Hochu Otsuka Birthday Poll: Sakonji Urokodaki Takes First Place for Fourth Straight Year
The poll shows that Otsuka's most iconic role remains stable at the top, but the shifting positions of other characters and the entry of a classic Gundam antagonist reflect how audience familiarity with his range continues to evolve.
Reporting from 1 sources: Nijimen.
Nijimen published a reader poll ranking the top 10 characters voiced by Hochu Otsuka, with Sakonji Urokodaki from Demon Slayer taking first place for the fourth consecutive year. Abuto from Gintama and Jiraiya from Naruto swapped second and third places, while Yazan Gable from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam entered the top 10 for the first time.
Voice actor Hochu Otsuka turned 73 on May 19. To mark the occasion, Nijimen asked readers to vote for their favorite character he has voiced and published the top 10 results. The list draws from a broad career spanning nearly five decades, from 1970s mecha anime to current shonen hits. Sakonji Urokodaki, the retired Water Hashira who mentors Tanjiro in Demon Slayer, has held first place every year since the poll began. The biggest shift this year is the reversal of second and third place: Abuto from Gintama overtook Jiraiya from Naruto, who had been runner-up in 2025. The only new entry in the top 10 is Yazan Gable, the brutal Titans pilot from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, who landed at eighth place. Last year's ninth-place finisher, the dual role of Takamura and Narration from Sakamoto Days, dropped to 11th.
- Sakonji Urokodaki (Demon Slayer): 1st place, 401 votes
- Abuto (Gintama): 2nd place, 275 votes
- Jiraiya (Naruto): 3rd place, 260 votes
- Lieutenant Tsurumi (Golden Kamuy): 4th place, 219 votes
- Voice of Deneb (Kamen Rider Den-O): 5th place, 189 votes
- Akira Sendoh (Slam Dunk): 6th place, 164 votes
- Hakuro (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime): 7th place, 149 votes
- Yazan Gable (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam): 8th place, 137 votes
- Soseki Natsume (Bungo Stray Dogs): 9th place, 116 votes
- Montblanc Norland, Z (One Piece): 10th place, 106 votes
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.