# Takeshi Kusao (草尾 毅)
**Takeshi Kusao** (草尾 毅, Kusao Takeshi, born 1965) is a Japanese voice actor, singer, and radio personality affiliated with Aoni Production. He is best known as the voice of Trunks in the *Dragon Ball* franchise and Hanamichi Sakuragi in *Slam Dunk*, and he has also worked extensively dubbing Western films, including early [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-dicaprio) roles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223) • [2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Japan[3](https://guiltygear.wiki.gg/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) |
| Affiliation | Aoni Production; graduate of its training school, Aoni Juku Tokyo, 6th class[2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html) |
| Debut role | Kai in the anime film *Akira* (1988)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223) |
| Signature roles | Trunks (*Dragon Ball*), Hanamichi Sakuragi (*Slam Dunk*), Ryo Sanada (*Samurai Troopers*), Ky Kiske (*Guilty Gear*), Sanada Yukimura (*Samurai Warriors*), Dororo (*Sgt. Frog*)[4](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) |
| Dubbing work | Leonardo DiCaprio in *Titanic*, *Romeo + Juliet*, *The Man in the Iron Mask*, and *Celebrity*; Zachary Levi in *Chuck* and *Shazam!*[2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html) |
| Music | Six albums and multiple singles between 1990 and 1997; member of the voice-actor unit N.G.FIVE[5](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/items/kusao-takeshi.pdf) • [6](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/) |
| Personal life | Married voice actress Yuka Saitō on 20 May 2015; they have one child[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223) |
## Early life and training
Kusao was born in 1965 in [Tokorozawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokorozawa), Saitama Prefecture.[3](https://guiltygear.wiki.gg/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) He trained at the Tokyo school of Aoni Juku, the attached actor-training institute of Aoni Production, in its 6th class, and later said that what he learned there became the foundation for adapting to the changing voice-acting industry.[2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html) • [7](https://www.aonijuku-tokyo.jp/future/voice) His listed hobbies are snowboarding and swimming.[2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html)
His first job was an unlikely one: playing a corpse in *The Red Spectacles* (1987), director [Mamoru Oshii](https://www.edgepedia.org/mamoru-oshii)'s first live-action film.[8](https://thetv.jp/news/detail/1119535/) His voice-acting debut followed in the movie adaptation of *Akira*, in the role of Kai; the Dragon Ball Wiki dates the debut to 1987, while IMDb dates the film's release to 1988.[9](https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223)
## Breakthrough and major anime roles
**Ryo Sanada.** Kusao's breakout came as Ryo Sanada, "Ryo of the Wildfire," in *Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers* (released in English as *Ronin Warriors*), beginning in 1988.[4](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) • [6](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/) He returned to the role for the 2026 sequel series *[Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoroi-shinden-samurai-troopers)*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223)
**Trunks.** In *Dragon Ball Z*, Kusao took on Trunks, the son of Vegeta and [Bulma](https://www.edgepedia.org/bulma) who arrives from the future, and he has carried the role across *Dragon Ball GT*, *Dragon Ball Kai*, *Dragon Ball Super*, and *Dragon Ball Daima*, as well as films including *Fusion Reborn* (1995) and *Battle of Gods* (2013).[9](https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223) • [10](https://animecca.jp/ja/people/%E8%8D%89%E5%B0%BE%E6%AF%85) In interviews with [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation) he described Trunks as a fateful character for him: Trunks debuted mid-series by cutting down Frieza, and Kusao, then a newcomer in a studio of established seniors, felt his own position as the new actor matched the character's position in the story.[11](https://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/dragon_s/special/06.html) He has also said that to convey a father-son feel, he sometimes modeled Trunks's lines and battle cries on [Ryō Horikawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryo-horikawa), the voice of Vegeta.[12](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/5778)
**Hanamichi Sakuragi.** In the 1993 television anime *Slam Dunk*, Kusao voiced the red-haired protagonist Hanamichi Sakuragi, a high schooler joining the basketball team with no experience. He described it as a type of role he had never played before, and he struggled to project Sakuragi's high energy in the morning recording sessions.[12](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/5778)
**Other roles.** His credits span games and anime: Ky Kiske in the *Guilty Gear* series from its start, [Sanada Yukimura](https://www.edgepedia.org/sanada-yukimura) in the *Samurai Warriors* (*Sengoku Musou*) games and anime, Parn in *Record of Lodoss War*, Dororo in *Sgt. Frog*, Coco in *Yes! PreCure 5*, Mao in *Code Geass*, and Cress Albane in *Tales of Phantasia*.[3](https://guiltygear.wiki.gg/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) • [4](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) • [2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html) In *Detective Conan* he became the second voice of Tōru Amuro, taking over from [Tōru Furuya](https://www.edgepedia.org/toru-furuya).[10](https://animecca.jp/ja/people/%E8%8D%89%E5%B0%BE%E6%AF%85) Around age 40 he resolved a period of roughly ten years in which he felt unable to perform as he wanted, after which he broadened into roles beyond hot-blooded leads, such as the ninja Dororo.[12](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/5778)
## Dubbing Western films
Kusao has dubbed many leading Hollywood roles into Japanese. He voiced Leonardo DiCaprio in the actor's early films, including Jack Dawson in the in-flight version of *[Titanic](https://www.edgepedia.org/titanic-1997-film)*, Romeo in *Romeo + Juliet*, and roles in *The Man in the Iron Mask* and *Celebrity*; he has also dubbed [River Phoenix](https://www.edgepedia.org/river-phoenix), Matt Damon, and Cal Pen in *The Namesake*.[2](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html) • [12](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/5778) For five seasons he voiced [Zachary Levi](https://www.edgepedia.org/zachary-levi) as Chuck in the series *Chuck*, and he reunited with that dubbing team to voice Levi again in the new-recording dub of *Shazam!* for the Japanese channel The Cinema.[6](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/) In a 2021 interview about that recording he described dubbing as adding a further layer of craft on top of animation work: beyond matching the mouth movements, he tries to reconstruct the original actor's reasoning and feelings behind each line and expression.[6](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/)
## Music
In 1990 Kusao attempted a career as a J-Pop vocalist before returning to voice acting.[9](https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao) His discography listed by Aoni includes the albums *90's* (King Records, 1990), *Credo*, *Take a Shine*, *Beginning Breeze*, *TAU* (Toshiba EMI, 1990–1994), *COMS* (1995), and *Pangaea* ([Nippon Columbia](https://www.edgepedia.org/nippon-columbia), 1996), plus singles such as "Once Again I Love You" (1990) and "Nettaiya" (1994).[5](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/items/kusao-takeshi.pdf) He also formed the voice-actor unit N.G.FIVE, which performed songs tied to *Samurai Troopers*.[6](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/)
## References
1. [Takeshi Kusao (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476223)
2. [草尾 毅, 株式会社青二プロダクション (Aoni Production talent profile)](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kusao-takeshi.html)
3. [Takeshi Kusao, The Guilty Gear Wiki](https://guiltygear.wiki.gg/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao)
4. [Takeshi Kusao, The Gundam Wiki](https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao)
5. [草尾 毅 プロフィールPDF, Aoni Production](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/items/kusao-takeshi.pdf)
6. [草尾毅さんが語る『シャザム！〖ザ・シネマ新録版〗』特別インタビュー, 日本声優事業社協議会 (2021)](https://sei-yu.net/archives-interview/20211029/)
7. [卒業生の声｜青二塾](https://www.aonijuku-tokyo.jp/future/voice)
8. [「ドラゴンボールZ」トランクス役でもおなじみ…草尾毅, WEBザテレビジョン](https://thetv.jp/news/detail/1119535/)
9. [Takeshi Kusao, Dragon Ball Wiki](https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Takeshi_Kusao)
10. [草尾毅（声優）の出演アニメ・代表作, animecca](https://animecca.jp/ja/people/%E8%8D%89%E5%B0%BE%E6%AF%85)
11. [キャストインタビュー・草尾毅さん, ドラゴンボール超, 東映アニメーション](https://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/dragon_s/special/06.html)
12. [草尾毅のプロフィール・経歴・出演映画, ファッションプレス](https://www.fashion-press.net/profiles/5778)
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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 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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