Tatakae! TATAKAE! TATAKAE!!!!Translation
Yūki Kaji (born September 3, 1985) burst into the Japanese voice acting industry as Final Fantasy XIII's vengeance-driven Adorably Precocious Child Hope Estheim. He has since voiced a number of prominent male characters (leading to many jokes by his fans and fellow voice actors about his "main character syndrome"). Infamously was once regarded as a source of X-Pac Heat with a reputation for Wangst due to playing quite a few Scrappies and Base Breaking Characters early in his career, but a series of He Really Can Act roles have since established him as a respectable actor. Kaji sports a very wide vocal range, going all the way froma Child-Like Voice to a low voice when need be.
He's also a two-time winner for Best Lead Actor
in the 7th and 8th Annual Seiyuu Award.
He also authored a book that tells his life of how he became a seiyuu called "Itsuka Subete ga Kimi no Chikara ni Naru" and has a manga adaptation of the series.
On June 23, 2019, he announced that he married fellow voice actress, Ayana Taketatsu.
He opened up a YouTube channel in 2020, where it initially featured classic stories narrated by him and Animal Crossing playthroughs. It has since expanded to include playthroughs of other popular games, videos with fellow voice actors, actors, and even some of his non-celebrity friends, promotions about his other projects, and many more.
Roles:
- Abel Stapleton in Shingakkou -Noli me tangere- (Credited as Takashi Yuunagi)
- Adam Bindewald in Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
- Adol Christin in Ys: Memories of Celceta, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, and Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen (oddly enough)
- Akechi Mitsuhide in Nobunaga Concerto
- Akina Hiizumi in Yozakura Quartet
- Akira in You and Me
- Akira Nishio in Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor movie Heaven and Earth as well as the 2014 sequel Exodus
- Alibaba in Magi: Labyrinth of Magic
- Amata Sora in Aquarion Evol
- Anubis Ma'at in Kamigami no Asobi
- Arata Shindo in Psycho-Pass
- Atsuji in BLAME! Movie
- Autonomous Robot in Girls' Last Tour
- Ayato Kirishima in Tokyo Ghoul
- Ayerscarpe in Arknights
- Back Arrow in Back Arrow
- Bart in Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
- Beck in Red Ash: Gearworld
- Cygnus Hyoga in Saint Seiya Awakening
- Daida in Ranking of Kings
- Dick Grayson/Robin (Brenton Thwaites) in the Japanese dub of Titans and Batman Ninja
- Dug in the Japanese dub of Early Man
- Eight from Dragon Quest VIII (from the Dragon Quest series) in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan
- Felix Kingsfort in Unbreakable Machine-Doll
- Finnian in Black Butler
- Flynn in Shin Megami Tensei IV, also oddly enough. He reprises the role in the sequel/spin-off, but as Flynn's no longer the protagonist, he gets more lines.
- Fromm Vantarhei in Buddy Complex
- Fuyunyan in Yo-Kai Watch
- Gaon/Zenkai Gaon in Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger
- Gōzanze Myōō/Trailokyavijaya in Namu Amida Butsu! -UTENA-
- Gus Grav in Bakugan
- Gyokuei in Ōoku: The Inner Chambers
- Hannya and Hoshikumadōji in Onmyōji
- Haruyuki "Haru" Arita in Accel World
- Hatano in Joker Game
- Hearts in 100 Sleeping Princes and the Kingdom of Dreams
- Hilmes aka Silver Mask in The Heroic Legend of Arslan
- Hyunkel in Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai
- Hope Estheim in Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels
- Hyuuga Masamune in Touken Ranbu
- Iemitsu Tokugawa in Akanesasu Sekai de Kimi to Utau, utilizing a deeper voice.
- Issei Hyōdō in High School D×D
- Jin Ling in the Japanese dubs of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi animated adaptation and the live-action adaptation The Untamed
- Jowy Atreides in the Radio Drama of Suikoden II
- Judeau in Berserk: The Golden Age Arc, Berserk (2016), and Berserk and the Band of the Hawk (succeeding Akira Ishida)
- Julian Mintz in Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
- Juuro in Ushio and Tora
- Kakeru Shiwasu in Tsukiuta
- Kakeru Sunahara in Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note
- Kakeru Yuiga in Norn9
- Kanato Sakamaki in Diabolik Lovers
- Katai Tayama in Bungo to Alchemist
- Katsuhira Agata in Kiznaiver
- Kazue Souma in Hakuouki
- Kazuya Ichinose/Akio Fudou in Inazuma Eleven
- Also plays as Kozoumaru Sasuke in Ares no Tenbin
- Kei Okazaki in Collar × Malice
- Kenma Kozume in Haikyuu!!
- Koichi Hirose in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (anime; replacing Romi Park, and yes, he raised his pitch to match hers, so you would have difficulty thinking it was Kaji all along)
- Johnny Joestar in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle
- Konekomaru Miwa in Blue Exorcist
- Kosuke Kanzaki in Barakamon
- Kou Mabuchi in Blue Spring Ride
- Kouhei Ueno in Mysterious Girlfriend X
- Kouichi Tanemura in Hanasaku Iroha
- Kuro in Servamp
- Leo Luis in Mobile Suit Gundam AGE
- Leonis in Agarest Senki Zero
- Link in Hyrule Warriors
- Liu Bei (Ryuu Bi) Gundam in SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors, SD Gundam G Generation World, and Super Robot Wars UX
- Luke Pearce in Tears of Themis
- Lyon Vastia in Fairy Tail
- Mao Isara in Ensemble Stars!
- Maurice Hall (James Wilby) in the Japanese dub of Maurice (second dubbed version)
- Mei Narumiya in Diamond no Ace
- Meliodas in The Seven Deadly Sins
- Megumu Hanemura in Blast of Tempest
- Naturezza in the Captain Tsubasa smartphone game Tatakau Dream Team
- Nishikata in Teasing Master Takagi-san
- Nell Hydra in Blood Lad
- Private Norman "Machine" Ellison (Logan Lerman) in the Japanese dub of Fury
- Norman The Guinea Pig in the Japanese dub of The Secret Life of Pets
- Osamu Mikumo in World Trigger
- Oscar in Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
- Q-Vier in Valvrave the Liberator
- Rawn/Norwin in Dragalia Lost
- Rayne Ames in Mashle: Magic And Muscles
- Rentaro Satomi in Black Bullet
- Ryoma Nagare from Getter Robo Devolution in Super Robot Wars 30
- Ryuichi Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright) in the anime adaptation of Ace Attorney
- Sabito in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Saburo Nekomiya in Ōkami-san
- Saigiku Jouno in Bungo Stray Dogs
- Satoru Asahina in From the New World
- Seth in Under Night In-Birth
- Shinya Nakamura in Ajin
- Shion in No. 6
- Shiwasu Kakeru in Tsukiuta
- Shoto Todoroki in My Hero Academia
- Shuichirou Hama in Nintama Rantarou
- Shu Ohma in Guilty Crown
- Sieg in Suikoden Tierkreis
- Souta Mochizuki in Confession Executive Committee
- "Speed of Sound" Sonic in One-Punch Man
- Szechuan Hot Pot in the Japanese dub of The Tale of Food
- Takai in Weathering With You
- Takeo Takumi in Star Driver
- Takeru Homura/Soulburner in Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
- Takeshi Aiza in Your Lie in April
- Takumi in Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Warriors
- Takumi in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
- Thoma Avenir in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable: The Gears of Destiny
- Tatara Totsuka in K
- Tatsurou Kosugi in Bakuman。
- Terunori Kuga in Food Wars!
- Thoth in Oh, Suddenly Egyptian God
- Tobimaro Mizunokoji in Urusei Yatsura All-Stars
- Touma Akechi in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Nobunaga the Fool
- Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard) in the Japanese dub of Ghostbusters: Afterlife
- Variation in Ixion Saga DT
- Veight in Granblue Fantasy
- Virgil, Clemont (Citron), Squishy (Puni-chan), and Z2 in Pokémon: The Series
- Walker Yumasaki in Durarara!!
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ("Motz/Motes") in Classicaloid
- Wataru Asahina in Brothers Conflict
- Yakumo Koizumi in Ayakashi: Romance Reborn
- Yoh Takami in Deadman Wonderland
- Yukine in Noragami
- Yuuya Haibara in LBX: Little Battlers eXperience and LBX: Little Battlers eXperience W
- Yomi in Phantasy Star Nova
- Youto Yokodera in Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat
- Zen in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Tropes Associated with Yuki Kaji:
- Man of a Thousand Voices: His main forte. He can easily slip from a cute, high-pitched voice all the way down to a Baritone of Strength and everything in-between for many of his roles. His 2021 voice sample gives a pretty idea of what he's capable of now (he even voices an old man!).
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: A Running Gag among his coworkers is to address him by saying his name with the pitch going up every two other syllables, as a way to make him sound pretentious and snobby. He's taken to presenting himself in two different ways as a result. If he addresses himself in a downward pitch, he's his normal, humble self. If he addresses himself in an upward pitch, he adopts a standoffish, pompous demeanor.
-
Memetic Mutation: Comparing any Base Breaking Characters, who are usually heroic pervs like Issei & Melodias to Eren. - Promoted Fanboy: His two biggest dreams were to voice a character in Dragon Quest, and to voice a character in Super Smash Bros.. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he got to kill two birds with one stone, being cast as the role of Eight.
- Vocal Evolution: It's fairly subtle since his main timbre of voice has barely changed, but his range has grown significantly from his debut days.
