Ryō Horikawa is a veteran Japanese actor and voice actor born on February 1, 1958, in Osaka, Japan. His real name is Makoto Horikawa, and he is the representative director of the talent agency Aslead Company. He began his entertainment career as a child actor during elementary school before transitioning to voice acting.

Horikawa made his voice acting debut in 1984 as the protagonist Kenta Hirono in the anime Dream Soldier Wing-Man. His early career included roles in series such as Fist of the North Star and Dr. Slump. A significant early role came in 1986 when he was cast as Andromeda Shun in Saint Seiya, where he employed a柔美平和略带点女性化但却不失气势的音调, or a soft,平和, and slightly androgynous yet powerful tone, to portray the character's outwardly gentle but inwardly strong nature.

Horikawa's career is defined by several iconic and long-running roles. He is perhaps best known globally as the voice of Vegeta in the Dragon Ball franchise, a role he has played since Dragon Ball Z in 1989 and continued in subsequent series like Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball GT, and numerous theatrical films. Another major role is Heiji Hattori in Detective Conan (Case Closed), a part he has voiced since the character's introduction in the television series in 1997 and in many subsequent films, including the 2024 release Detective Conan: Hyakuman Doru no Michishirube. For this role, he is noted for giving the character a distinct and energetic Kansai dialect. In 1988, he took on the role of Reinhard von Lohengramm in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a performance for which he deliberately slowed his speech to project the character's commanding and noble presence. Other significant roles include Kou Uraki in Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Takeshi Onimaru in Legend of the Swordmaster Yaiba, and Tadao Yokoshima in Ghost Sweeper Mikami.

Throughout his career, Horikawa has demonstrated a wide vocal range, moving between gentle characters, charismatic rivals, and comedic roles. His work as Vegeta marked a turning point, leading to many subsequent roles as rival characters in various series. In video games, he is well-known as the voice of Captain Falcon in the Super Smash Bros. series, delivering the iconic line Falcon Punch. He also voiced Dias Flac in Star Ocean: The Second Story and Dunban in Xenoblade Chronicles.

Horikawa has been married to fellow voice actress Hitomi Oikawa since 1988. He was formerly affiliated with Aoni Production and Ark Lights before founding his own agency, Aslead Company, where he also serves as the representative director. He is known to be a fluent English speaker. His work also extends to tokusatsu, with appearances in series like Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and Kamen Rider Revice.