Daisuke Namikawa

In Ufotable's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Namikawa voices Hotaru Haganezuka, the temperamental masked craftsman who forges and repairs Tanjiro Kamado's sword. The part adds a distinctive supporting character to a filmography already crowded with leading and antagonist roles, and it fits a performer known for his range across the medium. Although typically cast as young heroes such as Fay D. Flourite in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Jellal Fernandes in Fairy Tail, and Yu Narukami in Persona 4, Namikawa just as readily takes on figures like Haganezuka, who blends comedic intensity with craftsmanship at the heart of the demon-slaying corps.

Born on April 2, 1976, Namikawa began performing as a child and has worked continuously since 1984, currently representing the agency Stay Luck. His extensive heroic credits include Mikage in 07-Ghost, Somnus Lucis Caelum in Final Fantasy XV, Jack the Ripper in Black Clover, and Goemon Ishikawa XIII in later Lupin the Third installments. He is equally prolific as antagonists and anti-heroes, voicing Ulquiorra Cifer in Bleach, Hisoka Morow in the 2011 Hunter x Hunter, Eustass Kid in One Piece, Choso in Jujutsu Kaisen, Toru Oikawa in Haikyuu, and Momoshiki Otsutsuki in Boruto. Because his name differs from that of Daisuke Hirakawa by only one kanji, the two are occasionally confused.

Beyond anime, Namikawa is the official Japanese dubbing artist for American actor Elijah Wood and Canadian actor Hayden Christensen, and he has also voiced Japanese dubs for performers including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tony Jaa, Edward Furlong, and Kevin Zegers. He expanded into filmmaking with Wonderful World, a live-action feature that opened in Japan in the early summer of 2010 and marked his directorial debut. He also appeared in the film himself, sharing the screen with fellow voice actors such as Mamoru Miyano, Tomokazu Sugita, Tomokazu Seki, Rikiya Koyama, Toshiyuki Morikawa, and Koichi Yamadera.