Seiyuu Digest #38 – Shunichi Toki

Shunichi Toki might still be overlooked by many anime fans however when it comes to music projects, he’s one of the most sought-after seiyuu due to his technique and versatility.

Shunichi Toki

KANJI: 土岐隼一

BORN: May 7, 1989

OCCUPATION: seiyuu, singer, radio personality

HEIGHT: 172cm

Shunichi Toki was born on May 7, 1989, in Tokyo, Japan. His family consists of his parents and his sister.

As a voice actor he is represented by WITH LINE whereas as a solo artist, he is signed to PONY CANYON.

Seiyuu

Toki graduated from Amusement Media General Institute in April 2012. He soon joined WITH LINE, a subsidiary of EARLY WING (seiyuu talent agency), as a seiyuu talent. After joining the agency, he worked on polishing his skills, only making his official debut as a seiyuu in 2013, when he was 24 years old.

His first roles in anime came only in 2014 with One Week Friends (2014), Wolf Girl & Black Prince (2014), Uta no Prince Sama Maji Love Revolutions (2015) and Beautiful Bones -Sakurako’s Investigation- (2015). For all these roles he was either voicing passersby or random background characters.

It wasn’t until 2015 with Ace of Diamond that Toki would get a role with at least some exposure. His role as Yasushi Kudou in the series might not have been anything big enough to put Toki on the map, but it was a step up from the random characters he had been voicing up until then.

2016 was a quiet year in comparison with his first two years in the business. However, this was the year that introduced one of the very first important characters in his career.

Mentioning that this is an important character in his career isn’t necessarily because it was a leading role or the weight his character had on the series.

It was due to the fact that he was voicing a character in one of the most-watched and buzzworthy anime in 2016.

If there’s an anime series/franchise that has marked 2016 and turned into a global phenomenon is Yuri!!! on Ice.

Toki grabbed a role in the series as the sociable and creative American figure skater and choreographer, Leo de La Iglesia, that was introduced mid-season.

Due to the way the second part of the season was rushed, his character had little screen time (besides his routines and some random interactions with the cast).

His acting as Leo was praised by fans of the series as being incredibly soothing and overall nice to listen to. This role shed some light on him and fans started to anticipate future works from him.

Still in 2016, Toki voiced a minor character in the short comedy anime The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi.

2017 arrived and with it his first main cast role in the music-driven anime TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION as Kouki Eto, Growth‘s leader.

Toki‘s acting, as well as singing skills, were going to be put to test with this role.

Growth debuted in 2015 as part of Tsukino Production‘s roster. Up until 2017, fans had only gotten to listen to the group’s songs among several drama tracks to get an insight into the characters’ personalities and relationships.

Eto quickly earned his place on the top fan-favorite characters from this franchise.

Despite his cold, charismatic, and aloof looks, Eto has a caring and gentle personality – much like most of Growth‘s members – as well as an endearing clumsy side that is not like any of the other TSUKIPRO unit’s leaders. Eto is, indeed, the leader and mother of the group.

Throughout the anime series, fans got yet another look at Eto‘s relationships with his unit mates, the other unit leaders under TSUKIPRO, and even a rival unit, ZIX.

Despite the fact that for this anime all units and members are considered main characters – especially taking into account that each episode delves into a specific unit -, he got considerable exposure during all episodes in which Growth was featured, more than most of the unit’s members.

Eto is quite possibly the most popular and well-known character he’s voiced up until now.

Other music-driven anime premiered in 2017 and Toki was once again featured. Idolmaster SideM is the talk of the town during the 2017 Fall season for its solid writing and plot-driven story.

Toki voices Altessimo‘s mysterious and prodigal Kei Tsuzuki. Although this season of Idolmaster SideM doesn’t focus on Altessimo, the character has appeared in it as a special cameo.

Besides these roles, Toki voiced minor characters in Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler and Fastest Finger First. He also voiced Cecil Clayton in Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor.

Music

Shunichi Toki is known to be part of various music projects – from 2.5D idols to real-life seiyuu units. If there’s one thing he’s managed to show his fans in the past years is that he’s a great fit for a leader and a safe, versatile option for any group he’s a part of.

After years of showcasing his vocal chops, Toki got his big break, making his solo debut in 2019.

Solo career (2019 -)

In 2019, Toki surprised everyone by announcing his solo debut. He signed with PONY CANYON and kicked off his solo career performing pop, rock and jazz music.

His debut single is titled 約束のOverture (Yakusoku no Overture) and was released in May 2019.

The single ended up being a safe bet for him. While embracing Latin pop and rock, Toki tried to deliver something fun, radio-friendly, and catchy.

It sounded like he was doing his best trying to distance himself from the image he brought with him from Growth, however, he did not fully disregard it.

He presented himself as Shunichi Toki, the solo artist, a different entity from what fans know him for. And he was still trying to look for his “singing voice” as well as the image and concepts to explore.

Yakusoku no Overture did not lock Toki to a specific genre or style, which was pretty interesting at that time.

Still in the same year, Toki released his sophomore single, Party Jacker.

Now, this was a departure from the no-strings-attached sonority in Toki’s debut single. In Party Jacker is was noticeable that Toki was starting to embrace jazz and citypop, music genres that added a layer of elegance to his sound.

When it came to his performances, Toki was on top of his game, clearly benefiting from have hours and hours of experience performing jazz songs, he simply aced all tracks in the release.

Early on in his career, Toki has been a part of several music projects.

Passionate about Jazz music and with plenty of training under his belt as he used to perform soul, jazz and R&B songs with his father when he was younger, his vocal chops made him stand out in the projects he’s been a part of.

Altessimo (2014 – )

Altessimo is one of the 15 units part of the popular game and anime franchise, Idolmaster SideM.

The duo, consisting of Shunichi Toki and Yusuke Nagano, is known for their orchestral and classy sound. Altessimo brought their refined sound to THE IDOLM@STER SideM‘s 2nd stage held in the first quarter of 2017.

Although that wasn’t the group’s first live performance, it was the first time the group attended a THE IDOLM@STER SideM live tour.

Toki‘s dramatic and lyrical singing skills come in handy with this unit, enhancing Altessimo‘s overall rich and classical sound.

Up until now, the duo has released 1 single, THE IDOLM@STER Sidem ST@RTING LINE-11 Altessimo (2016). Aside from it, Altessimo has participated in several cross-unit and solo song projects within the franchise.

So far, the trio participated in four IDOLMASTER SideM stages: 1st STAGE 〜ST@RTING!〜 (2016), 2nd STAGE 〜ORIGIN@L STARS〜 (2017), 3rd STAGE 〜GLORIOUS ST@GE!〜 (2018) and THE IDOLM@STER SideM 4th LIVE STAGE 〜TRE@SURE GATE〜 (2019).

They also participated in the fan meeting tour “GREETING TOUR 2017 ～BEYOND THE DREAM～” in 2017 and  THE IDOLM@STER SideM’s Five-St@r Party!! in 2018.

Growth (2015 -)

Out of all the groups he’s a part of, Growth is the most popular. Growth debuted in 2015 part of Tsukino Production, a fictional idol talent agency.

The quartet consists of leader Shunichi Toki (as Kouki Eto), Junta Terashima (as Mamoru Fujimura), Yoshitaka Yamaya (as Kensuke Yaegashi), and Daiki Yamashita (as Ryota Sakuraba).

Known for its cinematic sound that lends a lot of elements from Irish folk music, Growth showcase not only one of the most unique sounds in the 2.5D idol market but also some of the richest and most entertaining performances fans can enjoy TSUKIPRO‘s units.

Packed with powerful vocals, this unit is also known for its 100% synced choruses and flawless harmonizations that will bring chills down your spine. Mahou no Kizuna, song released in October 2017 and featured as one of the 4 opening themes for TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION, is regarded by their fans as Growth‘s best song.

Toki had the opportunity during the X Lied series in 2017, to perform a solo song. His high notes and falsetto in リーラの調べ were ethereal, delicate, and beautiful, he showed everyone his worth in a solo context.

&6allein (2017 – 2019)

Alongside fellow seiyuu Yoshitaka Yamaya, Tatsuya Tokutake, Takeru Kikuchi, and Takahide Ishii, Toki was part of &6allein, seiyuu unit signed with Marine Entertainment (D.A.T, ELEKITER ROUND 0, TAKA, etc) that prided itself in having a complete lineup comprised of seiyuu from the same talent agency –  WITH LINE.

The group debuted during the summer of 2017 (June) with the single UNLOCK☆START!!!.

As the eldest member, Toki is the unit’s leader. Since the start he’s been one of the most powerful vocals within the group, standing out from the rest of the unit in that department.

The group suffered some lineup changes in October, 2017 with the departure of Yusuke Miyamoto.

&6allein made their comeback in November with the second single -LIVED-/A：LIVE-, a single a completely different sonority and dark vibe.

The group has been steadily showing that they have talent, the only issue lies with Marine Entertainment‘s lack of PR skills to promote this group.

The group changed their image in 2018 and released their 1st full-length album, With You.

&6allein upgraded their sound and re-recorded their early songs with the current 5-member lineup.

Still in the same year, they held their first live show &6allein 1st Live With You and a fan meeting &6allein Fan meeting 2018 Part of Me.

The group announced a change of sound and looks in 2019. Putting heavy synth-driven instrumentalization, &6allein embraced ballads and slow tempo pop tunes, showcasing a matured side.

Unfortunately, due to Tatsuya Tokutake’s retirement from the seiyuu industry in 2019, the group was later disbanded.

7Colors (2017 -)

During the summer of 2017 (July), 7Colors were announced as one of the two new units to debut part of a new smartphone game, “Anidol Colors“.

7Colors, unit consisting of Yuto Suzuki, Taku Yashiro, Junta Terashima, Yoshitaka Yamaya, Yusuke Shirai, Shunichi Toki and Junya Enoki, debuted in September with the single “Ride on☆ 7Dream“.

For this unit, Toki was performing with a different tone (cuter and younger), far from what his fans were used to, and at the same time a tone that was far from being comfortable for himself.

Ride on☆ 7Dream ended up being a trainwreck of a release filled with tacky melodies, overcrowded instrumentalization and subpar performances that overshadowed the talented vocals within the group, including Toki‘s.

Late in 2018, and after the game was renewed for a new season, 7colors released a digital single, “Welcome to Our LAND!”.

Summer Troupe (2017 – )

Still in the same year, Shunichi Toki joined the franchise that would end up dominating 2017, A3!. He voices Yuki Rurikawa, actor with a sharp tongue and incredible talent both on stage as well as working on costumes for other Mankai’s troupes.

The Summer Troupe consists of Takuya Eguchi (leader), Shunichi Toki, Yoshitaka Yamaya, Daisuke Hirose, Ren Ozawa and Tasuku Hatanaka.

So far they have released 3 EP series: First (2017), Blooming (2017) and VIVID (2018).

GENMEPER (2018 -)

GENMEPER consist of Kensho Ono, Yuma Uchida, Shunichi Toki, Anri Katsu and Kento Hama.

The group performed the theme song for Darekoe, Bokukoe spin-off series. The song is titled 幻滅交響曲“いい歌じゃねぇ” (Symphony of Disillusionment​​ “It’s not a good song”).

Haunted Obachestra (2018 -)

In 2018, Toki joined the ambitious music project, Haunted Obachestra.

Haunted Obachestra is a project created by Poni-Pachet (creators of Ozmafia), that blends rock music with monsters. As Rainley, Toki performed Room#x6 (Room number kiss six), song that was released in 2019.

Odin;s (2018 -)

Still in 2018, Toki joined another music project with a twist, GANG×ROCK.

GANG×ROCK is a music project created by Techno Art mixing “delinquents” and “bands” in the same place. Toki is part of Odin;s, rock band that consists on KENN, Shunichi Toki, Tasuku Hatanaka and Kenji Roa. Enried consists on Yutaka Balletta, Keisuke Kawamoto and Takuya Aragiri.

The band released their first single, Kike, Waga Raimei wo! in 2018.

Anthos (2019 -)

In 2019, Shunichi Toki joined the ambitious and unique project, Hana Doll.

Hana-Doll* is an idol project created by movic (TSUKIPRO, VAZZROCK, Tsukiuta, etc) in 2019. 6 idols are part of Anthos, group signed to the fictional talent agency Amagiri Production.

Anthos is comprised of Daiki Hamano, Kento Ito, Wataru Komada, Toshiki Masuda, Wataru Komada, and Seiichiro Yamashita.

So far, the group has released 4 singles:

• Birth (2019)
• BOXED (2019)
• IDOLls (2019)
• Message (2020)

Their unique sound completely strays away from regular idol projects. Toki has been showcasing his vocal prowess within the group. He is the heart of the group on the vocal end, delivering jazzy, R&B-ish melodies, melting falsetto, outstanding flourishes, and being the all-rounder everyone in the group can rely on.

The lyrics delve into darker themes, the instrumentals do not focus on what is trendy, instead, the focus is put on a minimalistic electronica sound with elements of hip-hop and tropical house that captures the listeners’ attention.

SwingCATS (2019 -)

All in the same year, Toki joined the cast of the jazz music project, JAZZ-ON!, as part of SwingCATS.

SwingCATS consist of Yuki Yonai, Wataru Komada, Shunichi Toki, Toshinari Fukamachi, Genki Okawa, Makoto Ishii, Arthur Lounsbery and Shinichiro Kamio.

The group has released 2 singles so far: First Cats (2019) and Raining Cats (2020).

As part of SwingCats and featuring Genki Okawa, Toki performed Now or never.

Namimori Boys (2019 -)

Still in 2019, Toki joined the cast of the surf mixed-media project, WAVE!!.

The cast counts with with Tomoaki Maeno, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yoshiki Nakajima, Takuya Sato, Yusuke Shirai, Shunichi Toki, Showtaro Morikubo and Jin Ogasawara.

In 2019, the project released Ride the WAVE!!, the project’s theme song performed by Namimori Boys (comprised of the main cast).

Akkan Yatsura (2019 -)

The biggest and most hyped project he joined in 2019 was, undoubtedly, PARADOX LIVE.

Alongside Takayuki Kondo, Shima, Tasuku Hatanaka, and Shogo Yano, Shunichi Toki is part of the afrobeat/Latin rap team, Akkan Yatsura.

The team’s debut song, BAD BOYZ – Akkan Yatsura Underground- was released in 2020 as part of the franchise mini-album, Paradox Live Opening Show.

Akkan Yatsura then went to take part in the Stage Battle series, counting with entries in the JUSTICE and FAMILY battles.

In “JUSTICE”, the group released “OUTSIDERZ – Akkan Yatsura is Justice –“, song embraced a simplistic sound, packing the same punch as their more intense, crowded sound and does so with fewer resources, leaving the spotlight for the rap performances.

And in “FAMILY”, Akkan Yatsura performed “CALL FOR FAMILIEZ – Akkan Yatsura is forever –“.

This afrobeat tune takes the crow as the best song on that CD. Their take on the family concept was intense and connected more with me than cozmez’s “This is my love”.

Early in 2021, Shunichi Toki participate in the franchise’s 1st live show “Paradox Live Dope Show“.

Later in the same year, he attended the special event Paradox Live 2nd anniversary Fes..

The rest of the year was reserved for the best of albums in the franchise: “TRAP” and “LIVE“. Later in the same year, Akkan Yatsura’s members participated in the Shuffle Team Show CDs (2 releases).

Welcoming new teams in the franchise, the Paradox Live franchise released a special CD titled “Paradox Live Opening Show-Road to Legend-“.

The team released the passionate tune “TURN IT UP!!!!!! – Akkan Yatsura SOUL FEVER –“.

In May 2022, Shunichi Toki joined Akkan Yatsura on stage for its performances at Paradox Live 2nd LIVE DOPE SHOW.

Games

Before getting his first role in anime, Shunichi Toki was making his debut as a seiyuu through videogames.

His first role was in 2013 on Senshou no Waltz. After that, he voiced characters in the most varied games, ranging from otome to adventure and action.

Roles in Fairy Fencer F (2013), Granblue Fantasy (2015), Chaos Dragon Chaos War (2015), Saibai Shounen (2015), Oyayubi Labyrinth (2015) and 100 Sleeping Princes & the Kingdom of Dreams (2015), Mary Skelter (2016), Chain Chronicle (2016), CRASH FIGHT (2016), Brilliant star rebellion (2016) and World Chain (2016).

More recently, Toki is actively voicing characters in several popular idol/actor/rhythm games such as A3! (2017), Tsukipara (2017), Anidol Colors (2017), Idolmaster SideM (2016) and Idolmaster SideM LIVE ON ST@GE! (2017).

Other games he’s voiced characters in include: 

• Icchibanketsu (2017),
• Gensou Shoujo (2017), 
• Rage of Bahamut (2017), 
• Trickster – I want to be a summoner ~ (2017), 
• Exile Election (2017), 
• Paranormal Kiss- (2017), and 
• Blackish House ←sideZ (2017).

Radio

Toki started hosting radio shows in 2015 with “Strawberry Session“, show that was on air for two years (2015 – 2017).

After that he started hosting “LIVE B’s-LOG” radio (2015 -2016) and more recently he got his own radio show titled “Toki Shunichi no Radio Kissa Toki no Wa“. This radio show kicked off in August, 2016 on Nico Nico Douga.

Acting

Darekoe (2018)

In 2018, Toki made his debut as an actor in the Bokukoe spin-off series, Darekoe.

He got to showcase his singing, dancing, and acting skills as a member of GENMEPER, the focal point of this 5 episode spin-off.

GENMEPER consists of Kensho Ono, Yuma Uchida, Shunichi Toki, Anri Katsu (he was in the original Bokukoe series) and Kento Hama.

The group performed the theme song for this spin-off titled 幻滅交響曲“いい歌じゃねぇ” (Symphony of Disillusionment​​ “It’s not a good song”).

The series kept the members’ identities a secret right until the end of the season.

GENMEPER joined the cast of Bokukoe‘s 2nd season, joining the extended and luxurious lineup for this series.

Bokukoe 2 (2019)

Bokukoe premiered its 2nd season in January 2019.

Toki joined the cast not only as a member of GENMEPER but also as an actor for the series’ main skit この宿屋に泊まりに来たあいつがこの村を救ってくれるんじゃねぇ？(Kono yadoya ni tomari ni kita aitsu ga kono mura o sukutte kurerun ja ne?).

SOARA LET IT BE (2019)

Shunichi Toki had a cameo as a news anchor in the live action movie, SOARA LET IT BE.

In this movie, Chiharu Sawashiro reprised his role as Nanase Nozumu in the franchise’s game and anime series. Takuya Eguchi (SolidS’ leader) also had a cameo.

Photobooks

In 2019, Shunichi Toki released his first photobook, precious time. Through this photobook, fans got to see different sides to the always calm and collected Toki.

Facts

His patience vanishes once Yoshitaka Yamaya ticks him off

Shunichi Toki is well known for his calm, attentive self, however, there’s someone that knows exactly how to tick him off and shed that quiet persona from him: his fellow seiyuu/groupmate Yoshitaka Yamaya.

During one special Anidol event in September 2017, Toki was invited as a guest.

Yamaya was particularly active and upbeat during that broadcast, making all kinds of background noises while both Terashima and Toki were speaking.

After a continuous streak of background animal noises and some comments about his character that put him close to a mental breakdown, Toki turned around to Yamaya with a smile on his face and said  “Could you please shut up?“.

Be it on this event or others in which both are together, take for example A3!‘s Summer Troupe nico nico events -, both are always bickering, mostly because Yamaya likes to tease him, often leading to hilarious reactions/situations.

A reminder that they are not only seiyuu agency mates (WITH LINE) but they are also label and group mates – for &allein, 7Colors and Growth.

Dotes on Altessimo’s Yusuke Nagano

Toki is extremely protective and always praises Yusuke Nagano.

The pair grew close as soon as they met for Idolmaster SideM‘s recording, and according to Nagano it was on Toki‘s birthday no less.

Toki mentioned that both immediately clicked as from their first-ever conversation, they both liked the same music and things.

On and off stage, the pair shows their chemistry and camaraderie.

On some occasions, when other seiyuu part of Idolmaster SideM invite Toki to hang out, he makes sure to invite Nagano to tag along. Fans find his interactions and mentions on Twitter about Nagano to be endearing.

A man of many skills

Adding to his seiyuu and singing skills, Toki is an avid sportsman. Tennis, billiards, kendo, and skiing are just some of the sports he practices.

Also, as a kid, he used to play for a baseball team. Toki added in an interview that he’s good with English pronunciation (it is confirmed on his talent profile on WITH LINE’s website), a thing his father had a hand in. From a very young age, Toki was exposed to the English language.

He mentioned that his father would always listen to artists like Eagles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul & Mary.

Whenever he went with his father to their favorite bar, he was exposed to the language as that bar was often visited by foreigners.

Toki then said that he perfected his pronunciation using SIRI. He adds that he can’t speak English properly, he only pronounces English well.

Methodical actor

Toki mentioned in an interview for Ameba back in 2016 that he tends to be very methodical about his acting. In that interview, he was asked about his role in Diamond no Ace and how he’d prepared for it.

He mentioned that, in order for his acting to feel natural, he went to a batting center.

He wanted to understand how breathing and speaking would have to sound when he’d have to record his lines.

He added that “I think it’s easy to imagine how to use your breath when you swing or slide your bat.“, hence he practiced baseball until his hands hurt, just in order to nail his performance.

If there’s a performance that has something incredibly specific about it or some quirk, Toki will try it in order to perfect his performance.

Kouichi Yamadera is the reason why he’s a seiyuu

Toki mentioned that Kouichi Yamadera‘s performances in the anime Anpanman (when Toki was 4 years old) and the dubbing of The Mask left a big impression on him, sparking an interest in voice acting.

Has some experience in theater but his passion is voice acting

When he was attending college, he helped the college’s theater department in addition to the Kendo department.

Although he was in charge of sound and lighting, he still had the opportunity to do some work for the theater department as an actor.

Toki mentioned that even though he tried a bit of theater, his passion has always been voice acting. He added that when he was in high school he set a goal for himself: to be a seiyuu. That is his passion and he’s thankful he’s made that dream possible.

With this we conclude Shunichi Toki‘s Seiyuu Digest. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We return in January with a new Seiyuu Digest.