Ron Allen is a name used by the American voice actor Kirk Thornton for various roles in English-language dubs of Japanese anime series and other animated projects. He has had a lengthy and prolific career in the industry since the late 1980s and 1990s, working extensively as both a voice actor and an ADR director and script writer. Thornton is known for a wide range of character voices, often portraying rugged, moody, or authoritative figures.

The name Ron Allen has been credited in several notable anime roles, including many of the specific parts mentioned. In the comedy series Here Is Greenwood, he is the voice of Kazuhiro Hasukawa, the older brother of the main character and the school nurse. In the mecha series Fafner, he voices Fumihiko Makabe, the father of the protagonist Kazuki Makabe. He also provided the voice for the lead character, Brandon Heat, in the series Gungrave under the Ron Allen alias. Other credits using this name include the role of Seta Noriyasu in Love Hina, where he was credited as Ronald Allen, and various characters in the Ys OVAs.

As Kirk Thornton, his extensive filmography includes major roles such as Jin in Samurai Champloo, Klein in Sword Art Online, Hajime Saito in Rurouni Kenshin, Kisame Hoshigaki in the Naruto series, and the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog and Orbot in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. He has also been the narrator for the long-running series Bleach, which he also co-directed, and has voiced numerous characters across the various Digimon series.

Beyond acting, Thornton has frequently taken on ADR director and script adaptation duties for many anime titles, contributing to the English-language production of shows like Bleach, Durarara!!×2, and Blood Lad. His work spans several decades and includes voice roles in animation, video games, and films.