Banjou Ginga
Description
Banjō Ginga is a highly accomplished Japanese voice actor and narrator, renowned for his deep, resonant baritone voice. Born on November 12, 1948, in Kofu, Yamanashi, he is affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production. He began his career in the 1970s and was originally credited under his real name, Takashi Tanaka. Ginga is married to fellow voice actress Gara Takashima, a bond formed during their work dubbing the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he voiced Worf and she voiced Deanna Troi.
Throughout his extensive career, which spans over five decades, Ginga has become particularly celebrated for his portrayals of powerful, charismatic, and often villainous characters. His performances have left an indelible mark on the anime and video game industries. Some of his most iconic and enduring roles include the manipulative Gihren Zabi in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise and the formidable Souther in the original Fist of the North Star series. His voice has also become synonymous with several major video game characters, such as the villainous Liquid Snake and the enigmatic Major Zero from the Metal Gear Solid series, as well as the fighting game patriarch Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series.
Ginga's filmography is vast and diverse, encompassing thousands of roles across anime, OVA, and video games. In addition to the roles provided, his credits include the gravely serious Jean Paul Rochina in Armored Trooper Votoms, the loving father figure Shohei Harada in Touch, the powerful Dragon Clan leader King Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z, the eccentric Babbo in MÄR, the whimsical Narrator in Nichijou, and the wise Hunter Netero in Hunter x Hunter (2011). He has also been a prominent presence in the Transformers franchise, voicing numerous characters including Scorponok, Black Zarak, and Ultra Magnus. In more recent years, he has continued to take on prominent roles, such as Kyōjirō Mikuriya in Night Head 2041, Robert in Listeners, the authoritative Senzaemon Nakiri in the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma series, Go Gunhee in Solo Leveling, and even the surreal Pipimi in one half of a Pop Team Epic episode.
Throughout his long career, Banjō Ginga has frequently collaborated with a wide circle of other voice actors. Data from behind-the-voice-actors.com indicates that his most frequent collaborator is Tessho Genda, with whom he has worked on numerous projects, totaling over 70 team-ups. He has also shared the recording booth with other prominent figures like Akio Ōtsuka and the late Koji Totani and Daisuke Gori on dozens of occasions.
A testament to his iconic status, Ginga's voice was selected in 2024 by his agency, Aoni Production, for a pioneering project with the AI voice platform CoeFont. His voice is being converted into an AI-generated version for use in multiple languages, intended for non-acting applications such as voice assistants and medical devices, underscoring the unique familiarity and trust associated with his voice.
Throughout his extensive career, which spans over five decades, Ginga has become particularly celebrated for his portrayals of powerful, charismatic, and often villainous characters. His performances have left an indelible mark on the anime and video game industries. Some of his most iconic and enduring roles include the manipulative Gihren Zabi in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise and the formidable Souther in the original Fist of the North Star series. His voice has also become synonymous with several major video game characters, such as the villainous Liquid Snake and the enigmatic Major Zero from the Metal Gear Solid series, as well as the fighting game patriarch Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series.
Ginga's filmography is vast and diverse, encompassing thousands of roles across anime, OVA, and video games. In addition to the roles provided, his credits include the gravely serious Jean Paul Rochina in Armored Trooper Votoms, the loving father figure Shohei Harada in Touch, the powerful Dragon Clan leader King Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z, the eccentric Babbo in MÄR, the whimsical Narrator in Nichijou, and the wise Hunter Netero in Hunter x Hunter (2011). He has also been a prominent presence in the Transformers franchise, voicing numerous characters including Scorponok, Black Zarak, and Ultra Magnus. In more recent years, he has continued to take on prominent roles, such as Kyōjirō Mikuriya in Night Head 2041, Robert in Listeners, the authoritative Senzaemon Nakiri in the Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma series, Go Gunhee in Solo Leveling, and even the surreal Pipimi in one half of a Pop Team Epic episode.
Throughout his long career, Banjō Ginga has frequently collaborated with a wide circle of other voice actors. Data from behind-the-voice-actors.com indicates that his most frequent collaborator is Tessho Genda, with whom he has worked on numerous projects, totaling over 70 team-ups. He has also shared the recording booth with other prominent figures like Akio Ōtsuka and the late Koji Totani and Daisuke Gori on dozens of occasions.
A testament to his iconic status, Ginga's voice was selected in 2024 by his agency, Aoni Production, for a pioneering project with the AI voice platform CoeFont. His voice is being converted into an AI-generated version for use in multiple languages, intended for non-acting applications such as voice assistants and medical devices, underscoring the unique familiarity and trust associated with his voice.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Night Head 2041
- JapaneseAnime overview: Pop Team Epic
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Fourth Plate
- JapaneseAnime overview: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Fourth Plate
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Laws of the Universe: The Age of Elohim
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: GeGeGe no Kitarō
- JapaneseAnime overview: GeGeGe no Kitarō
- JapaneseAnime overview: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Fifth Plate
- JapaneseAnime overview: Geba Geba Shō Time!
- JapaneseAnime overview: Toriko the Movie: Secret Recipe of Gourmet God!
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Rebirth of Buddha
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Girl Who Leapt Through Space
- JapaneseAnime overview: Galaxy Express 999 for Planetarium
- JapaneseAnime overview: Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Arc
- JapaneseAnime overview: Mazinkaiser SKL
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files
- JapaneseAnime overview: Touch 3: Don't Pass Me By
- JapaneseAnime overview: Touch 2: Sayonara no Okurimono
- JapaneseAnime overview: Touch: Sebangou no Nai Ace
- JapaneseAnime overview: Desert Rose
- JapaneseAnime overview: Space Runaway Ideon: Contact
- JapaneseAnime overview: Transformers: Super God Masterforce
- JapaneseAnime overview: Transformers: Scramble City
- JapaneseAnime overview: Transformers: The Headmasters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Galactic Patrol Lensman
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Himitsu no Akko-chan
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Jungle Book: Shōnen Mowgli
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- JapaneseAnime overview: Kirby: Right Back At Ya!
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- JapaneseAnime overview: The Weathering Continent
- JapaneseAnime overview: 80 Days Around the World With Willy Fog
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Ai no Senshi Rainbowman
- JapaneseAnime overview: Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW
- JapaneseAnime overview: Dai Yamato Zero-go
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files
- JapaneseAnime overview: Document Taiyou no Kiba Dougram
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Laws of Eternity
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Demonic Beast Front
- JapaneseAnime overview: Nekohiki no Oruorane
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- JapaneseAnime overview: Viewtiful Joe
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- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Fleet Dairugger XV
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Fleet Dairugger XV
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- JapaneseAnime overview: Roots Search
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Super Dimension Century Orguss
- JapaneseAnime overview: Master of Mosquiton '99
- JapaneseAnime overview: Gude Crest - The Emblem of Gude
- JapaneseAnime overview: Luna Varga
- JapaneseAnime overview: Space Travelers
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Trooper Votoms
- JapaneseAnime overview: Mobile Suit Gundam - The Movie Trilogy
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Laws of the Universe Part 0
- JapaneseAnime overview: The Super Dimension Century Orguss: Memorial
- JapaneseAnime overview: Shiranpuri
- JapaneseAnime overview: Midoriyama Kōkō Kōshien-hen
- JapaneseAnime overview: Running Man
- Japanese
- JapaneseAnime overview: Sakigake!! Otoko Juku
- JapaneseAnime overview: Mugen Shinshi: Bōken Katsugeki Hen
- JapaneseAnime overview: Armored Trooper Votoms: The Heretic Saint
- JapaneseAnime overview: Cyborg 009 Gekijō Ban: Chō Ginga Densetsu
- JapaneseAnime overview: Love Position - The Legend of Halley
- JapaneseAnime overview: New Getter Robo
- JapaneseAnime overview: Sangokushi