Why do you think anime is much more prevalent in its Japanese form, and why are English dubs made fun of in weeb circles? The voice is the soul of animation- it gives the character life and personality and conveys a message. The voice actors put a human face on the drawings and breathe life into the characters, making them feel alive to the viewers. Voice acting has existed for years now. In Japan, the growing popularity of anime series and movies led to increasing demand for seiyuu. Seiyuus are another name for Voice Actors in Japan.
1. Masako Nozawa- $20 million
Masako Nozawa is an experienced voice actress (seiyuu) and narrator born in Tokyo, Japan, who has worked with big production houses such as Production Baobab and 81 producers. Nozawa is most famous for her work in Dragon Ball series as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Goten. She holds two Guinness World Records for voice acting in a video game for the most prolonged period(23+ years)
2. Ryo Horikawa- $18 million
Ryo Horikawa, best known for his voice as Vegeta in Dragon Ball series, is also one of the highest-paid seiyuu. Since the 1960s, he is also known for voicing Captain Falcon (Super Smash Bros video game series), Andromeda Shun (from Saint Seiya), Detective Conan as Heiji Hatori, Digimon (Pokemon), and many more.
3. Masakazu Morita- $10 million
Masakazu Morita voiced many anime and video game characters, like Macro from One Piece, Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, Li Xin in Kingdom, etc. He also hosts a radio show on Bleach B-Station and even won the "Best Rookie Award."
4. Yuuki Kaji- $4.5 million
Yuki Kaji is a well-known seiyuu and a singer affiliated with VIMS Agency. He won the 8th Seiyuu award for his voice acting as Eren Yeager in the anime Attack on Titan. His voice has given life to some popular 2D anime boys, including Shouto from MHA, Ayato from Tokyo Ghoul, and Eren Yeager from AOT.
5. Hiroshi Kamiya- $1.5 million
Hiroshi Kamiya has been in the industry since 1994 and is famously known for giving his voice to Levi Ackerman in Attack on Titan, Saiki in Disastrous life of Saiki Kusou, Akashi in Kuroko no Basketball, Ranpo in Bungou stray dogs, Takeda sensei in Haikyuu and even Trafalgar Law in One Piece. He also won numerous Seiyuu Awards.
6. Megumi Hayashibara- $1.5 million
Japanese voice actor Megumi Hayashibara is also a singer and radio personality, well known for her lovely voice. Her works include Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ai Haibara in Detective Conan, and even as a voice of Jessie in the Pokemon series.
7. Mamoru Miyano- $1.5 million
Japanese voice actors are well-known for the characters they play. Mamoru Miyano is a popular seiyuu known for voicing anime men such as Dazai Osamu from Bungou Stray Dogs, Light Yagami from Death Note, and Atsumu Miya from Haikyuu. He has won many Seiyuu Awards. Apart from acting, he has released several albums.
8. Tatsuhisa Suzuki -$1.5 million
Tatsuhisa Suzuki, apart from being a well-known voice actor, is also a singer and the vocalist of the Japanese band OLCODEX. He is best known for voicing Makoto Tachibana from Free, Ban from Seven Deadly Sins, Masashi in Gintama, and even Draken in Tokyo Revengers.
9. Kana Hanazawa- $1.5 million
Kana Hanazawa is a multi-talented voice actor and singer under Aniplex/Sony Music Entertainment and has won the award for Best Voice Actress at the Newtype Anime Awards. Her famous works include Rize Hamashiro from Tokyo Ghoul, Akane Tsunemori from Psyco Pass, and Mitsuri Kanroji from Demon Slayer.
10. Takahiro Sakurai- $1.5 million
The Japanese voice actor Takahiro Sakurai is known for his roles as Sasori in Naruto, Rohan Kishibe in Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, and Uta in Mob Psycho, as well as Suguru Getou in Jujutsu Kaisen.
