These are the top Rising Stars of 2023, known for their exceptional performances, continuous improvements, and abundant talent.
From January 5 to 15, 2024, readers and viewers of THTFHQ voted for these awards valuing, first and foremost, talent and quality over popularity.
Nominees were shortlisted by The Hand That Feeds HQ and a winner was chosen by our readers.
To avoid petty fights between fans and disrespect towards seiyuu and their fans, no votes are disclosed in any of the written features covering THTFHQ AWARDS 2023.
If you want to check the abridged version of the complete results of this year’s edition, those were unveiled on episode 182 of SEIYUU LOUNGE, THTFHQ’s weekly podcast all about male seiyuu music and 2D groups.
#1 Shoya Chiba
Shoya Chiba was back in his groove in 2023. The talented seiyuu was active with EROSION, 1Nm8, SPHERE RISE, TOKYO COLOR SONIC!!, HighXJoker, and KiLLER KiNG.
Everywhere you looked, he was there. And that was a good sign, especially as Shoya Chiba made sure that, for each group, he sounded unique and on top of his game.
So, back in 2021, I mentioned that Shoya Chiba was really starting to come into his own on stage. And now, even on his recordings, you can hear just how confident he’s become!
This was an important step in his career as, after a 2022 in which he may have started big but the rest of the year ended up being quiet, showing that Chiba was determined to improve and give his all in 2023.
In 2023 it was like a light switch was flipped, and was absolutely killing it as a performer in all the 2D music projects he’s involved in.
It is as if a switch was turned on and now, Shoya Chiba is in a perfect place as a performer for all the 2D music projects he is a part of and, finally, his solo debut with the impressive 1st EP “Blessing”.
After an outstanding set of performances in 2023, this is your Rising Star of the Year at THTFHQ AWARDS 2023.
From this point on, the seiyuu mentioned are not ranked (the order in which they appear below doesn’t correspond to the place they ranked in the final voting):
Chiaki Kobayashi
Chiaki Kobayashi was one of the biggest surprises in the 2D music scene in 2023 and while he was not as active as other rising stars in this list, he still made a big impact.
He’s been one of the highlights on the vocal end for XlamV while being quite impressive and incisive in his rapping with Goku Luck in the Paradox Live franchise.
After what Chiaki Kobayashi showed in 2023, I’m expecting Kobayashi to grow a lot in 2024, continuing to build up a name for himself when it comes to 2D groups.
Jin Ogasawara
Jin Ogasawara had a solid 2023 in which his work with GYROAXIA shone through. At the same time, he was active with the MAGATSU NOTE franchise. In both, he showed he’s a powerful rock singer and has yet a lot of potential to improve further.
When it comes to his solo career, he was active since the start of the year releasing the digital single “TOKYO HOLLYWOOD” and later in the year, he released his 1st album “Sokai Gyouretsusha”.
The bittersweet part in this tale arrived exactly with the announcement of his 1st album. Ogasawara announced effective immediately a hiatus from his solo artist activities, something that caught his fans by surprise.
Shun Horie
Shun Horie continues to be a force to be reckoned with in every single group – 2D or otherwise – he is a part of.
In 2023, he was active with SparQlew for their mini-album “We will…“.
He showed everyone just how breathtaking his singing can be with Anthos*, and was quite active in the FABULOUS NIGHT, VAZZROCK, and THE IDOLM@STER SideM franchises.
In all, he continued to showcase his control, the unique singing tone, and the delicate way he approached his lines then to deliver them with immense power.
Horie continues to trail an interesting path in his career, growing with every CD he participates in.
Ryota Suzuki
Ryota Suzuki kept on building up on top of all the hard work and growth he showed in 2022.
His 2023 could have been busy when it came to his performances with EROSION in the CARNELIAN BLOOD franchise.
However, due to a halt in the production of any new music at Rejet – following Daisuke Iwasaki’s sudden hospitalization -, the group was only active early on in the year with the release of a new album “NEW MIXTURE”.
With THE LAST METAL’s Venomous 8 being radio silent throughout the year, that left Suzuki with little to show in a year that could have been much more impressive for him.
Still, let’s not disregard his energy and power in all his performances with EROSION, being a cornerstone to the group’s intensity and cool performances.
Tetsuei Sumiya
Tetsuei Sumiya has one of the sweetest voices among the rising stars and continues to showcase his versatility in a wide variety of music genres from rock to pop, ballads, hip-hop, and punk-rock.
While 2023 was a bit quieter for him in comparison with the previous year, it was more than enough to impress in every opportunity he got with TOBARI, VISTY (Paradox Live franchise), and FAM (ENLIGHTRIBE franchise).
Yuki Sakakihara
To wrap up this feature we have Yuki Sakakihara. The talented tenor continues to show his talents as a singer for various 2D music projects.
His energy and passion can be felt in every single one of his performances and he keeps on consistently showcasing how emotional he can be.
In 2023, he was active with Bad Ass Temple in the Hypnosis Mic franchise and εpsilonΦ in the FROM ARGONAVIS franchise.
Thank you to everyone who voted at the THTFHQ AWARDS 2023!
