The results of the "Hiroaki Hirata's Birthday Popularity Poll" are announced!　Which character represents the most popular veteran voice actors?

To coincide with voice actor Hiroaki Hirata's birthday, August 7, Akiba Research Institute's official voting project, "Hiroaki Hirata Birthday Commemoration Hamari Yaku Character Popularity Poll," was held from August 7 to 14, 2019. Here are the results.

Hiroaki Hirata is a talented veteran voice actor who can play a wide range of roles, from hot-blooded, hot characters to cool, nice guys, and even a bit of a goofy old man. It is no exaggeration to say that he is now one of Japan's leading male voice actors, and he is active not only in anime but also in dubbed Western movies.

Here are the characters ranked in the top 10.

No. 1: Kaburaki T. Toratoru (Wild Tiger) (TIGER & BUNNY) 1652 votes
2nd : Sanji (ONE PIECE) 703 votes
No.3 : Sagojyo (Genshi Maden Saiyuki) 269 votes
No.4 : Rokuta Namba (Space Brothers) 219 votes
No.5 : Klein (Sword Art Online) 194 votes
No. 6: Masami Kondo (Love is Like After the Rain) 166 votes
No.7 : Max Lobo (BANANA FISH) 122 votes
No.8 : Benny (BLACK LAGOON) 83 votes
No.9 : Kyogoku Do (Akihiko Chuzenji) (Deceptive Spirits of the Môryô) 80 votes
No. 10: Lindow Amamiya (GOD EATER) 73 votes

The top-ranked character by a wide margin was Kaburaki T. Toratoru, the main character of "TIGER & BUNNY" (TIGER & BUNNY). The popularity of "TIGER & BUNNY" itself is one thing, but it is the presence of Toratoru, played by Hirata-san, that has made "TIGER & BUNNY" so popular. Although a bit of a downer, Toratoru is a compassionate and honest superhero, and Hirata's performance makes him a character with a lot of flavor. He is a perfect representative of Mr. Hirata's work.

The second place goes to Sanji from "ONE PIECE. He is one of the important members of the "Straw Hat Gang" in the popular anime "ONE PIECE" and needs no explanation. In a sense, Sanji's role is similar to that of Shagojo in "Genshi Maden Saiyuki," which came in third place. He is cool, quarrelsome, and slutty with women, but he is also a dependable older brother. This kind of role is the quintessence of Hirata's ability to play both serious and comedic roles at will.

Rokuta Namba of "Space Brothers" (No. 4) and Masami Kondo of "Love is Like After the Rain" (No. 6) are also leading characters who are somewhat out of character, but are full of humanistic adult charm. GOD EATER" (No. 10), and "GOD EATER" Amamiya Lindow are all supporting characters, but they all play a supporting role in supporting the main characters as a reliable big brother figure.

In this way, Hirata's representative characters are all lovable and dependable older brothers with a bit of a human touch, even if they are a bit out of their depth. Hirata's performance, in which he conveys such a strong character with just his voice, is outstanding even in today's world of voice actors.

Please refer to the following link for the results of the 11th place and below.

Finally, we would like to wish Mr. Hirata a very happy birthday!