Karim Barras is a Swiss-French actor born in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1973, who has built an extensive career in both on-screen and voice acting. He trained at the Institut National Supérieur des Arts du Spectacle (I.N.S.A.S.) in Brussels, graduating in 1993, and has resided in Brussels for a significant period. His career began in theatre, where he received early recognition including the Prix du Théâtre for best young actor, and he has continued to balance stage work with film, television, and voice roles.

In the realm of anime voice acting for French-language versions, Barras has lent his voice to a wide array of characters across numerous popular series. He is known for his role as Lord Ruthven in The Case Study of Vanitas, as well as providing voices for other characters in the series such as Marco and the father of Jean-Jacques. He also voiced the character Toshiro in the film Harlock: Space Pirate. A long-running role includes Benkei Hanawa in the Beyblade franchise, appearing in Metal Fight Beyblade, the film Metal Fight Beyblade VS Taiyō Shakunetsu no Shinryakusha, and Beyblade: Shogun Steel.

Beyond these roles, his extensive anime voiceography demonstrates his range. He has voiced the iconic antagonist Makoto Shishio in Rurouni Kenshin, Gaito in Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, and multiple characters in Inazuma Eleven, including Edgar Partinus and Xavier Foster. He has also taken on roles in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's as Blister and Lug, Wataru Akiyama in Initial D: Fourth Stage, and Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds Beyond Time. His more recent work includes roles in B: The Beginning Succession, Darwin's Game, The Dungeon of Black Company, and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

In addition to anime, Barras's voice work extends to Western animation, where he is notably the French voice of Jake the Dog in Adventure Time. He has also voiced characters in series such as Winx Club as Ogron, and in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as Luke Cage. His voice acting is not limited to animation; he has dubbed the French voices for numerous live-action actors, including Kevin Hart, Jesse Eisenberg, and Chris Pratt in various films.

Barras's work in the voice acting industry has also seen him take on creative and leadership roles. He has served as a dubbing director, notably directing the French adaptation for the sixteenth episode of The Case Study of Vanitas. In addition to his voice work, he maintains an active on-screen career, with film credits including OSS 117: Alerte rouge en Afrique noire, Un silence, and Bisons, for which he was nominated for the Swiss Film Award for Best Actor in 2024. His performance in the television series Quartier des Banques earned him the Swiss Television Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2018.