Kappei Yamaguchi

Early life and education

Yamaguchi was born in Fukuoka. He graduated from Fukuoka's prefectural Chikuzen High School. In 1984, Yamaguchi moved to Tokyo and entered the Tokyo Announce University College, a vocational school training various performers from voice actors to singers to announcers or even reporters and dancers.^{[citation needed]}

Background

Yamaguchi is the son of a carpenter father. He had been into anime as a child, but his interest lapsed in high school after joining a band.

He attended acting classes taught by Kaneta Kimotsuki, and soon joined his 21st Century Fox theater company. About a year after joining, he took the stage for the first time in a supporting role, and played the lead role of the boy detective in So Kitamura's "Odoriko ~THE DANCER MURDER CASE~". ^{[citation needed]}

Yamaguchi began made his lead anime voice role debut as the titular character Ranma Saotome in the Ranma ½ television anime.

Activities as a voice actor

He has appeared in numerous works in the fields of live-action dramas, animation, games, and foreign film dubbing. In anime, he specializes in playing lively children and young people. In the early 1990s, he also played low-key roles such as Eto in Record of Lodoss War and Gokujurota in Gale! Iron League.

In Great Detective Conan, he plays Shinichi Kudo and Kaito Kid. His favorite "Conan" episode is "Flying Locked Room Shinichi Kudo's First Incident".^{[citation needed]}

In One Piece, he originally wanted to voice the main character Monkey D. Luffy and went to audition for the role, but was unsuccessful. He decided to voice Usopp after receiving an offer. Yamaguchi has been reading the original manga since the beginning of the serialization, and couldn't imagine what kind of voice the character would have prior to getting the role.^{[citation needed]}

Other ventures

In the Japanese dubbed versions of international works, Yamaguchi is the voice of Kyle Broflovski in South Park, Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes, and Crash Bandicoot in the video game series of the same name. He appeared in hentai and eroge as Kyōya Ushihisa (牛久 京也, Ushihisa Kyōya). After performing rakugo at an event in 2017, Yamaguchi started studying under Shirano Tatekawa. He uses the name のゝ乃家ぺぺぺぇ as a rakugoka.

Yamaguchi made his first public appearance in North America at Otakon 2008 and in Sakura-Con 2009. His made third and fourth appearances at Animazement in 2010 and Kawaii Kon in 2011.

Yamaguchi won the Individual Seiyu Award at the 2003 Tokyo International Anime Fair.

He established his own entertainment production company known as Gokū Co. Ltd., which he is the president of.

In 2019, Yamaguchi won the Kei Tomiyama Award at the 13th Seiyu Awards.

Anime series

Original video animation

Anime films

Web animation

Live action

Video games

Drama CD

Dubbing roles

Audio dramas

• 20 Mensou Ni Onegai! (1990), Victor VICL-3001
• Aa Megami-sama Music and Short Story (1991), Keiichi Morisato
• Rockman Kiki Ippatsu Drama (1995), Robo 1
• Princess Quest (1996), Gateau

Singles

• "Rollin'" (1990), Futureland/Youmex – TYDY-5147
• "Kon'ya ha April Fool" (1991), Pony Canyon – Ranma ½ character single as Ranma Saotome (male)
• "Otousan" (1991), Pony Canyon – Ranma ½ as Ranma Saotome (male), sings "China kara no Tegami" with Megumi Hayashibara
• "Characters Christmas" (1991), Pony Canyon – Ranma ½ as Ranma Saotome (male)
• "Ranma to Akane no Ballad" (1993), Pony Canyon – Ranma ½ as Ranma Saotome (male)
• "Unbalance City" (1996), Nippon Columbia – COCC-13586

Albums

• Everybody's Christmas (1990) – TYCY-5148
• Twinbeee Paradise Nesshou! Vocal Battle Hen (1994) – Twinbeee Paradise
• Fancy Lala Final Best Selection (1998) – Fancy Lala album
• Shouwa Hit Studio (2011), Enma-kun – Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star 2nd ED (2006)