Ryo Horikawa is a veteran Japanese actor and voice actor born on February 1, 1958, in Osaka, Japan. He is married to fellow voice actress Hitomi Oikawa. He was originally affiliated with Aoni Production and is currently the representative director of the talent agency Aslead Company, which he founded in 2004. His former stage name was also Ryo Horikawa, written with the kanji 堀川亮 (his birth name, Makoto Horikawa), before he changed the writing of his name to the hiragana 堀川りょう on April 3, 2001.

Horikawa began his entertainment career as a child actor in elementary school. He made his voice acting debut in 1984 as the protagonist Kenta Hirono in the anime Dream Soldier Wing-Man. In his early years, he was known for playing timid or androgynous characters, a notable example being Andromeda Shun in the long-running series Saint Seiya (1986). His career trajectory expanded significantly when he began taking on rival and charismatic roles, most iconically as Vegeta in the Dragon Ball series.

Horikawa is globally renowned for his long-standing portrayal of the Saiyan prince Vegeta across the entire Dragon Ball franchise. This includes Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Kai, Dragon Ball Super, and numerous theatrical films such as Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018) and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022). He also voices Vegeta in various video games and original video animations (OVAs) like Dragon Ball: Yo! The Return of Son Goku and Friends!!. Another signature and long-running role is that of Heiji Hattori, the young detective from Osaka, in the Detective Conan (Case Closed) series, a part he has played since 1996 across television episodes, films, and OVAs.

Horikawa's career is marked by a series of leading and memorable roles in major franchises. He voiced the ambitious Reinhard von Lohengramm in the seminal space opera Legend of the Galactic Heroes and its related films and OVAs. In the mecha genre, he played protagonist Kou Uraki in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. He has also taken on villainous roles, such as the antagonist Karasu in YuYu Hakusho. His versatility extends to comedic characters like Tadao Yokoshima in Ghost Sweeper Mikami and the eccentric Pipimi in Pop Team Epic (2018). Other roles from the user's query that are confirmed in his filmography include Tsutomu Harako in the Magical Taruruuto-kun series, Siegfried in Circlet Princess (2019), Kagetora Nagano in ACTORS: Songs Connection (2019), Game Master in I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives (2020), and Ken Horibe in Hairpin Double (2022).

Beyond his acting work, Horikawa is known to be a fluent English speaker, holding a Level 1 certification in the Test of Practical English Proficiency. He has also taken on roles in sound supervision and has explored being a YouTuber. His vocal range and longevity have allowed him to portray a wide spectrum of characters, from space emperors like Reinhard and Amaterasu in The Five Star Stories, to warriors, detectives, and comedic figures, leaving a significant mark on the anime industry.