is a Japanese actor,

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

and narrator. He is the founder of Hirata Production. He is best known for voicing

Vinsmoke Sanji , also known as , is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. A native to the North Blue, Sanji grew up as part of the Vinsmoke family under his father Vinsmoke Judge, king of the Germa Kingdom, and mother Vi ...

in ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

''. His other known roles include Sha Gojyo in ''

Saiyuki may refer to: *''Saiyūki'', the Japanese language title of the Chinese classic ''Journey to the West'' *''Saiyūki'', a 1960 anime film based on Osamu Tezuka's manga adaptation of ''Journey to the West'' titled ''Boku no Son Goku'', released in En ...

'', Kotetsu T. Kaburagi in '' Tiger & Bunny'', Klein in ''

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the then-near future and focuses on protagonists Kirito (Sword Art Online), Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna (Sword Art On ...

'',

Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

in the ''

Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists o ...

'' series, Mutta Nanba in '' Space Brothers'', Leomon in ''

Digimon Adventure , known as ''Digimon: Digital Monsters'' in English-speaking territories, is a 1999 Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation in cooperation with WiZ, Bandai and Fuji Television. It is the first anime series in the ''D ...

'', George Kodama in ''

Kaze no Yojimbo is a 2001–2002 Japanese animated television series based on Akira Kurosawa's chanbara film ''Yojimbo''. It was directed by Hayato Date. The series follows George Kodama into the small town of Kimujuku. The wanderer quickly realizes he is an ...

'' and Mr. Kondo in '' After the Rain''. He is also the official

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

dub-over artist for

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

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Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (; born June 4, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Carter (ER), John Carter in the television series ''ER (TV series), ER'' (1994–2009), which earned him nominations for three Golden Glo ...

and

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc r ...

. In addition, he dubbed many roles of

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

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, and

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television crime drama series '' Cracker''. He made his feature film debut in 1998 in th ...

Career

After graduating from Toshima High School, Hirata attended the Subaru Theater School and then joined

Theatre Company Subaru The is a theatre company based in Tokyo, Japan, founded by Tsuneari Fukuda in 1976. Overview The origin of the troupe can be traced back to 1963, when playwright Fukuda first established the Kumo Theatre Company together with Hiroshi Akutagawa ...

. His first stage performance was in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' in 1986. While he was working as a stage actor, his manager at the time asked him if he was interested in becoming a voice actor, and he auditioned. Since then, he has dubbed for many Western movies and has worked in animation. In 2011, he played the main character Kotetsu T. Kaburagi in the anime '' Tiger & Bunny'' and won the 11th

Tokyo Anime Award The Tokyo Anime Awards started in 2002, but was named in 2005. The first, second and third award ceremonies were simply named 'Competition'. The award ceremonies were held at the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) until 2013. In 2014, after the ...

for Best Voice Actor and the

6th Seiyu Awards The 6th Seiyu Awards ceremony was held on March 3, 2012. References

{{Seiyu Awards Seiyu Awards ceremonies 2011 film awards, Seiyu 2011 television awards, Seiyu 2012 in Japanese cinema 2012 in Japanese television ...

for Best Actor in leading role. In the same year, he left Theater Company Subaru, where he had worked for 27 years, and started a new company, Hirata Production Japan. On January 9, 2017, Hirata was chosen 25th in the 3-hour voice actor general election special that broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

, where 200 popular voice actors were ranked.

Filmography

Television animation

Original video animation (OVA)

*2001 - '' Zaion: I Wish You Were Here'' (Changpuek) *2006 - '' Hellsing Ultimate OVA'' (

Pip Bernadotte ''Hellsing,'' is a manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It tells the story of a powerful vampire named Alucard and his battle against supernatural forces in service of the Hellsing Organization. The series takes place primaril ...

) *2007 - ''

Strait Jacket is a light novel series by Ichirō Sakaki with illustrations by Yō Fujishiro, published by Fujimi Shobo under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. It was published in 11 volumes between 2000 and 2010. The series was adapted into a 3-episode ...

'' (????) (Falk) *2007 - '' Saiyuki Reload: Burial'', Sha Gojyo *2011 - '' Saiyuki Gaiden'', General Kenren *2013 - ''Saiyuki Gaiden: Kouga no Shou'', General Kenren

Film animation

* ''

'' (2000) (TV announcer, Adult Takeru "T.K." Takaishi) * ''

'' series (2001–) (Vinsmoke Sanji) * '' Saiyuki: Requiem'' (2001) ( Sha Gojyo) * '' WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3'' (2002) (Shinichiro Hata) * '' Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence'' (2004) (Koga) * ''

Asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...

'' (2012) (Shichiro) * '' Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning'' (2012) (Kotetsu T. Kaburagi / Wild Tiger) * '' Tiger & Bunny: The Rising'' (2013) (Kotetsu T. Kaburagi / Wild Tiger) * '' New Initial D: Legend 1 - Awakening'' (2014) (Bunta Fujiwara) * '' Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary'' (2014) (Cancer Deathmask) * '' Crayon Shin-Chan: My Moving Story! Cactus Large Attack!'' (2015) (Mayor of Mexico) * ''

Digimon Adventure tri. is a Japanese adventure anime film series produced by Toei Animation. Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the '' Digimon'' franchise, the six-part series serves as a direct sequel to the first two television series, ''Digimon Adventure'' and ...

'' (2015) (Narrator, Leomon, Gennai) * '' Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale'' (2017) (Klein / Ryōtarō Tsuboi) * '' Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms'' (2018) (Baro) * '' Pretty Cure Miracle Leap: A Strange Day with Everyone'' (2020) (Refrain) *'' Burn the Witch'' (2020) (Billy Banx Jr.) *'' Crayon Shin-chan: Crash! Rakuga Kingdom and Almost Four Heroes'' (2020) (Court painter) *'' Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata: Secret Story Film'' (2020) (Tamagoro Someya)

Tokusatsu

;2011 * ''

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is Toei Company's 35th entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series following ''Tensou Sentai Goseiger''. It follows a Pirate motif and premiered on TV Asahi on February 13, 2011, joining ''Kamen Ride ...

'' (2011-2012) (Engine Machalcon (eps. 35 - 39, 41 - 44, 46 - 47, 49 - 50)) ;2012 * ''

Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy drama based on the Super Sentai Series. It is not part of the official line up in Toei Company's Super Sentai franchise, but is instead a self-parody geared towards adults who were fans of the franchise as children. ...

'' (Delu Knight (eps. 10 - 12), Senmotorishimayaku Delu Knight (ep. 10)) * ''

Kamen Rider Wizard is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's '' Kamen Rider'' franchise, being the fourteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-third overall. It began airing on TV Asahi on September 2, 2012, joining ''Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters' ...

'' (Narration) ;2013 * ''Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger: Season Tsuu'' (Delu Knight (eps. 10 - 11))

Video games

* '' Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War'' () (Albert Genette) * ''

Namco × Capcom (pronounced as "Namco Cross Capcom") is a tactical role-playing (RPG) crossover video game developed by Monolith Soft for the PlayStation 2 and published by Namco in 2005. The gameplay combines tactical RPG and action sequences during battles, ...

'' () ( Bruce McGivern, Kamuz) * ''

Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), King ...

'' () (

Captain Jack Sparrow Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp. The characteriza ...

) * ''

Final Fantasy XII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the '' Final Fantasy'' series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series: an open ...

'' () (

Balthier is a 25-year-old fictional character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, and a protagonist in ''Final Fantasy XII''. He was designed by Akihiko Yoshida, was voiced by Gideon Emery and Hiroaki Hirata in the English and Japanese versions respectivel ...

) * '' Sonic and the Black Knight'' () (Caliburn/

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

) * '' God Eater'' () (Lindow Amamiya) * ''

The 3rd Birthday is a role-playing shooter co-developed by Square Enix's 1st Production Department and HexaDrive, and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan in 2010 and in North America and Europe in 2011. The game is the ...

'' () (Kunihiko Maeda) * ''

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' (pronounced as ) is a 2011 fighting game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department and released in J ...

'' () (

Laguna Loire '' Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after ...

) * ''

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book se ...

'' () (

) * ''

Project X Zone (pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. The game is a follow up to the ...

'' () (Lindow Amamiya) * ''

God Eater 2 is a video game developed by Shift and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment on November 14, 2013, in Japan for PlayStation Portable. It is a sequel to '' God Eater''. It features a new setting, as well as new protagonists, new monsters, and ...

'' () (Lindow Amamiya) * Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment (2013)as klein * ''

Granblue Fantasy ( Japanese:グランブルーファンタジー, Hepburn: ''Guranburū Fantajī)'' is a Japanese social-network game and role-playing video game developed by Cygames for Android, iOS and web browsers, which first released in Japan in March ...

'' (2014) (Rackam) * Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment as klein * '' Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition'' () (Vergil) * ''

Project X Zone 2 ''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to '' Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the eve ...

'' () (Vergil) * ''

World of Final Fantasy ''World of Final Fantasy'' is a role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Square Enix. It is a spin-off of the '' Final Fantasy'' franchise, featuring characters from across its mainline and supplementary entries. Initially relea ...

'' () (

) * '' Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia'' () (

) * ''God Eater Resonant Ops'' () (Lindow Amamiya) * ''

Kingdom Hearts III is a 2019 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch. It is the twelfth installment in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, and serves as a conclusion of the ...

'' () (

) * ''

Devil May Cry 5 is a 2019 action-adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It is the sixth installment overall and the fifth mainline installment in the ''Devil May Cry'' series. Capcom released it for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 8 March 201 ...

'' () (Vergil) * '' Tokyo Afterschool Summoners'' (2019) (Tsukuyomi) * ''Return to Shironagasu Island'' (2022) (Norman North) Unknown date * ''

Catherine (video game) ''Catherine'' is a puzzle video game developed by Atlus. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan and North America in 2011, in PAL regions by Deep Silver in 2012, and for Microsoft Windows by Sega in 2019. A re-release w ...

'' (Orlando Haddick) * ''

Chaos Rings Omega is a role-playing video game for iOS, Android, and PlayStation Vita developed by Media.Vision and published by Square Enix. ''Chaos Rings Ω'' was available on the App Store on May 19, 2011. Effective May 31, 2016, Square Enix ended distribu ...

'' (Veig/Olgar) * ''

Granado Espada ''Granado Espada'' is a Korean fantasy MMORPG developed by IMC Games Co.,Ltd. Originally released in South Korea in February 2006, the English localizations were launched in the summer of 2007 in North America and Southeast Asia. ''Granado Espad ...

'' (Raven) * ''

Heavy Rain ''Heavy Rain'' is a 2010 adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game features four protagonists involved with the mystery of the Origami Killer, a serial murderer who uses extended periods ...

'' (Norman Jayden) * ''

Jeanne d'Arc (video game) ''Jeanne d'Arc'' is a tactical role-playing game, tactical role-playing game, role-playing video game developed by Level-5 (video game company), Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game wa ...

'' (

Gilles de Rais Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais (), was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later conv ...

) * '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle'' ( Jean Pierre Polnareff) * '' Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance'' (Samuel Rodrigues) * ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'' series (Genma Shiranui) * ''

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a 2012 action-adventure video game, action adventure hack and slash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei. It is the sequel to ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 in Marc ...

'' ( Cliff Higgins) * ''

'' series (Vinsmoke Sanji) * '' Spyro x Sparx: Tondemo Tours'' (Hunter the Cheetah (

Gregg Berger Gregory Alan Berger (born December 10, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jecht from ''Final Fantasy X'' and the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' games, Grimlock from '' The Transformers'', Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter from '' ...

)) * ''

Tales of Innocence is an action role-playing game, developed and released for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Vita. ''Innocence'' is the ninth main installment in the '' Tales'' series, developed by Alfa System and published by Bandai Namco Games. It was releas ...

'' (Ricardo Soldato, Hypnos) * ''

Time Travelers Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to co ...

'' (Kyugo Shindo) * ''

Xenosaga ''Xenosaga'' is a role-playing video game series developed by Monolith Soft and primarily published by Namco. Forming part of the wider '' Xeno'' metaseries, ''Xenosaga'' is set in a science fiction universe and follows a group of characters as th ...

'' series ( Allen Ridgeley). * Live a Hero (Vulpecula)

Television drama

* '' Daddy Sister'' (2016) * ''

The 13 Lords of the Shogun is a Japanese historical drama television series starring Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. The series is the 61st NHK taiga drama. Cast Starring role *Shun Oguri as Hōjō Yoshitoki. Kōki Mitani pointed out some similarities between him and ...

'' (2022), Satake Yoshimasa * ''The Old Dog, New Tricks?'' (2022), Minato * ''Ishiko and Haneo: You're Suing Me?'' (2022), Riichiro Hyuga

Dubbing roles

Live action

Animation

References

External links

* *
seiyuu.info Hiroaki Hirata
at the Seiyuu database * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirata, Hiroaki 1963 births Living people Best Actor Seiyu Award winners Japanese male musical theatre actors Japanese male video game actors Japanese male voice actors Male voice actors from Tokyo Seiyu Award winners 20th-century Japanese male actors 21st-century Japanese male actors