Geek It! Anime Spotlight: Voice Actor Mamoru Miyano

He’s got a killer murderous laugh. He can charm his way through your heart with his angst and bishonen spark. He can also play the part of a mad scientist who can time-travel. He is none other than the Prince of seiyus — MAMORU MIYANO.

Voice-actor/singer Mamoru Miyano first kicked off his acting career in 1990 by providing the voice of Riku in the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts. In 2006, Miyano broke out in the anime world by voicing Death Note protagonist, Light Yagami.

Immersed in the role with the right amount of madness, conviction and intensity, Miyano’s portrayal of Light Yagami was truly incredible, and there was no doubt that he exceeded all fans and critics’ expectations.

Not only was Miyano nominated for ‘Best New Actor’ and ‘Best Lead Actor Award’ at the Seiyu Awards for his role as Light, but he also won Best Voice Actor at the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair.

This success soon led Miyano to provide his voice for an array of distinct characters including Setsuna F Seiei (Mobile Suit Gundam 00), Zero Kiryu (Vampire Knight), Death The Kid (Soul Eater), Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club), Taichi Mashima (Chihayafuru), Okabe Rintarō (Steins;Gate), Ling Yao (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood), Rin Matsuoka (Free!), Tusk (Cross Ange) and Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter X Hunter).

Yes, the voice-actor behind Death Note‘s Light is the same actor behind Vampire Knight’s Zero, Ouran‘s Tamaki and Steins; Gate‘s Okabe. When we first delved into Miyano’s portfolio, even we were surprised. With so many diverse roles under his belt, this goes to show what amazing talent and acting range that Miyano possesses. 

Beyond the animation recording studio, Miyano have also worked in film and music. His first acting role was in Tokusou Exceedraft (1992), where he appeared as a child in a flashback. In 2003, Miyano joined the cast of The Prince of Tennis Musical playing Tetsu Ishida, and made his film debut in 2006’s The Prince of Tennis.

Miyano also debuted as a pop singer back in 2007 with his single ‘Kuon’ which was actually used as the ending song for anime series ‘Kōtetsu Sangokushi’. His singing talent was not only used for anime series such as Uta No Prince,  but he also made a singing career for himself, releasing various albums and singles such as ‘Discovery’ and ‘...Kimi e’.

We can sit here all day fangirling about Miyano, but if you’re interested in his work, you should check him out in other anime shows such One Punch Man, Death Parade, Ushio and Tora and Assassination Classroom.

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