Predicting Who Will Voice Robert Downey Jr. in 'Avengers 5'
Five years have passed since the death of Keiji Fujiwara, the voice actor who had dubbed Robert Downey Jr. since 'Iron Man' (2008). How quickly time flies...
Now, it has been announced that Robert Downey Jr. will reappear in 'The Fantastic Four' (2025) and 'Avengers 5' (2026) this year.
Who on earth will be in charge of dubbing Robert Downey Jr.? No one knows yet. If so, why don't we think about it? And why don't we try to guess?
So, in this article, I, a dubbing fan, will list the candidates one by one and eliminate them based on their careers and character overlaps. Who will be the last one standing!!!!! Witness it!!!!!!!!
Candidate 1: Toshiyuki Morikawa
He is undoubtedly one of the best voice actors today. His sense of stability is incredible. Tom Cruise, Ewan McGregor, Keanu Reeves, Jude Law, Adam Sandler, Martin Freeman—he has too many exclusive actors. With a few exceptions, Toshiyuki Morikawa currently dubs all of these actors. He also continuously dubs Owen Wilson, Chris O'Donnell, Brendan Fraser, Mark Wahlberg, Josh Hartnett, Peter Dinklage, and others. Honestly, he dubs too many. In the 'Star Wars' series, while he dubs Obi-Wan Kenobi, the master of Anakin played by Ewan McGregor, he also dubs Jude Law in the 2024 new spin-off drama 'Skeleton Crew'. I'll say it again: it's too much. Toshiyuki Morikawa can do anything safely, and he has overwhelming recognition, ability, and popularity. But even so, is it honestly okay to have Toshiyuki Morikawa do everything?
The following is a list of MCU works in which Morikawa has appeared. He has dubbed a total of five actors: Sam Rockwell, Jude Law, Martin Freeman, Robert Downey Jr., and Tim Blake Nelson.
'Iron Man 3'
'Captain Marvel'
'The Marvels'
'Captain America: Civil War'
'Black Panther'
'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
'Secret Invasion'
'Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant'
'What If...?'
'Captain America: Brave New World'
Hey, nine works? That's too many. It is true that Morikawa has been dubbing Robert Downey Jr. (in anime and documentaries) since Keiji Fujiwara passed away, but considering character overlap, I have decided that Toshiyuki Morikawa should be excluded. Even if he were chosen, there would be too much character overlap, so I am firmly against it. How many voice actors do you think there are in Japan? Next, Hiroaki Hirata.
Candidate 2: Hiroaki Hirata
When it comes to Johnny Depp, this is the man: Hiroaki Hirata. In recent years, due to the slump in his films and his domestic violence scandal, Johnny Depp has been forced to shift his career path from blockbusters to the kind of mini-theater films he debuted in. Correspondingly, from around 2010, the roles that Hiroaki Hirata had held, such as Jude Law and Ewan McGregor, were gradually taken over by Toshiyuki Morikawa. In the last few years, Hiroaki Hirata's voice has noticeably declined. As the years go by, his voice has lost its tension and his vocal range has become higher. I don't know if it's due to age or illness, but in any case, his roles have been taken by Toshiyuki Morikawa in proportion to the decline in his voice over the last few years, and he is no longer as active as he was before the 2000s. However, the acting ability he honed at Gekidan Subaru and on many dubbing sets is the real deal, and his bizarre performance in the 2019 film 'Joker' is still fresh in my memory.
With such solid acting ability, but fewer opportunities to shine due to the sharp decrease in his roles and the decline in his voice, this role of Robert Downey Jr. is suitable for Hiroaki Hirata. Hiroaki Hirata played a young Robert Downey Jr. with plenty of sex appeal in 'Restoration' (1995), 'Backlash' (1996), and 'Eros' (2004).
Perhaps he is the only one who can get close to RDJ's charisma, acting ability, and presence. I will cast my first vote for Hiroaki Hirata.
Candidate 3: Takuya Kirimoto
Believe it or not, Takuya Kirimoto is the person who played Iron Man before Keiji Fujiwara.
Let me explain in order. Takuya Kirimoto dubbed Robert Downey Jr. for the in-flight version of 'Iron Man'. Kirimoto is a veteran voice actor and actor known as the exclusive voice of Bradley Cooper. As those who fly often know, in-flight screenings often show films with dubbing that have not yet been released in Japan. 'Iron Man', which was not expected at all at the time, was no exception, and it was likely screened in-flight before its theatrical release in Japan. If so, he would have played Iron Man earlier than Keiji Fujiwara. In other words, there is a possibility that Takuya Kirimoto himself was Japan's first Iron Man voice actor.
You can watch fragments of Takuya Kirimoto's performance as Iron Man on Twitter (now X) or YouTube without needing a time machine. While his skill and track record are impeccable, he lacks a certain level of name recognition. I absolutely hate and deeply despise dubbing casting based solely on name recognition. However, for 'Avengers 5,' a highly anticipated MCU film that has become too big, the dubbing for Robert Downey Jr.—who has also become too big—will likely feature a voice actor with a corresponding level of general name value. Unfortunately, Takuya Kirimoto is excluded from the candidates.
Candidate 4: Hochu Otsuka
Anyone under 40 in Japan who doesn't know Hochu Otsuka is a fraud. That is the extreme conclusion I am tempted to make about Hochu Otsuka, a voice actor with a vocal performance that no one can forget. Hochu Otsuka is currently 70 years old and has appeared in numerous anime and dubbed works. He has voiced Robert Downey Jr. in 'Natural Born Killers' (1994) and 'Sherlock Holmes' (2009).
With him, one could get close to the overwhelming charisma, presence, and delicate acting. In fact, when Hochu Otsuka played the same role in the TV Asahi version of 'Sherlock Holmes,' for which Keiji Fujiwara had provided the dub for the theatrical release, he made that eccentric performance perfectly his own.
Honestly, I was hoping he would play the role in 'Oppenheimer' as well. While the 10-year age gap between Hochu Otsuka and RDJ is a concern, he plays younger roles in anime, and above all, I want to see Hochu Otsuka's RDJ again. I cast my vote for Hochu Otsuka.
Candidate 5: Koichi Yamadera
Anyone under 40 in Japan who doesn't know Koichi Yamadera deserves the death penalty. That is the extreme argument I am tempted to make about Koichi Yamadera, a representative figure in the voice acting industry. When you think of voice actors, you think of Koichi Yamadera.
Koichi Yamadera played RDJ in 'Air America' (1990) and 'Chaplin' (1992). There is an anecdote that his performance was highly praised, especially when the VHS of 'Chaplin' was released. However, because the authenticity of this is unclear, the description was eventually deleted from the wiki.
Yamadera already plays the lead, Chris Pratt, in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.' That said, Star-Lord's story has concluded, and naturally, his name is likely being mentioned alongside Junichi Suwabe, Kenjiro Tsuda, and Kenyu Horiuchi as a candidate for Pedro Pascal in 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (Yamadera has voiced Pascal in his last two appearances), so I believe there is a good chance he could be cast as either Pedro Pascal or Robert Downey Jr. I cast my vote for Koichi Yamadera.
Candidate 6: Kenyu Horiuchi
Kenyu Horiuchi is a veteran voice actor who needs no introduction and has gradually gained support from anime fans over the past few years. Personally, I don't like that he pushed Koichi Yamadera aside to become the exclusive voice actor for Brad Pitt, but he is a star voice actor with impeccable skill and a proven track record. In contrast to Yamadera, he excels at natural line delivery and simple acting (is it called excelling?), and because his voice has gained even more depth as he has become a veteran (or rather, because he doesn't use cheap tricks), it is easy to imagine his performance for any role before he even plays it. Therefore, wouldn't he be easy to cast? Perhaps because Koichi Yamadera and Masashi Ebara completely change their acting depending on the actor or role, it is harder to form an image before casting.
I think the possibility of Kenyu Horiuchi playing Robert Downey Jr. is quite high. However, the roles Horiuchi once played in 'Only You' and 'U.S. Marshals' were both performances as a young, handsome actor. Horiuchi's solid, powerful, and simple acting style and deep, low-pitched voice match Brad Pitt, but they do not seem to match the style of RDJ, who constantly changes expressions and is filled with delicacy and nervousness. Keiji Fujiwara expressed that style better than anyone else, and it suited him. RDJ does not suit Kenyu Horiuchi. That is all there is to it. I am excluding Kenyu Horiuchi from the candidates.
Candidate 7: Kazuhiro Yamaji
Kazuhiro Yamaji provided the dub for Robert Downey Jr. in the film 'Oppenheimer,' for which RDJ won the Best Supporting Actor award. He is one of the best voice actors in Japan in my opinion, known as the exclusive voice actor for Jason Statham and Hugh Jackman.
Although he had no connection to RDJ until he took on the role in 'Oppenheimer,' the possibility of Kazuhiro Yamaji being chosen is not zero if the producer and sound director are the same. Isao Kajitani, who handled the dubbing direction for 'Oppenheimer,' has worked on MCU films such as 'Black Panther,' 'Ant-Man and the Wasp,' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.' However, Keiichiro Miyoshi has consistently handled the dubbing direction for the 'Avengers' series, and in the case of theatrical releases, Japanese producers often cast with an eye toward attracting audiences, or the domestic staff often chooses voice actors whose voices and acting images are similar.
Kazuhiro Yamaji is also a talented actor with name value, but there is no necessity for him to be cast as RDJ, and I don't like seeing someone cast over a voice actor who previously held the role. I'm sorry, but I am excluding Kazuhiro Yamaji from the candidates.
Candidate 8: Shuichi Ikeda
Shuichi Ikeda voiced Robert Downey Jr. in the TV Asahi versions of 'Iron Man' and 'Iron Man 2'. While his name value and charisma are impeccable, the age gap is simply too large. There is a 15-year age difference between RDJ, who is turning 60, and the 75-year-old Shuichi Ikeda. The series is unlikely to end with just one film, and if it were to continue for five years, Ikeda would be 80. It may be rude to say, but if I were the director, I would be too afraid to cast him. Therefore, I am excluding Shuichi Ikeda. Finally, here is this niche candidate.
Candidate 9: Taisuke Nakano
Taisuke Nakano played Iron Man in some additional scenes for 'Marvel's Iron Man VR'. Most people reading this text have likely never heard the name Taisuke Nakano.
Taisuke Nakano is known as a voice actor whose voice and delivery are remarkably similar to Hochu Otsuka. As a younger voice actor, Nakano is capable of handling roles from young men to middle-aged characters, and he is likely valued in the dubbing industry to some extent, but ultimately, it is an impression. Whether it is Koichi Yamadera, Yasuhiro Mamiya, or Shunsuke Takeuchi, their impressions are built upon their own acting foundations. Since his natural voice does not resemble Hochu Otsuka's, I hope he develops his own acting style in the future, and I am excluding him from the candidates.
Conclusion
So, here is the conclusion.
Through a highly personal selection process, Hiroaki Hirata, Koichi Yamadera, and Hochu Otsuka remain as candidates.Koichi Yamadera has concerns regarding character overlap, and Hochu Otsuka is on the older side, so by process of elimination, I am rooting for Hiroaki Hirata.
Thank you for reading this far. Who would you like to see play the role? I wonder if someone could hold a general election for it. Next time, I will resume the lecture on the history of dubbing. Pr... probably.