Yūji Ueda

Ueda originated the voice of Solf J. Kimblee, the sadistic Crimson Alchemist, in the original 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime, a character whose transmutation-triggered bombs and gleeful cruelty made him one of the series' most unsettling antagonists. When the franchise restarted with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in 2009, Ueda moved to a different part of the cast, taking over as Jean Havoc, one of Colonel Roy Mustang's loyal subordinates, a role Yasunori Matsumoto had originated in the earlier series. Voicing two such different characters across the franchise, one a villain and one a supporting ally, showcases the range Ueda brought to the material. Both performances came during a particularly active stretch of his long voice acting career.

Ueda's signature roles include Horohoro in Shaman King and Sagara Sanosuke in Rurouni Kenshin, two hot-blooded fighters that showcase his range for physical, high-energy characters. He is also familiar to Pokemon fans as the voice of both Brock and the Pokemon Wobbuffet, and to Love Hina viewers as Keitaro Urashima. Elsewhere in his catalog he voiced Akito Tenkawa in Martian Successor Nadesico, the unhinged rock star Johannes Krauser II in Detroit Metal City, and Shiro Iori in Kill la Kill. Active in the industry since the early 1990s, he has built a career spanning comedic leads, villains, and character work across several generations of anime.