Masaaki Yajima
Description
Masaaki Yajima is a Japanese voice actor born on April 17, 1932. He graduated from the Department of Theatre in the Faculty of Literature at Meiji University before beginning his career in the entertainment industry. He initially joined the theater company Theater Echo, and later transitioned to working as a freelance voice actor. He is recognized for his distinctive, elegant, and calm voice.
Yajima has been active in the industry since the 1950s, with his career spanning a diverse range of work, but he is especially known for his extensive work as a narrator in anime, television programs, documentaries, and commercials. For several generations, he was a regular narrator for commercials by major automakers and became particularly famous as the long-time narrator for promotional materials and trailers produced by Studio Ghibli. In addition to his work in animation, he was also the Japanese voice actor for the character of Captain Kirk in the dubbed version of the television series Star Trek.
His work in anime includes numerous narrator roles. He was the narrator for the television series Space Dandy and its second season. He also served as the narrator for the series Nozomi in the Sun. Other significant narrator roles in anime include providing the opening narration for Samurai Champloo and the series Gate Keepers. Beyond narration, he was the voice of the character Higeoyaji in the classic series Astro Boy. He also voiced Hartmann in Monster, Vincent Priest in Claymore, and Satoru Higashiyama in the anime Bartender.
Throughout his long career, Yajima has been involved in a wide range of anime projects in various capacities. He provided voice work for Spriggan and The Big O, and appeared in the series Seikimatsu Occult Academy. He also participated in the Osomatsu-san franchise as a narrator, and his work includes roles in the original video animations for Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Giant Robo.
In recognition of his lasting contributions to the voice acting industry, Masaaki Yajima was honored with the Achievement Award at the fifth Seiyu Awards in 2011, a ceremony that celebrates excellence in voice acting.
Yajima has been active in the industry since the 1950s, with his career spanning a diverse range of work, but he is especially known for his extensive work as a narrator in anime, television programs, documentaries, and commercials. For several generations, he was a regular narrator for commercials by major automakers and became particularly famous as the long-time narrator for promotional materials and trailers produced by Studio Ghibli. In addition to his work in animation, he was also the Japanese voice actor for the character of Captain Kirk in the dubbed version of the television series Star Trek.
His work in anime includes numerous narrator roles. He was the narrator for the television series Space Dandy and its second season. He also served as the narrator for the series Nozomi in the Sun. Other significant narrator roles in anime include providing the opening narration for Samurai Champloo and the series Gate Keepers. Beyond narration, he was the voice of the character Higeoyaji in the classic series Astro Boy. He also voiced Hartmann in Monster, Vincent Priest in Claymore, and Satoru Higashiyama in the anime Bartender.
Throughout his long career, Yajima has been involved in a wide range of anime projects in various capacities. He provided voice work for Spriggan and The Big O, and appeared in the series Seikimatsu Occult Academy. He also participated in the Osomatsu-san franchise as a narrator, and his work includes roles in the original video animations for Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Giant Robo.
In recognition of his lasting contributions to the voice acting industry, Masaaki Yajima was honored with the Achievement Award at the fifth Seiyu Awards in 2011, a ceremony that celebrates excellence in voice acting.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Space Dandy Season 2
- JapaneseAnime overview: Space Dandy
- JapaneseAnime overview: Nozomi in the Sun