Tōru Furuya

Tōru Furuya (古谷 徹, Furuya Tooru, born July 31, 1953 in Yokohama, Kanagawa) is a Japanese voice actor, stage actor, and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. His alias for certain roles is Noboru Sōgetsu (蒼月 昇, Sōgetsu Noboru).

Furuya started acting at the age of 5 when his mother had him join the Himawari Theatre Company. He mainly appeared in TV dramas and later made his voice acting debut upon turning 10. Although Furuya was assigned irregular working hours due to focusing on his studies at the time, he fully returned to acting after finishing higher education. His fame as a voice actor grew some time in the early 90s as he steadily earned more roles and exposure. Years later, he received several distinctions during the annual Seiyu Awards, with his first one being the Kei Tomiyama Award in 2008.

Furuya's alma mater is Meiji Gakuin University, having attended there as an economics major. He once married Mami Koyama in 1976, though the two of them divorced on amicable terms in 1983. His current spouse is Satomi Najima and they have a daughter together. He used to be close with the late Hirotaka Suzuoki who co-starred with him in some titles.

Having been raised in a tofu shop, Furuya is accustomed to eating dishes made from tofu. Despite not really liking it at the time, he came to appreciate its subtle flavors once his tastes matured. Unfortunately, his parents' shop had closed down for good which disappointed him.

During his prime, Furuya's tenor pitch made him a popular choice for handsome male roles. There were times when he had to contend with Akira Kamiya as a rival. His usual approach to performing involves gathering relevant information on the role, writing down directional feedback on the margins of the script, and clarifying the character's interpersonal relationships within the story. Furuya voiced Jin Saotome in Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness, Freyr in Fire Emblem Heroes, and Diablo in Daemon X Machina. He is also the official dub voice for Hong Kong actor Yuen Biao.

Works

 * Liu Bei - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CDs, Kessen II
 * Amuro Ray - Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series; reprise of his original role in Mobile Suit Gundam
 * Ribbons Almark - Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series; reprise of his original role in Gundam 00
 * Sabo - One Piece: Pirate Warriors series