Kikunosuke Toya (Japanese: 戸谷 菊之介, Hepburn: Toya Kikunosuke, born November 30, 1998) is a Japanese voice actor and musician affiliated with Sony Music Artists.[1] After spending some time doing comedy, drama, and piano as a high school student, he won the Special Award at Sony Music Artists' 6th Anistoteles' audition in 2017, and he made his debut in 2022 as Denji, the main character of the anime Chainsaw Man. He has starred as Akira Kiyose in Sony Music Entertainment Japan's UniteUp! project, Donny in Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Mikoto Yuzuki in The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons, and Fubuki in The Elusive Samurai. In 2024, he won the Best New Actor Award at the 18th Seiyu Awards.

Kikunosuke Toya
戸谷 菊之介
Born (1998-11-30) November 30, 1998 (age 25)
Occupations
Years active2022–present
AgentSony Music Artists
Notable work
AwardsSeiyu Award for Best New Actor Award (2024)
Japanese name
Kanji
Kanaとや きくのすけ

Early life

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Toya, born on November 30, 1998,[1] is a native of Tokyo[2] and of Kanagawa Prefecture.[3] Toya has an older brother and older sister. As a young child, he lived for years in Thailand due to his parents' work.[4] He began playing the piano at the age of three, and he was invited to accompany a chorus competition while in junior high school due to his skills and once unsuccessfully auditioned to play jazz piano for a school club.[4] While in high school, he posted covers on YouTube and Nico Nico Douga, was the keyboardist of an all-male Princess Princess cover band, and was part of a volunteer comedy group who performed at school festivals and graduation parties.[4][5]

Career

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After spending some time in a high school drama club, he was offered both a lead role and the opportunity to be screenwriter and director for a school festival class play.[4] Auditioning for several comedians' offices and training schools, and going to acting workshops, he learned that he could make people laugh through acting, so he decided to pursue acting.[4][5] In October 2017, when he was 18 years old, he won the Special Award at Sony Music Artists' 6th Anistoteles' audition;[6][7] he had been inspired to participate by Inori Minase's win of the Anistoteles' Grand Prix.[4] He subsequently decided on a career in voice acting.[8] Afterwards, in 2019, he was part of the first graduating class of Megumi Ogata's private acting school Team BareboAt, which opened in the same year.[7][9]

In October 2018, Toya was cast in DMM Games' Wind Boys! project.[10] In 2019, he appeared in the music video for Owarikara [ja]'s song "Fetish!".[1] In 2022, he starred in his first main role as Denji in the anime Chainsaw Man,[7][11] with Ogata herself giving him words of encouragement.[9] In his Anime News Network review for "Rescue", the fourth episode of Chainsaw Man, James Beckett praised Toya's performance as Denji, saying that Toya "nail[ed] Denji's particular mix of ferocity, mania, and brazen idiocy".[12]

He stars as Akira Kiyose in Sony Music Entertainment Japan's UniteUp! project,[13] and in addition to reprising his role in the anime and being part of the tie-in trio unit Protostar, he sang the anime's theme song "Unite Up!" alongside the rest of the cast.[14] He also starred as Donny in Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Mikoto Yuzuki in The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons, and Fubuki in The Elusive Samurai.[15][16][17] In November 2023, he was a guest at the North American premiere of Four Knights of the Apocalypse at Anime NYC 2023.[18]

In 2024, Toya won the Best New Actor Award at the 18th Seiyu Awards.[19] He will star as Minoru Kudou in the third season of The Irregular at Magic High School and Hadis Teos Rave in The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor.[20][21]

Filmography

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Animated television

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Year Title Role Ref.
2022 Chainsaw Man Denji [22]
Heroines Run the Show Miyazawa [1]
Tokyo 24th Ward Demonstrator [1]
2023 UniteUp! Akira Kiyose [13]
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer Ashcroft [23]
Four Knights of the Apocalypse Donny [15]
The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons Mikoto Yuzuki [16]
2024 The Irregular at Magic High School Minoru Kudou [20]
Wind Breaker Chōji Tomiyama [24]
The Elusive Samurai Fubuki [17]
Black Butler Cheslock
The Blue Wolves of Mibu Tōdō Heisuke [25]
The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor Hadis Teos Rave [21]
2025 Even Given the Worthless "Appraiser" Class, I'm Actually the Strongest Ein [26]

Video games

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Year Title Role Ref.
2021 Binding Boyfriend Shindo Aki [1]
Wind Boys! Osei Kiyoshima [1]
2023 One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e Mamoru Sumii [1]
Shadowverse Bolt Demon, sealing magician, creator of secret medicine [1]

Dubbing

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Awards

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Year Award Result Ref.
2024 Seiyu Award for Best New Actor Won [19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "[戸谷菊之介] プロフィール". Sony Music Artists (in Japanese). Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "いま大注目の"彼"は誰? 「チェンソーマン」主演声優に抜擢! 戸谷菊之介、23歳の素顔". Crea Web (in Japanese). October 8, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "『チェンソーマン』デンジ役声優、実はネコ好き♡「見た目だけじゃなくて匂いもすごく好きです」…戸谷菊之介を直撃". Kobe Shimbun (in Japanese). December 30, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Toya, Kikunosuke (July 21, 2023). "戸谷菊之介:さまざまな作品で鍛えられ、さらなる高みへと羽ばたく最中【前編】". Cocotame (Interview). Interviewed by Mika Abe. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Toya, Kikunosuke. "戸谷菊之介:TVアニメ『チェンソーマン』でデンジ役を務める注目の声優". Cocotame (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Hidekuni Shida. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "戸谷菊之介". コミックナタリー. ナターシャ. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Toya, Kikunosuke (July 22, 2023). "戸谷菊之介:さまざまな作品で鍛えられ、さらなる高みへと羽ばたく最中【後編】". Cocotame (Interview). Interviewed by Mika Abe. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  8. ^ "戸谷菊之介「周りの空気を明るくできるような声優になりたいです」". 声優図鑑. 主婦の友インフォス. November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "緒方恵美「チェンソーマン」主役抜てきの"教え子"声優戸谷菊之介にエール". 日刊スポーツ. 日刊スポーツ新聞社. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 19, 2018). "DMM Games Reveals Wind Boys! Project". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "『チェンソーマン』10月放送開始 PV&キャスト公開で出演は戸谷菊之介・楠木ともり・坂田将吾・ファイルーズあい". ORICON NEWS. oricon ME. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Beckett, James (November 3, 2022). "Chainsaw Man ‒ Episode 4". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 24, 2022). "UniteUp! YouTube Project Gets TV Anime in January 2023". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "『UniteUp!』スペシャルステージレポ【AGF2022】". Animate Times (in Japanese). November 6, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 26, 2023). "Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse Anime Reveals More Cast, Staff, October Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 12, 2023). "Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon-Kyōdai TV Anime Reveals Main Cast, Teaser Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Mateo, Alex (September 9, 2023). "The Elusive Samurai Anime Reveals More Cast, 2024 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  18. ^ Mateo, Alex (November 2, 2023). "Anime NYC Screens World Premieres for High Card Season 2 Anime, English Dub for Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Loo, Egan (March 9, 2024). "Kana Ichinose, Kazuki Ura Win 18th Annual Seiyū Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Cayanan, Joanna (January 4, 2024). "The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3's New Video Unveils Returning & New Cast, April Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Cayanan, Joanna (March 20, 2024). "The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor Anime Teases Main Cast in Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  22. ^ "[戸谷菊之介]【TVアニメ出演情報】「チェンソーマン」デンジ役として出演決定!!!!". www.sma.co.jp. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  23. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 15, 2023). "My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer Anime Reveals 2nd Promo Video, Additional Cast, September 28 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  24. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 18, 2024). "Wind Breaker Anime Reveals Cast, Visual for Shishitōren". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Mateo, Alex (July 1, 2024). "Blue Miburo Anime Unveils 1st Promo Video, Additonal [sic] Cast, October 12 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (September 3, 2024). "Even Given the Worthless 'Appraiser' Class, I'm Actually the Strongest Anime's Teaser Reveals Cast, January 2025 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  27. ^ "宮世琉弥と齊藤京子が「ミュータント・タートルズ」吹替版に参加、佐藤二朗は悪役". Natalie. July 11, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2024.