Seiyuu Digest #43 – Takuya Sato

While owner of one of the sweetest baritones voices in the industry and with a genuine passion for voice acting, Takuya Sato is still quite underrated. 

Takuya Sato

KANJI: 佐藤 拓也

BORN: May 19, 1984

OCCUPATION: seiyuu, solo artist, radio personality

HEIGHT: 166 cm

Seiyuu

“ — I like to perform, and I really love this job. It’s really not about the money. We (seiyuu) want everyone to be happy and share the fun. That’s all. ” Takuya Sato

Sato has shown, ever since he made his debut, that he always strives to do his best because he is passionate about his work as a voice actor.

That quote with which we kick off this “Seiyuu” section is from one of his interviews circa 2014 – 2016 and pretty much sums up his undying love for this art and his craft.

Takuya Sato was born on May 19th, 1984, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

His love for sentai (superheroes) series and anime quickly drew his attention to seiyuu and their work, putting him on the same path.

He mentioned that since he was in elementary school he wanted to be a seiyuu. When researching voice acting schools he came into contact with TOKYO SEIYU ACADEMY (some of the famous graduates include Toshiyuki Morikawa, Hikaru Midorikawa, Tomokazu Seki and Kenyu Horiuchi), and ended up enrolling in trial classes while he was still in high school.

Upon graduating from high school, Sato decided to skip college and continued his studies at TOKYO SEIYU ACADEMY.

Soon, he was invited by Ken Production to join their ranks. He trained for several years before debuting as a seiyuu in 2007. During that span of time, Sato was taking some classes with Tsubasa Yonaga and Atsushi Abe, classmates that then turned into fellow talent agency mates and close friends of his.

2007 –  2010

Initial struggles

After graduating from TSA, Sato was ready for his debut however it was nothing like he’d pictured.

Roles in anime productions were limited to random minor characters or just supporting roles with little to no relevance to the plot of each production he was cast in (aside from a couple of exceptions).

He was being cast to voice young men, “attractive men” and rough characters. However, during this three-year period, Sato only had two supporting roles in the middle of several generic, minor characters.

His role as Fumito Makino in Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger (2009) is the one that got him more spotlight. Makino is a featherweight boxer that enjoys cheap tricks and playing dirty.

The character might have not been the main focus of the series but this was easily one of the first roles in Sato‘s repertoire that had him with more than a couple of voiced lines.

The other supporting role is Dagmyer Mest in the mecha anime Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari (2009).

Unfortunately, this anime went a bit under the radar, even among domestic fans. But for those that followed it, Dagmyer Mest is a character that, while giving off the idea that it’ll be “just another supporting character”, ends up playing a pivotal role early on in the series, drastically changing the dynamics in the series.

This era – 2007 – 2010 – was, of course, one about Sato showcasing his voice as much as possible.

As with any rookie seiyuu, the focus is on consistently joining the cast of anime series and making their voice heard, even if for just a couple of seconds.

It is safe to say that Sato managed to be consistent early on in his career. Although not getting many supporting roles, he picked up a whole lot of minor roles in some exciting and popular anime series.

While not ideal, it brought him more experience and he was standing out – even if just a little bit.

He voiced characters in a wide variety of anime genres including romance, comedy, acting, ecchi, slice-of-life, and more.

Some of his roles in this era in anime such as:

• Kaze no Stigma (2007),
• CLANNAD (2007),
• Shugo Chara! (2007),
• Yes! Pretty Cure 5 (2007),
• Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens (2008),
• Toradora! (2008),
• Monochrome Factor (2008),
• TYTANIA (2008),
• Nabari no Ou (2008),
• Nijuu Mensou no Musume (2008),
• Yozakura Quartet (2008),
• Gintama (2009),
• Kämpfer (2009),
• Hatsukoi Limited (2009),
• Sazae-san (2009),
• Shangri-La (2009),
• Uchi no Sanshimai (2009),
• Kurokami The Animation (2009), 
• Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (2009),
• Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (2010),
• Ookiku Furikabutte: Natsu no Taikai-hen (2010),
• Heartcatch Precure! (2010),
• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (2010).
• between many others

2011

First leading role

After several years stuck with minor roles that went unnoticed by most anime fans, Sato was finally going to have his first opportunity to voice a leading role character.

That opportunity appeared with Cardfight Vanguard, kids anime series based on a card game – incredibly popular in Japan. According to Sato, this is the most iconic role in his career, a turning point, and a well-needed confidence boost for himself.

His role as Toshiki Kai is, undoubtedly the one with the most airtime and from which most of Sato‘s initial popularity came from.

Cardfight Vanguard has spawned over 10 seasons – with different protagonists and spin-offs in the mix. Sato is present in 8 of those (until 2018), although midway through he stopped being the main character to give way to a new Vanguard generation.

The first season that aired in 2011 ran for over 1 year and three months straight.

The rest of 2011 was rather uneventful with Sato scoring roles in X-MEN, UN-GO, TIGER & BUNNY, Chihayafuru (appearances in 2011 and 2013 with different characters), and Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko.

2012 – 2015

Getting his name on the map

Although Sato was getting more roles, the wide majority continued being those of random or minor characters.

Thankfully, his performance in Cardfight Vanguard impressed some anime producers, leading to him scoring some relevant supporting roles in the following years.

2013 introduced us to a couple of interesting main and secondary roles.

Just in 2013 alone, Sato had 4 roles with a relative spotlight, some of those playing pivotal roles in the storyline. In Gundam Build Fighters, mecha anime series that spawned a total of two seasons that ran in 2013 and later in 2015, Sato voiced Tatsuya Yuuki.

Tatsuya Yuuki started off as a supporting role for Sato but later on, in the franchise – around 2017 – turned into the protagonist for two special ONAs. Although only big fans of the series have watched the ONA’s, it was the perfect opportunity for Sato to showcase his skills in a leading role.

In that same year, Sato voiced Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli in the popular action anime JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken.

Unlike most roles during this period, Zeppeli was the main character for this specific anime series. At the time that this anime was airing, Sato‘s performance was being highly praised.

He managed to capture perfectly the essence of Zeppeli, including his hotblooded, flirty, and dedicated personality traits.

Following this, Sato voiced Keiji Maeda, one of the main characters in the historical anime Gifuu Doudou!!: Kanetsugu to Keiji.

Despite its rather appealing synopsis – especially for those fans of historical anime -, it actually ended up not taking itself seriously, turning basically into a story of men telling their backstories on how ruthless and dangerous their actions in the past had been, and what had taken them to where they were.

This anime received mixed reviews and was far from being the focus during the summer and fall seasons in 2013, which made his performance go under the radar.

Sato was cast in Haikyuu! as Yasushi Kamasaki, Date Tech High’s former captain, a loud and strict member that is known primarily for yelling a scolding his teammates, and being extremely competitive.

Sato‘s performance captured perfectly Kamasaki’s personality, making him exude passion and competitiveness from the very first moments in which the character was presented to fans. Kamasaki was featured in the first two seasons of Haikyuu! (2014 – 2015).

Gundam G no Reconguista might have been one of the weakest anime entries in the Gundam franchise but its performances – disregarding the plot-less story – were rather solid, especially Sato‘s.

He voiced Luin Lee, a compassionate, responsible, and mature cadet that ends up helping the main character throughout the series after a streak of pirate attacks changed everything in the series.

Up until then, Sato had been voicing kind, passionate characters or just imposing, muscular characters.

However, that would change as he landed the role of Akira Kitazawa in PSYCHO-PASS 2. This was a surprising shift in the types of characters Sato had been voicing up until then. He was taking his first steps away from being typecast.

Of course, this hadn’t been something that Sato was mentioning as a bother to him – like some seiyuu have said so before – but, for a voice actor whose career was built upon a certain image, and it wasn’t leading him anywhere, it was a well-needed breath of fresh air in his career.

It gave him a new opportunity to showcase his range, emotions, and quality when it came to tackling darker roles.

Kitazawa has a clearly deteriorating psycho-pass and due to that, he decided to take revenge on society, putting his bomb-making skills to use.

The character somehow was blinded by his hatred that he didn’t notice himself being played around by a pivotal character in the series, leading to a series of events that were crucial to the overall plot of the series. Kitazawa was deranged and twisted, determined to make everyone pay at any cost for his status and Sato‘s performance brought those traits to life with ease.

Still in the same year, he reprised his main role as Toshiki Kai in the movie Cardfight Vanguard Neon Messiah.

Sato picked up minor roles in other anime series such as:

• La storia della Arcana Famiglia (2012),
• Area no Kishi (2012),
• Guilty Crown (2012),
• Pokemon Best Wishes! (2012),
• Medaka Box Abnormal (2012),
• Karneval (2013),
• Dokidoki! Precure (2013),
• Hamatora (2014),
• Oreca Battle (2014),
• Bokura wa Minna Kawai-sou (2014),
• Aikatsu (2015),
• Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (2015),
• Garo: Guren no Tsuki (2015),
• Seiken Tsukai no World Break (2015),
• Fuusen Inu Tinny (2015),

between many more.

2016 –

Slowly working his way up

2016 was a year in which doors to main roles and relevant supporting roles opened.

Sato branched out to a variety of anime productions, picking up some important roles under his belt, main or supporting. He established himself as one of the best baritones, low-toned voices in the new generation of male seiyuu, being more than often praised for his performances and skills, be it by his fans or fellow seiyuu alike.

If there’s a performance in 2016 that was as surprising for his fans as it was for the fans of that franchise, is clearly Kanda in D.Gray-man HALLOW.

In the middle of what ended up being a controversial recasting of everyone involved with the D.Gray-man anime series, Sato ended up being the one seiyuu to not receive any kind of backlash in this new arc – yet with a recasting.

Contrary to most seiyuu replacing the original cast, he was actually praised for his solid performance as Yuu Kanda, filling in quite well in Takahiro Sakurai‘s footsteps).

Sato knew that for Kanda‘s role he had to attempt to fill some incredibly big shoes, at the same time most fans of the original anime voiced their concerns over Sakurai being replaced in that role because they felt no one could capture Kanda’s essence, and deliver it in the way it had been done.

However, Sato‘s performance in D.Gray-man HALLOW was more than up for the challenge, ending up being the only bright spot within the series’ new cast.

Fans of the popular otome game Norn9 were ecstatic when an anime adaptation was greenlit.

Sato returned to reprise his role as Toya Masamune for the anime series. Masamune is the older brother figure for basically everyone on board the ship, the figure everyone relies on.

However, his demeanor early on in the series/anime makes it slightly difficult to tell him apart from a villain – something that he mentioned in an interview at the time the series was airing -, with his contradictory behavior regarding certain events putting a big question mark on his intentions early on in the series/game.

Norn9 has a lukewarm reception in Japan and overseas due to the fact that the story not only is incredibly intricate but also each character brings something to the main plot, even affecting other characters in the process.

An otome game with that much content and a slightly confusing plot was a recipe for disaster, especially with only 13 episodes to cram the story in. The series ended up being directed toward fans of the game instead of attracting new fans. This role was just the beginning of him voicing “older brother” type of character.

If there’s a character he’s voicing since 2016 that is loved by his fans is Shokudaikiri Mitsutada.

An anime adaptation for the hit browser game Touken Ranbu was greenlit in 2016, news that quickly excited the franchise’s large and passionate fanbase. 

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru premiered during the Fall season and spanned two seasons (2016 and 2017).

This adaptation was more focused on introducing the characters (the cast has over 30 seiyuu) to the viewers and showing their antics, relationships, and history.

The anime didn’t take itself too seriously like its successor “Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu” did, however, it had its moments in which there was a focus on the battles and historic events that shaped these swords and Japan.

Talkative, active, and reliable, Mitsutada seems to be one of the favorites among the franchise’s fans.

On the other hand, Sato voiced in both seasons the quiet and reserved Kousetsu Samonji, a quiet and reserved character, the polar opposite of Mitsutada.

Still in 2016, Sato voiced Jet Link for CYBORG009 CALL OF JUSTICE‘s three CGI movies.

The classic sci-fi franchise changed things around for these three movies, especially when it came to the characters’ looks.

Jet Link had the most drastic change from his original version dating back to 1964. Aside from those changes, fans were still furious about the lack of plot, or at least a plot that made any sense, which led to poor reviews.

Sato had once again to fill in big shoes as Jet Link had been previously voiced by Showtaro Morikubo, Daisuke Ono and Tomoaki Maeno, all respected and well-known seiyuu in the industry. His performance ended up matching the previous ones in quality and delivery, soothing down everyone’s concerns over his casting for this character.

2017 arrived and with it more supporting characters. Main roles were still scarce but his supporting roles were getting more screentime than ever before.

His only main role in that year was Gakuto Sasajima in the quiz anime Nana Maru San Batsu.

Sasajima is one of the characters introduced early on in the series. Fans knew that whenever this character appeared, there would be plenty of quirkiness and eccentricity in the mix.

Perhaps one of the most notable supporting roles in that year is Shiba Natsuo from SUPER LOVERS 2.

The suave host sure shook up the anime when he was introduced. Natsuo enters the story at a complicated stage only to complicate things up a little bit more.

He has a past with most of the characters in the series and is determined to patch up his relationships with those characters, although in a reckless way. Despite his looks, smooth-talking around women, and an obnoxious attitude with other characters, Natsuo is, deep down, an extremely lazy, messy, and kind person.

Once again Sato was voicing an imposing character (in build) with a kind heart, suave looks, and demeanor.

Some might argue that this role is yet another demonstration of him being typecasted into these kinds of characters but most agree that Sato fits this role perfectly, making Natsuo’s personality come to life in ways that weren’t expected.

Sato reprised his roles as Shokudaikiri Mitsutada and Kousetsu Samonji on Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, the second season of the Hanamaru series.

2018 kicked off with several interesting roles under his belt.

The popular smartphone game IDOLiSH7 was greenlit for anime adaptation, with its airing kicking off in January. Sato reprised his role in the popular smartphone game as Ryunnosuke Tsunashi, TRIGGER‘s dancing machine and “sexy beast”.

This is easily one of the roles his fans know him best for.

Tsunashi’s caring personality, a contrast to his build and looks, made the character easily loved among fans of the franchise both in-game as well as with the anime adaptation.

Due to the fact that this adaptation follows closely the events of the first season of the game’s story, TRIGGER, and most specifically Tsunashi, had little airtime, although, with quite a few pivotal points – it is worth mentioning Tsunashi’s outburst in an Okinawan dialect that left his bandmates in shock.

But that wasn’t all there is around Tsunashi. At the same time, it was greenlit an original Youtube series focused on TRIGGER’s foundation.

IDOLiSH7 Vibrato is based on the spin-off manga “TRIGGER Before the Radiant Glory“.

For this spin-off series, Sato brought his best.

With the events depicted in the series dating back to TRIGGER‘s foundation, he had to bring Tsunashi’s Okinawan accent into the mix. Despite him mentioning that it had been hard to grasp and pull off the Okinawan accent, Japanese viewers thoroughly praised his acting.

In April 2018, the supernatural anime Butlers: Chitose Momotose Monogatari premiered.

Sato voiced Tsubasa Hayakawa, a once-perfect butler that now works at a coffee shop. Despite its well-known cast and the overall good voice acting, the anime itself received a lot of bad reviews overseas, all due to its predictable storyline and subpar animation. Unfortunately, Tsubasa Hayakawa is far from being 2018’s highlight role for him.

On the other hand, one of the most exciting anime and remakes of the year was undoubtedly Captain Tsubasa.

The classic football anime was remade, adding new and more fluid animation, polished sound and image, and a whole new cast.

Sato was cast as the reckless and cold-hearted ace striker Kojiro Hyuga, one of the main antagonists/rivals in the classic kids/sports series. In an interview prior to the anime premiere in April 2018, Sato talked a bit about this character, what he liked about the series and his football skills.

His acting as Hyuga was praised, as he managed to capture the character’s passion while making sure that his acting was on par – or even better – than previous actors performing this role.

Still in same year, he picked up a role in the BL anime Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu. He voiced Chihiro Ayagi, a gentle, friendly, and caring actor that crosses paths with the protagonist.

BAKUMATSU was greenlit for anime adaptation and premiered in 2018. However, this adaptation of the popular smartphone game ended up falling flat with a ridiculous plot, no character development nor depth, and dodgy performances even if a bit cast filled with renowned voice actors in it.

Sato voiced Isami Kondo but, like most characters, he seldom got the spotlight in the series.

He then joined the cast of the sports anime, Hinomaruzumou. This anime focused on sumo wrestling, a traditional Japanese sport.

Sato voiced Chihiro Kunisaki, a loud and rough teen that is, more often than not, craving attention. Despite his looks, he’s a mood maker, being able to lighten up the mood whenever someone gets heated.

Perhaps his most eccentric character to date is Ayato Yuri in the popular, yet dodgy Yaoi anime series, Yarichin☆Bitch-bu.

Still in the same year, Sato reprised his role as Toshiki Kai in the new season of Cardfight Vanguard and grabbed a minor role in the parody and psychological anime, Chuukan Kanriroku Tonegawa.

2019 was a quieter year for him, picking up 5 roles in anime. He voiced characters in Nakanohito Genome, Try Knights, Cop Craft, Actors: Songs Connection, and Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.

His only leading role was as Reo Asamiya in the appalling Try Knights, anime focused on rugby that ended up not being well received both among domestic and overseas fans.

If there is something that has been following Sato since 2018 is a complete lack of luck when it comes to the roles in nails in anime. Most of those roles either end up being overshadowed by flashier productions or the anime itself is so underwhelming that few people even bother to watch it.

That, of course, doesn’t help to get himself on the radars of anime fans thus, he continues to be an often-overlooked talent in the industry.

2020 kicked off nicely as Sato will reprise his role as the stoic actor in the Winter Troupe, Takato Tasuku, in the anime adaptation, A3! Season Autumn & Winter.

He counted as well with minor roles in the slice-of-life anime, Boku no Tonari ni Ankoku Hakaishin ga Imasu. and the music anime, Argonavis from BanG Dream!.

During this period of time, he also picked up roles in anime such as:

• Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096 (2016),
• Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (2016),
• Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu (2016),
• Terra Formars Revenge (2016),
• Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation (2016),
• Bloodivores (2016),
• ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka (2017),
• Youkai Watch (2017),
• Kirakira☆Precure A La Mode (2017),
• Atom: The Beginning (2017),
• Overlord II (2018),
• Spiritpact (2018),

between many others.

Radio

Takuya Sato has been active in this field since 2011. Although a bit on the quiet, calm side when he first started to host radio shows, Sato quickly started to show his colors, being lively, comfortable, and incredibly entertaining.

With his type of voice – lower, gentle bass voice – doing radio work was something that ended up flowing naturally for him, with himself standing out as a great host and a friendly guest.

From 2011 to 2014, he hosted 5 different radio shows related to Cardfight Vanguard: Stand Up The Vanguard (2011 – 2014), Vanguard Capital (2011 – 2014), Vavan, and Vanguard major episode! (2011 – 2012), Stand up! Our Vanguard (2011 – 2014) and Standing Van Sande (2012 – 2014).

In 2015 he co-hosted Nornraji alongside Hiro Shimono.

In the same year, Sato started to host his flagship show, Yaremasu. It was the first time that he was the main personality, as well as the first time he had a show of his own.

The radio show started to air in 2015 and was later discontinued in 2018. A note that, despite the show wrapping up after 3 years, it was the catalyst for his solo debut in 2015.

Wataru Hatano and Sato Takuya’s SCAT BABYS SHOW kicked off in 2016. The rated R radio show is known for trailing risqué/explicit themes without sugarcoating anything.

Since its launch, the radio show has 2 awards under its belt. At the 3rd Aniraji Awards (2017), the show won BEST SEXY RADIO for a newcomer radio show.

In the following year, at the 4th Aniraji Awards (2018), Sato and Hatano campaigned hard on their social media accounts in order for their show to win yet another award.

The listeners answered their prayers and SCAT BABYS SHOW won BEST SEXY RADIO in the regular category (for already established radio shows).

Other radio shows Sato has hosted include:

• Magical Days the RADIO Parade (2016),
• Shirokuro Joker radio denpa kawaraban (2015 – 2016), 
• Sato Takuya no Manga Park (2018 – ),
• Radio Fight !! Vanguard (2018 – 2019), and
• Captain Tsubasa Hyuuga Kojiro no gouinna Radio! (2019).

Dubbing/Narration

This is the field in which he’s been consistently active. Since early on in his career, Sato has always worked dubbing foreign movies and TV series. Way before being known as a seiyuu among anime fans, he was already well known as one of the best voices working for Discovery Channel.

Dubbing and narration seemed to be good outlets to showcase his tone and he was making the best of it dubbing US and Korean series/movies, documentaries, commercials, and more. He has over 100 credits in narration and dubbing alone.

Sato is the official voice of Yoon Shi-yoon, Jung Il-woo, and Lee Seung-gi, popular South Korean actors, as well as the official voice of Kelly Blatz.

• He dubbed Lee Seung-gi‘s roles in the dramas Brilliant Legacy, The King 2 Hearts, and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.
• He voiced Yoon Shi-yoon in the dramas King of Baking, Kim Takgu, Flower Boys Next Door, and Me Too, Flower!.
• He voiced Jung Il-woo in the dramas Flower Boy Ramen Shop, The Night Watchman’s Journal, and 49 Days.

He voiced Kelly Blatz in the series: Skyrunners, Aaron Stone, and Sonny With a Chance.

His dubbing credits include the following movies and series (in no specific order): Kick Ass, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Twilight series, Armageddon 2011, Kiss of Death, Doomsday, Magic Mike, Superbad, Valkyrie, WITHOUT A TRACE, NCIS, CSI: New York, Supernatural, PERSON of INTEREST, Dexter, FRINGE, HAWAII FIVE-0, MAD MEN, among many others.

For an extensive look at his dubbing credits, I suggest you visit his Wikipedia page – HERE.

Sato is well respected among other seiyuu due to his vast experience in dubbing.

He’s done some narration in the past but that is far from being his focus. Credits include voice guide narration for Kyoto Nation Museum’s exhibition “RINPA: The Aesthetics of the Capital”, “All You Need Is Kill” commercial and Dragon’s Dogma promotional game commentary movie.

Drama CDs

Sato is one of the most sought-after seiyuu when it comes to drama CDs.

This is often the medium that brings in more fans to his side, as he has an extensive credits list that includes otome to BL CDs alike.

His repertoire in this department is one that often makes other seiyuu’s repertoires pale in comparison.

Many must know this already, but Sato is an expert using the dummyhead mic – it’s a binaural stereo microphone made to create a 3D-sound experience for the listener, it involves more than acting for the seiyuu, as the seiyuu not only has to act the lines but also act the part by moving around following strict – numbers on the floor – positioning for certain scenes.

Sato has perfected his technique with the dummyhead mic, being considered a master at using it among male seiyuu.

The only seiyuu that come close in the dummyhead department are Makoto Furukawa, Tarusuke Shingaki, Masahiro Yamanaka, Shinnosuke Tachibana, and Soma Saito, all other seiyuu pale in comparison with Sato’s intense performances.

On several occasions he has showcased his skills live – in variety or talk shows – leaving both the show’s guests and viewers/listeners in a bit of a bind, not knowing how to react or getting completely flustered after a simple approach of his to the mic.

He’s perfected his technique with the dummyhead mic, being considered by many seiyuu in the business as a master when it comes to using it. He’s a constant presence in BL, and is often named as one of the most popular seiyuu working in that genre.

His extensive repertoire includes work on drama CDs such as:

• Norn9,
• MARKER LIGHT-BLUE,
• WILD ADAPTER,
• Requiem of the Rose King,
• minami-ke,
• Namaikizakari,
• Kanji-kun to no issho,
• Senpai Kouhai series,
• Juuza Engi Engetsu Sangokuden,
• MAKARE,
• FLESH&BLOOD 8,
• Romantic Joutou,
• Chocolate strawberry vanilla,
• Blue Sky Complex,
• Gelateria Super Nova,

between many others.

Games

This is yet another field of work in which Sato has been active pretty much since his debut. His first work in games was for Class of Heroes in 2008.

After that, he progressed from 2 or 3 games per year to an average of 6 games per year ranging from RPGs to otome and rhythm games.

Shay Patrick Cormac in Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014)

In 2014, Sato was chosen to voice the protagonist of the AAA game by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Rogue.

He voiced Shay Patrick Cormac, a member of the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order during the 18th century and one of the few protagonists in the Assassin’s Creed franchise to question rights and wrongs about the fight between assassins and templars.

As far as leading roles go, this was a massive one for Sato, especially taking into account how popular the Assassin’s Creed franchise is.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi in IDOLiSH7 (2015 -)

In 2015, Sato joined the cast of IDOLiSH7, a smartphone game that combines rhythm game and visual novel elements. He was cast as TRIGGER’s Ryunosuke Tsunashi, member known for his dancing skills and sexy aura.

Despite his public, sexy persona, Tsunashi is a simple, innocent, and golden-hearted young man that ends up acting like an older brother to everyone in the series, showing that he’s far more than what meets the eye.

Sato’s popularity soared due to his performance as Tsunashi, and you can tell by the way he talks about the franchise and the character that he loves his work in the franchise.

The IDOLiSH7 franchise grew to be one of the most popular in Japan, with over 3 million app downloads under its belt, with successful manga adaptations/originals, novels, and anime adaptations, additionally almost all their music releases have reached the top 10 on Oricon Weekly and even managed to beat and set records in the industry.

He reprised his role as Ryunnosuke Tsunashi in 2018’s PS Vita game, IDOLiSH7 Twelve Fantasia!.

If there is a successful project he’s been a part of, it’s this one!

Tasuku Takato in A3! (2017 -)

Two years later, in 2017, Sato joined the now insanely popular franchise, A3!.

Changing the focus from idols to stage actors, this game easily attracted a lot of fans and within its first year, even scored a certified Gold Record for its first-ever music release. 

A3! is played by over 2 million users and is currently considered to be one of the most popular game franchises in Japan. Sato was cast as Tasuku Takato, a passionate member of the Winter Troupe.

Kisaki Chihiro in On Air (2018 -)

In 2018, Sato joined the cast of seiyuu nurturing game, On Air.

He voices Prid’s‘ Kisaki Chihiro, a born leader filled with charisma, known and respected for being a hard worker and an exemplary leader.

Some of his most notable work in games includes:

• Toya Masamune in Norn9 (2013 – 2016),
• Weiss in Record of Agarest War 2 (2010),
• Claude in Generation of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection (2012),
• Haveluca in Arcadian’s Senki (2013),
• Machias Regnitz in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I and II (2013 – 2014),
• Toshiki Kai in Cardfight!! Vanguard (2014 – 2016),
• Amber in RE: VICE [D] (2014),
• Julius Chariowald in Kadenz Fermata Accord: Fortesimo (2014),
• Caesar Antonio Zeppeli in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven (2015),
• Benwick in Tales of Berseria (2016),
• Masashi Todo in Getsuei no Kusari -Sakuran Paranoia- (2016),
• Kirei Rin in Hebi ka no Raira 〜 Allure of MUSK 〜 (2019)
• Soma Yuto in Hoshinari Echoes (2019)
• Oscar Bale in HELIOS Rising Heroes (2020)
• Alphen in Tales of Arise (2020)

Music

Takuya Sato is one of those talents that really can’t be overlooked in the vocal department.

Owner of a sweet mid-to-low toned voice, Sato has a control and technique that make his voice shine, even among the brighter, often crystal cleared tenors that are common in the seiyuu industry. His vibrato is among one of the best and he’s as solid a backup as he is a fantastic center in songs.

He’s best known for being a member of IDOLiSH7‘s record-setting group, TRIGGER.

Solo career (2015 -)

Takuya Sato made his solo debut in 2015 under Frontier Works with the single Set Sail.

Embracing a pop-rock sound was something that seem to be befitting his vocals and personality, and fans were rather satisfied with it. Even though the single didn’t end up sounding like most people wished it would, the collection of pop-rock songs on it served as a good starting point for his solo career.

In 2016, Sato was back with new music. Starry sign changed a bit the tone for his career and took him to funkier and more entertaining melodies.

The single kicked off rather weakly and, if not for its build-up in emotion between songs, as well as the stunning performance in the power ballad 桜の季節に (Sakura no kisetsu ni), this release would have been one to pretend it had never happened.

Changing gears once again, bringing the whole rock band entourage to the spotlight, Sato released HEART by the end of 2016.

The mini-album brought to the table some of the most exciting and rocking songs in his repertoire with I wish and Excited Ruler. It also surprised everyone with his first take on an R&B ballad with Dear.

The mini-album started to show a more comfortable Sato, now finding his common ground in pop-rock but never forgetting to bring something different to the mix either to tone things down or showcase his polished vocals.

2017 was Sato‘s busiest year when it came to releasing music. He graced his fans with three releases: 36,8º C, DAY & NIGHT and Monologue.

The year kicked off with 36,8ºC, a single that once again strayed away from Sato‘s debut rock sound, including bright pop and jazz on it.

Once again, the mini-album kicked off with some hiccups, with a song that clearly didn’t fit with Sato‘s vocals, but it picked up its pace as we progressed through it. The mini-album had its moments of brilliance, especially on 氷解 (Hyokai), song that brought, for the first time in his solo career, a power ballad to the table.

His performance was off the charts on that specific song, impressing everyone that got to listen to it. This specific performance still remains as one of the best in his career.

2017’s summer introduced everyone to Sato‘s best release to date, DAY & NIGHT.

This mini-album upped the quality of the instrumentals, displayed a surprising consistency from start to finish, something that his releases up until then had lacked, and showed everyone why he’s considered by some as one of the powerhouses in the industry.

This mini-album ranged from laidback summery tunes with distance, to 90’s throwbacks with 恋花火 (Koi hanabi), anisongs with Burning Wheel, and hyped-up, pop-punk tunes with My salvation“and WORLD END. Its diversity and consistency were sure-fire winners.

By the end of 2017, he was back with a new single. Monologue showcased a maturity that, up until then, was lacking in his releases.

Carefully crafted instrumentals, unique soundscapes, and the most consistent vocal performances to date were all in the same release.

More than with previous releases, fans could notice that Sato was performing the kind of music he likes, delivering effortlessly good performances and embracing rock music, even if with some experiments in the mix.

The most surprising experiment was indeed, 千夜一恋 ～senya-ichiren～, song that introduced a mix of middle eastern with Latin instruments, that had never been experimented with in his solo career.

This song was first premiered at KENPROROCK 2017‘s event (watch a preview of the performance in the video above).

With his last release sitting in 2017, it is unknown whether Sato put his solo career on hold or has stopped being a solo artist – this is, of course, speculation on my side, nothing has been confirmed nor announced by Frontier Works nor Takuya Sato himself.

TRIGGER (2015 -)

Since 2015, Sato is, alongside Wataru Hatano and Soma Saito, part of TRIGGER, unit from the IDOLiSH7 franchise. This is undoubtedly Sato‘s most popular endeavor in the music industry.

Considered by many as one of the most complete 2.5D groups currently in the industry, their teamwork is something that impresses on record and live.

The concepts of “flawed” and “soulless” are not present in their music/performances, making it easily understandable just how much this group has fun performing their songs, their unit as well as their competitive spirit. There’s a chemistry between all three seiyuu that makes them a unit to anticipate with each comeback, as they keep further improving their performances and quality.

TRIGGER is known for its suggestive lyrics and addictive, powerful electro/synth-pop sound, something that, right from the start, fits well with Sato‘s lower-toned vocals.

Doing a little bit of everything – vibrato, falsetto, harmonizations -, he’s an essential piece to make this trio sound as impressive as they do.

According to Sato himself during 2017’s Secret Night live broadcast, he was always the first one to record the vocals for TRIGGER‘s songs leaving the task of recording after and surpassing his performances to the “81 (produce) team“.

Sato has mentioned more than a couple of times that he loves TRIGGER and its members (with whom he quickly became friends or was already a friend of), saying that the unit has the best lineup he could think of and he is incredibly proud of them.

The unit debuted with the single Secret Night in 2015 and released a music video for the suggestive Leopard Eyes. The single remained for 32 weeks straight on Oricon Weekly’s top 100.

After a series of successful single releases (physical and digital ones), TRIGGER went a bit under the radar, only to return with new music 11 months later, in August 2018. They released the top-charting and record-setting 1st full-length album REGALITY.

“REGALITY“ is currently the holder of the Highest Ranking album on Oricon by a seiyuu/2.5D unit title.

This feat was all over the news in Japan (Oricon, Billboard, Animate Times, and more) as well as overseas, celebrating the rare feat that had never been achieved in the seiyuu business, a #1 on Oricon Weekly. When Sato got a hold of the news, he quickly thanked everyone on Twitter for making such an impressive feat possible for them.

TRIGGER‘s “DAYBREAK INTERLUDE” was the chosen track to promote this album, with a music video being released at the same time as the album.

The album has an impressive record on Oricon, staying on the Weekly Charts for 23 weeks straight without leaving the top 100.

The trio was on the cover of Cool Voice in 2018, an issue in which they shared their thoughts on the series, the success of “REGALITY“, expectations for the first live event (that took place at Met Life Dome in July) as well as their thoughts on the on-going anime series.

This was the first time the trio promoted (physically) as TRIGGER under their own names (not the characters’), officially transforming this unit from a 2D idol to a 2.5D idol group.

Still in the same year, TRIGGER released their second single “Heavenly Visitor / DIAMOND FUSION“, another single that entered the top 10 on Oricon Weekly.

TRIGGER is one of the few 2.5D units to have all their singles/albums rank within the top 10 on Oricon Weekly.

TRIGGER performed live for the first time on Road to Infinity (held on 07/07/2018 and 08/07/2018). Their performances were among the most anticipated, especially because fans were eager to see how their music would translate to the live performance itself – with singing and dancing in the mix.

The members mentioned that they’d practiced at late nights due to their schedules not matching during any other time.

The group was interviewed in late 2018 and early 2019 about IDOLiSH7 Vibrato (videos with English subtitles provided by Namco Bandai).

A special behind the scenes on the series, the recording, and Sato’s input on Ryunnosuke Tsunashi.

TRIGGER presented themselves to their fans in 2019 at IDOLiSH7 REUNION Live that took place at MetLife Dome in Saitama on 06/07/2019 and 07/07/2019.

Aside from their hit songs, DIAMOND FUSION, DAYBREAK INTERLUDE, Leopard Eyes, In the meantime and Negai wa shine on the sea!, the talented trio debuted their newest song, Crescent Rise with a powerful stage performance + exclusive music video reveal.

Sato actually cried in one of the days after performing Negai wa shine on the sea! in acapella.

Crescent Rise was released in 2020 and with it came its full music video, previously premiered – a snippet – at IDOLiSH7 REUNION. The single rose to #4 on Oricon Weekly single chart.

EXIT TUNES PRESENTS ACTORS

Sato is one of the various seiyuu to have joined the EXIT TUNES PRESENTS ACTORS franchise. The ACTORS series have drama CDs and albums in which seiyuu tackle well-known vocaloid songs.

In 2017, Sato took part in the ACTORS special event – that included talk and variety corners as well as live performances -, when prompted to sing he went beyond what was expected and delivered flawless performances for 上弦の月 (Jogen no tsuki) and 永遠花火 (Eien hanabi).

Winter Troupe (2017 -)

Sato is part of the popular franchise A3!. He was announced as part of the game’s lineup in 2015 (when the game launched), joining the Winter Troupe led by Atsushi Tamaru that initially (Satoshi Hino was added later) included Tetsuya Kakihara, Junta Terashima and Toyonaga Toshiyuki.

So far he has performed “to bloom…” alongside the Winter Troupe members and the solo song “Beyond the wall“, featured on A3! First WINTER EP, released back in 2017.

Kenpro

In 2017, Sato participated in the recording of KENPROROCK 2017‘s theme song “VOICE FOR YELL“. A music video was later released on Ken Production’s youtube channel.

KENPROROCK is a music festival counting only with Ken Production’s talents, some of its talents include: Kisho Taniyama (GRANRODEO), Mitsuki Saiga, Atsushi Abe, Tsubasa Yonaga, Yuu Hayashi (SCREEN mode), Takuya Sato, Tasuku Hatanaka, Katsuyuki Konishi (Seki to Konishi) and more. It is held annually.

Rock Down (2017 -)

In 2017, Sato joined Tsukipro‘s new project, VAZZROCK.

Alongside Yukitoshi Kikuchi (leader), Yoshiaki Hasegawa, Taito Ban, Takuya Masumoto, and Keisuke Koumoto, Sato is part of ROCK DOWN.

ROCK DOWN has a simple sound – contrasting Vazzy’s passionate and, at times, alluring rock sound -, with a balanced lineup. Since their debut in 2017, the group has participated in 2 bi-color series and released 2 play of color releases.

As a group they released Rock Down vol.1 – Shido – in 2018, a single that showcased a couple of flaws in a group filled with potential to grow.

As it was the first take for this group – and seldom, debut releases are any good -, it was an okay release but it paled in comparison with the flashy sound and performances by Vazzy in their similar release.

It seemed that the group was all over Takuya Sato‘s shoulders when it came to adding power and some flair to the performances which, in a group with 4 baritones, was a pretty odd thing to happen.

As Reiji Amaha, Sato has performed solo twice in the bi-color series: Emerald and Emerald x Topaz.

Rock Down performed live for the first time at VAZZROCK LIVE 2018.

The group then returned on stage for VAZZROCK FES 2019.

Nacht (2018)

It was announced early in 2018 that Sato would be joining the lineup of the idol raising game “Maou sama wo Produce“. Additionally, Sato was to be part of the main idol group Nacht.

Nacht consisted on Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Hirakawa, Tasuku Hatanaka, Takuya Sato, Daisuke Hirose and Junichi Suwabe. They are going to debut in May with the single “Shoot the Stars“.

Variety

Tsurege (2010)

One of Sato‘s first ever variety show appearances was on Tsurege back in 2010. Alongside his senpai, fellow Ken Production talent and close friend Tsubasa Yonaga, both hang out, drank and ate, all while sharing stories and playing retro games.

Tokimeki Recipe (2011 alongside Tsubasa Yonaga)

Quite possibly the first time Sato was part of a variety show was with Tokimeki Recipe back in 2011.

27-year-old Sato wasn’t alone though, Tsubasa Yonaga was there to make his nervousness – quite noticeable in that recording -, turn into something enjoyable for himself.

The duo had to participate in a series of games and challenges to gain ingredients with which they then had to cook a certain dish. Both showcased their chemistry – result of years of training together as well as overlapping anime appearances (Cardfight Vanguard at that time).

Vanguard TV TRY (2014)

In 2014, Sato was one of the hosts of the TV show “Vanguard TV TRY“, a show that stemmed from the Cardfight Vanguard anime series. The show aired from February 2014 to March 2014.

8bit BROTHERS (2014)

In 2014, Sato co-hosted with Wataru Hatano the exclusive Nico Nico show 8bit BROTHERS. On this show, the duo revisited retro games in what ended up a thoroughly entertaining show that ended up running for one year.

Yusa Koji & Sato Takuya’s Tabikatsu (2016 -)

Going on trips to find new delicacies, learn new cooking techniques, visit new places pretty much sums up Yusa Koji & Sato Takuya’s Tabikatsu‘s episodes, ones that are always laidback and stress-free. The pair has released so far 2 DVDs from their visits to Nagano (2016) and Hokkaido (2017).

Takuya Sato’s Yujo Sentai Yobunja (2017 -)

If Sato mentioning that he likes sentai heroes wasn’t enough for his fans to understand his passion, he got his own varitety show in which he could be a hero, “Takuya Sato’s Yujo Sentai Yobunja“

So far Yobuja has two DVDs released. The first volume counted with Wataru Hatano as a guest, and the second one counted with Atsushi Abe as the guest.

Real treasure hunt in Yokohama (2017)

In 2017, Takuya Sato participated in Marine Entertainment’s well-known Treasure Hunt variety show.

Alongside his best friend Kenji Akabane, Sato led their mocked black tracksuit team to success in Yokohama.

The duo, despite being carefree most of the time, stopping their treasure hunt and problem-solving to drink beer, managed to catch everyone off guard and come from behind to win the event.

Sato‘s performance was rather surprising – especially when he doesn’t label himself as the smart type -, exuding quick thinking and logical problem solving that most of the other participants lacked in some stages of the game.

Nana maru san batsu variety (2017)

To promote the premiere of the quiz anime Nana Maru San Batsu in which Sato voiced one of the main characters, all cast of the anime got together to play against each other in a special three-part quiz.

Although not as eccentric and loud as his character in the series, Sato demonstrated his general knowledge, helping his team qualify for the finals and ultimately win the contest.

Maou Sama Produce (2018)

Alongside his kouhai and fellow Ken Production talent Tasuku Hatanaka, Sato hosts “Maou Produce“, youtube show broadcasted live once a month.

The show was created to promote the android and iOS game “Maou wo Produce“, game that features several demons trying to make their breakthrough as idols.

The show didn’t get to develop much past the first episodes. However, it counted with a variety of corners in which the fun banter between senpai Sato and kouhai Hatanaka shone.

Ibakira TV (2018)

In a partnership between the youtube channel Ibakira TV and the game franchise Touken Ranbu, Sato got to visit the Tokugawa museum and dive a bit into its history.

Through this show, fans got to know a little bit of the story behind the legendary sword Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, its origin, owner, and importance in Japanese history.

Seiyuu to yo Asobi 1st season (2018)

Alongside Tomokazu Seki, Sato was a host of AbemaTV‘s Anime channel Say you to yo Asobi (1st season) on Fridays.

The show included all kinds of talk about seiyuu life as well as other special goodies for their fans however, their broadcast went the extra mile and added NSFW content in the mix, a source for a lot of laughs from both Abema‘s staff as well as the fans.

Seki, although the eldest, was uncontrollable during their broadcasts, mentioning brand names without the well-known auto-censoring (mentioning only the initials), touching upon NSFW themes, and insisting on those while Sato was, trying to avoid those.

Eventually, their broadcast turned into one of the messiest and most hilarious out of the 5 days. Also the most dangerous and risqué of all. Sato turned into the model or, should I say, the victim in all instances of the “let’s tie up” corner.

“Everyone, this is what a seiyuu does: be tied up by their senpai.“

Sato left the show in 2018, ending up being replaced by Subaru Kimura.

Seiyu Collection – Futari no Code SHOW – Takuya Sato x Shun Horie (2018)

In 2018, Takuya Sato and fellow seiyuu, Shun Horie, teamed up for Seiyu Collection, variety show that has at its core, a fashion battle between popular seiyuu.

A theme is given and both have to come up with an outfit that fits the theme and go shopping for it. Aside from the battle portion of the show, the two seiyuu talk about fashion, their go-to style, off-duty styles as well as a more casual themes.

Seiyuu to yo Asobi 2nd season (2019)

In 2019, Takuya Sato returned to Seiyuu to yo Asobi not as a host but as a guest for more than one episode.

Daisuke Namikawa invited Sato to guest on the show – during the 2nd season, Namikawa was the only host that featured a rotational co-host -, leading to an entertaining, all smiles broadcast.

Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix 3 (2019)

In 2019, Atsushi Abe, Tsubasa Yonaga, Takuya Sato and Kento Hama (all represented by Ken Production) teamed up for the 3rd installment of the variety show Seiyuu Bowling Grandprix.

This is a unique bowling tournament that counts with punishments, skill challenges, and free talk corners.

Takuya Sato & Shun Horie x Jarinko Chie “Karumera wa suna no aji?” (2021)

In 2021, alongside fellow seiyuu Shun Horie, Takuya Sato hosts Takuya Sato & Shun Horie x Jarinko Chie “Karumera wa suna no aji?”.

The online variety show puts both voice actors behind the counter to cook food that is inspired by the anime “Jarinko Chie”.

Facts

Known among seiyuu for his gentle, deep voice

On several occasions, seiyuu have mentioned how great of a voice Sato has.

On Hoseki Gaoka‘s broadcast in 2018, upon hearing the name “Takuya Sato” in the game’s cast, Ryohei Kimura immediately said “Good casting. Sato has a great voice.“

On Fuburaji in 2018, while Yoshiki Nakajima and Yusuke Shirai were discussing the latest rankings for most popular seiyuu in BL, both came to the conclusion upon finding Sato occupying #7, that his smooth, deep voice is a fan magnet, that even managed to attract them.

Passionate Bodybuilder and health junkie

Most of his fans already know this but Sato is passionate about bodybuilding, something he has been doing since 2012. He constantly updates his fans on his gym work. On one Norn9 event in 2014 in which he was the MC, the “body” topic came to all the guests’ attention.

Sato, questioned by the cast about the theme confidently said “How do you think I have such a nice body? I play baseball and exercise.“, only to, a couple of minutes after, regret what he’d said and suddenly humble his speech in the middle of his embarrassment.

On TRIGGER‘s “Secret Night” special broadcast back in 2017, Sato mentioned that he likes to exercise but not only of gym-goers. He likes to play baseball, bouldering, kitesurf, cycling, and anything that pushes his body and himself further. He mentioned that he likes to be active and move his body.

In 2018, when guesting on Tomoaki Maeno and KENN‘s Girls Style show – broadcasted on Nico Nico and Youtube -, Sato mentioned that he has been constantly gaining weight and exercising in the past few years but now, after bulking up, he’s determined on working towards having a V-shaped torso by the end of the year.

On AbemaTV’s Anime Channel he mentioned that he doesn’t smoke (as a matter of fact, he hates the smell of cigarettes to the point that he forbade Tomokazu Seki from smoking on air next to him) and, despite loving to drink beer, among other alcoholic beverages, he has recently been cutting back on drinking anything alcoholic – although with some exceptions.

According to himself, as soon as he’s drunk he falls asleep or gets extremely sleepy, so in order to avoid that, he’s now opting to drink more often non-alcoholic beer because he mentions “I like the taste of beer regardless of having or not alcohol in it“.

Close friends with Tsubasa Yonaga

This comes as no surprise to Sato’s fans. It is wildly known that Takuya Sato and Tsubasa Yonaga are close friends.

Aside from the fact that both have worked on the same anime (Cardfight Vanguard, IDOLiSH7), are from the same talent agency (Ken Production), and have hosted a variety of shows together, both attended the same seiyuu school and quickly bonded during their trainee years. Sato mentions that Yonaga is his precious senpai, someone that is there for him – always with advice or word of support.

Other close friends of his include Yuki Ono, Kenji Akabane, Wataru Hatano, Atsushi Abe and Koichi Yamadera.

Dummyhead mic master

Since his debut, Sato has worked tirelessly on otome and rated drama CDs that use the complicated dummyhead mic in its recordings.

Named by many seiyuu as one of the most complicated mics to work with – due to its 3D perception of space -, some avoid venturing to drama CDs while others attempt but never manage to deliver performances like the ones Sato delivers.

When people got to see how he works with a dummyhead mic, most, if not all, were surprised with his technique.

#7 Most popular BL seiyuu in 2018

For those following closely Sato‘s career, you’ll notice that he’s everywhere when it comes to BL work.

According to Yoshiki Nakajima and Yusuke Shirai (that have already worked with him in BL), he currently ranks a #7 most popular seiyuu in BL, behind Okitsu Kazuyuki (#1), Makoto Furukawa (#2), Tomoaki Maeno (#3), Shingaki Tarusuke (#4), Soma Saito (#5) and Yusuke Shirai (#6).

Both mentioned on Nakajima’s radio show Fuburaji that they envied Sato‘s rank but, at the same time, it was to be expected since he’s a “talented actor with a great voice“.

If you weren’t a seiyuu what would you be?

To this question on AbemaTV’s Anime Channel alongside Tomokazu Seki, Sato answered that, in all honesty, he’d probably be an erotic novel author.

Has a quirk that up until recently, he didn’t know about

Whenever Sato faces something unexpected and suddenly has to think about a way to solve a problem, he always does the same thing: stick his tongue out.

Sato mentioned that when he used to work as a part-timer at Mcdonald’s, one of his superiors mentioned that he always did that.

He mentioned that on AbemaTV Anime Channel‘s first episode, and surprisingly, during an unpredictable call by veteran seiyuu Koichi Yamadera, Sato did that exact same thing, with the show’s staff even highlighting it with close-ups.

Afraid of heights

During the Real Treasure Hunt in Yokohama in 2017, Sato refused to go on one of the attractions saying he couldn’t handle heights. His pair for the variety show Kenji Akabane went in his stead in order to complete the mission.

Forever indebted to Koichi Yamadera

Sato mentioned that after his debut, he ended up in a slump.

After 2, or 3 years as a seiyuu, work aside dubbing wouldn’t come his way. He wanted to work as a seiyuu for anime but there was seldom an opportunity for himself.

That was, according to him, a time in which it was incredibly tough to put his name out there.

Fellow Sendai native (from Miyagi as well) and respected seiyuu legend, Koichi Yamadera got to know about Sato‘s situation and started to invite him for radio shows and small parts in some anime series he was in.

He mentioned that it was Yamadera that gave a push to his career, a push he wasn’t expecting and to which he’s incredibly grateful, especially when it came from someone so important and well-known as Yamadera himself.

With this, The Hand That Feeds HQ wraps up another Seiyuu Digest. Don’t forget to check the Seiyuu Digest main page for updates on previous digests.