Ichirō Mizuki, born Toshio Hayakawa in Tokyo on January 7, 1948, was a Japanese vocalist, composer, and voice actor. His career, which spanned over five decades until his passing on December 6, 2022, is most famously associated with anime and tokusatsu music. He was widely known by the nickname Aniki, meaning big brother, and was often called the Emperor of Anime Songs for his extensive contributions to the genre, having recorded more than 1,200 songs.

While Mizuki’s primary fame rests on his legendary singing career, which began with his debut single in 1968 and his first anime song for Genshi Shōnen Ryū in 1971, he also maintained an active parallel career as a voice actor and live-action performer. His voice acting roles included portraying Yoldo in the first episode of the original video animation Dangaioh, Rat Hector in Coral no Tanken, and the villain Keisar Ephes in the video game Super Robot Wars Alpha 3. He also provided the voice for the title character in the first PlayStation 2 game adaptation of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, in addition to performing its theme song.

In live-action tokusatsu productions, Mizuki appeared as Dr. Ben in Jikuu Senshi Spielban and as Voicelugger Gold in Voicelugger. He also had guest roles in later series, such as an appearance in an episode arc of Kamen Rider W in 2010 and a part in Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters in 2012, where he also voiced a new robot introduced in the series. His voice work often intersected with his musical career, as he was frequently cast in productions for which he also performed songs.

A significant recurring collaboration in his career was his role as a founding member of the anison supergroup JAM Project. Formed on July 17, 2000, the group originally included fellow vocalists Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endoh, Eizo Sakamoto, and Rica Matsumoto. He later reduced his membership to a part-time capacity, allowing new members to join the project.

Over his long career, Mizuki received several notable achievements. In 2016, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival in recognition of his profound impact on the anime music industry. His legacy as a performer who shaped the sound of a generation remains firmly established in the history of Japanese animation and popular culture.