Ensemble Stars! franchise in 2018.
He’s simultaneously part of the two men unit Adam, alongside Ryota Osaka, and is part of Eden, unit that includes Yuma Uchida and Natsuki Hanae (who are part of Eve).
Eden is led by Ran Nagisa (CV: Junichi Suwabe) and is best known for its flashy and dramatic performances on top of their fancy pop-rock sound.
The quartet so far has released:
- Eden Unit Song CD (2018)
- ENSEMBLE STARS! ALBUM SERIES PRESENT -Eden- (2019)
- Kiseki (Eden Ver.) (2019)
- Awakening Myth (2019)
- ES Idol Song Season 1: Eden (2020)
- Switch × Eden “Majestic Magic” FUSION UNIT SERIES 01 (2021)
- Eden “EXCEED” ES Idol Song Season 2 (2021)
- ES Idol Song Extra: fine & Eden (2022)
As part of Adam, things change a little bit in terms of the sound.
“The Beast of the End“, song included in “ENSEMBLE STARS! ALBUM SERIES PRESENT -Eden-” perfectly illustrates how rooted and less flashy their rock sound is. The performances are as intense but their whole vibe is completely different.
Both as a member of Eden and Adam, Junichi Suwabe has never performed live at an Ensemble Stars!! live event.
Nacht (2018)
It was announced early in 2018 that Suwabe would be joining the lineup of the idol raising game “Maou sama wo Produce“. Additionally, Suwabe was to be part of the main idol group Nacht.
Nacht consisted of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Hirakawa, Tasuku Hatanaka, Takuya Sato, and Daisuke Hirose. They debuted in May 2018 with the single “Shoot the Stars“.
Soon after, the group disbanded.
Buraikan (2021 -)
In 2021, Junichi Suwabe teamed up with Kensho Ono to form the legendary rap duo Buraikan in the Paradox Live franchise.
The duo made their debut with the old-school gangsta rap tune “BURAIKAN is Back“, song featured on Paradox Live 2nd album “LIVE”.
The unexpected mix of Junichi Suwabe’s powerful bass vocals and Kensho Ono’s tenor vocals create a unique vibe to this duo, bringing to the spotlight an imposing vibe, some allure, and unusual beauty in the middle of all that grit.
The duo immediately made a massive impact with their unique vibes and old-school hip-hop sound.
The duo was back in 2022 with “Road to Legend“, song included in “Paradox Live Opening Show-Road to Legend-“.
On the vocal end, Junichi Suwabe really doesn’t spare anyone and goes even lower than on “BURAIKAN is Back” which, if you thought it was impossible… well, just wait until you listen to his performance.
And Kensho Ono is an absolute beast, displaying complete comfort in his flow, being able to speed up and slow down in split seconds, and always sounding insanely charismatic.
And in 2023, the duo released “DO or DIE”, song included in “Paradox Live -Road to Legend- Consolation Match “SHOWDOWN”.
Contrary to all other teams in the Paradox Live franchise, Buraikan has yet to perform live.
SCREEN10 (2022 -)
In 2022, Junichi Suwabe joined the lineup of the special unit SCREEN10.
SCREEN10 counts with the singing skills of Kouhei Amasaki, Tasuku Kaito, Soma Saito, Daiki Yamashita, Toshiki Masuda, Junichi Suwabe, Showtaro Morikubo, Yuki Kaji, Chiharu Shigematsu, and Masami Ito.
The unit was formed to perform the theme song for the anime movie “Ensemble Stars!! -Road to Show!!-“.
SCREEN10 performed “Life is so Dramatic!!“.
Variety
Interestingly enough, Junichi Suwabe has been doing work on TV as a variety/talk show host for almost a decade. He started hosting the laid-back talk/healing show “Nomi dase! Nomi nakama!” in 2014 and since then he has been a feature either for his own travel/healing shows or guesting on such shows by other seiyuu.
As a host, you can expect Suwabe to instantly make others feel at home, carrying himself as a host in a really relaxed and professional way. He shows comfort in front of the camera at all times and if he notices a guest isn’t, he’ll make everything to make sure they have a good time.
He always has interesting topics to talk about with fellow seiyuu, straying away from most of the common, over-done, questions that magazines or fans usually make. As such, watching a variety/talk show hosted by Junichi Suwabe and featuring other seiyuu as guests is bound to bring a wealth of new, honest information about seiyuu and their work in the industry, something you don’t get in any other way.
He can be quite playful with his guests and doesn’t shy from praising them, much to their embarrassment.
Some of the variety/talk shows he has participated include:
Junichi Suwabe’s “Nomi dase! Nomi nakama!” (2014 -)
Junichi Suwabe‘s laidback variety show “Nomi dase! Nomi nakama!“ kicked off in 2014 and since then has over 50 episodes featuring seiyuu guests talking about their careers, passions, and other topics that don’t follow necessarily a script.
Some of the seiyuu that have guested on his TV show include KISHOW, Kousuke Toriumi, Yusa Koji, Takayuki Kondo, Daisuke Hirakawa, Kenichi Suzumura, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Yuma Uchida, Tsubasa Yonaga, Soma Saito, Tomoaki Maeno, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Hiro Shimono and Kaito Ishikawa.
Seiyuu Camera Tour (2019)
In 2019, Junichi Suwabe was the second guest of the seiyuu variety show Seiyuu Camera Tour.
Seiyuu Camera Tour (声優カメラ旅) was a travel show in which popular voice actors walk through their chosen cities, documenting the cities’ charms through their own cameras and with their own sensitivity.
This is a healing show in which viewers will get to know the charms of those cities, get to know the memories some locations hold for those seiyuu, and, at the same time, will have seiyuu talking about how they deal with their work life.
Junichi Suwabe was the second guest on this show.
He visited Ueno (Tokyo). According to an interview given to B’sLOG, when Suwabe was in high school, he used to spend a lot of time not only commuting from his own to his school in Ueno but also enjoying the sights of Ueno Park (Tokyo).
Given how it’s been a long time since he had visited the area, he decided to visit it for this show.
Seiyuu Datte Tabi Shimasu 3rd season (2019)
Still in 2019, Suwabe teamed up with Takuma Terashima for a visit to Aomori in Seiyuu Datte Tabi Shimasu, variety show produced by Animax in which popular seiyuu travel and explore cities around Japan with a travel buddy.
Facts
Not good with nicknames
Regarding how to address him, Suwabe stated on his own Twitter and radio shows that he is not good with nicknames, honorifics, or first name basis, and he prefers to be called “Suwabe-san” with the honorific suffix attached to his surname.
Not afraid of talking about his career as a voice actor and his life
For those that are on Twitter and follow Junichi Suwabe, you will be aware that, from time to time, he shares stories about being a voice actor. He often talks about the challenges and hardships of his career but always gives a positive, motivational twist to them.
He also shares stories about his life and his path towards becoming a renowned voice actor and how he approaches fame and money. He shares lessons and tips with his followers, keeping things real whereas most seiyuu would talk superficially or altogether avoid those topics.
As such, it is safe to say that most of Junichi Suwabe’s fans not only are fans of his work but also of his hardworking, transparent self on social media.
Passionate about his characters to the point that… he will cosplay as them
More often than not you will notice Japanese media all over Junichi Suwabe and that can only mean: he has cosplayed as one of the characters he voices.
Below is Suwabe cosplaying as Kazumichi Irie, his character in Psycho-Pass 3.
He goes into extra detail with the clothes even down to the accessories and hairstyles, showing that he is having fun doing so.
Dog lover
He is a dog lover and for years he lived with a male smooth-coated Chihuahua named Zero. He revealed on Twitter that he never missed taking him for two walks a day, in the morning and evening.
Unfortunately, Zero passed away from old age on January 29, 2020. In his blog, Suwabe spoke proudly of Zero as his beloved son, saying, “Until now and forever“.
Massive fan of the Ultraman Series
Suwabe has been a fan of the Ultraman Series since he was an elementary school student, watching the original broadcasts of “The☆Ultraman” and “Ultraman 80” in real-time.
He also watches past Ultraman Series in reruns, with “Ultraseven” and “Ultraman Leo” being his favorites. With time and renown as a voice actor, Suwabe got to lend his voice to several characters in the most recent TV shows.
With this, THTFHQ wraps up another Seiyuu Digest. In the meantime, don’t forget to check past Seiyuu Digests (some of those recently updated) – HERE.
Junichi Suwabe. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junichi_Suwabe (used as a reference for the chronological anime career section in this article).
