Tōru Ōhira was a Japanese narrator and voice actor born in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area on September 24, 1929. He passed away on April 12, 2016, due to pneumonia. He was the founder of his own talent management agency, Ōhira Production, and was later affiliated with 81 Produce.

Before entering the voice acting industry, Ōhira graduated from Meiji University with a degree in Political Science and Economics. He began his career in broadcasting, joining the Nippon Broadcasting System in 1954 as an announcer and producer. In 1955, he became part of the theatrical company at the newly opened Tokyo Broadcasting System, leaving in 1958 to pursue work as a freelance voice artist. He was a close friend of television personality Kyosen Ōhashi and a mentor to voice actor Shirō Yasutomi.

Ōhira was a foundational figure in the anime industry, with a career spanning from the early 1960s. His voice was frequently heard in a wide range of roles, from astringent villains to comedic, larger-than-life characters. In television animation, his notable roles included Guzura in Oraa Guzura Dado, the title character Hakushon Daimaō in The Genie Family, and Doctor Kozaburo Nambu in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. He also played Seiichiro in Dash Kappei and Gondo in Mirai Keisatsu Urashiman. In the 1988 anime adaptation of Osomatsu-kun, he voiced the character Dekapan, a role that extended to the 1989 film Osomatsu-kun: Suika no Hoshi kara Konnichiwa Zansu!. He was the voice of the enigmatic Fukuzō Moguro, the title character in The Laughing Salesman. Later in his career, he voiced Gaimon in One Piece and Luchino in A Little Snow Fairy Sugar. He also had roles in theatrical animated films such as Be Forever Yamato as Führer Skulldard, Cyborg 009: Legend of the Super Galaxy as Zoa, and several Doraemon films.

Beyond anime, Ōhira was one of the most prominent voice actors in Japanese dubbing. He was best known as the long-standing dub voice of Darth Vader, performed by James Earl Jones, for the home video releases of the original Star Wars trilogy and for Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He also voiced the character in the Japanese version of the video game Soulcalibur IV, for which there was no pre-existing English track, making his performance the original for that version. His other iconic dubbing roles included Homer Simpson in The Simpsons, Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones, Pete in various Disney works, and Jor-El in the 1978 Superman film.

Ōhira was also an extremely familiar voice in tokusatsu productions. He served as the narrator for numerous entries in the Super Sentai series, starting with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and continuing through series like Denshi Sentai Denziman, Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan, and Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. He also narrated the Toei Spider-Man series and the Metal Hero Series. In addition to narration, he also provided character voices, such as Emperor Bacchus Wrath in Chōriki Sentai Ohranger.

His legacy in the voice acting world was such that, following his death, his voice was recreated using a voice bank for the character Hakushon Daimaō in a 2017 anniversary special of The Genie Family, a testament to his iconic association with the role. As his last will, he requested that voice actor Tesshō Genda succeed him as the voice of Moguro Fukuzō.