Hikaru Urano
Description
Hikaru Urano was a Japanese voice actor and narrator born on September 22, 1931, in Kanagawa Prefecture. He began his career after joining the TBS broadcasting troupe as a research student in 1958. He was active in the industry for several decades and passed away on May 2, 2018, at the age of 86.
Urano became widely recognized for his distinctive dignified yet plain and lithe voice. He is perhaps best known for his extensive work as a narrator, particularly his long-standing association with Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Series. He served as the narrator for the classic shows Ultraman, taking over from episode 20 onwards, and Ultraseven. His narration work for the studio also included the tokusatsu series Mirror Man and Jumborg A. Beyond narration, he also provided the voice for the character Zoffy in the Ultraman franchise. His connection to the series continued for decades, as he narrated later theatrical releases such as Ultraman ZOFFY: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army and the 1993 crossover film Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider. In the realm of anime, he played the role of the narrator in the 1971 wartime historical series Animentary: The Decision.
Throughout his career, Urano had a notable recurring collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions, becoming a signature voice for their tokusatsu projects in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was also known for being the primary dubbing voice for American actors James Stewart and Robert Mitchum in Japanese-language releases of foreign films. In a different vein, he provided the Japanese voice for the iconic cartoon character Popeye in his earliest appearances.
Among his notable achievements, Urano is remembered as a defining narrator of the early Ultra Series, a role that made him a symbol of that era for many fans. His influence extended beyond television and film; for three decades starting in the 1960s, he was a prominent figure in Japanese advertising, recording commercials for several long-running wide-show programs.
Urano became widely recognized for his distinctive dignified yet plain and lithe voice. He is perhaps best known for his extensive work as a narrator, particularly his long-standing association with Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Series. He served as the narrator for the classic shows Ultraman, taking over from episode 20 onwards, and Ultraseven. His narration work for the studio also included the tokusatsu series Mirror Man and Jumborg A. Beyond narration, he also provided the voice for the character Zoffy in the Ultraman franchise. His connection to the series continued for decades, as he narrated later theatrical releases such as Ultraman ZOFFY: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army and the 1993 crossover film Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider. In the realm of anime, he played the role of the narrator in the 1971 wartime historical series Animentary: The Decision.
Throughout his career, Urano had a notable recurring collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions, becoming a signature voice for their tokusatsu projects in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was also known for being the primary dubbing voice for American actors James Stewart and Robert Mitchum in Japanese-language releases of foreign films. In a different vein, he provided the Japanese voice for the iconic cartoon character Popeye in his earliest appearances.
Among his notable achievements, Urano is remembered as a defining narrator of the early Ultra Series, a role that made him a symbol of that era for many fans. His influence extended beyond television and film; for three decades starting in the 1960s, he was a prominent figure in Japanese advertising, recording commercials for several long-running wide-show programs.