Seiyuu Digest #78 – Kaito Ishikawa

A passionate voice actor, sports anime specialist, racing drive and YouTuber. There’s nothing that the talented Kaito Ishikawa can’t do.

Kaito Ishikawa

KANJI: 石川界人

BORN: October 13, 1993

OCCUPATION: seiyuu, radio host, YouTuber, racing driver

HEIGHT: 174cm

Seiyuu

Kaito Ishikawa was born on October 13, 1993 in Tokyo. Ishikawa may have one of the craziest reasons behind why he wanted to be an actor.

When he was in elementary school, he participated in a play however, everything about it was going wrong. He ended up falling off stage however, he did a perfect landing, something that earned him applause from the public. From that point on, Ishikawa made it as his dream to be an actor.

With that goal in his mind, Ishikawa went on to join drama clubs in both his junior and high school years.

As a fan of anime, Kaito Ishikawa soon took interest in series such as “Zero no Tsukaima”, “Kanon” and “Sousei no Aquarion” and started to pay closer attention to Tomokazu Sugita’s acting as a result. However that wouldn’t end up being the catalyst for Ishikawa to decide to be a voice actor.

That would end up being through Hirata Hiroaki’s dubbing as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Hiroaki’s acting impressed him and Ishikawa, from that point on, aimed at becoming a voice actor himself.

Ishikawa was still a high-schooler at that time and, as he recalled in a interview years later, his parents were against it however, eventually, due to his enthusiasm, they ended up agreeing to him going down that path but on one condition: he’d have to pay for seiyuu acting school off of his own money.

In another quirky way, Ishikawa ended up choosing a voice acting school based on the sample voice recordings at each talent agency. He was looking for a talent agency that did not have anyone with the same voice tone and quality as himself.

He ended up enrolling at Pro Fit’s Voice Actor Training Center and eventually graduated and joined the company. From that point on up until now, Ishikawa is represented by Pro Fit.

2012 – 2013

The big break

Despite making his debut as a voice actor in 2010, it took 2 years until Kaito Ishikawa got his first roles in anime. That is a common occurrence in the seiyuu industry.

Rookie seiyuu usually struggle to get their first roles in anime – even the minor ones – however, Ishikawa differs from the norm in 1 aspect: as soon as he started voicing characters in anime, it didn’t take long until he started voicing protagonists (took him 1 year until his first credit).

After a 2012 filled with minor roles, 2013 proved to be insane for Kaito Ishikawa. He was cast as Ledo in the sci-fi/action anime series Suisei no Gargantia.

Intelligent and detail-oriented, Ledo was a soldier before turning into a salvager. His people skills are not really that great as fighting and war were everything he knew.

Ishikawa portrayed Ledo’s slightly clumsy attempts at interacting with others, not to mention those moments in which he got so absorbed in something, in an endearing way.

This was Ishikawa’s first leading role in anime.

Then, he was cast in Golden Time as Mitsuo Yanagisawa, a law student that ends up becoming close friends with the series’ protagonist Banri Tada.

The biggest role of the year was the onmyouji Harutora Tsuchimikado in the supernatural/action anime Tokyo Ravens.

Kindly and friendly, Harutora quickly charms his classmates however, he’s rather dense when it comes to noticing that others are fond of him.

Kaito Ishikawa’s performance in this series was thoroughly praised with his cool, reliable performance and well-paced delivery standing out. Ishikawa would end up winning the Best Rookie Actor award at the 8th Seiyu Awards thanks to this performance.

Ishikawa joined as well the cast of Nagi no Asu Kara as one of the main characters, the stoic, calm and solitary Tsumugu Kihara.

He’s quite the observant individual and has an emotional side that he really doesn’t know how to show.

Still in the same year, Ishikawa was cast in the josei anime Super Seisyun Brothers as Mao Saito, a quiet, calm and collected high-schooler.

One thing you can note from his roles in 2013 was that Kaito Ishikawa was starting to be typecasted as the calm and collected type. This is something that Ishikawa has made an effort to avoid and thus, his repertoire since this year is filled with characters with a similar vibe (minus some exceptions).

Other anime series in which he voiced characters in during this period of time include:

• Phi-Brain – Puzzle of God: The Orpheus Order (2012)
• RDG: Red Data Girl (2013)
• Inazuma Eleven Go: Galaxy (2013)

2014 –

A reference in sports anime

After a streak of good performances in leading roles, lot of attention was now being put on Kaito Ishikawa. The media already pointed him out as one of the most exciting new talents in the seiyuu industry and with reason.

What followed from 2014 onwards is a result of hard work and the right amount of exposure due – primarily – to leading roles in mainstream sports anime series.

The biggest role of the year – and the role that would start Kaito Ishikawa’s trend of voicing characters in anime series – is Tobio Kageyama in the popular volleyball anime series Haikyuu!!.

Kageyama is an ace setter with quite the arrogant demeanor and short temper.

Prior to joining Karasuno, Kageyama was known as a tyrant setter, a perfectionist through and through that shouted orders to his teammates at all times. Karasuno’s volleyball team – and mainly Shouyou Hinata – helped change him into the team player he ends up being at later stages in the anime series.

Ishikawa’s performance as Kageyama is quite the entertaining one.

He’s quite intense – even when scowling and practicing by himself, and Ishikawa made that perfectionism, that hunger for winning in Kageyama be relatable and, in a way, believable. When there are comedic scenes, Ishikawa always delivers, with his reactions standing out.

He would end up joining the cast of the popular basketball anime series Kuroko no Basket in its 2nd season.

He voiced the straightforward and calm Kensuke Fukui, vice-captain and point guard for Yosen.

A massive role yet extremely underrated role in Kaito Ishikawa’s repertoire is that as Nine in Zankyou no Terror.

Regarded as one of the best anime of that season and year, Terror in Resonance impressed with its serious tone and realistic acting – instead of the usual hyped anime kind of acting.

Shinnichiro Watanabe, legendary anime producer behind critically acclaimed classic anime such as Cowboy Bebop and Kids on the Slope, was helming the project.

For Watanabe’s projects he looks for talent or a certain feel instead of the popularity of the seiyuu he casts.

Ishikawa captured Nine‘s detached, calm and collected demeanor and intelligence in what is his most realistic and emotional performance to date.

Realism and emotion were required to make the world of Zankyou no Terror come to life and it was noted by his co-star (in a special video included with the DVD release of the series), Soma Saito, just how determined and dedicated Kaito Ishikawa was to ensure he was delivering the best performance he could.

This was an anime that felt like a live-action movie or a TV series and the characters were complex, demanding realistic acting. It pulled you in with its believable and relatable storyline and characters.

He was then cast as the calm and collected ace pitcher Shunshin You in the popular baseball anime series Diamond no Ace.

Then, he was cast as Logix Fiscario in the anime adaptation of Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky.

2015 kicked off in a quieter way. Kaito Ishikawa was still getting several main character roles but not as many as before and there was a good explanation for that: he now was a regular in 1 sports anime series and it carried over to other years.

He was cast as Shihou Kimizuki in the military anime series Owari no Seraph.

Due to being incredibly smart and a jack of all trades, Kimizuki is an essential part of the unit he’s a part of, helping others that may be challenged on the battlefield.

In the same season, Ishikawa was cast in the episodic comedy anime series Kyoukai no Rinne.

He voiced Rinne Rokudou, a hardworking shinigami with a kind and protective demeanor. He’s quite serious at times, something that leads to hilarious shenanigans.

Another beloved role among Ishikawa’s fans is Genos in the comedy/action anime series One Punch Man. Genos is a talented cyborg that made it his mission to be a disciple of the series’ protagonist, Saitama.

He serious and intense at all times and has a lot of drive to improve so that he can fight for justice. In a way, his seriousness serves as a good contrast for Saitama’s often cluelessness.

For this performance as Genos, Ishikawa went the cool, almost monotone way, to match Genos’ cyborg self.

He was then cast in the supernatural anime series Seiken Tsukai no World Break as the kind and passionate protagonist Moroha Haimura.

Ishikawa voice Heivia Winchell in the military anime series Heavy Object.

Heivia is part of the regal family however his demeanor is far from being “regal”. Despite his delinquent behavior, he’s noted as a kind and rational individual.

2016 would end up being a quieter year in comparison to the packed years of work behind Ishikawa’s back.

He reprised his role as the perfectionist and passionate Kasen Kanesada in the slice-of-life anime adaptation of the popular Touken Ranbu game, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru.

He joined the cast of the football anime series DAYS as one of the supporting characters, Tetsuya Nitobe.

Boku no Hero Academia‘s Tenya Iida would end up being the highlight of the year for Kaito Ishikawa.

Tenya is clueless when it comes to interacting with others something that, with his unfriendly aura, makes him quite intimidating. At his core, he’s a gentle and righteous individual.

2017 kicked off with a main role in Sakurada Reset. Kaito Ishikawa voiced the series’ protagonist Kei Asai, a high-schooler with the ability to recall memories.

He then joined the cast of Chronos Ruler as Wu Putin, one of the protagonists in the story, owner of the power to control water. The anime ended up being criticized for its massive plot holes from episode 1 onwards.

Changing gears, Kaito Ishikawa was cast in the quiz anime series Nana Maru San Batsu. He voiced Chisato Mikuriya, a smart and highly tactical quiz participant.

Still in 2017, Kaito Ishikawa reprised his role as Yuu in the catastrophic anime adaptation of DYNAMIC CHORD.

The anime was met with a lot of criticism due to lazy animation – reusing shots in all music playing scenes -, a weird lack of plot taking into consideration that the material it was taking inspiration from is quite complex with several stories intertwining and overall awful character designs that, in some cases, made some characters unrecognizable.

Dubbed the worst anime in 2017, DYNAMIC CHORD wasn’t the best way for Ishikawa to showcase his voice acting talents.

Turning the page, in 2018 Kaito Ishikawa was cast as Narek, the cocky, egocentric and narcissistic prince of Milidonia in the parody anime series, Dame x Prince Anime Caravan.

Ishikawa’s acting was over-the-top, flamboyant at all times, further enhancing Narek’s exaggerated personality traits.

In 2021, Ishikawa confirmed that most of his acting was comprised of ad-libs and some of the script was improvised, something that explains how downright hilarious Narek was.

In a weird turn of events, Kaito Ishikawa was cast as Saki Uno, a girl that, when transforming into a magical girl, ends up, in fact, transforming into a man in order to house all the power she has.

This leads to the most hilarious of shenanigans with an unexpected love triangle, lots of jabs at the magical girl anime genre, idols and even the anime industry in general. This was quite a surprising role in such an unusual anime series.

Parody was the anime genre that led the way for Ishikawa in 2018. He got cast as Subaru Ichinose, the protagonist of the mecha parody anime series, Uchuu Senkan Tiramisù.

The biggest role of the year was in Urie Kuki in Tokyo Ghoul:re. Calm and collected, cold and analytical, Kuki is an ambitious quinx aiming to rise fast – no matter what – through the ranks as a ghoul investigator.

He was then cast as the perceptive Kiyotaka Yagashira in the slice-of-life/mystery anime Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes.

He was cast in Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai as Sakuta Azusagawa, character known of its deadpan facial expressions and voice.

He’s snarky at times and, at its core, a caring and selfless character.

Before the end of the year, Ishikawa was back with a role in a sports anime, this time around kyudo in Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu.

He voiced the short-tempered and passionate Kaito Onogi, a first-year student at Kazemai High School and member of the kyudo club.

2019 picked up where 2018 left off and with it, Ishikawa continued to voice characters in anime with a lot of frequency.

He was cast in The Rising of the Shield Hero as Naofumi Iwatani, a university student that was summoned into a game, turning into the series’ protagonist.

Ishikawa then reprised his role as Switch’s airheaded Tsumugi Aoba anime in the anime adaptation of the popular Ensemble Stars!! game, Ensemble Stars!.

2020 kicked off with yet another role in a sports anime. He was cast as the arrogant forward Kazutaka Hongou in the rugby anime series number24.

In 2021, Kaito Ishikawa was cast as Ryouya Misato in the rhythmic gymnastics anime Bakuten!!.

With a cool personality and calm and collected demeanor, Ryouya is one of the main characters in the series. Despite the somehow detached behavior, he’s genuinely passionate about rhythmic gymnastics.

Still in 2021, he’s going to voice characters in “Vanitas no Carte” and “Platinum End“. In 2022, Ishikawa already has 1 role lined up in “Kakkou no Iinazuke“.

Other anime series in which he’s voiced characters include:

• DRAMAtical Murder (2014)
• Nobunaga the Fool (2014)
• World Trigger (2014 – 2021)
• Terra Formars (2014 – 2016)
• Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (2014)
• Hero Bank (2014)
• Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou (2015)
• Noragami ARAGOTO (2015)
• GANGSTA. (2015)
• Occultic;Nine (2016)
• Sousei no Onmyouji (2016)
• Hatsukoi Monster (2016)
• Bungou Stray Dogs (2016)
• Pokemon Sun & Moon (2016 – 2019)
• Tsurezure Children (2017)
• DIVE!! (2017)
• Pop Team Epic (2018)
• Hinomaruzumou (2018)
• Kyou mo Tsuno ga Aru (2019)
• Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? (2019)
• Kochouki: Wakaki Nobunaga (2019)
• PSYCHO-PASS 3 (2019)
• Plunderer (2020)
• Get Up! Get Live! #Geragera (2020)
• King’s Raid (2020).

Awards

In 2014, he won Best Rookie actor at the 8th Seiyu Awards for his role in Tokyo Ravens as Harutora Tsuchimikado. He shared the award with fellow seiyuu Daiki Yamashita.

4 years later, in 2018, Ishikawa won the Best Actor in Supporting Role award at the 14th Seiyu Awards for his roles as Naofumi Iwatani in The Rising of the Shield Hero and Tobio Kageyama in Haikyuu!!.

Radio

Among the 90s-born generation of seiyuu, Kaito Ishikawa is one of the most active when it comes to hosting radio shows.

He’s got several solo radio shows in his repertoire however, he’s best known for his endeavors with close friends Soma Saito and Yoshiki Nakajima.

His first radio show hosting credit was in 2012, when he hosted Golden Time’s radio.

As a radio host, Ishikawa is his blunt, friendly self and, at times, quite easy to pick on by his co-hosts. He doesn’t really know how to react to compliments thus, whenever a co-host or guest compliment him or any of his skills, he immediately burst into laughter in a nervous way.

He tries to regain composure by switching to his cool-type self but that often fails to happen, leading to hilarious reactions by both the staff and the person that started the compliment rally.

Taking into account his experience hosting radio shows and the fact that he loves to talk, he’s quite comfortable on the mic, something that stands out in all radio shows he’s been hosting since 2016.

Some of his most popular radio shows endeavors include:

Haikyuu!! Karasuno Koukou Hosobu! (2014 -)

This is, undoubtedly, Ishikawa’s longest-running radio show. Since 2014, Kaito Ishikawa and fellow seiyuu Ayumu Murase co-host Haikyuu!! Karasuno Koukou Hosobu!, radio show stemming from the popular sports anime series, Haikyuu!!.

Over the years Ishikawa and Murase have developed a budding relationship that makes each broadcast a treat to listen to. From daily life stories to talk behind the scenes – recordings and funny stories -, the duo always has a blast.

They have an interesting dynamic that often shows when they have fellow seiyuu as guests.

The radio show is incredibly popular, having spawned several DJCDs.

Ishikawa Kaito no Extend Radio (2016 -)

Kaito Ishikawa’s longest-running solo radio show is the popular “Ishikawa Kaito no Extend Radio“. The show started in 2016 and counts with several corners.

From asking his listeners for unique prompts/situations to act in order to improve his acting skills to talking about encounters that seem like those could only happen in anime/manga, to a whisper voice corner and giving advice to his listeners, there’s a bit of everything in this radio show.

Saito Soma・Ishikawa Kaito no Damepuri RADIO (2018)

Earlier in 2018, Saito and Kaito Ishikawa hosted “Saito Soma・Ishikawa Kaito’s Damepuri RADIO“, radio show that was as chaotic, random and fun as the anime series actually ended up being.

This radio show was one of the most anticipated at the start of 2018 due to the fact that not only both seiyuu are popular, but also because it’s the first time the well known close friends were hosting a radio show together.

The show was so popular that soon after it was announced that it was ending – by the 13th episode -, Saito and Ishikawa were immediately paired up for a new radio show.

Saito Soma and Ishikawa Kaito Dame janai radio (2018 -)

Saito Soma and Ishikawa Kaito Dame janai radio (Dameraji) premiered in April 2018 upon fan request.

The duo paired up once again but now on their own show – although it stems from Dame Prince‘s show and the respective radio show.

The show is as crazy, if not even crazier, than the original radio show.

Now, without having to promote the anime series, both take their antics and random stories to a whole new level. The show is the audience leader during its time slot and is one of the most talked-about radio shows on Twitter.

The show still goes strong counting with over 160 episodes, 3 DJCDs released, special merchandise released and several live recording events held.

Other radio shows he’s hosted/co-hosted/guested include:

• Tokyo Ravens Radio (2013 -2014)
• Ariraji 〜 Ouji ikusei Radio 〜 (2014 – 2015)
• Gargantia Sendan Kouhou-kyoku (2014 – 2015) 
• RINNE…Mitai na? (2015 – 2016)
• Ishikawa Kaito・Nakamura Yuichi no star “Radi” Ocean (2016)
• Kaito Ishikawa and his Sakurada Reset Hoshi Radio (2017)
• Takeuchi Miyu・Ishikawa Kaito no Music Creative! (2017)
• Ishikawa Kaito no Koto ga Nantonaku Daitai Wakaru Kamo Shirenai Radio (2017)
• Ishikawa Kaito no Twitter hajimemashita (shoshinsha)! (2017)
• Yuma Ishikawa no YU-KAI Taiketsu (2018)
• Ishikawa Kaito・Nakajima Yoshiki no 10-bu daberu? (2019 – 2020)

Games

When it comes to games, Kaito Ishikawa is commonly found voicing characters in otome games (targeting the female demographic), most of those tied to Otomate.

He’s also reprised roles from anime series in its respective games adaptations. You can find him as well voicing characters in RPGs, although these are less credits than the ones he has in otome games.

The type of character he often voices is, much alike the ones he does in drama CDs, the stoic-type with the tough exterior and hidden fluffy hidden side.

Although he made a debut as a voice actor, Ishikawa’s first roles in games were in 2012 in Bravely Default and E.X. Troopers.

Some of his most iconic roles in games include:

Yuu Kuroya in DYNAMIC CHORD feat. Kyohso (2015)

One of Ishikawa’s best known roles within his otome repertoire is undoubtedly Yuu Kuroya in the DYNAMIC CHORD franchise.

Yuu is Kyohso’s bassist, the band’s resident mysterious/tsundere member. He’s got a troubled past – not knowing who his parents are – and, as result, he lives a questionable lifestyle to make up for the lack of love and warmth in his life.

Although Yuu makes quite the bad impression at first – for reasons that you’ll have to play the game to know – he slowly opens his heart to their manager (you, the player)

Ishikawa’s performance as Yuu was quite interesting. He had to build Yuu in a way that would sound and look unapproachable at first but always giving away a bit of the pain – or the inability to feel anything – that he has.

Narek in DAME×PRINCE (2015 – 2018)

Egocentric, narcissistic and eccentric, Narek was DAME×PRINCE‘s cannon route.

The character is a parody of the “oresama” archetype in otome games, with all his personality and quirks exaggerated for comedic purposes.

The cliché red hair found in most otome game cannon characters, the oresama way of referring to himself, the flamboyant clothing and complete out of touch way to approach anything and everything mark Narek’s personality.

The game wasn’t voiced but in the anime, Kaito Ishikawa made sure all these would pass to the viewer in a really intense way.

Tsumugi Aoba in Ensemble Stars!! (2016 -) 

In 2016, Kaito Ishikawa was cast as Tsumugi Aoba in the popular 2D music franchise, Ensemble Stars!!.

He’s a member of the talented trio Switch and well known soft-spoken airhead. Through some of his interactions with other characters, it may seem that Aoba lacks empathy, truth is he simply doesn’t know how to read a room.

This is a rare type of character for Ishikawa to voice – the quiet, airheaded type – but he absolutely nailed his characterization with a solid performance.

Kazuma Nanase in Band Yarouze! (2017 – 2019)

Band Yarouze! was one of those amazing projects that, unfortunately, suffered from a troubled release and was abruptly discontinued.

The game launched on October 12, 2016 after some hiccups that delayed its release, and easily turned into one of the most exciting rhythm games in the industry. Band Yarouze! counted with an attention gripping story that followed the dealings and shenanigans of 4 different rock bands trying to make their break.

The game’s band lineup counted with not only the main 4 bands – OSIRIS, BLAST, Fairy April, Cure2tron – but also the legends DesTIRARE and the rival bands CrystalCross and Freezing.

Ishikawa voiced Fairy April‘s lone wolf guitarist Kazuma Nanase.

Due to the fact that the character joined in Fairy April to replace their previous guitarist, he often feels left out of the band’s conversations, unintentionally isolating himself from the group.

However, he’s passionate about his work for the band and ends up showing a lot of loyalty to them even when offered with the opportunity of joining another band.

Despite the announcements of new bands joining the lineup and a new storyline kicking off in 2018, the reality was that Sony and Aniplex ended up putting Band Yarouze! on a weird “alive-but-not-really” situation.

Updates ceased to be delivered to the game, before the game’s end of distribution was announced in 2019.

Nero in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (2015) and 5 (2019)

In 2019, Kaito Ishikawa was chosen as the Japanese voice of Nero in the Devil May Cry games. He voiced the character in 2 games for the franchise: DMC4 Special Edition and DMC5.

Nero’s sardonic and anti-social nature plus his arrogance – demonstrated through picking or making fun of his opponents – were fleshed out by Ishikawa in quite the interesting way. This is quite possibly one of Ishikawa’s best performances in games.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd in Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)

In 2019, he voiced one of the 4 main characters Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd in the popular RPG game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Dimitri is a character that you can easily say it’s a perfect fit for Kaito Ishikawa to voice (the though exterior and heart of gold type). He’s the embodiment of chivalry as far as leaders go. He’s also sincere and cheerful, however hiding a bit of darkness underneath.

Louis in Code Vein (2019)

Still in the same year, Kaito Ishikawa was cast as the calm and collected Louis Amamiya, one of the companion characters in Code Vein.

Other games he’s voiced characters include:

• Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky (2013)
• Super Robot Wars Original Generation Coffin of the End (2014)
• Touken Ranbu (2015 -)
• Possession Magenta (2015)
• Tokyo Otome Restaurant (2015)
• Blackish House sideA→ (2016)
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (2017)
• Paranormal Kiss (2017)
• Marvel’s SPIDER-MAN (2018)
• On Air! (2018)
• Kingdom Hearts III (2019)
• XROSS CHRONICLE (2019)
• Sangokushi Heroes (2019)
• BlackStar – Theatre Starless (2019)

Acting/Live reading

Since elementary school, Kaito Ishikawa is passionate about acting however, having made a debut as a seiyuu in 2010 didn’t leave him with enough free time so that he could pursue that on the side.

However, in 2018, Ishikawa got his first chance to act on stage, in this case for an improvisation play.

In 2018, Kaito Ishikawa participated in AD-LIVE, the yearly stand-up / unscripted theater show created in 2008 by Kenichi Suzumura.

He improvised alongside fellow seiyuu and industry veteran, Kousuke Toriumi.

Still in the same year, he was cast in 舞姫事件－鴎外輪舞曲－ (Maihime jiken – Ougai rondo –) which was held at Kinokuniya Theatre TAKASHIMAYA from 10/04/2018 to 15/04/2018.

The live reading play counted with top stars in the seiyuu industry – Shugo Nakamura, Soma Saito, Makoto Furukawa, Taku Yashiro – as well as respected veterans – Tsubasa Yonaga and Taishi Murata in its cast.

GETUP! GETLIVE! (2019 -)

In 2019, Kaito Ishikawa joined the cast of the mixed media stand-up comedy project GETUP! GETLIVE!.

Aside from its anime adaptation and drama CDs, the franchise counts with live events in which the voice actors participate in drama sections that mix live reading with improvisation.

Narration / Dubbing

Narration and dubbing are two areas in which Kaito Ishikawa is still exploring.

He’s got very few credits in narration, field that is notoriously difficult to join in as seiyuu are hand-picked by the content in need of narration (as opposed to anime, in which seiyuu attend auditions in order to score their roles).

So far in his career, Ishikawa has gotten the opportunity of narrating 4 TV commercials.

When it comes to dubbing, things change a little bit. In this field, he’s already got a couple of roles to his name.

Some of the foreign movies or TV series he’s participated in the dubbing include “A Dog’s Journey”, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu”, “Pacific Rim Uprising”, “The Guest”, “Home Alone 3”, “Fright Night”, “Warsaw 44”, between many more.

Drama CDs

Kaito Ishikawa has been active in this field of work since his debut in 2010, counting with over 50 credits.

Over the years he’s been cast as cool type characters – especially noticeable in the RPG and action games in his credits – as well as the tsundere/tough-looking type of characters for otome games.

He has never done work in BL drama CDs (not even voicing supporting or minor roles).

When it comes to otome drama CDs, Ishikawa tends to be cast for Otomate’s works.

Some of his credits in drama CDs include reprisals of roles he’s done in anime and games, with franchises such as DYNAMIC CHORD or anime such as Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet standing out in his repertoire.

Some of the drama CDs he’s voiced characters include:

• COLORFUL5 no Nichijou
• DYNAMIC CHORD vocal CD Series Vol. 03 (as part of KYOHSO)
• DYNAMIC CHORD love U kiss series vol.9 〜YUU〜
• YES×NO2
• GANGSTA.
• Honeymoon vol. 17 Makabe Keigo
• Tokyo Ravens Drama CD pack
• Rear pheles -Rost memory- Vol.1
• Majestical cr[L]own Lesson1
• One Punch Man
• Blackish House alone with U series Vol.1 〜Rei〜
• POSSESSION MAGENTA Drama CD Vol.1 – 3
• Corpse†Heart 5th Night Nesu
• GETUP! GETLIVE! Steam Rising
• DIG-ROCK (as part of RUBIA Leopard)
• Oresama Residence ―LOVE or FATE―

Music

For years, Kaito Ishikawa was on the side when it came to 2D music projects. He mentioned more than a couple of times on radio shows such as Dameraji that he didn’t feel confident about his singing skills.

Nonetheless, he’s been part of 2D groups but only in 2020, did he start showing vast improvements on his singing. At the same time that his singing skills improved, he started to be cast in other 2D music projects.

And although Kaito Ishikawa never made a solo debut, in 2018 he did end up releasing the single “Breakthrough / DURANDAL”, performing the opening and ending themes for the anime series “Space Battleship Tiramisu” as Subaru Ichinose (the main character in the series that Ishikawa was voicing).

He would end up being one of the names enlisted to participate in the Seiko Matsuda’s covers album “Ruriiro no Chikyuu”.

He covered the songs マイアミ午前5時 (Miami gozen 5-ji) and 抱いて… (Daite…) and collaborated with Yuki Kaji, Kenji Nojima, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Makoto Furukawa in covering 瑠璃色の地球 (Ruriiro no Chikyuu).

Kyohso (2014 -)

KYOHSO consists of Yorito (CV: Showtaro Morikubo), Tokiharu (CV: Shinnosuke Tachibana), Yuu (CV: Kaito Ishikawa), and Shinomune (CV: Taku Yashiro).

They don a mature, dangerous and more aggressive sound than all other bands in the franchise.

Needless to say, Ishikawa does not sing in this band, although for all intents and purposes he is a member of the group.

The band has released 4 singles: x-manic (2014), Roots of Life/precog (2015), silent sun (2017) and Kyoso (2021).

Switch (2016 -)

In 2016, Kaito Ishikawa joined the star-studded cast of the popular 2D music project, Ensemble Stars!.

He joined Switch, danceable jazz-dance unit counting with the vocals of Kenji Nojima and Kazutomi Yamamoto.

So far, the group has released the following CDs:

• Ensemble Stars! Unit Song CD 2 Vol.8 Switch (2016)
• Ensemble Stars! Unit Song CD 3 Vol.9 Switch (2017)
• ENSEMBLE STARS! ALBUM SERIES PRESENT -Switch- (2018)
• Ensemble Stars! ED Collection Vol.4 (2019)
• ES Idol Song Season 1: Switch (2021)
• Switch × Eden “Majestic Magic” FUSION UNIT SERIES 01 (2021)

Fairy April (2017 – 2019)

2017 welcomed an ambitious rock rhythm game, Band Yarouze!. The franchise introduced 4 main bands: OSIRIS, BLAST, Fairy April and Cure2tron.

Fairy April‘s lineup counts with Shouta Aoi (vocals), Kaito Ishikawa, Yusuke Kobayashi and Shouma Yamamoto. The band has a youthful and bright on pop-rock, making them a good middle group between the punk-rockers BLAST and the powerpop band Cure2Tron.

Since their debut, Fairy April released a couple of insert songs for the game – that were later released in Duel Gig albums. The band was represented by Shouta Aoi once on a live setting.

IN-VOLG (2018 -)

In 2018, Kaito Ishikawa joined the 2D idol group IN-VOLG alongside fellow seiyuu Natsuki Hanae.

The unit is part of the kira-tune franchise and since its debut, have released 劇的インフィニティ (Gekiteki Infinity) in 2018.

In 2019, the duo participated in the VS album, “IN-VOLG VS Alsh-tajE“. They performed “Escalation“.

Swiiiiiits! (2018 -)

Still in the same year, Kaito Ishikawa was cast as a member of Swiiiiiits!.

Swiiiiiits! (read “sweets”), is a unit born of Tsukipro‘s collaboration with Licoli.

This is a co-ed (featuring male and female seiyuu) unit consisting of Inori Minase, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Daisuke Hirakawa, Hidenori Takahashi, Atsushi Tamaru, and Kaito Ishikawa.

As a group, Swiiiiiits! released the single “Swiiiiiitest Party!!” in 2018.

2 shuffle CDs were released as well: White Knight Orchestra (Inori Minase, Hidenori Takahashi, Atsushi Tamaru) with “Sekai no Uta” and Noir Révolution (Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa, Daisuke Hirakawa) with “Rouge Noir“.

Noir Révolution (2018 – )

Alongside Nobunaga Shimazaki and Daisuke Hirakawa, Kaito Ishikawa joined Noir Révolution, unit part of the Swiiiiiits!‘s shuffle unit series. The trio released the single “Rouge Noir” in 2018.

RUBIA Leopard (2019 – )

In 2019, Kaito Ishikawa joined the DIG-ROCK as the voice of KURONO, guitarist for the grunge rock band, RUBIA Leopard.

In the DIG-ROCK franchise, RUBIA Leopard is a popular rock band known for their dangerous and slightly alluring sound.

The band is fronted by AKANE (CV: Makoto Furukawa) and counts with guitarist KURONO (CV: Kaito Ishikawa), bassist MASHIRO (CV: Takuya Sato), and drummer HAIJI (CV: Natsuki Hanae).

So far, the band released the following songs:

• Answer
• Chained to You
• Never End
• Higher Ground
• Prisoner
• Identity
• Destination
• Trigger (1st album)
• NO LIMIT

NOISE NOVA (2020 -)

In 2020, Kaito Ishikawa joined the PERFECTION NOISE franchise as one of NOISE NOVA‘s sub-vocals and rappers, Akito Sakisaka.

The group counts as well with Soma Saito, Shoya Chiba and Ryohei Kimura.

NOISE NOVA is a “dance and vocal unit“ well versed in EDM, rock, hip-hop and ballads.

The group has a double-center formation that takes advantage of the faces of the group and powerful vocalists, Narumi (Shoya Chiba) and Sena (Soma Saito), and counts with Ryohei Kimura and Kaito Ishikawa sharing sub-vocal and rapper duties.

In 2020, the franchise counted with 1 single release “True Place” as well as 4 solo CDs (one for each character).

Ishikawa’s character Akito participated in the 3rd solo CD in the franchise “PERFECTION NOISE Vol.3 Sakisaka Akito“.

He performed “Down to Zero”, song with quite the old-school sound, channeling a bit of the edgy pop sound in the 00s while bringing guitar riffs into the mix, cheeky synth stabs and a deep bass drum-centric beat in the background.

Akito Sakisaka has an intimidating and tough vibe, something that the slow-paced instrumental, with its guitar riffs and trap beat, perfectly reflects the character’s attitude or vibe.

Kaito Ishikawa improved a lot in his singing, holding himself pretty well in the verses and delivering an overall solid performance that made “PERFECTION NOISE Vol.3 Sakisaka Akito” one of the best solo entries in the franchise.

In 2021, the PERFECTION NOISE franchise released its first compilation/soundtrack album titled “PERFECTION NOISE Original Soundtrack“.

Variety

Kaito Ishikawa is known for being quick to adapt to new things.

Even if he’s mildly nervous – at least initially – in some variety shows and events, he quickly gets comfortable, ending up making quirky remarks, kid around with fellow seiyuu, or, in a contrasting fashion, trying to level with all the fellow seiyuu engaged in crazy shenanigans.

He’s friendly at all times and, in a guest capacity, he tends to pay a lot of attention to the hosts, giving away the vibe that he is genuinely interested in the others.

Below are some of the best known variety show which he’s hosted / guested in:

Tabitomo (2016)

In 2016, Kaito Ishikawa guested alongside Soma Saito on Kensho Ono’s travel variety show, Tabitomo.

The 3 visited Kawagoe, getting to know the region, participating in quizzes, playing around, shopping, and creating items.

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.

Kaito Ishikawa teamed up with Wataru Hatano and both were on a good correct answer streak, however, ended up being eliminated from the final showdown.

Saito Soma no Wagokoro wo Kimi ni (2017 -)

In 2017, Kaito Ishikawa guested on Saito Soma no Wagokoro wo Kimi ni (shortened to SomaKimi), Soma Saito’s first travel/healing variety show.

The duo went for a drive to a shrine, got to know a bit of the region’s story, and taste its local delicacies, all with good vibes all around.

Kakihara Tetsuya no Hiza Kurige (guest – 2018)

In 2018, Kaito Ishikawa guested on Tetsuya Kakihara‘s variety show Kakikuri (or Kakihara Tetsuya no hiza Kurige).

For this show, Ishikawa and Kakihara visited Shizuoka in a Takeda Shingen-focused trip, learn a bit about the history and tried some delicacies from the region.

Tokyo Ghoul: Ri (2018)

In 2018, Kaito Ishikawa co-hosted 2 episodes of Tokyo Ghoul: Ri, special variety/talk show created to promote the anime series Tokyo Ghoul:re.

He joined fellow seiyuu and close friend Yuma Uchida for the show’s 8th episode and was joined by fellow seiyuu and star of the anime series, Natsuki Hanae, for episode 9.

In both episodes there was a lot of crazy shenanigans, lots of laughter as well as a couple of serious moments and challenges to tackle.

Jun Fukuyama ・ Kaito Ishikawa GAMING! (2018 -)

Ishikawa not only is passionate about acting but he’s also about gaming.

In 2018, and alongside fellow seiyuu Jun Fukuyama, Ishikawa started co-hosting the gaming-centric TV show, 福山潤・石川界人 GAMING! (Jun Fukuyama ・ Kaito Ishikawa GAMING!) on Nittele PLus.

Saito Soma, Ishikawa Kaito no Damejanai radio “Toriaezu Highball” (2019)

In 2019, Soma Saito and Kaito Ishikawa, hosts of the popular radio show, Dameraji, held a special event.

Saito Soma, Ishikawa Kaito no Damejanai radio “Toriaezu Highball” was held at Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo on 14/09/2019 and counted with fellow Nikukai member, Taku Yashiro, as their guest.

The event was later bundled up for release on Blu-ray in April 2020.

Seiyuu to Yo Asobi (guest 2019 / co-host since 2020)

In 2019, Kaito Ishikawa was a guest at Seiyuu to yo Asobi, variety show created and distributed by AbemaTV.

This is a show that airs on weekdays with pairs of seiyuu assigned to each day, each pair of co-hosts following their own unique themes and formats. It counts with challenges and funny corners as well as quiet sections with seiyuu just hanging out in a pretty laidback way.

Ishikawa guested in 2019 on Monday – day co-hosted by Hiroki Yasumoto and Takuya Eguchi.

In 2020, Abema announced a shuffle in the hosts’ lineup for Seiyuu to yo Asobi (3rd season). Ishikawa teamed up with veteran seiyuu Daisuke Namikawa, co-hosting Thursday’s show.

He’s retained that spot for the variety show’s 4th season (2021).

Saito Soma, Ishikawa Kaito no Damejanai Radio Dai 3 Ki Dakedo DVD (2019)

In 2019, Kaito Ishikawa and Soma Saito recorded a special video at Shimizu Koen in Chiba for Saito Soma, Ishikawa Kaito no Damejanai Radio Dai 3 Ki Dakedo DVD.

VART (2020 -)

In 2020, Kaito Ishikawa joined the seiyuu racing project founded by Shinichiro Miki, VART.

Founded by seiyuu, narrator and cars enthusiast, Shinnichiro Miki, VART – short for Voice Actors Racing Team – is a seiyuu racing project that spawning a variety show on ANIMAX.

The team consists of Masafumi Mima (team director), Shinichiro Miki (captain/driver), Daisuke Namikawa (vice-captain/driver), Kaito Ishikawa, and Tasuku Hatanaka.

VART trained for the well-known touring car 7-hour endurance race JOY耐 (JOY Endurance) that took place at Twin Ring Motegi in June 2020 as well as other touring car races.

My STYLE with VOLVO vol.4 (2020)

In collaboration with VOLVO, Kaito Ishikawa participated in a video to talk a bit about his career in voice acting, his passions – including driving – as well as VOLVO’s new V60 Cross Country.

Kaito Ishikawa’s official YouTube channel (2020 – )

Kaito Ishikawa marked his return to social media with the launch of his own YouTube channel. He’s a game through and through, with a passion for first-person shooters, namely PUBG and Apex Legends.

He also features vlogs, special variety/interviews with fellow seiyuu as well as special reading videos featuring friends in the industry such as Yoshiki Nakajima and Soma Saito.

Horie & Ishikawa no Doraka Tube (2021 -)

In 2021, Shun Horie and fellow seiyuu and Pro-fit senpai Kaito Ishikawa teamed up to host “Horie & Ishikawa no Doraka Tube“, variety show created to promote the anime series Dragon, Ie wo Kau..

Facts

A man of many active hobbies

Ishikawa’s fans are well aware that he is quite an active person.

Although, since 2020, he’s been more about gaming and reading, he still loves to swim, snowboard, go for long drives (usually with Yuichi Nakamura, Yuma Uchida, or Matsuoka Yoshitsugu), and exercise (bodybuilding).

“Cool” reputation

Also well known is Kaito Ishikawa’s reputation as the “cool-type” of person.

Not only he’s a lot like it – at the same time that he’s extremely blunt and unfiltered in the way he interacts with others and talks about themes – but he’s also started to be typecasted for that kind of character both in anime and games.

Close friends with Soma Saito

The two have been close friends since Terror in Resonance back in 2014. Ever since then, they have been more than often casted in the same anime and game projects, time and time again showcasing their incredible chemistry whenever there’s an opportunity.

Their friendship is so tight to the point that Ishikawa mentions that one day, before his birthday, he was feeling lonely so he decided to invite Saito for a drive. Saito although stuck with work used his free time to join him for a late-night drive to Odaiba.

When they arrived at Odaiba’s park, they noticed that there were only couples in there and the mood was too romantic. Even so, Ishikawa mentions that going there and walking around the park with Saito was refreshing and that he was glad both had been there.

This story started as a huge rumor in the seiyuu industry in 2015 but was later confirmed by Ishikawa on Kensho Ono’s Tabitomo in 2016 when both were guesting.

They mention each other regularly on radio shows or events and/or attend each other’s radio shows whenever there’s time. If fans doubted their friendship, Kaito even mentioned on “Saito Soma’s Wagokoro wo kimi ni” in 2017 that he found Saito as his ideal as a person, the one he looks for inspiration.

Best friends with Yuma Uchida

Kaito Ishikawa has often mentioned that he’s best friends with fellow seiyuu Yuma Uchida.

Both like to hang out outside of work, having visited each others’ family homes, travel together from time to time and even in work situations they find themselves guesting on each other’s radio or variety shows or have characters in the same anime.

They have one of the most popular friendships in the seiyuu industry.

Part of the famous Nikukai group

Kaito Ishikawa is part of the famous Nikukai group alongside Yoshiki Nakajima, Soma Saito, Yuma Uchida, Taku Yashiro, Yuichiro Umehara and Tasuku Hatanaka. This group is not only about eating together and, according to some of the members, the group members like to hang out outside of work and do all kinds of activities together.

According to Saito (the group’s resident “leader”), on Junichi Suwabe‘s “Nomi dase! Nomi nakama!” in 2019, the members of the Nikukai are friends, as they can rely on each other for advice but they’re also each other’s closest rivals.

With this we wrap up another Seiyuu Digest. In the meantime, don’t forget to check past Seiyuu Digests (some of those recently updated) – HERE.