Mitsuo Yamaguchi (山口 光雄, Yamaguchi Mitsuo; born May 23, 1965), known professionally as Kappei Yamaguchi (山口 勝平, Yamaguchi Kappei), is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and rakugoka currently affiliated with Gokū and formerly with 21st Century Fox. After making his voice acting debut in 1989 as the male version of Ranma Saotome in Ranma ½, Yamaguchi went on to other notable roles, including Inuyasha in Inuyasha and its sequel Yashahime, and L in Death Note. He currently voices Shinichi Kudo and Kaito Kid in Case Closed, Usopp in One Piece and Teddie in Persona 4. He is married and has a son, Ryūnosuke, and a daughter, Akane. Ryūnosuke and Akane are also voice actors, while the latter is also a rakugoka.
Contents
Biography
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.
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~".
Yamaguchi began working as a voice actor, voicing Ranma Saotome in Ranma ½.
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 Case Closed, he plays Shinichi Kudo and Kaito Kid. His favorite "Conan" episode is "Flying Locked Room Shinichi Kudo's First Incident".
In One Piece, he originally wanted to play the role of Monkey D. Luffy, the main character, and went to audition, but was unsuccessful. He decided to play the role of 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.
Other ventures
In Japanese dubs of international works, Yamaguchi is the voice of Kyle Broflovski, Bugs Bunny, and Crash Bandicoot. 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 third appearance to date has been at Animazement in 2010. He also made a fourth appearance in Hawaii at Kawaii Kon in 2011.
Yamaguchi won the individual seiyu award at the 2003 Tokyo International Anime Fair.
He established his own entertainment production company called Goku Co. Ltd., of which he is president.
In 2019, Yamaguchi won the Kei Tomiyama Award at the 13th Seiyu Awards.
Filmography
Discography
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)
Radio shows
Pure Pure Island (aired for a month in 1998 as a tie-in with the anime series Fancy Lala and was co-hosted with J-pop singer Reiko Ōmori who was also the voice actress who voiced Miho Shinohara)
Hiroi Ouji's Maruten Cha Cha Cha! (ongoing, co-hosted with voice actress Chisa Yokoyama and Sakura Taisen creator Ohji Hiroi)
