Takahiro Sakurai

In "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," the anime adaptation produced by studio Ufotable, Sakurai provides the Japanese voice of Giyu Tomioka, the reserved and formidable Water Hashira who is among the first members of the Demon Slayer Corps that the protagonist encounters. The part is one entry in an unusually broad career that spans both heroic and villainous leads. Sakurai has lent his tenor voice to figures as varied as Cloud Strife across the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Suzaku Kururugi in "Code Geass," X in the "Mega Man X" games, and Arataka Reigen in "Mob Psycho 100," while Giyu sits alongside these as one of his most widely recognized roles in contemporary anime.

Born on 13 June 1974 in Aichi Prefecture, Sakurai entered the voice acting profession in 1996 and built a reputation for versatility across leading and supporting parts. He played the central character Miyuki Kazuya in "Ace of Diamond," and his catalogue of antagonists is equally extensive, including Maximilien Robespierre in "Le Chevalier D'Eon," Hiltz in "Zoids: Guardian Force," Sasori in "Naruto Shippuden," Rohan Kishibe in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable," and Suguru Geto in "Jujutsu Kaisen." He has also voiced Burton in "Ninjala," demonstrating a presence in video games as well as television animation.

Beyond his original-character roles, Sakurai serves as the official Japanese dub voice of actor Robert Pattinson, a partnership that dates back to the "Twilight" films and has continued across Pattinson's subsequent work. His activities extend past performance into narration and radio, where he works as a radio personality, reflecting a career that combines screen voice work with broadcast presence over more than two decades in the industry.