Masaharu Satou is a veteran Japanese voice actor and narrator. He was born on July 1, 1946, in the Ōta ward of Tokyo. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Commerce at Komazawa University. Satou is affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.

Satou's path to voice acting began in his childhood, as he originally started as a child actor during elementary school. He made his voice acting debut in 1978 at the age of 32. A notable connection in his early career is his friendship with fellow voice actor Akira Kamiya, who was his high school classmate. After a period of time, they reunited while working in theatre, and Kamiya recommended that Satou pursue a career in voice acting.

His voice is characterized as a thick bass that can convey both a profound and a light-hearted feeling. This versatility has allowed him to play a wide range of characters throughout his lengthy career. He has frequently been cast in supporting and minor roles, often portraying characters who are either friendly or villainous. He is particularly known for roles that require a strong man, an elderly person, or a figure of high status and authority.

Satou has an extensive filmography that spans from the late 1970s to the present day. He is well-known for his work in several long-running and popular anime franchises. He played numerous roles in the various Kinnikuman anime series, including Buffaloman, Sunshine, and, as listed, King Mayumi Kinniku, Mammothman, and Maripsoa in Kinnikuman: Kinnikusei Ōi Sōdatsu-hen, as well as Chairman Harabote Muscle in Ultimate Muscle. He is notably the only voice actor to have appeared in the first generation, the battle for the throne arc, and the second generation of Kinnikuman animation.

He is also a prominent voice in the Dragon Ball franchise, where he has voiced characters such as Captain Black, Shenlong, and King Cold, and he later took over the role of the Kame-Sennin (Master Roshi) from the late Kōhei Miyauchi. His other significant roles include Musashi Miyamoto in Kenyū Densetsu Yaiba, Adah in Kouchuu Ouja Mushiking ~Mori no Tami no Densetsu~, and Doramed III in The Doraemons film series. The roles listed also confirm his participation in productions such as Galactic Patrol Lensman as Fritz von Hohendorff, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV as Al Luciano, Saruta Katz, and Wakasa, and Dancougar - Super Beast Machine God as General Gil Dorom.

Throughout his career, Satou has also been called upon to take over roles previously performed by deceased colleagues. He has succeeded roles from voice actors such as Kōji Totani, Kōhei Miyauchi, Eiji Kanie, and Junpei Takiguchi.