# Takaya Hashi (土師孝也)
**Takaya Hashi** (土師孝也, はし たかや; born Katō Takaya, 加藤孝也) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and director known for his deep, resonant voice and for roles including Toki in *Fist of the North Star*, the Japanese dub voice of [Severus Snape](https://www.edgepedia.org/severus-snape) in the *Harry Potter* films, and James Black in *Detective Conan*[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376) • [2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F). Born in Tokyo in 1952, he was active as a performer from 1974 until his death on 27 August 2025[3](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/10972/profile/) • [4](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/14774).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1952, Tokyo; 27 August 2025[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376) • [4](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/14774) |
| Birth name | Katō Takaya (加藤孝也)[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F) |
| Career span | Active from 1974; member of the theater company Seinenza, later affiliated with aptepro[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F) • [5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html) |
| Signature anime roles | Toki (and Amiba) in *Fist of the North Star*; Kakuzu in *Naruto*; Duke Inuarashi in *One Piece*; James Black in *Detective Conan*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html) • [1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376) |
| Dubbing specialty | Regular Japanese dub voice for Alan Rickman, including Severus Snape across the *Harry Potter* series[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html) |
| Voice quality | A deep, mellow low voice, often cast as steady, dignified characters and sometimes villains[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F) |
## Life and training
Hashi was born in Tokyo in 1952[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376). His birth name was Katō Takaya[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F). He graduated from Musashi Institute of Technology affiliated high school and Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F).
He built his stage career with the theater company Seinenza (劇団青年座), which he joined after being drawn to the company's production of *The Threepenny Opera*; he also performed in plays by [Anton Chekhov](https://www.edgepedia.org/anton-chekhov) and pursued a distinctly Japanese form of theatrical expression[6](https://anibase.net/ja/people/4xA06/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F). His listed hobbies and special skill was cooking[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html).
His screen acting included live-action television: he appeared in the 1974 TBS drama *Shiroi Subereto* episode "Life and Death" as a student hippie under the name 土師孝哉, and later in the 2008 TBS drama *Onsen e Go!* and the taiga drama *Aoi Tokugawa Sandai*[3](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/10972/profile/) • [5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html).
## Anime career
Hashi's anime work spans more than four decades, beginning with a role in the 1980 *Lupin III* (TV series 2)[2](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F). His best-known role is Toki in *Fist of the North Star* (1984), a character combining compassion and resolve; he also voiced Amiba in the same series and reprised Toki in pachislot and pachinko adaptations[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html) • [7](https://da-monde-blog.com/hashi-takaya-career/). Commentators describe his performance as relying on a low, steady voice rather than exaggerated inflection[7](https://da-monde-blog.com/hashi-takaya-career/).
Other prominent roles include Kakuzu in *Naruto: Shippuden*, Duke Inuarashi in *One Piece*, Kellnunnos in *Maria the Virgin Witch*, Hodir in *The Heroic Legend of Arslan*, and Gazel in *That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html) • [8](https://upimg.baike.so.com/doc/2693525-2843974.html). In *Legend of the Galactic Heroes* he voiced Admiral Mekringer, the "artist admiral" who was also a watercolorist, essay poet, and first-rate pianist; in a 2001 DVD-production interview he recalled being surprised, at about age 35, to receive the role of an older man[9](https://www.ginei.jp/interview32.php).
Later work continued into the 2020s: he voiced Donovan Desmond in *Spy × Family*, Robert Accutrone in *[Bleach](https://www.edgepedia.org/bleach-tv-series): Thousand-Year Blood War*, Slava Korovin in *Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut*, and Vahn in *Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai*, and served as narrator for *Ishura*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html). From 2023 he was the second voice of James Black in *Detective Conan*, a role he also played in the 2016 film *The Darkest Nightmare*[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376) • [5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html).
## Dubbing and games
Hashi was the established Japanese dub voice of the British actor [Alan Rickman](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-rickman), voicing Severus Snape throughout the *Harry Potter* film series, Absalom the caterpillar in *Alice in Wonderland*, and [Ronald Reagan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronald-reagan) in *The Butler*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html). He also dubbed [Alec Baldwin](https://www.edgepedia.org/alec-baldwin) in several films, and his dub credits include Obadiah Stane in *Iron Man*, Hades in the *Clash of the Titans* films, and Sun Tzu in a documentary drama on *The Art of War*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html). His voice work extended to video games, including Fugen the village elder in *Monster Hunter Rise* and the Archer of Shinjuku in *Fate/Grand Order*[5](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html).
## Death
Hashi died on 27 August 2025[4](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/14774). A memorial review published on Eiga.com states he died of myocardial infarction at age 72[10](https://eiga.com/movie/77280/review/05940156/). Colleagues and fans posted tributes on social media after the announcement[1](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376). Posthumous releases include the theatrical anime *SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT* (2026), in which he voiced the Owl, and *Princess Principal: Crown Handler* Chapter 4 (2025), in which he voiced the [Duke of Normandy](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-of-normandy)[11](https://eiga.com/person/56146/movie/).
## References
1. [土師孝也｜アニメキャラ・プロフィール・出演情報・最新情報まとめ, アニメイトタイムズ](https://www.animatetimes.com/tag/details.php?id=1376)
2. [土師孝也：人物概況・出演作品, 中文百科全書](https://www.newton.com.tw/wiki/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F)
3. [土師孝也のプロフィール, tv-ranking](https://www.tv-ranking.com/detail/10972/profile/)
4. [土師孝也 Takaya Hashi, ファッションプレス 人物プロフィール](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/14774)
5. [土師 孝也 | アプトプロ株式会社](https://aptepro.jp/talents/t_hashi.html)
6. [土師孝也 | 声優キャラクター検索, AniBase](https://anibase.net/ja/people/4xA06/%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E5%AD%9D%E4%B9%9F)
7. [〖声優〗土師孝也の経歴まとめ, だ～もんで～ブログ](https://da-monde-blog.com/hashi-takaya-career/)
8. [土师孝也, 360百科](https://upimg.baike.so.com/doc/2693525-2843974.html)
9. [銀河英雄伝説 ON THE WEB インタビュー 第32回 土師孝也](https://www.ginei.jp/interview32.php)
10. [「土師孝也さんを偲んで」映画レビュー, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/77280/review/05940156/)
11. [土師孝也：関連作品（映画）, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/person/56146/movie/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Voice performers › Japanese voice performers › Surnames symbols to M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license