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Hirotaka Suzuoki is the man who helped give Tenshinhan his soul, his every emotion, with just his voice. Mr. Suzuoki will always be my favorite Japanese voice actor. Sure, I‘m incredibly biased, but one cannot deny the fact that he was a truly talented actor.
Some seiyû play many different characters throughout their careers. Suzuoki-sensei‘s list of roles may not be as lengthy as others’ are, but each and every one of his is absolutely unforgettable. He makes his characters who they are and gives life to them.
I love the way he gives Tenshinhan all of his emotions. Tenshinhan, who seems so stoic and serious all the time. Yet Suzuoki-sensei is able to make him sound totally goofy, such as when he announces Tenshinhan’s Haikyûken; or all kind and reassuring when he speaks to Chaozu. And after all, no one shouts the Kikôhô like Suzuoki-sensei does.
In addition to playing Tenshinhan, Suzuoki-sensei provided the voice of the Tenkaichi Budôkai announcer, who is echelons more energetic. He also voices “Wu Shenron”, one of the dragons in the Evil Dragon Arc of DBGT. I can’t tell you much about that particular role, since I’ve never seen DBGT before. One of these days...?
Sadly, Suzuoki-sensei passed away on August 6, 2006 from lung cancer. The news was sudden and struck a great blow to the many fans of his voice-work.
Thank you so much for everything, Suzuoki-sensei. We will always remember you.
Random Trivia
◦ His name: 鈴 suzu, means “bell;” 置 oki, means “to place;” 洋 hiro, means “ocean,” “foreign,” or “Western;” 孝 taka, means “obedience” or “mourning.”
◦ He and Hiroko Emori (Chaozu’s seiyû) both did voice work on the Saint Seiya anime.
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