Tomokazu Sugita: Movies & Box Office

Tomokazu Sugita (杉田 智和) was born on October 11, 1980 in Ranzan, Saitama, Japan. From an early age he was fascinated by anime voices, recalling how the deep tone of Hyunckel in Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai captured his imagination and later reminded him of Phoenix Ikki from Saint Seiya. During elementary school he joined the tennis club and later led it, while in high school he practiced Shorinji Kempo, achieving a first‑dan rank. Although he once dreamed of becoming a temple priest, a home‑economics teacher, a confectioner, or a designer, a chance recording of his own voice for a school play convinced his older brother to suggest a career in voice work. While still in high school he won the Myuras & Animage Award at the Voice Actor Spring School and entered the Myuras Actors School, debuting at seventeen as a narrator for a Kamen Rider gift announcement on SKY PerfecTV!.

Sugita’s professional breakthrough arrived in 1999 with a regular role in Cybuster, and after graduating from university he secured his first leading part as Hideki Motosuwa in Chobits after joining Atomic Monkey. He later achieved widespread fame as Gintoki Sakata in Gintama and as Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, roles that cemented his reputation for delivering deadpan humor and occasional improvisation. His deep bass voice has voiced iconic characters such as Gyomei Himejima in Demon Slayer, Joseph Joestar in the 2012 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series, Yusuke Kitagawa in Persona 5, and Chrom in Fire Emblem. Awards include the Best Supporting Actor prize at the 3rd Seiyu Awards (2009) and the Male Voice Actor Award at the Newtype × Machi★Asobi Anime Awards (2013). In 2020 he left Atomic Monkey to co‑found AGRS Inc., where he serves as representative director. Outside of work he cared for his beloved mongrel dog Naoji, who passed away in 2018, and he occasionally appears in live‑action projects such as the film Wonderful World.