Ryusei Nakao is a highly accomplished Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer. He was born Tomoharu Takeo on February 5, 1951, in Tokyo, Japan, and is affiliated with the talent agency 81 Produce. He began his entertainment career at a very young age, joining the Himawari Theatre Group at three and making his radio drama debut at five. His first voice role in animation came in 1965 with the series Uchū Patrol Hopper. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Nakao has become renowned for his distinctive, high-pitched voice, which is often used to portray charismatic and sadistic villains, a niche he has mastered. However, his versatility also extends to comedic and heroic characters.

Nakao is perhaps best known for two long-running and iconic roles. Since 1988, he has voiced the mischievous Baikinman (Germ Man) in the beloved children's series Soreike! Anpanman, a role that has made him a household name in Japan. Simultaneously, he has been the voice of the tyrannical Emperor Frieza in the Dragon Ball franchise, starting with Dragon Ball Z in 1990 and continuing through numerous films and series such as Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and the Super Dragon Ball Heroes promotional anime. His portrayal of Frieza is considered definitive. Beyond these, his filmography includes a vast array of memorable characters. In Bleach, he voices the eccentric and creepy 12th Division Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a role he has reprised for the Thousand-Year Blood War arc. In One Piece, he is known for the mad scientist Caesar Clown. His other prominent roles include Sniff in Tanoshii Moomin Ikka, Isamu Nishimura in Touch, Carlos Rivera in Ashita no Joe 2, and Takashi Shirogane in Beast King GoLion.

The extensive list of roles provided demonstrates the remarkable breadth of his career across different genres and demographics. In comedic and surreal contexts, he voiced Popuko in one segment of Pop Team Epic and Matsunaga Buu Hisahide in Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga. In sports anime, he portrayed the strict coach Tanji Washijō in Haikyu!! To The Top. He has taken on villainous roles in magical girl anime, such as Noise in Suite PreCure and Nana in Magical Girl Site. His work extends to historical epics with roles like Dionysius in Aoi Bungaku Series and Louis Mashengo in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, as well as mysteries like Requiem from the Darkness. He has voiced characters in classic adaptations such as Treasure Island and The Sound of Waves, and in various Anpanman films, he has consistently voiced Baikinman. His filmography also includes roles in Time Patrol Bon, Baki, Igano Kabamaru, and as Cooler in various Dragon Ball projects.

Nakao's contributions to the voice acting industry have been recognized with several prestigious awards. He received the Kei Tomiyama Award at the 11th Seiyu Awards in 2017. He also won the Anime Division Best Voice Actor Award at the 25th Japan Movie Critics Awards for his performance in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F. Furthermore, he was part of the cast that received a Special Award at the 8th Seiyu Awards for their work on the long-running series Soreike! Anpanman. His career is marked by long-term collaborations, most notably with the Anpanman and Dragon Ball franchises, where he has voiced characters for over thirty years. He is also the father of voice actor Kazuma Takeo.