Summary
- Chō has portrayed iconic characters besides Brook, showcasing his comedic and versatile voice talent.
- From Principal Shinonome to Genma Saotome, Chō often excels at portraying hilarious comedic characters.
- He has also been involved in multiple beloved action shōnen anime, like Hunter x Hunter, Seven Deadly Sins and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Every single member of One Piece’s Straw Hat Pirates is incredibly recognizable and unique in their own way. Needless to say, the crew’s musician, “Soul King” Brook, is one of the most distinctive ones, seeing as he’s a living skeleton with a goofy personality and beautiful singing voice. Brook’s impeccable characterization wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for his voice, which is done by the artist simply known by his stage name, Chō.
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This talented Japanese voice actor has been working in the anime industry for more than three decades and, while Brook is obviously his most iconic role, he has also been involved in many other popular shows and movies. Chō has brought a surprising number of beloved characters to life, but the following are the most important ones of his career so far.
1 Jaken
InuYasha
Inuyasha
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2000 - 2004-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Sunrise
- Creator
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Number of Episodes
- 193
Long before he even began his tenure as Brook in One Piece, Chō was involved in another beloved anime series from the late 90s and early 2000s, when he voiced Jaken in InuYasha. This small little imp is Sesshōmaru’s most loyal servant and thus serves as one of the show's biggest comic relief characters.
Chō’s signature high-pitched voice and proclivity for bizarre comedic characters have made his performance as Jaken one of the best and most memorable ones in his entire career. The legendary voice actor has remained loyal to one of the series that put him on the map, considering that he returned to voice him in the 2021 InuYasha spin-off series, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.
2 Principal Shinonome
Nichijou
Nichijou - My Ordinary Life
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2011 - 2011
- Directors
- Tatsuya Ishihara
- Writers
- Jukki Hanada
- Studio
- Kyoto Animation
- Creator
- Keiichi Arawi
- Number of Episodes
- 26
A surreal comedy as hilarious as Nichijou undoubtedly needed talented comedic performers to bring its absurd characters to life, and this philosophy is most likely why Chō was cast as Principal Shinonome, the bald principal of Tokisadame High School.
While the Principal has been involved in many of the show’s funny comedic skits, he was the main star of what is arguably the most well-known and most popular scene in the entire show, in which Yuuko sees him wrestling a deer in the schoolyard. This hilarious interaction is beloved by many, even by people who haven’t watched Nichijou, and it would never have gained such a prestigious reputation if it wasn’t for Chō and his flawless performance as the crazy Principal.
3 Genma Saotome
Ranma ½ (2024)
Ranma 1/2
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2024 - 2025-00-00
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Rumiko Takahashi
- Number of Episodes
- 12
In another perfect showcase of his comedic talents, Chō was cast to voice Genma Saotome in the 2024 reboot of Ranma ½, replacing Kenichi Ogata from the original 1989 anime. Despite the lighthearted nature of this anime, Genma still comes off as strict, selfish, and cowardly, meaning that this is quite an unusual role for Chō.
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Nevertheless, the legendary voice actor still managed to make it work seamlessly and turned it into one of his most impressive recent performances (outside of One Piece). Unfortunately for his fans, however, Genma doesn’t talk for most of Ranma ½ since he is later turned into a Panda who can only communicate via written signs. After Inuyasha, this is the second time in which Chō shared the screen with his One Piece colleague, Kappei Yamaguchi, who voices Ranma himself.
4 Wilson Phillips And Dragon's Dream
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- October 6, 2012
- Studio
- David Production
- Creator
- Hirohiko Araki
- Number of Episodes
- 190
- Japanese Title
- JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken
Aside from One Piece, there’s another legendary action shōnen series with bizarre characters in which Chō has worked, and it’s none other than JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. He made his debut in the third part, Stardust Crusaders, where he voiced Wilson Phillips, an American senator who is kidnapped and driven to insanity by Dio. This is a surprisingly dark scene, and Chō is able to get out of his comfort zone to give a somber performance.
Chō was later cast in the sixth part, Stone Ocean, as the voice of Dragon's Dream, Kenzou’s sentient Feng Shui-based Stand. This performance was more akin to what one would expect from the voice actor: funny, strange, and unexpectedly charming, not to mention that his detailed explanations helped make this infamous battle a lot less confusing.
5 Bonolenov Ndongo
Hunter X Hunter (2011)
Hunter x Hunter
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- 2011 - 2014
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Madhouse
- Creator
- Yoshihiro Togashi
- Number of Episodes
- 148
It seems that Chō’s incredible work as Brook in One Piece inspired many other animation studios to cast him as bizarre yet lovable characters in other action shōnen anime because he also voiced Bonolenov Ndongo in the 2011 adaptation of Hunter x Hunter by Madhouse.
Curiously enough, this member of the Phantom Troupe shares some similarities with Brook since he also looks like a classic movie monster (in his case, a mummy) and is also a musician since his main Nen ability, Battle Cantabile, relies heavily on the music he plays. Nevertheless, Chō’s portrayal of Bonolenov is strikingly similar to his famous performance as Brook, which is perfectly fine because it still works extremely well.
6 Golgius
The Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2014 - 2021-00-00
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures
- Creator
- Nakaba Suzuki
- Number of Episodes
- 100
- Japanese Title
- Nanatsu no Taizai
In keeping with tradition, Chō was cast in the animated adaptation of another action shōnen series, The Seven Deadly Sins, where he voiced Golgius, a member of the order of Holy Knights known as the Weird Fangs. When he has his armor and helmet on, Golgius looks both goofy and weird, which means that Chō’s usual voice, tone, and cadence fit him perfectly.
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However, and much to the surprise of his usual fans, Golgius later takes out his armor to reveal that he’s quite a conventionally attractive man. Nevertheless, Cho’s impeccable voice work still makes him sound as cowardly and funny as he’s supposed to come off as. There’s no denying that this talented voice actor has helped what would be an otherwise forgettable side character a lot more memorable.
7 Thief
Sand Land
Sand Land
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April, 2024
- Creator
- Akira Toriyama
The legendary artist was also involved in the recent adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s underrated masterpiece, Sand Land, where he voiced Thief, Beelzebub’s royal adviser and good friend. Throughout his career, Chō excelled at voicing two specific types of character: weird comic reliefs and whacky old men, so Thief is perfect for him because he actually belongs to both categories.
Despite all the comedic scenes he partakes in, Thief is the straight man of the group who is supposed to keep Beelzebub's crazy antics and over-the-top personality in check. As a result, Chō gave a gloomier performance in which he even managed to come off as wise. It's important to point out that he also reprised his role as Thief in the Sand Land video game, which is no small feat since this is an extensive open-world RPG with countless hours of in-game dialogue.
8 Hōko
Hell’s Paradise
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 1, 2023
- Studio
- MAPPA
- Creator
- Yuji Kaku
- Number of Episodes
- 13
- Japanese Title
- Jigokuraku
The entity known as Hōko is without a doubt one of the most memorable characters in Hell’s Paradise for many different reasons: his grotesque design, sad backstory, important role within the story, and unique voice, which was done by Chō in MAPPA's anime adaptation.
As one of the many villagers in Hōjō who underwent Arborification, Hōko’s existence is quite tragic but inspiring since he still managed to care for Mei as her loving adoptive father. It’s because of this that Chō’s performance is a lot more subdued and less over-the-top than most of his usual roles, and he managed to perfectly fit all the emotional beats of Hell’s Paradise's heartbreaking narrative.
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