Kazumi Tanaka
Description
Kazumi Tanaka was a Japanese voice actor and narrator, active in the anime industry from the early 1980s until his passing in 2007. He was born on August 11, 1951, in the Suginami district of Tokyo, and was the younger brother of fellow voice actor Ryouichi Tanaka. At the time of his death, he was affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.
Tanaka's career encompassed a wide range of roles in television anime, Original Video Animations, and feature films. One of his earliest roles was as Carmen Khamen in the 1981 science fiction series Galaxy Cyclone Braiger. He built a reputation for voicing a variety of characters, from quirky villains to supporting allies. In the long-running Dragon Ball Z franchise, he was known as the voice of Jeice, a member of the Ginyu Force. He also contributed to the Transformers metaseries, voicing the character Killbison in Transformers: Victory. Other notable anime roles included Yoki in the film Bikkuriman: Moen Zone no Himitsu, Nobuo Kaneko in the Be-Bop Kaizokuban OVA, Kiyosumi Katō in the Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter OVA, and a young Shiina in the Mermaid Forest OVA. His filmography also includes performances in acclaimed movies such as Akira and Vampire Hunter D.
Beyond animation, Tanaka frequently lent his voice to video games. His game credits include Hajime Busuzima in the Bloody Roar series, The Fear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and characters in the Ys and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure games. He also worked as a narrator, most notably for the Nippon Television program The Wide.
Throughout his career, Tanaka collaborated with many fellow voice actors on numerous projects. He worked alongside actors such as Daisuke Gōri and Kaneto Shiozawa in various anime and films. His final role was as Thomas in the television anime Porphy no Nagai Tabi, which was broadcast posthumously in 2008. Kazumi Tanaka passed away on December 20, 2007, at the age of 56.
Tanaka's career encompassed a wide range of roles in television anime, Original Video Animations, and feature films. One of his earliest roles was as Carmen Khamen in the 1981 science fiction series Galaxy Cyclone Braiger. He built a reputation for voicing a variety of characters, from quirky villains to supporting allies. In the long-running Dragon Ball Z franchise, he was known as the voice of Jeice, a member of the Ginyu Force. He also contributed to the Transformers metaseries, voicing the character Killbison in Transformers: Victory. Other notable anime roles included Yoki in the film Bikkuriman: Moen Zone no Himitsu, Nobuo Kaneko in the Be-Bop Kaizokuban OVA, Kiyosumi Katō in the Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter OVA, and a young Shiina in the Mermaid Forest OVA. His filmography also includes performances in acclaimed movies such as Akira and Vampire Hunter D.
Beyond animation, Tanaka frequently lent his voice to video games. His game credits include Hajime Busuzima in the Bloody Roar series, The Fear in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and characters in the Ys and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure games. He also worked as a narrator, most notably for the Nippon Television program The Wide.
Throughout his career, Tanaka collaborated with many fellow voice actors on numerous projects. He worked alongside actors such as Daisuke Gōri and Kaneto Shiozawa in various anime and films. His final role was as Thomas in the television anime Porphy no Nagai Tabi, which was broadcast posthumously in 2008. Kazumi Tanaka passed away on December 20, 2007, at the age of 56.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Galaxy Cyclone Braiger
- JapaneseAnime overview: Transformers: Victory
- JapaneseAnime overview: Bikkuriman: Moen Zone no Himitsu
- JapaneseAnime overview: Be-Bop Kaizokuban
- JapaneseAnime overview: Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter
- JapaneseAnime overview: Mermaid Forest