Osamu Ichikawa was a respected Japanese voice actor whose career spanned from the 1950s until his passing in 2009. He was born on June 21, 1936, in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and died on January 2, 2009, at the age of 72. A graduate of Saitama Prefectural Kumagaya High School, Ichikawa was active in the voice acting industry from its early days and was considered part of the first wave of voice actors to gain prominence in Japan.

Ichikawa is perhaps best remembered for his iconic roles in the super robot anime of the 1970s, particularly those directed by Takeyuki Nagahama. In his forties, he provided the voices for several charismatic and handsome antagonists, a character type he helped pioneer, often referred to as "beautiful villains". This included the role of Prince Heinel in Voltes V and the character of Richter in Fighting General Daimos. He also voiced characters like Kloppen in Future Robot Daltanious and Garuda in Combattler V.

His distinctive voice was a staple in many other major anime productions of the era. He voiced Miru in the film Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and the related TV series. He was the voice of Julius in the Galaxy Express 999 television special, Can You Live Like a Warrior?, and played Andrea Rostain in the world masterpiece theater anime Paris no Isabelle. In the world of sports anime, he portrayed Mamoru Shiranui in Dokaben. His roles also extended into the Gatchaman franchise, where he voiced the character Masutora in Gatchaman Fighter.

Ichikawa's career continued successfully into the 1980s and beyond. He lent his voice to the imposing Golg BoddoleZer, the supreme leader of the Zentradi, in the classic film The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?. Later generations of anime fans would recognize his work in titles like Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory and Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. He was also part of the cast for the long-running series Case Closed, known in Japan as Detective Conan.

Beyond anime, Ichikawa was highly active in tokusatsu, particularly the Kamen Rider series, where he provided voices for numerous monsters and characters over many years. He also contributed to the video game industry, with his voice appearing in many installments of the popular Super Robot Wars series.

In his later years, around the age of 70, Ichikawa temporarily stepped back from voice acting due to throat pain and vocal cord issues. Upon his return, his performance style shifted towards roles for middle-aged men. Demonstrating his lasting impact and skill, when Voltes V was released on DVD, he was able to reprise the high-pitched tone of Prince Heinel for a commercial at the age of 70. Osamu Ichikawa passed away from heart failure on January 2, 2009, leaving behind a substantial body of work that significantly shaped the landscape of Japanese animation.