After almost giving up on voice acting, Ryuichi Kijima’s passion and determination gave him a second chance that put him back on the radar.
Ryuichi Kijima
KANJI: 木島 隆一
BORN: March 29, 1985
OCCUPATION: Voice actor
HEIGHT: 172cm
Ryuichi Kijima was born on March 29, 1985, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and is currently represented by Mausu Promotion.
Seiyuu
He is the eldest son among three siblings, consisting of one boy and two girls.
In his childhood, he was praised for singing in front of people during music class, and his enjoyment of expressing himself in public led him to aspire to a career in the voice acting industry.
He had a love for anime from an early age and, although he considered being involved in the anime industry, it wasn’t until before his high school graduation that he seriously thought about his dreams and career.
Upon reevaluating, he found interest in the profession of voice acting after watching movies and anime again.
However, instead of immediately moving to Tokyo, which seemed daunting to him then, he first attended a local school, the Sapporo Designer Gakuin, in the Anime and Manga Department.
Later, he worked at a factory in Tochigi Prefecture for six months, saved money, and then moved to Tokyo.
By chance, he mentioned to a senior colleague at his part-time job in Tokyo that he wanted to work in both foreign and anime dubbing, and that colleague suggested that he attend the Mausu Promotion training school, which became the starting point of his voice acting journey.
He ended up graduating from Mausu Promotion’s training school and made his debut as a voice actor in 2010.
2010 – 2014
Struggles and wanting to give up
Kijima made his debut as a voice actor in 2010. As it is usual, the first years in the industry were all about getting the most experience possible with minor roles in anime series.
In that year he scored minor roles in “K-ON!!“, “Mayoi Neko Overrun!” and “Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi“.
In 2011, things continued the same. He was getting cast in some anime series, but all roles continued to be minor ones. He voiced minor characters for “SKET DANCE“, “NARUTO“, “Mashiro-iro Symphony: The Color of Lovers”, and “Softenni”.
From 2012 to 2014, the trend continued. And Kijima started to be frustrated with his path as a voice actor. He was being cast in big anime series such as “Medaka Box“, “Kill la Kill” and “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” but it was in roles that barely got any lines, much less screen time.
It was during this time that he considered quitting voice acting. He didn’t have steady – or relevant enough – work and he started losing sight of himself.
In an interview, Kijima mentioned that he contemplated leaving the profession, distancing himself from voice acting for a while.
However, a chance meeting with students from the Mausu training school brought him back to his initial feelings when he aspired to become a voice actor.
Witnessing the sparkle and enthusiasm of those students reignited his passion for voice acting. At the same time, he realized he had become somewhat complacent and decided to approach the profession with more sincerity.
And things certainly changed for him as, in 2015, he nailed the audition for his first-ever leading role in anime.
Some of the anime series he voiced characters during this period include:
- Aikatsu! (2012-2016)
- Sengoku Collection (2012)
- Fate/Zero (2012)
- Medaka box (2012)
- Metal Fight Beyblade ZEROG (2012)
- Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2013)
- Kill la Kill (2013)
- Samurai Flamenco (2013)
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2013)
- Beast Saga (2013)
- Aldnoah Zero (2014-2015)
- Kindaichi Case Files R (2014)
- Zankyou no Terror (2014)
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders (2014-2015)
- Tokyo ESP (2014)
- Trinity Seven (2014)
- Baby Steps (2014-2015)
- Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] (2014)
- Mekaku City Actors (2014)
- Shonen Hollywood -HOLLY STAGE FOR 49- (2014)
2015
A newfound determination and first leading role
His audition for the role of Lenka Utsugi, the protagonist in the action anime series GOD EATER happened right after his realization that he shouldn’t give up on voice acting.
And since then, it has been a role that Kijima holds dear. The anime series was well received in Japan, bringing, for the very first time, the spotlight to his work as a voice actor.
Kijima was back on track. Now, all that was left was to build upon it.
Some of the anime series he voiced characters during this period include:
- Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterunda. (2015)
- The Heroic Legend of Arslan (2015-2016)
- Ore Monogatari!! (2015)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015-2016)
- Gintama (2016)
- Ghost in the Shell ARISE ALTERNATIVE ARCHITECTURE (2015)
- Shokugeki no Soma (2015-2018)
- Diamond no Ace -SECOND SEASON- (2015)
- Durarara!!×2 (2015)
- Doraemon (2015)
2016 –
Slowly building up his repertoire
While it would be expected for his role as Lenka to generate a buzz around Ryuichi Kijima what happened was the complete opposite.
He was back to voicing minor characters in anime series, now with the added bonus of some supporting roles here and there.
In 2016, he scored roles in “Occultic;Nine”, “Kyoukai no RINNE“, “March Comes in Like a Lion”, and “WWW.WORKING!!“.
In 2017, he was cast as the calm and quiet Mitsuki in BORUTO-NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS.
Mitsuki is a synthetic human that was created as a partial clone of Orochimaru. Having rebelled against his “parent”, Mitsuki went on a journey back to Konoha, focused on befriending BORUTO and understanding more about him.
He has a calm nature but can be quite excitable and friendly towards others. Within a fight, however, things shift completely as Mitsuki won’t have any issues with killing his opponents.
This duality – gentleness and viciousness – was portrayed by Kijima in a rather interesting way that makes it well worth following the series. Out of all the roles he has scored so far in his career, this is the one with the most consistent exposure – over 300 episodes and several movie appearances.
2018 and 2019 were quiet years for Kijima. He was cast as minor or supporting characters in anime series such as “Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online”, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind“, “Namu Amida Butsu! Rendai Utena” and “Try Knights”.
2020 was an odd year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequential quarantine that closed anime and games studios for almost half a year.
Still, Kijima had already been cast and recorded his lines for what is his most popular role to date in an anime series.
The biggest role in 2020 for him was his reprisal of Hifumi Izanami in the anime adaptation of the Hypnosis Mic franchise, Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle – Rhyme Anima.
He would end up reprising his role in 2023’s Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle – Rhyme Anima+, the 2nd season of this anime series.
And yet again, between 2021 and 2022, Kijima was back to voicing minor and supporting roles.
This weird cycle he has going on has enabled him to have many credits in anime series however these are not in main or leading characters. This shows that he has yet to find his way to consistency as a voice actor.
Between 2021 and 2022, he voiced characters in anime series such as “SD Gundam World Heroes“, “Back Arrow”, and “Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu“.
In 2023, Kijima reprised his role as Hifumi Izanami in the 2nd season of the Hypnosis Mic anime series (Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle – Rhyme Anima+), and got supporting roles in anime series such as “The Misfit of Demon King Academy Ⅱ“, “Rougo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka wo Tamemasu” and “Potion-danomi de Ikinobimasu!”
Some of the anime series he voiced characters during this period include:
- Bubuki Buranki (2016)
- Dimension W (2016)
- Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (2016)
- Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan (2016)
- Cheer Danshi!! (2016)
- Youjo Senki (2017)
- Kuzu no Honkai (2017)
- Infini-T Force (2017)
- Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken (2018)
- Dororo (2019)
- Sword Art Online: Alicization – Recollection (2019)
- revisions (2019)
- Namu Amida Butsu! Rendai Utena (2019)
- Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (2019)
- Darwin’s Game (2020)
- Leadale no Daichi nite (2022)
- Shenmue the Animation (2022)
- The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – Northern War (2023)
Awards
In 2019, at the 13th Seiyuu Awards, Kouhei Amasaki and the main cast of Hypnosis Mic – members of Buster Bros!!!, MAD TRIGGER CREW, Fling Posse, and Matenro – received the Singing Award.
Ryuichi Kijima attended the ceremony alongside Show Hayami, Subaru Kimura, Yukihiro Nozuyama, Kouhei Amasaki, and Haruki Ishiya.
Radio
As far as radio work goes, Ryuichi Kijima has very few credits. At the time of writing this feature, he still doesn’t have his own solo radio show and has only co-hosted very few shows.
In the few he has co-hosted, Kijima shows how to lead the flow of the radio show, make guests and co-hosts feel welcomed and, from time to time, joins in the crazy shenanigans that other seiyuu get on (a good example being in Yusuke Shirai to Ryuichi Kijima Futari no Sekai).
Below you will find some of the radio shows he has been a part of since his debut as a voice actor.
Yusuke Shirai to Ryuichi Kijima Futari no Sekai (2020 – 2021)
Teaming up with fellow seiyuu Yusuke Shirai, Ryuichi Kijima co-hosted the radio show “Yusuke Shirai to Ryuichi Kijima Futari no Sekai” from 2020 to 2021.
Ryuichi Kijima’s Lashinban Radio (2021)
In March 2021, Kijima was invited to be the personality for that month’s Lashinban Radio.
This radio show is all about anime and its merchandise and often invites seiyuu as guest personalities.
Other radio shows he has co-hosted include:
- Lenka, Hibari, and Rikka no Fenrir Kouhou-bu (2015-2016)
- Magram Road Zetsumetsu Kigu Radio (2020-2021)
Games
Right from the start of his career, Kijima has been actively voicing characters in games.
Fans will often find him voicing characters in RPGs, action, otome, romance, adventure, puzzle, fighting, mecha, and sports games.
He’s lent voice to a couple of iconic characters such as:
Mitsuki in Naruto games (2017 – )
Since 2017, Kijima has reprised his role as the calm and observant Mitsuki in 4 games in the Naruto series with a focus on the side story, Boruto.
Seiya in Judgement (2018)
In 2018, he was cast as Seiya, a host who ends up being pivotal to the story of the action/detective game, Judgement.
Hifumi Izanami in Hypnosis Mic – Alternative Rap Battle – (2020 -)
Kijima reprised his role as Matenro‘s Hifumi Izanami in the smartphone game, Hypnosis Mic – Alternative Rap Battle –.
Hifumi is a confident and charismatic host who works at the “Fragrance” host club in Shinjuku. However, he’s more than what meets the eye. Although he works entertaining women day in, and day out, he’s actually completely terrified of women.
The game features a short introductory story for each crew, highlighting how Fling Posse came to be as well as their internal dynamics, which are drastically different from all other crews.
Killizerk. in MAGLAM LOAD (2021 -)
In 2021, Kijima was cast as Killizerk., the male protagonist in the action JRPG game MAGLAM LOAD.
Killizerk. is a demon lord whose ability to empower weapons with the power to kill other immortals led to them being sealed away, and awakening in a time and place where they’re the last of their kind.
He also voiced characters in the following games (list is not exhaustive):
- LEFT 4 DEAD
- BLACK WOLVES SAGA – Weiβ und Schwarz –
- Caligula Overdose
- Choice×Darling-
- SD Gundam GGENERATION CROSSRAYS
- SHOW BY ROCK!! Fes A Live
- BLACK WOLVES SAGA – Weiβ und Schwarz –
- BLACK WOLVES SAGA – Bloody Nightmare –
- BLACK WOLVES SAGA – Last Hope –
- Sengoku Basara 4
- even if TEMPEST
- A3!
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Touken Ranbu Online
- WAR OF THE VISIONS
Acting/Live reading
Live reading has been taking the voice acting industry by storm since 2017. Since then, Kijima has been active in various reading plays and live reading events.
Some of those include:
- Shinjuku RUMBLE FISH
- Crime and Punishment
- Macbeth
- Les Misérables
- Story Teller (Terror)
- SEIMEI ~From the legend of Dojoji~
- The Portrait of Dorian Gray
- Hanashigure
- Kinosaki Prelude
Narration / Dubbing
Dubbing has been the core of his career as a voice actor. Since 2011, Kijima has dubbed in more than 35 foreign movies and series.
Some of his credits include:
- Footloose
- Navy SEALs: Team 6
- Memories of Anne Frank
- Man of Steel
- Codename U.N.C.L.E.
- The Blizzard
- Ghostbusters
- Deadpool
- Hell Week
- Detective Tom Thorne 2
- iCarly
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Body of Proof 2: Testimony of a Corpse
- TOUCH
- HAWAII FIVE-0
- Crazy Ex Girlfriend
- Billions
- Last Kingdom
between many more.
As far as narration goes, Kijima is still taking his first steps in the field. Out of all his credits, he has done narration for M-ON! SPECIAL, cable TV show in Japan.
Drama CDs
When it comes to drama CDs, Ryuichi Kijima has been quite active since 2012, now having over 40 credits in this field.
Fans will find him voicing characters in anime/manga/games tie-up drama CDs as well as Boys Love (BL), the latter in which he has established himself as one of the up-and-comers in the field.
Some of the drama CDs he has voiced characters include:
- Oresama Teacher
- Fire Emblem Awakening Drama CD Vol.3
- Ryusei☆Halation ~Smile Vacation vol.1~2
- Tea Prince
- Fire Emblem IF Dark Night Kingdom Drama CD Series
- MAUSU THEATER
- Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- franchise (2017 -)
- Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] II.lost butterfly Original Drama CD
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Darwin’s Game
- Ikemen Vampire
- Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla
- Ten Count 5
- Mibu no Banai
between many others. For an extended and often updated list of all his credits in drama CDs, please refer to his Japanese Wikipedia page.
Music
Although Kijima debuted as a voice actor in 2010, it was only in 2017 through Hypnosis Mic that he would get his first-ever opportunity to showcase his singing talents for a 2D music project.
Kijima doesn’t have many performances to his name – especially solo character songs – but from what I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing, he has a robust baritone voice, a controlled vibrato and he’s actually quite versatile as a singer.
He can sing, rap, and perform enka music which is quite impressive among seiyuu. He has mentioned that he is passionate about singing, having been praised for his skills when he was younger.
He’s best known for being part of the following 2D music groups:
Matenro (2017 -)
In the last quarter of 2017, Ryuichi Kijima was announced as part of the lineup for one of the most ambitious and original projects in the seiyuu business, Hypnosis Mic.
He was to join Shinjuku’s crew, Matenro.
The most popular crew in the Hypnosis Mic franchise draws inspiration in all ways of “living” a person can experience.
Their introspective, relatable lyrics and unique instrumentals quickly clicked with the fans of the franchise, making Matenro a crew that is a constant presence on the digital charts as well as one of the best-selling crews in the franchise (behind Fling Posse).
Matenro released “Matenro -Onin Rinshou-” in December 2017 and quickly climbed in the popularity ranks with what turned out to be a complex and powerful release.
Compared with the performances of his crew mates Sho Hayami (leader) and Kent Ito, Ryuichi Kijima’s performances are overflowing with the energy and flamboyance of the nightlife in Shinjuku however, with a twist.
His solo performance for シャンパンゴールド (Champagne Gold) provided a shock moment within the CD as, up until now, all the performances had been either dark or too introspective, his performance was all about enjoying the moment.
Enjoying the moment, not being tied up to anyone or anything, being loved by everyone, and enjoying the spotlight, are the feelings you get from this song. This carefree approach to life, living like there’s no tomorrow is hedonistic yet it hides something else behind it.
And the truth is, in further releases down the line, you get to a different side of Hifumi.
This unexpected project in his career turned out to be a great outlet to showcase his skills as a singer and challenge himself in something he was not familiar with, rapping.
It was also the first time Kijima was cast in a 2D music project.
After the release of the introductory singles for each crew, Hypnosis Mic kicked off their 1st Battle Season series.
Matenro faced and beat Fling Posse in the second round in Fling Posse VS Matenro. The CD was certified Gold by RIAJ in 2018.
This was a quick and easy win for Matenro as the group was already massively popular – even in comparison with Fling Posse’s rising popularity.
While BATTLE BATTLE BATTLE was a clear win for Fling Posse, when it came to the group’s representative songs, Matenro made a case for themselves with “Shinjuku Style～warawasu na～“, even if the song strangely flirts with copyright infringement of Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie” (in case you haven’t checked, the chorus in “Shinjuku Style” is a carbon copy of “Nookie”).
After beating Fling Posse, Matenro battled against the winners of the Buster Bros!!! VS MAD TRIGGER CREW battle, MAD TRIGGER CREW.
The battle was fierce, something that quickly translated into the massive sales numbers MAD TRIGGER CREW VS Matenro pulled. The album was certified Gold by RIAJ in 2018.
Matenro won the hard-fought battle – votes-wise – as, weirdly enough, the performances in “DEATH RESPECT” were completely tame in comparison with both crew’s participation in the 1st round.
Crowned Kings, Matenro was set to release a special CD “The Champion“.
The CD counted not only with Matenro’s winner song but also with a song by The Dirty Dawg titled “T.D.D LEGEND“.
In 2019, the crew released the stylish パピヨン (Papillon), featured in the compilation album, Enter the Hypnosis Microphone.
The crew returned in 2020 with the release of Matenro Before The 2nd D.R.B, a critically acclaimed album that brought a contrasting set of songs that, once again, approached the theme of “life” from completely different perspectives.
Hifumi performed yet another song that completely shifted the vibe within a Matenro CD. “Party wo Tomenaide” went full-on enka-meets-eurobeat and it is a blast to listen to.
This performance perfectly captured Hifumi’s essence. And Kijima was showing was he is made of as a performer. From enka-ish vocals to fast-paced rap and clean singing, he did it all and never missed a bit. He single-handedly delivered the most exciting performance in this release.
In a live setting, Matenro is a solid crew however far from perfect – in comparison with Buster Bros!!! and Fling Posse’s impressive chemistry and harmonizations in a live setting.
Ryuichi Kijima is a bundle of energy on stage for Matenro if he’s allowed to go crazy. However, due to the usual serious/introspective tone of the crew’s songs, he tends to be stoic yet quite intense in his performances.
Usually, in a live setting, Matenro struggles a bit to sound harmonious with Show Hayami, Kent Ito, and Ryuichi Kijima having deeply contrasting voice tones.
As a result, the group tends to not sound as neat live as they do on record due to how their vocals are mixed on record VS live mixing.
Still, they bring a lot of intensity through their unique performances.
So far the crew has performed live 9 times, although in different contexts.
The first franchise release on Blu-ray and DVD is Hypnosis mic- Division Rap Battle – 4th LIVE @ Osaka, massive live held in 2019 that counted with Buster Bros!!!, MAD TRIGGER CREW, Fling Posse, Matenro, and the, then recently announced, Dotsuitare Honpo and Bad Ass Temple.
In 2020, and due to issues with Coronavirus (COVID-19), Hypnosis Mic’s ambitious MetLife Dome live, SIX SHOTS TO THE DOME was cancelled.
Instead, all crews performed on 29/03/2020 on a special broadcast by AbemaTV, Hypnosis mic- Division Rap Battle – 5th LIVE @ AbemaTV – SIX SHOTS UNTIL THE DOME that counted with millions of live views.
In February 2021, the Hypnosis Mic held its 6th live “2nd D.R.B”, with the 3rd battle counting with Bad Ass Temple vs Matenro.
The crew arrived with the heartwrenching “TOMOSHIBI” in “Bad Ass Temple vs Matenro“, album that served as the catalyst for this live show, Matenro won the battle against Bad Ass Temple.
The final battle in the 2nd Division Rap Battle series pitied Matenro against Buster Bros!!! and Fling Posse in “Buster Bros!!! VS Matenro VS Fling Posse”.
“SHOWDOWN” ended up being more than just a battle, it was all about each crew stating their intentions, telling their story, and showing their worth for the title of “Champion”.
Later in August 2021, the crew performed live at Hypnosis Mic 7th live “SUMMIT OF DIVISIONS”.
The final results were announced on November 28, 2021. All members of Buster Bros!!!, MAD TRIGGER CREW, Matenro, Fling Posse, Dotsuitare Hompo, and Bad Ass Temple were in attendance at the special broadcast on AbemaTV.
Fling Posse (130346 votes) won the Final Battle in the 2nd Division Rap Battle series after beating Matenro (101981 votes) and Buster Bros!!! (115227 votes) in a 3-way battle that included live show votes + CD votes + VR battle.
Kicking off 2022, Matenro participated in Hypnosis Mic’s 2nd full-length album “CROSS A LINE“.
Still in the same year, the crew was back on stage for Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- 8th LIVE《CONNECT THE LINE》.
In 2023, the Hypnosis Mic franchise held a large-scale live show featuring all crews titled Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- 9th LIVE ≪ZERO OUT≫.
Still in the same year, the Hypnosis Mic franchise announced the release of 2 EPs, featuring – for the very first time – shuffle group performances.
As Hifumi, Kijima performed ポジティブ my life (Postive my life), song included in “The Block Party – HOODs –”.
Hypnosis Mic Division All Stars (2017 -)
Division All Stars‘ original lineup consisted of Buster Bros!!!, MAD TRIGGER CREW, Fling Posse and Matenro. In 2019, with the addition of Dotsuitare Honpo and Bad Ass Temple to the franchise, the group now houses all groups.
Their first release was Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- in 2017. This was the explosive start even before anyone knew how each crew would end up sounding.
The song was an instant hit and brought a massive following from overseas to the project.
In 2018, Division All Stars returned with the electrifying Hypnosis Mic Division Battle Anthem. The success it met was even more than on their debut song.
Now that the project was popular, it was a matter of a couple of days until it hit 1 million views.
In 2019, Hypnosis Mic released its first compilation album. Enter the Hypnosis Microphone featured all of Division All Stars‘ songs plus a new ensemble track, Hoodstar.
The song was quickly followed by Hypnosis Mic – Alternative Rap Battle-, song featured as the theme song for the smartphone game, Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle-.
Still in the same year, Division All Stars returned with a new take on their debut song, Hypnosis Mic Division Battle Anthem.
After the franchise introduced 2 new units to the franchise, Dotsuitare Honpo, and Bad Ass Temple, the classic track got a revamp, thus Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-+ was released.
In 2020, Division All Stars made their comeback and once again revamped one of their hit songs. Hypnosis Mic -Division Battle Anthem- was revamped, adding Dotsuitare Honpo and Bad Ass Temple into the mix, creating Hypnosis Mic -Division Battle Anthem-＋.
And in 2020, Division All Stars released the fan favorite, and up until July of the same year, in-game exclusive, Survival of the Illest.
Still in the same year, Division All Stars released the funky tune “SUMMIT OF DIVISIONS“. The song was included with the franchise’s Hypnosis Mic – Division Rap Battle – Official Guide Book.
A year later “Hypnosis Mic-Glory or Dust-“ was released.
The song featured a 3D CGI animated music video – the first one in the Hypnosis Mic -, going in line with the franchise’s recent bet in VR and CGI technology to improve the visibility of its contents.
A couple of months later and still in 2021, Division All Stars released an extended version of the groovy hit tune “Survival of the Illest“.
The reworked song was titled “Survival of the Illest+” and included Dotsuitare Hompo and Bad Ass Temple in the recording.
In 2021, Division All Stars released the funky hip-hop tune with a ’90s touch “Hang out!“.
Still in the same year, the group released a new – extended – version of “Hoodstar”. Now including the rapping by Bad Ass Temple and Dotsuitare Hompo, “Hoodstar+” was released.
In 2022, the Hypnosis Mic franchise released its 2nd full-length album “CROSS A LINE“.
In this album, which included new songs by all crews, there is the groovy self-titled all-star song.
With the premiere of the 2nd season of the anime series in 2023, Division All Stars released the digital single “RISE FROM DEAD”.
Executioner (2023 -)
In 2023, Ryuichi Kijima joined the cast of Executioner, an original mixed-media project created by HOTZIPANG and featuring character designs by Ajichika.
The project promises to be all about battle action, combining apocalyptic thinking (endless loop of the end of the century), Sentai heroes, and visual-kei rock.
The music uses the latest original works by Japanese visual-kei rock artists, and the members’ stories unfold around the powerful and refined music to be released.
The 3 teams, “Beelze Executioner’s“, “Asta Executioner’s“, and “Balbe Executioner’s“, each contract with demons and engage in a death battle for the future of humanity.
Kijima voices Balberith, a demon who has made a contract with the band Balbe Executioner’s.
At the moment of writing this feature, Kijima is part of the project but has not lent his talents to any songs in it.
Variety
When it comes to variety shows, since 2018, Kijima has started to be in the spotlight due to his role as Hifumi in the Hypnosis Mic franchise.
That rise in popularity opened the doors for him to have his own variety/talk show, participate in various talk/variety shows related to the Hypnosis Mic franchise and even be invited to game shows featuring other seiyuu.
Kijima gives his all to be the most professional yet warm host to his guests. You will occasionally find him cracking a joke, playing around with the guests but things never get too out of hand.
The same can be said about his guest appearances. He is quiet for the most part – showing a bit of his shy side – but when prompted to participate he joins in the fun.
While he doesn’t have too many credits in this field, below you will find some of his must-watch shows or appearances.
Ryuichi Kijima no Buta yarou (2019 -)
In 2019, Ryuichi Kijima started his own pig-themed variety/talk show “Ryuichi Kijima no Buta Yarou” (木島隆一のこのブタ野郎).
This show stems from Kijima’s love for everything related to pigs.
In a series of episodes, Kijima invites an array of seiyuu guests to engage in candid conversations about their deepest passions and projects.
The atmosphere is effortlessly relaxed as they delight in savoring delectable pork-infused dishes.
Adding a dash of whimsy, they take on the challenge of the dummyhead mic and playfully recite cheesy lines, much to the fans’ delight.
At the time of writing this feature, this is Kijima’s longest-running variety/talk show.
Hypnosis Mic variety (2020)
Still in 2020, Ryuichi Kijima participated in Hypnosis Mic -Division Variety Battle @ ABEMA alongside fellow Matenro members Kent Ito and Show Hayami.
The variety show included impromptu rap battles, an information corner – on the latest Hypnosis Mic news -, and a Super Difficult Love Trial! Division Pressure Q, a variety challenge in which both crews in attendance on a given episode had to face each other in a difficult quiz.
Hypnosis Mic Division Study Guide (2021)
In 2021, Kijima participated alongside Matenro members Kent Ito and Show Hayami in the AbemaTV exclusive show Hypnosis Mic Division Study Guide.
The show is all about making it simple for newcomers to get into Hypnosis Mic by explaining a bit of each character’s background and intentions, the group’s dynamics as well as talking about the music (with some games in the mix).
Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix 7 (2021)
In 2021, Wataru Komada, Yoshitaka Yamaya, Sho Karino, Haruki Ishiya and master of ceremonies Ryuichi Kijima, teamed up for the 7th installment of the variety show Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix.
The bowling tournament is a fun-filled event where guests get to showcase their bowling skills while facing challenging obstacles.
The tournament features talented seiyuu who bring their unique personalities to the game, making it an entertaining experience for everyone involved.
Participants not only have to tackle bowling challenges but also submit or avoid punishments and perform skill challenges that test their abilities. The event concludes with laidback free talk corners, where guests can relax and chat with one another.
All in all, the bowling tournament is a thrilling and enjoyable event that combines athleticism, strategy, and humor.
Facts
A pig enthusiast
Kijima is famously known for his love of pigs, claiming to be the top pig enthusiast in the voice acting industry. He openly declares his love for pigs and incorporates pig illustrations into his autographs.
In the Mausu Promotion-produced original short anime “Mausu Doubutsuen” (Mausu Animal Garden), where each voice actor portrays a different animal, Kijima voices a pig character named Ryuichi.
His passion for pigs culminated in the creation of his own web show titled “Kijima Ryuichi’s Kono Buta Yaro” (This Pig Bastard), which premiered on Nico Nico Douga in 2019.
The title, expressing his desire to “become a pig,” was chosen based on his preferences, which made some fans wonder why.
This love for pigs has become a well-acknowledged aspect of Kijima’s public persona, featured not only in his social media but also in guest appearances on Nico Nico Live broadcasts.
Despite being recognized for his deep affection for pigs, he keeps the reasons for this fascination a “secret”.
A calligraphy master
Kijima mentioned in an interview that he possesses a calligraphy teaching license and could be a calligraphy instructor.
Challenging himself time and time again
Kijima enjoys traveling, collecting pig plush toys (yet again, showing his love for all things “pig”), engaging in home gardening, and weight training.
Despite his dislike for exercise, he appreciates the challenge of tackling things he’s not good at.
Admires Akio Otsuka
His admiration for voice actor Akio Otsuka is notable. Kijima mentioned that he felt motivated when he discovered that Otsuka was affiliated with the agency he joined, Mausu Promotion.
During a period when he thought about quitting voice acting, Kijima expressed gratitude for Otsuka’s supportive role and described him as a “reliable senior”.
Aside from Otsuka, Kijima respects other industry veterans such as Masaaki Terasoma, Tooru Okawa, and Takagi Wataru. He maintains good relationships with peers like Kengo Kawanishi and others from his generation.
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.
