Ryuuzou Ishino is a Japanese voice actor and theater actor born on December 12, 1962, in Tokyo, Japan. He is affiliated with the talent management firm 81 Produce and has been active in the entertainment industry since 1986.

His path to a performing arts career was not direct. Initially drawn to music, he began playing piano in kindergarten and guitar at the age of thirteen, with the goal of becoming a singer. He participated in choirs and band activities through high school and initially enrolled in university to pursue a career as a scientific researcher. It was during this time that he began training in voice acting, which led to a discovery of his passion for theater. At the age of twenty, he decided to change his career path and entered a voice actor training school. He made his debut in the industry at the age of twenty-five through auditions for educational videos before moving into mainstream voice acting.

Ishino is widely recognized for two signature roles that have defined his career. He is the voice of Chang Wufei, the pilot of the Shenlong Gundam, from the highly popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and its various sequel OVAs and special editions, including Endless Waltz and Operation Meteor. His other landmark role is the boisterous pirate warrior Chōsokabe Motochika in the Sengoku Basara franchise, a part he has played across multiple anime series, including the original Sengoku Basara, Sengoku Basara Two, Sengoku Basara Judge End, and the comedic spinoff Gakuen Basara: Samurai High School. His energetic performance and signature catchphrase for the character, "Little ones!!!," became a beloved interactive moment with fans at live franchise events.

Beyond these prominent roles, Ishino has built an extensive and varied career with numerous credits in anime, video games, tokusatsu, and dubbing. His anime filmography includes roles such as God in Kyōryū Bōkenki Jura Tripper, Suzuki in The Legend of Black Heaven, Tommy Fujioka in Hyper Police, and Zapiero Muttaaca in GUNxSWORD. He has also been a recurring presence in the Duel Masters franchise, voicing characters like Bucchake in Duel Masters Victory V3 and Duel Masters Versus Revolution Final. In the realm of video games, his work includes lending his voice to Luzzu in Final Fantasy X and Kurtz in Tales of Graces. His talents extend to dubbing foreign animation, where he has provided the Japanese voices for Furball in Tiny Toon Adventures, Bendy in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Salty in Thomas & Friends. He has also made numerous guest appearances in tokusatsu series such as Juken Sentai Gekiranger, Kamen Rider Kiva, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, and Ultraman R&B.

A notable aspect of Ishino's career is his deep connection to theater and his innovative approach to performance. In April 2012, he founded a unique form of acting he calls Katari Shibai, a storytelling style where a single performer handles both narration and character acting, which is inspired by the traditional Japanese art of rakugo. His work as a theater actor, teacher, and his skills with Edo dialect further demonstrate his commitment to the performing arts beyond voice acting. Colleagues and fans alike often refer to him by the affectionate nickname Aniki, meaning Big Brother, a moniker that solidified through his role in the Sengoku BASARA series.