Casper Van Dien is an American actor and producer whose career is most defined by his portrayal of Johnny Rico, a role he originated in the 1997 live-action film Starship Troopers. His connection to this character extends into the realm of anime voice acting, most prominently with the 2017 computer-animated film Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars.

His background is firmly rooted in live-action performance. Before his breakthrough role in Starship Troopers, Van Dien appeared in television series such as One Life to Live and Beverly Hills, 90210. The success of Starship Troopers led to leading parts in films like Tarzan and the Lost City and a supporting role in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. He would later reprise his role as Johnny Rico in the live-action direct-to-video sequel Starship Troopers 3: Marauder and lent his voice to the character in a 2005 video game of the same name, demonstrating a long-standing commitment to the franchise.

Van Dien's most significant and well-documented entry into anime voice acting is Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars. Released in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original film, the movie is a Japanese-American co-production directed by celebrated anime filmmaker Shinji Aramaki, known for works like Appleseed Alpha. In this project, Van Dien returned to voice the now-war-weary and scarred Johnny Rico. He was joined by his original co-star Dina Meyer, who also reprised her role as Dizzy Flores. The film was written by Ed Neumeier, the screenwriter of the original 1997 movie.

Regarding his approach to voice acting for this role, Van Dien has noted it is a different discipline from live-action performance. In interviews, he mentioned that bringing the character of Johnny Rico back to life through voice was a natural process for him after playing the part for two decades. He also expressed a keen interest in the motion capture aspects of the production, highlighting his enthusiasm for the technical side of animated filmmaking. Beyond his voice performance, Van Dien also served as an executive producer on Traitor of Mars, marking a notable achievement and deeper involvement in the project.

While his voice role as Johnny Rico in Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars stands as his primary credit in the anime medium, it represents a significant convergence of his live-action career with the work of a key Japanese anime director. The film itself is a notable example of collaboration between American science fiction properties and Japanese animation studios, with Van Dien's participation providing a crucial link to the franchise's live-action origins.