Seiyuu Digest #8 – Takashi Kondo

Seiyuu Digest #8 - Takashi Kondo

Besides all his hard work portraying some of the most memorable characters in some of our favorite anime and games, Takashi Kondo is still one of the most underrated seiyuu. 

Takashi Kondo photo late 10s

Takashi Kondo

KANJI: 近藤隆

BORN: May 12, 1979

OCCUPATION: narrator, seiyuu, radio personality, singer

HEIGHT: 163cm

Note: This article is undergoing a deep update. There may be some information missing.


Coming all the way from Okazaki, Aichi, Takashi Kondo, born on May 12, 1979, might be one of the so-called “cult” seiyuu.

He’s incredibly well known in the seiyuu community but somehow he hasn’t had that many anime roles given to him in the past few years. He’s currently under management from Vi-Vo, talent agency more focused on narration.

Somehow a talent like Kondo‘s stays hidden as anime directors usually choose the most searched / new / trending seiyuu.

Either way, Kondo has shown us time after time how hard-working and detailed he is in the portrayal of his assigned characters – that turned out to be some of the most memorable ones, even though those took on a supporting role in the series they were featured.

And when he is granted with main roles, his deliverance and approach to the roles is clearly something very few seiyuu archive.

But being a seiyuu is not everything for Kondo, as he has also solo debuted back in 2008, a thing that fans highly anticipated since his singing was, and is, of great quality. Call it skill or natural talent but one thing is for sure: his talent is worthy of featuring him as part of the seiyuu royalty.

Seiyuu

Since debuting as a seiyuu back in 1999, Kondo has practically done everything in the industry. 

Known for his adaptability to almost every genre available: shoujo, shounen, seinen, BL, you name it – he’s done all of those genres (and others) and always presented his fans with some of the most impressive performances ever, always raising the bar for young seiyuu following his steps.

Black Cat promotions in 2005
Black Cat promotions in 2005

What is probably one of Kondo‘s best roles to date and was his big break in the seiyuu business was his portrayal of the carefree, exuberant, and occasionally stoic Train Heartnet in 2005 anime Black Cat

Train Heartnet
Train Heartnet

Interestingly enough, if it wasn’t for his success in “Black Cat“, maybe few people would know him today. And why is that?

Few people know that Kondo graduated from Amusement media general school with the prospect of being a professional narrator. Anime wasn’t on his horizon until the offer for “Black Cat” came in.

The success with the series served as a starting point for Kondo to be named one of the rising stars in the seiyuu industry back in 2005. Since then he’s voiced a multitude of characters, some of those more iconic and with more exposure than others.

Kyoya Hibari
Kyoya Hibari

With a voice almost like “custom made” to play antagonists and stoic characters like Kyoya Hibari in Katekyo Hitman Reborn as well as comedic, tsundere but still serious when needed characters like Ritsu Onodera from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, Kondo shows everyone that his versatility is no joke.

Ritsu Onodera
Ritsu Onodera

The details in his portrayals are something that always mesmerizes his fans as well as his vocal range – which is wide and versatile. He’s responsible for many reactions like this “I can’t believe he voiced … and then … Those sound completely different!“.

Suigetsu Hozuki
Suigetsu Hozuki

Yeah, those sound different, it’s Kondo‘s technique and versatility that make his characters sound like polar opposites from each other. How awesome it is that Kondo has voiced Ritsu Onodera, Kyoya HibariSuigetsu Hozuki, and Subaru Sakamaki and each one of these memorable characters sound nothing like the next one?

Subaru Sakamaki
Subaru Sakamaki

He’s been part of some of the most known series in Japan: Naruto, Fairy Tail, Bleach, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Diamond no Ace, Toriko, among many others, a proof that he’s still one of the most sought after seiyuu when it comes to big franchises.

Dubbing

When we change our focus to dubbing and narration we find out that Kondo is incredibly active in that field.

With credits in major TV series like Heroes, BONES, Sex and the City, UNDERWORLD, 24, True Blood, The Kite Runner, among many other shows, Kondo shows not only a wide variety of “characters” as well as show genres. A wide variety of CM’s and news segments (for NHK and TBS) are also narrated by Kondo.

But anime and live-action dubbing are not the only areas of work for him.

Drama CDs

As a seiyuu he’s has more work in the drama CD and game industries.

He’s known for being in a never-ending list of drama CDs – both otome and BL – and is part of the stellar seiyuu roster working with Rejet, having been part of several of that company’s CDs.

Kondo is mostly known as Subaru Sakamaki the sadist, tsundere vampire from Rejet‘s drama CD/game franchise “Diabolik Lovers“.

Games

Tales of festival 2014 // Credits: Animate.tv
Tales of event 2014 // Credits: Animate.tv

In the gaming industry, Kondo is known for being part of the “Tales of” franchise. TALES OF XILLIA 2 and TALES OF THE WORLD TACTICS UNION are the two games where his character Ludger Will Kresnik, one of the fans’ favorite characters, is featured.

But that isn’t all there is to his gaming “corner”.

If we turn around and focus on otome games instead of the international hits, we find that Kondo is a common choice for otome game casting directors.

To sum things just a bit, Rejet and Otomate are the two big game developers that more often cast Kondo in one of their creations. DIABOLIK LOVERS series, Scared Rider Xechs series, S.Y.K, Alice=Alice, Reine des Fleurs, Hyakka Yakou, among many others.

Music

Solo

caxt2o4u8aazgro 1

Making his solo debut in the aftermath of his major hit with Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Kondo kicked off his music activities.

With his debut album titled “a little wonder” back in 2008.

The track Sakura Addiction, featured on Katekyo Hitman Reborn‘s soundtrack and as the series ending theme, reached the Oricon charts, archiving a modest #7, remaining in the charts for quite some time, earning the title – at the time – of “longest-running track in Oricon charts by a seiyuu“.

Kondo is known for his highly technical, by-the-book singing.

It’s not in any way plain – as I might have made it sound – but he really impresses with his low notes, his natural higher ones, and the vibrato in a mix that instantly grabs your attention.

Check “Pride” from the Scared Rider Xechs series alongside fellow seiyuu Rikiya Koyama to get that taste of his low-toned vocals. But, besides that velvety, gentle voice, trademark to Kondo‘s singing, fans have already listened to him singing in quite some exquisite voice tones.

An example would be the track “コガネイロ” from the Tsuki Uta series and “無敵のTwinkle★Star” in Scared Rider Xechs series in which he sings in a higher key than usual.

But after that success with “Sakura Addiction“, Kondo hasn’t released anything solo-wise, which comes off as a bit strange. Who knows if he’ll be back with more music in the future?

Units

Procellarum (2012 -)

Procellarum

In 2012, Takashi Kondo was announced alongside Tetsuya Kakihara, Shouta Aoi, Wataru Hatano, Ryohei Kimura, Kensho Ono, as part of Tsukino Production’s pop unit, Procellarum.

So far the group has released 2 singles:

  • ONE CHANCE? (2015)
  • LOLV -Lots of Love- (included in the Tsukiuta. THE ANIMATION Theme Song CD)

The best of albums Shirotsuki (2016) and Kuro Mochizuki (2019) featured group and solo songs.

Procellarum released a new single in June 2020 titled White Sparks.

As Yoru Nagatsuki, the male representative for the month of September in Procellarum, Kondo got to perform 4 solo singles:

  • Koganeiro (2013)
  • Yuuyake Days (2015)
  • nox~Kaze no Record~ (2016)
  • Lumina (2021)

As well as 2 duets with You Haduki (CV: Tetsuya Kakihara) – DA☆KAI (2014) and AWAI HANA (2014).

ŹOOĻ (2017 – )

In 2017, Takashi Kondo joined the IDOLiSH7 franchise.

He was announced as part of ŹOOĻ, an urban pop/industrial group that shook the franchise when it was first introduced in the in-game story and made many jaw drops when their first single, Poisonous Gangster was introduced released in the same year.

zool 2

This was a new challenge for Takashi Kondo, especially being a center for a 2D group.

In the group’s 1st single, Poisonous Gangster, he was the highlight with his smooth singing skills and slightly R&B-ish touch he gives to his performances.

However, the single was known for not having equal lines distribution. Yuya Hirose and Subaru Kimura led the way whilst Koutaro Nishiyama and Takashi Kondo were in the background vocals and only in the chorus.

Things changed when the group performed live for the first time at IDOLISH7 2nd live REUNION in 2019.

In an explosive set that included the Poisonous Gangster, Look at… and ZONE OF OVERLAP, fans were in awe at the teamwork, vocal prowess, explosive dance moves, and the dangerous aura the group exuded.

idolish7 2nd live reunion 4 2
IDOLISH7 2nd live REUNION

On IDOLISH7 2nd live REUNION, Kondo stood out for his clear singing and power, matching the group’s powerful demeanor. He also showed his dancing skills for the first time in a live setting.

2020 welcomed the group’s 2nd single, Bang!Bang!Bang!.

The single included the highly anticipated ZONE OF OVERLAP and the unique title track.

ZOOL-einsatZ-

Still in the same year, ZOOL released their 1st full-length album “einstaZ“.

This album was a massive departure from the group’s original urban pop-meets-hip-hop sound going on in their first singles.

K-pop-inspired music took over, with many of the songs lending elements from the sub-genre of pop, focused on being flashy and catchy with not much care for depth or a more melodic, emotional side.

There were exceptions in the album though.

4-ROAR” was a nod to ZOOL’s original sound bringing a gritty and intense sound that put on the spotlight their unique brand of urban pop.

ZONE OF OVERLAP” made its comeback, having a big impact on the intensity that “einsatZ” packs.

And “Ache” put ZOOL in its first try at an emotional, melodic type of music. The quartet performed a slow-paced R&B tune and they dazzled everyone with their chemistry and quality on the vocal end.

For this album, Kondo finally got to showcase what his singing as Torao is all about: sheer power and poise. He was able to drive songs forward, being a reliable backing vocal and a valuable member when harmonizations were required – “Ache” for example.

While “einsatZ” was far from an impressive album – or even an upgrade over what ZOOL had previously done – it is also certain that it was an awesome outlet to showcase how much every single member improved in the singing department.

That was the highlight of the album: the growth and chemistry that all 4 seiyuu showcased.

Radio

Takashi Kondo

Kondo is well known as a radio personality, having hosted so far a vast amount of shows.

From the anime radio shows he’s hosted since his debut we find: RADIO BLACK CAT – hosted in two cours between 2006 and 2007 alongside Misato Fukuen; Yonezawa-kun to himawari no kyara radio in 2007 alongside Matsumoto Kana; Radio Rode in 2008 and 2009 alongside Nobuhiko Okamoto; Sekaiichi hatsukoi 〜 WEB rajio no baai 〜 (2011 – 2012), alongside Shinnosuke Tachibana and Nobuhiko Okamoto; Kondo Takashi no Momonga from early 2011 to late 2012.

Others include BLink hōsōkyoku in 2011 alongside Yoshihisa Kawahara and Seiyuu Nico Power Radio in 2011 alongside co-star in Katekyo Hitman Reborn Ilda Toshinobu.

Kondo Takashi no Momonga radio show was later compiled and released on CDs according to the guests. Some of the guests included: Kousuke Toriumi, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Daisuke Hirakawa, Kenjiro Tsuda, and Hiroki Yasumoto.

Promoting his Kondo Takashi no Momonga
Promoting his Kondo Takashi no Momonga

Currently, he’s not active as a radio host as his main focus is more centered around games and voice acting/dubbing.

And with this quick overview through Kondo‘s over 20-year career we not only got to know some of his iconic roles as well as the wide variety of things he’s doing/done besides voice acting in anime.

A versatile actor that deserves not only more recognition but also more roles, mainly in anime as it’s the main outlet to get your name known as a seiyuu in Japan.


And that’s it for May’s Seiyuu Digest. Be on the lookout for next month’s brief look at a male seiyuu’s career!

Vanessa Silva
Vanessa Silvahttps://www.handthatfeedshq.com
The Hand That Feeds HQ founder, content creator, and music reviewer. Basically, the only person managing everything at The Hand That Feeds HQ. Stumbling upon Mamoru Miyano's "Orpheus" in 2011 was the start of this journey. If music is thought-provoking or deep, you may find her writing almost essays (not limited to, but it happens a lot with Soma Saito's music). She's the producer and host of the male seiyuu-centric podcast, SEIYUU LOUNGE (see Spotify link in this profile).

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12 COMMENTS

  1. I have been fan of Kondo since I heard him as Hibari. I was literally shocked when I also found him in different franchises/series with different sound for his roles. Versatility is a VERY no joke because he literally slayed his roles with his voices.

    • Another Kondo fan!! Glad to find more people showing love to him! He’s such an underappreciated and underrated seiyuu. Thanks for your comment!

  2. My fav seiyuu <3 I loved him as Train one of my first animes and still my favourite.

    I've read this before before i got in seiyuus this was article was so informative. And recently i found your website i love it thank you guys for all the work 🙂

    • Thank you so much! Kondo is one of our favorite seiyuu. When writing his seiyuu digest we really wanted everyone to get a good grasp of just how talented he is, glad it sparked some interest in you at that time and thank you so much for revisiting it today! 🙂

  3. I really love his voice! Yes, I was also surprised that he could do gentle and badass voices! Please more of this seiyuu Japan!!!

  4. Kondou-sama, my ultimate bias~ <3
    If it's his low notes we're talking about, then KHR's ONE NIGHT STAR with Toshinobu Iida is definitely worth mentioning, and as for the opposite pitch, Ritsu's character song Kaze no Yukue, is really nice! I very openly recommend listening to it!!!!!! :'3
    I never knew about Daiya no A, though… well, all more the reason to watch it now (same goes with playing Hyakka Yakkou…)! :'3
    Thanks for the article, senpai~! :3

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