Kouji Nakata is a Japanese actor and voice actor born on January 26, 1939, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. His real name is Yoshihiro Nakata. He is a graduate of Waseda University's Department of Literature, where he studied Drama. His path to performance began during his high school years when he joined the drama club to overcome shyness, an experience that set him on his career path. Before founding his own theater company, he was a member of the theater group Youth Left. In 1976, Nakata established the theater company Gekidan Kai, which he presides over. His work in theater has been recognized with an Excellence Award at the Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Festival in 1982 for the stage production "Black Prayer Murder Case". Furthering his commitment to the performing arts, he established the Musashino Voice Actor Academy in 2003, serving as its representative.

Nakata's voice acting career spans several decades and includes a wide variety of roles in anime, OVAs, and films. In his early career, he took on titular roles such as Kamui in both the 1969 television series Ninpu Kamui Gaiden and the 1971 film Kamui Gaiden: Tsukihigai no Maki. He also portrayed the naturalist Seton in the 1989 television series Seton Dōbutsuki. His work in the science fiction genre includes the role of Count Egobossler in Gatchaman Fighter and the dual role of Narrator and Vice Consul Katerina in the OVA Dallos. He lent his voice to Ryūjin in the OVA Toki-iro Kaima and King Sazara in Eiyū Gaiden Mozaika. His filmography also features the role of the Narrator in the 1968 film Kyūbi no Kitsune to Tobimaru, Wong Dai in Megazone 23 Part III, and N'Dour in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OVA. He voiced Sadayoshi Karimata in the OVA Puppet Princess.

Beyond the roles specified, Nakata's voice is known to audiences of long-running franchises. He had recurring roles in multiple Detective Conan films, portraying Toshiro Odagiri in Captured in Her Eyes, The Lost Ship in The Sky, and Quarter of Silence, as well as Wataru Kaido in Strategy Above the Depths. He voiced Dr. Uirō (also known as Dr. Willow) in the Dragon Ball Z film The World's Strongest. His other notable anime credits include Jin Munakata in Aim for the Ace!, Ryuzaki in Akagi, Lucifer Hawk in Silent Möbius, and various roles in the Lupin III franchise. He also performed narration for series such as Ninja Resurrection and Fighting Foodons.