Keiji Fujiwara (October 5, 1964 – April 12, 2020), "FujiKei" for short, was a veteran voice actor in the business.
Initially inspired to become a stage actor, Fujiwara entered the field of voice acting through his troupe mate Mika Kanai in pursuit of a more financially secure career. Fujiwara received his first official role as Zhang Fei
of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Romance of The Three Kingdoms in 1991. A year later, he landed his Star-Making Role as the bumbling and hardworking Japanese dad, Hiroshi Nohara of Crayon Shin-chan fame. To anyone born in Japan — alongside the East Asian region — this role was iconic to the point where most of the public literally ditched his real name and renamed him "Hiroshi" Fujiwara instead.
Practically the solid go-to-dubber of Robert Downey Jr., he often played characters with red hair, especially Evil Redheads. While he usually did calm villains, he could do the crazy type just as well. He was also infamous for his ability to read his lines in the dark whilst wearing sunglasses.
In September 2016, Fujiwara went on an indefinite hiatus due to undisclosed personal health problems. Thus, he had to be substituted or replaced by other actors for a few of his long-running and/or reprised roles, which are listed below. In June 2017, his agency announced that he would slowly return to work.
Sadly, he passed away from cancer on April 12, 2020 at the age of 55. His final works would be the dub version of Dr. John Dolittle (Robert Downey Jr.) of Dolittle released in Japan on March 20, Reno of Final Fantasy VII Remake released two days before his death, a guest appearance as a Karaoke owner in the Web Animation project, Zashiki-warashi no Tatami-chan (Ep. 4) released on May 1, a reprisal of King Toma E. Fiore and his "Mato" persona in the FAIRY TAIL video game on July 30, the President of the United States (who was modeled on Robert Downey Jr.) in The God of High School released for the summer season of 2020, and Kagutsuchi in the remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne on October 29.
Thank you! Fuck you! Keiji Fujiwara's roles have arrived!:
- Amata Kihara in A Certain Magical Index II
- Axel and Lea in Kingdom Hearts (Got it memorized?)
- Baalberith in Devils and Realist
- Berger Stone in Macross Delta (First few episodes.)
- Replacement Actor: Mitsuru Ogata. note
- Boiling Rhino in Samurai Flamenco
- Booker DeWitt in the Japanese dub of BioShock Infinite
- Bowman Jean in Star Ocean: Second Evolution
- Replaced Actor: Ryō Horikawa for The Second Story Rnote
- Byakuya Ishigami in Dr. STONE
- Chief in Armored Core V
- Chris McLean in the Japanese dub of Total Drama
- Ciggma Khint in Bravely Default
- Cole McGrath in the Japanese dub of inFAMOUS
- Count Salamander in HeartCatch Pretty Cure!: Hana no Miyako de Fashion Show... Desu ka!?
- Darque in Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
- Deldro Brody in Blood Blockade Battlefront
- The "Director" in Monster Musume
- Drago in Bakugan
- Egg in 009-1
- Esidisi in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency
- Consequently in the video-games All-Star Battle and Eyes of Heaven.
- Eugen in Granblue Fantasy
- Replacement Actor: Kazuhiro Yamaji (first season of the anime and eventually the game as of July 2020)
- Final Fantasy series
- Reno in Crisis Core, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Last Order: Final Fantasy VII , and Final Fantasy VII Remake, with archive audio of Reno being repurposed for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- Izana Kunagiri in Final Fantasy Type-0
- Ardyn Izunia in Final Fantasy XV and Dissidia Final Fantasy (2015)
- Gabriel Belmont in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Gabriel Cunningham in Trauma Team
- Gate in Mega Man X6
- Gundam series
- Eledore Massis in The 08th MS Team
- Striker Eagle and Batsraf in Victory Gundam
- Field Marshal Noventa and hundreds of bit parts (Fujiwara is probably credited for work in every episode) in Gundam Wing
- Ali Al-Saachez in Gundam 00
- Gyousou in The Twelve Kingdoms
- Haku in Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth
- Hannes in Attack on Titan
- Replacement Actor: Kenjiro Tsuda (for anime season 2)
- Heads Hydra in Blood Lad
- Higan in Servamp
- Hinahoho in Magi: Labyrinth of Magic
- Hiroshi Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan
- Successor: Toshiyuki Morikawa.
- Holland Novak in Eureka Seven (actually a good guy, though a monumental Jerkass, specifically in the first half of the series)
- Replacement Actor: Toshiyuki Morikawa (for the movie Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution).
- Renton Thurston in Eureka Seven AO (also a hero, who ironically suffered a whole lot under the former in the first series)
- Dewey Novak in Anemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution (taking over for the deceased Kouji Tsujitani)
- Replacement Actor: Kōichi Yamadera (for the movie Eureka: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution).
- Homare Nishitani in Yakuza 0
- Isami Enomoto in Space Battleship Yamato 2199
- Replacement Actor: Kenjiro Tsuda (for anime 2020)
- Isami Kondō in Bakumatsu Rock
- Jackal/Lowell in The Last Story
- Jake Martinez in Tiger & Bunny
- James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) in the Japanese dub of Lost
- Jin Tōjō in The Testament of Sister New Devil
- Johnny Rayflo in Vassalord
- The Joker (Heath Ledger) in the Japanese dub of The Dark Knight, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and the Batman: Arkham Series despite being from different continuities
- Julie Sakuma Dmitriyevich in Sunday Without God
- Kart in Giga Wing 2
- Kagura Mutsuki in BlazBlue
- Replacement Actor: Daisuke Namikawa (as of the mobile game Alternative Dark War)
- Kagutsuchi in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster (Posthumous Credit; the game wasn't even announced until three months after his death.)
- Kantaro Sakai in Shakugan no Shana
- Karales in Yumina the Ethereal
- Karuna Yonsa in Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit
- Kazuki Jōshima in The Anthem of the Heart
- Kei Enjouji in Kizuna
- Replacement Actor: Kazuya Ichijō (second OVA)
- Ken Edmundo in Heat Guy J
- Kenjiro Tateyama in Mekakucity Actors
- Kimura Tatsuya in Hajime no Ippo
- Kiriya in Senran Kagura
- Klaus Warrick in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
- Koichi Kizakura in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School
- Ladd Russo in Baccano!
- Kinnosuke Kuzuhara in Durarara!!
- Lancelot in Romeo × Juliet
- Lao in Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Leorio Paladiknight in Hunter × Hunter, The Remake.
- Li Gan in Log Horizon
- Replacement Actor: Yohei Tadano (for Season 3, aired Winter 2021)
- Lyudmil in The Epic of Zektbach (Drama CD's)
- Machida in Wangan Midnight
- Maes Hughes in both Fullmetal Alchemist anime (undisputably heroic)
- Replacement Actor: Kenjiro Tsuda (for Fullmetal Alchemist Mobile)
- Martin (French pronunciation; read "martahn") in 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams
- Masaaki Kuzumi in Ookami Kakushi
- Master Yi in the Japanese dub of League of Legends
- Matsubusa (Maxie) in Pokémon: The Series
- Matsunaga Hisahide in Sengoku Basara
- Mewtwo in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, standing in for Masachika Ichimura
- Mitsukuni Tokugawa in Akanesasu Sekai de Kimi to Utau
- Munehiro Nakagami in True Tears
- Nachi Hinozuka in Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East
- Nagare Konoe in Mayo Chiki!
- The Narrator and Paul in Sgt. Frog
- Nial Burns in The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
- Nick Lu'juck in Blessing of the Campanella
- Norville "Shaggy" Rogers (Matthew Lillard) in the Japanese dub of the Scooby-Doo live-action films
- PoH in Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment
- Prize in Basquash!
- Raiga Kurosuki in Naruto
- Rastan Olgen in Arc Rise Fantasia
- Robert Downey Jr.'s characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Sherlock Holmes film series, Johnny Be Good, The Soloist, Chef (2014), The Judge and Dolittle
- Ron in B't X
- Admiral Ryokugyu in One Piece
- Ryuuzen Gotou in Kokoro Connect
- Sakuya Togane in Psycho-Pass
- Saneatsu in The Magnificent Kotobuki
- Seiji Ogata in Hikaru no Go
- Seitaro Higuchi in The Tatami Galaxy
- Replacement Actor: Kazuya Nakai (for 2017 movie: The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl)
- Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 (Japanese dub)
- Shigure Aotsuki in Ushio and Tora 2015
- Shiina in Wandering Son
- Shima Sakon in Nioh
- Shingo Shoji in Initial D
- Replacement Actor: Shuhei Sakaguchi (for New Initial D Legend movie series)
- Shiro Fujimoto in Blue Exorcist
- Replacement Actor: Hiroaki Hirata (fill in for The Impure King Arc)
- Shuichi Aizawa in Death Note
- SIGINT in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Drebin 893 in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Simeon in Chaos Dragon
- Stu Pickles in the Japanese dubs of The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris, and Rugrats Go Wild!
- Suikoden series:
- Captain Rowd in the Suikoden II Drama CD.
- Brandeau in Suikoden IV
- Ferid Egan in Suikoden V
- Iskas in Suikoden Tactics
- Super Sentai
- Cheeda Nick in Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters
- Jackpot Striker in Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger
- Taiko Kumoh in Laughing Under the Clouds
- Takumi Rindō in World Trigger
- Tatsumi in Death Parade
- Tenri Hiragi in Seraph of the End
- Toma E. Fiore, a.k.a. Mato, in Fairy Tail (received a Posthumous Credit in the video game)
- Replacement Actor: Wataru Takagi (for the movie Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry)
- Tony Stark/Iron Man in Marvel Anime: Iron Man
- Transformers series
- Devastor (Scavenger) in Transformers: Micron Legend
- Dinobot in the dub of Beast Wars
- Grimlock in the Japanese dub of Transformers: Animated
- Megatron in the Japanese dub of Transformers: Prime
- Tsuyoshi Kisaragi in Blood-C
- The Village Chief in Arakawa Under the Bridge
- Vladimir Makarov in the Japanese dub of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Volcott O. Huey in Galaxy Angel
- Wataru Date in Case Closed
- White in Real Bout Fatal Fury Special: Dominated Mind
- Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) in the Japanese dub of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Who/Adam in Hells
- Demon Lord Xenosload in The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
- Yagyuu Munenori in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (bastardized)
- Zazarland in Gloria Union.
- Zen Fudo in Aquarion EVOL
- Zenzo Hattori in Gintama
- Zeruel Takeru in You Are Being Summoned, Azazel.
- Zoids series
- Irvine in Zoids: Chaotic Century
- Jack Cisco in Zoids: New Century
Tropes relating to Keiji Fujiwara and his works:
- Beautiful Singing Voice: Actually, yes. And despite his propensity for voicing deeper-voiced characters, he sang a rich tenor.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: His voice also had a coarse streak to it.
- Pigeonholed Voice Actor: Many of Fujiwara's characters were either manly badasses, father-type characters, or straight out villains, a typecast shared with one of his English voice actor counterparts, David Wald.
Tokyo area saikou seiyuu wa...Air Agency no Fujiwara Keiji datta... *sniff* No, it's... it's just the rain...
