Summary
The Straw Hat Pirates, the main cast of characters inOne Piece, have been brought to life by a cast of legendary Japanese voice actors, but there’s no denying thatKazuki Yao, who portrays the crew’s cyborg shipwright,Franky, is the most distinctive one of the group. This is mainly due to his signature loud and raspy voice. Not to mention, he has also voiced other iconic characters in the show, like Jango and Bon Clay, way before Franky was even introduced.
Yao recently announced that he’s stepping down from the role due to health concerns, which is sad, especially when considering that Eiichiro Oda created Franky specifically for him to voice. However, this was inevitable, as Yao is a seasoned voice actor who has been working in the anime industry for almost 40 years. He has several impressive performances to his name that prove how talented he truly is, and the following eight are some of the best work of his entire career.
8Judau Ashta
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Kazuki Yao may excel at portraying eccentric characters nowadays, but he has voiced a more youthful and heroic protagonist inMobile Suit Gundam ZZ, the third series in this long-running franchise. What’s especially interesting is that Yao broughtJudau Ashtato life back when he was 27 years old, and his voice sounded much different back then.
Ashta’s voice is a lot less raspy than one would expect from this voice actor, which makes him sound more like most conventional anime heroes from the 80s and 90s. Regardless of how he sounded, Yao’s incredible performancehelped Ashta become one of the most belovedGundamprotagonists. He’s seemingly quite appreciative of the role that put him on the map because he returned to voice him in multiple subsequent projects — like the video game seriesSuper Robot Wars— decades after the conclusion ofMobile Suit Gundam ZZ.
Kazuki Yao has been involved in many other iconic action shōnen series aside fromOne Piece, and one of them was none other thanthe first animated adaptation of the classic mangaHunter x Hunter. Yao voicedIzunavi, the powerful hunter who taught Kurapika how to use Nen.
More than a decade after his iconic performance as Judau Ashta, Yao’s voice was slowly getting raspier, but he still managed to come off as very calm, wise, and kind when he portrayed Izunavi. This is definitely one of his most impressive and distinctive roles but, sadly, Yao didn’t return to voice Izunavi in the more popularHunter x Hunteranime from 2011…
That’s because he voiced an entirely different character inHunter x Hunter(2011), which made a lot of sense, seeing as his voice sounded a lot different 12 years after the original series. This time around, Kazuki Yao was chosen to portrayMajtani, the bizarre prisoner who tried to trick Kurapika into thinking he was part of the Phantom Troupeduring the 287th Hunter Exam.
This is a particularly fascinating role for Yao because Majtani is very similar to his most iconic character, Franky. He looks like a cyborg/Frankenstein’s monster, has a loud & raspy voice, and a comedic personality. As a result of this resemblance, Majtani sounds a lot like the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, but in a way that feels almost intentional, as if Yao was cast specifically to use his signature Franky voice on him. Regardless of intention, his performance ended up being very solid, and it helped make this minor character much more memorable.
Most anime fans associate Kazuki Yao with hard-boiled and bombastic characters like Franky, but it’s important to keep in mind that he voiced Bon Clay inOne Piecemany years prior to that. And while Mr. 2 is undeniably eccentric, he also has a very prominent feminine side, which means that Yao’s performance asKaōinInuyashafeels more similar to Bon Clay than most of his usual roles.
Truth be told, it’s easy to mistake him for any other Japanese voice actor when he’s voicing Kaō, because he sounds completely different from his usual self, and he manages to disappear into the role. After all, this powerful yokai is calm, polite, elegant, and feminine, and his existence is a testament to the incredible range that Kazuki Yao is capable of. Curiously enough, the titular protagonist ofInuyashais voiced byone of his close colleagues fromOne Piece, Kappei Yamaguchi.
Furthermore, Kazuki Yao worked onDeath Notealongside some of hisOne Piececo-stars, like Kazuya Nakai and Kappei Yamaguchi, even though he voiced a minor, albeit very important, character:Sidoh. He is one of the many weird-looking Shinigami in the series andthe original owner of the Death Note that kickstarted the main plot, which was stolen by Ryuk in the first episode.
This was a more subdued role for Yao, seeing as Sidoh is cowardly and absent-minded (but still quite endearing and funny), which is especially out-of-character for a Shinigami. As a result of these unique qualities, Yao portrayed Sidoh with an uncharacteristically low tone and calmer voice. This ended up working very well, and it became one of the most brilliant roles of his career.
Many anime fans may be unaware of the fact that multiple legendary Japanese voice actors have worked on the long-runningPokemonanime, and Kazuki Yao is obviously no exception. He voicedByron, the Gym Leader of Canalave City, in theDiamond and Pearlseries.
Since this character debuted back in 2008, he inevitably sounded pretty much like Franky. but much to the surprise of many anime fans, this ended up working out well. Yao really managed to make Byron sound like the kind but tough father that he is, but like someone who also goes all out during Pokemon battles. In a fun coincidence,Byron is a Steel-type Gym Leader, and Yao’s signature character, Franky, is a cyborg shipwright who builds vehicles and weapons with metal, so his casting almost feels intentional.
2Gennon / Gaston
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc
One of Kazuki Yao’s biggest appeals as a voice actor is that he almost always voices lovable characters, which even applies to those who are supposed to be antagonists, like Majtani. With his unique raspy voice, it seems impossible to truly despise anyone who was voiced by him. Yet this has happened, because Yao voiced the infamousGennon,one of the main antagonists ofBerserk: The Golden Age 2: The Battle for Doldrey.
Yao really knew how to use his particular voice and tone to portray Gennon as the creepy, violent, and manipulative villain that he is, which is a testament to his incredible talent and range. Fortunately, he also got to bring a much more likable character to life in the same project:Gaston,from the Band of the Falcon.
If there’s an action shōnen franchise to which Kazuki Yao committed almost as much asOne Piece, it’s definitelyFullmetal Alchemist.Not only did he voice the characterYokiin the original 2003 anime, but hereturned for the very same role in the 2009 remaster,Brotherhood. And that’s a very good thing, because this is one of the funniest performances of his career.
Yoki is a corrupt member of the military who pretty much becomes the butt of the joke every time he’s on-screen, so this comedic voice actor was the perfect choice to adapt his bumbling and amusing personality. At the end of the day, Franky will always be Kazuki Yao’s best and most iconic voice role, but anime fans who haven’t had the chance to watchOne Pieceyet will most likely remember him for his hilarious performance as Yoki in both versions ofFullmetal Alchemist.
