Takeshi Kusao is a veteran Japanese actor, voice actor, and singer born on November 20, 1965, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He is affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production. Kusao began his path to voice acting after graduating from high school, during which time he failed his university entrance exams. He subsequently enrolled in the Aoni Juku training school, the training institute affiliated with Aoni Production, where he studied voice acting fundamentals for one year. He graduated as a member of the Tokyo campus's sixth cohort alongside fellow voice actress Yuma Uchida. He made his debut in the animation industry in 1987, with one of his earliest roles being Kai in the landmark animated film Akira in 1988.

Kusao's first major leading role came in 1988 as Ryo Sanada in the television series Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, known in some regions as Ronin Warriors. The show's popularity led to the formation of the voice-acting singing group NG5 with his four co-stars. The group experienced significant commercial success at the height of its popularity, with related CD sales reaching 700,000 units and a music video that topped the Oricon charts.

Kusao is widely recognized for his portrayal of Trunks across the Dragon Ball franchise, a role he has played for decades. He has voiced the character in numerous television series including Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and Super Dragon Ball Heroes, as well as in theatrical films such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. He has also voiced the combined character of Gotenks and other minor characters within the series. Manga creator Akira Toriyama personally affirmed Kusao as the correct choice to voice both the child and teenage incarnations of the character.

Another defining role of his career is Hanamichi Sakuragi, the energetic and passionate protagonist of the sports anime and manga series Slam Dunk. He voiced the character in the original television anime series from 1993 and in several subsequent theatrical films.

Throughout his long career, Kusao has demonstrated considerable vocal range, taking on a wide variety of character types. He is known for portraying energetic and heroic young men, such as Lamune in Knights of Ramune & 40, Gou Ichimonji in Getter Robo Go, and Adol Christin in the adaptations of the Ys video game series. He has also played more serious and stoic warriors like Parn in Record of the Lodoss War and Capricorn Shura in the Saint Seiya: Hades OVAs. His repertoire includes calm and collected figures such as Ky Kiske in the Guilty Gear fighting game series and Yukimura Sanada in the Samurai Warriors game series. Kusao has also frequently taken on comedic and non-human roles, including the ninja frog Dororo in Sgt. Frog and the fairy Coco in the Yes! PreCure 5 series.

In addition to animation, Kusao's body of work includes roles in video games, original video animations, and live-action tokusatsu productions. He played the lead role of Kabutack in the 1996-1997 tokusatsu series B-Robo Kabutack and also made a live-action cameo appearance in the series.

Kusao continues to be active in the voice acting industry, taking on new roles in ongoing and new series. His recent work includes Mushitarō Oguri in Bungo Stray Dogs, Ragar Kertia in Noblesse, and a return to the role of Joe Kido in the Digimon Adventure: reboot series.