Yasunori Matsumoto is a veteran Japanese actor and voice actor born on February 7, 1960, in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with the talent management firm Sigma Seven. Before pursuing a career in performance, Matsumoto graduated from the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Law at Chuo University, having originally aspired to become a bureaucrat. His path changed after he was inspired by film and theater, leading him to join a theater troupe and subsequently enter the world of voice acting. His debut role was in the anime television series Manga Nihon Keizai Nyūmon.

Matsumoto's career, which began in the late 1980s, is marked by a wide range of prominent and long-running roles. He gained early popularity with leading parts in series such as Sonic Soldier Borgman, where he voiced Ryo Hibiki, and in Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers, where he played the antagonist Anubis. Throughout the 1990s, he secured several signature roles, including the perpetually hungry but skilled swordsman Gourry Gabriev in the Slayers franchise, Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, and Noal Vereuse in Tekkaman Blade. He also voiced Magnum Ace in Shippū! Iron Leaguer and Yutaro Katori in The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird. His filmography from this era includes a vast array of other characters, such as Goemon in Anime Ganbare Goemon, Lucky Star in Tottemo! Luckyman, and Curtis Lawson in the Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko series.

In the 2000s, Matsumoto continued to take on diverse and notable roles. He is known for voicing Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Alejandro Corner in Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Noriyasu Seta in Love Hina. He also played Archanfel in Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor, Joe in GUNxSWORD, and Wester in Fresh Pretty Cure. A significant part of his later career includes taking over established roles in long-running franchises. Since 2000, he has voiced Norisuke Namino in the iconic family anime Sazae-san, and since 2005, he has been the voice of Nobisuke Nobi, Nobita's father, in the Doraemon anime series and numerous films, including Stand By Me Doraemon 2.

Matsumoto's work is not limited to television anime. He has an extensive list of credits in original video animations (OVAs) from the late 1980s and 1990s, a period known for such productions. These include roles like Cpl. Mellowlink Arity in Armor Hunter Mellowlink, Shinichi Kuruma in The Demonic Beast Front, and Kosaku Ogata in Seikimatsu Darling. He has also contributed his voice to numerous video game franchises, such as Guy Cecil in the Tales series and Folka Albark in Super Robot Wars.

Throughout his career, Matsumoto has demonstrated considerable versatility, moving seamlessly between comedic characters like Gourry Gabriev, serious heroes, and villains. He has a noted long-standing professional relationship with fellow voice actress Megumi Hayashibara, having co-starred with her in series such as Slayers and Tekkaman Blade. Beyond acting, he is also active as a narrator and has performed theme songs for various projects. He was formerly a member of Production Baobab and served as chairman of the theater company Sugoroku until 2016. He was married to voice actress Junko Sakuma until her passing in 2011.