Kouji Totani was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator born on July 12, 1948, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He was a veteran performer affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production and was a graduate of the Toei Audio Talent School. Totani passed away on February 6, 2006, at the age of 57 due to acute heart failure. His final role was in the Naruto 2006 New Year one-hour special, where he voiced the character Hoki.

Totani's career spanned over three decades, from 1974 to 2006, during which he built an extensive filmography primarily known for voicing supporting characters, antagonists, and powerful figures in a wide array of anime series, OVAs, and films. He was a staple voice in many mecha and action-oriented franchises of the 1980s and 1990s.

He was particularly prominent in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, lending his voice to numerous characters across different series. These roles included Uragan and Cozun Graham in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Kacricon Cacooler and Gady Kinzei in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Gottn Goh and August Gidan in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Commander Killing in the Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket OVA, and Alpha A. Bate in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory and its compilation film, The Afterglow of Zeon.

Totani was also a significant presence in the various Transformers anime series produced in Japan during the 1980s. He voiced numerous Decepticons and combining robot components, such as Skullcruncher in Transformers: The Headmasters, Motormaster and Menasor in Transformers: Scramble City, Blood in Transformers: Super-God Masterforce, and both Blacker and Road Caesar in Transformers: Victory.

His work extended to other notable long-running series. In the Fist of the North Star franchise, he took on multiple roles, including the villainous Jagi and later Han in Fist of the North Star 2. For the Saint Seiya series, he was the voice of the Gold Saint Capricorn Shura. In the Dragon Ball franchise, his roles included Draculaman in the original Dragon Ball, the soldier Cui in Dragon Ball Z, and Don Kiar in Dragon Ball GT, as well as several movie-exclusive characters. He also voiced Akatora in Ginga Nagareboshi Gin and Don Goro in Mashin Hero Wataru.

Beyond anime, Totani was active in the field of video game voice acting, taking on roles that became iconic to a generation of gamers. He voiced Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Leon in Dead or Alive 2, 3, and 4, Doku in Ninja Gaiden, and Takeharu Kirijo in Persona 3. He also contributed to the tokusatsu genre, appearing in an episode of Mirai Sentai Timeranger. His dubbing work included providing the Japanese voice for characters in foreign films such as The Mask, Scarface, and Die Hard.