Unsho Ishizuka

Unsho Ishizuka (石塚 運昇, Ishizuka Unshō, May 16, 1951 - August 13, 2018) was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He was affiliated with Aoni Production and was an actor who did not participate in the company's voice actor education program. Ishizuka was married, though the identity of his spouse is kept secret from the media. His hobbies included tinkering with motorcycles, golf, and taking care of his family's fish tank.

Ishizuka began his interest in acting during high school when he participated in a school play. He continued his interest in theatrical performances and joined at least three different theatrical groups which include Shiki, Seinenza, Basara. Ishizuka initially did voice over work on the side to fill in the gap between the plays he performed. When his voice work was in higher demand, he decide to pursue it in earnest. He still keeps in touch with his theatrical interests as he founded the Unsho Ishizuka Reading Company. While they haven't done too many productions as of late, Ishizuka mainly acted as the advisor and coach for members of the acting troupe.

The voice acting industry usually has Ishizuka act in a baritone voice for his characters, though he is capable of acting at a higher pitch. He is one of the voice actors who replaced many of Daisuke Gōri's former roles. A few of his voice credits include Bunta Fujiwara in Initial D between animation and mostly Initial D Arcade Stage series, Bogi in The Third, Lehm in Jormungand, and Joseph Joestar in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders. He is also the best known official dubbing roles for Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey.

On August 17, 2018, it was reported that Ishizuka passed away on August 13 at age 67 from esophageal cancer.

Works

 * Dr. Ned Friedman - Ninja Ryūkenden OVA
 * White Dragon, Black Dragon, Yinglong - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series (excluding third and fifth titles)
 * Guno - Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance
 * Surya, narrator - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
 * Ujiyasu Hōjō - Samurai Warriors series (Daisuke Gōri's successor for narration), Warriors Orochi series, Derby Musou
 * Narrator - Samurai Warriors series, Sengoku Jidai Ten -A Century of Dreams- pre-recorded voice guide
 * Odysseus - Troy Musou
 * Brad Wong - Dead or Alive Dimensions, Dead or Alive 5~6
 * Kizaru - One Piece: Pirate Warriors; reprise of his role in the anime
 * Ken Ishigami - Ninja Gaiden 3 (including Razor's Edge)
 * Kaioh - Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2
 * Dōsan Saitō - CR Sengoku no Arashi ~Nobunaga no Shou~
 * Ginji Hasekura - Kiniro no Corda 3 AnotherSky feat. Amane Gakuen
 * Narrator - BERSERK 2016 TV series
 * Toujirou Hariyama - Augmented Reality Girls Trinary
 * Sergei Lou - The Legend of Heroes: Akatsuki no Kiseki

Trivia

 * Unsho Ishizuka is the second voice actor in Samurai Warriors to pass away, the first being Daisuke Gouri.