Takashi Inagaki
Description
Takashi Inagaki was a Japanese actor and voice actor born on May 11, 1937. He passed away on March 12, 2025, at the age of 87. Hailing from Shibukawa City in Gunma Prefecture, he began his career after graduating from the prestigious Haiyuza Acting School as part of its eighth intake. He subsequently joined the Mingei Theater Company, making his professional stage debut in 1960 in the play The Cage, directed by Jukichi Uno. Throughout his long career, his primary dedication remained to live theater, though he also built an extensive body of work in television dramas, films, and voice acting. He was known for his skill in playing the piano.
In the realm of anime and voice acting, Inagaki was frequently cast in roles that called for mature, authoritative, or elderly male characters. One of his notable early anime roles was as Iwao Yamakawa in the 1998 special Kobocha Special: Yakusoku no Magic D. His other television anime credits include Akemi's Father in Saikano (2002), Gaia in Yakitate!! Japan (2004), the Mosquito in Soul Eater (2008), Suguro's Father in Blue Exorcist (2011), Cain in The Seven Deadly Sins (2014), and Godo in the 2016 Berserk series. In film, he voiced Joseph Dzhugashvili in the 2019 feature Saga of Tanya the Evil - The Movie.
Beyond anime, Inagaki was highly active in the field of dubbing foreign films and television series into Japanese. He was particularly renowned for providing the Japanese voice of Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the Star Wars franchise. His extensive dubbing filmography also included roles in films such as The X-Files, The Day of the Jackal, The Godfather Part II, The Sound of Music, and Alice in Wonderland. He also lent his voice to the character Yen Sid in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
In recognition of his cultural contributions, Inagaki was appointed as a tourism ambassador for his hometown, Shibukawa, in 2013, a role he held for two years. After a period of illness in 2016, he successfully returned to performing in 2017. Takashi Inagaki's legacy is that of a versatile and respected performer whose career spanned over six decades, leaving a significant mark on Japanese theater, television, and animation.
In the realm of anime and voice acting, Inagaki was frequently cast in roles that called for mature, authoritative, or elderly male characters. One of his notable early anime roles was as Iwao Yamakawa in the 1998 special Kobocha Special: Yakusoku no Magic D. His other television anime credits include Akemi's Father in Saikano (2002), Gaia in Yakitate!! Japan (2004), the Mosquito in Soul Eater (2008), Suguro's Father in Blue Exorcist (2011), Cain in The Seven Deadly Sins (2014), and Godo in the 2016 Berserk series. In film, he voiced Joseph Dzhugashvili in the 2019 feature Saga of Tanya the Evil - The Movie.
Beyond anime, Inagaki was highly active in the field of dubbing foreign films and television series into Japanese. He was particularly renowned for providing the Japanese voice of Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the Star Wars franchise. His extensive dubbing filmography also included roles in films such as The X-Files, The Day of the Jackal, The Godfather Part II, The Sound of Music, and Alice in Wonderland. He also lent his voice to the character Yen Sid in the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
In recognition of his cultural contributions, Inagaki was appointed as a tourism ambassador for his hometown, Shibukawa, in 2013, a role he held for two years. After a period of illness in 2016, he successfully returned to performing in 2017. Takashi Inagaki's legacy is that of a versatile and respected performer whose career spanned over six decades, leaving a significant mark on Japanese theater, television, and animation.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Yakusoku no Magic D
- JapaneseAnime overview: Soul Eater