Seiyuu Digest #61 – Toshiyuki Toyonaga

Toshiyuki Toyonaga‘s versatility, craftiness, and talent impress with each performance. From child actor to one of the most popular seiyuu, get to know more about his career with this Seiyuu Digest.

Toshiyuki Toyonaga

KANJI: 豊永利行

BORN: April 28, 1984

OCCUPATION: seiyuu, singer, songwriter, actor, radio personality

HEIGHT: 162cm

Toshiyuki Toyonaga was born on April 28, 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. He was signed with Himawari Theatre Group before moving to Super Eccentric Theater Inc, talent agency that now houses him.

Seiyuu

Toyonaga’s career as a seiyuu is not known for quantity of work. He is known as a versatile seiyuu that can tackle roles that require a deeper vocal register as well as those with a higher one. Wacky or quirky characters seem to be up to his alley more often than usual. His performances are consistent and believable which has earned him a lot of praise in the seiyuu industry.

2002 – 2009

Debut days

Toyonaga made his debut as a seiyuu in 2002, years after being in the industry as an actor, with a background role in the sci-fi anime, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

A year later, and contrary to what is common in the seiyuu industry – two up to four years without getting main roles -, Toyonaga got his first main role in Futatsu no Spica (2003) as Shinnosuke Fuchuuya.

2004 ended up being an uneventful year for him with only a supporting role in mecha anime, Get Ride! AMDriver.

Starting from 2005, Toyonaga’s career picked up the pace and he started to get more roles and, at the same time, getting main roles with more frequency.

He voiced Ayumu Aizawa in the supernatural/mystery anime, Zettai Shounen (2005). The anime was marked by strong character development arcs and its pacing and structure – split into 2 arcs and both arcs with different main characters – was quite different from many of the supernatural anime released up until then. Although with mixed reviews, the anime is considered one of the most underrated among supernatural anime.

A year later, Toyonaga was casted as Aruto Kirihara in Kagi Hime Monogatari: Eikyuu Alice Rondo (2006).

Aruto Kirihara is the main male character in the fantasy series. The anime ended up not being well received and Kirihara was criticized for being a generic character without much depth, something that ended up completely takes the spotlight away from Toyonaga’s performance.

Toyonaga was then cast in the main role of Capeta Taira in the sports anime, Capeta. Both Toyonaga’s performance as the ambitious Capeta Taira and the anime was extremely praised – good pacing, exciting races, well-done character development -, and this praise came way before the whole sports anime trend had kicked off.

Still in 2006, Toyonaga was cast as Leo Tsushima in Tsuyokiss Cool x Sweet.

Katekyoshi Hitman REBORN! was one of the buzzworthy anime in 2007. Like many of the shounen/action anime series running during this year – One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc -, the series focused on the main character that shifts from a common person to an important asset for, in this case, the Italian mafia.

Toshiyuki Toyonaga voiced 2 characters for this popular series: Shouichi Irie and Chikusa Kakimoto.

In 2007 and 2008, Toyonaga voiced main characters in ecchi anime. The first one was Kaname Okiura, the main character in the sports/ecchi anime Kenkou Zenrakei Suieibu Umishou, and the other is Tayura Minamoto in the comedy/ecchi anime, Kanokon. Both anime went under the radar even among fans of the genre.

During this period of time, Toyonaga had secondary and or background roles in anime such as Jigoku Shoujo (2005), Sugar Sugar Rune (2006), Eyeshield 21 (2007), Myself; Yourself (2007), Major (2008 – 2010), Fresh Precure! (2009), between many more.

2010 – 2015

Establishing a name for himself

2010 kicked off in the best way for Toshiyuki Toyonaga. He was casted as Mikado Ryugamine in Durarara!!, anime known for its unique storytelling and intriguing story and characters.

This is easily the role that put Toyonaga on the spotlight for the first time. Durarara!! spanned 4 seasons, with its first one airing in 2010 and the last one in 2016.

Mikado is an interesting character that, despite its innocent looks and quiet personality, has a dark and twisted personality with his colors showing later on in the series and especially in the light novels. Toyonaga’s performance fit this character to T.

Not only was he able to make Mikado’s innocence believable for the viewer, but he was also able to make the perfect shift between his lighter and darker sides in a terrifying way.

Durarara!! turned into a cult anime, one that few understand on a first go but one that enthralls those that stay for the end. Up until his massive popularity rise in 2016, Mikado was the role Toyonaga was best known as.

This role was important to put Toyonaga on the map and boost his popularity.

2011 followed and with it came 3 main roles: Flit Asuno in the mecha anime, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE; Shun Matsuoka in the slice-of-life, Kimi to Boku and Shuusuke Takanashi in the harem/ecchi anime, Oniichan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki ja Nai n da kara ne!!.

Out of these main roles it is his performance in Kimi to Boku that stands out in its two iterations (2011 and 2012). Kimi to Boku is often mentioned as one of the best slice-of-life anime.

Aside from its stellar main cast, in which out of the 5 main characters, 4 are voiced by Himawari Theatre Group’s talents and or alumni – Ryohei Kimura, Miyu Irino, Kouki Uchiyama and Toshiyuki Toyonaga -, the anime was praised for its pacing and how its simple story developed.

Toyonaga voiced Shun Matsuoka, character that initially is mistaken for a girl because of his looks, speech patterns and hobbies. The character is known using polite speech and being slow in things such as romance.

Zetsuen no Tempest (2012) and CØDE:BREAKER (2012) followed.

In Zetsuen Tempest, anime series that takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s Tempest and adapts it into a dramatic and mysterious piece, Toyonaga voiced Mahiro Fuwa, character that is on a mission to find the killer of his family,

Although not a main character, Yuuki Tenpouin from CØDE:BREAKER deserves a mention for how a secondary role can actually be a nice addition to a seiyuu’s repertoire. Yuuki is a calm character that comes into play in the series pretty early on. Toyonaga showcased his versatility with accents – the character speaks with Kansai accent – and mood swings.

A year later, Toyonaga was casted as Kanade Amakusa in the harem/comedy anime, Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru. The series was well-received by fans of the genre and Toyonaga’s performance is filled with quirkiness, making the unlucky Kanade a thoroughly hilarious character.

In 2014, Toyonaga joined the star-studded cast of the anime adaptation of the otome game, Kamigani no Asobi.

He voiced Takeru Totsuka, the Japanese god of the sea and storms. The character is known for having a short temper and brash attitude, something that easily sets him apart from the rest of the main cast.

2014 would not be complete without mentioning one of the most buzzworthy anime of the year: Tokyo Ghoul. The horror/action/drama anime was easily the favorite among both domestic and overseas fans.

Toyonaga voiced Hideyoshi Nagachika, character that is more than what a secondary character usually is. He plays a major role in the series, being a trigger as well as a guardian angel for one of the main characters.

Toyonaga’s performance made the character relatable, with the wide majority of fans were attached to the dynamics between him and the series’ protagonist, Ken Kaneki. His performance is one of the most notable in the series, particularly in Tokyo Ghoul (2014 – 1st season).

In 2015, Toyonaga’s only notable role was Kojiro Kitahara in Classroom☆Crisis.

Other anime he voiced characters in include Metal Fight Beyblade 4D (2011), Aikatsu! (2012), Sword Art Online (2012), Karneval (2013), Samurai Flamenco (2014), Meganebu! (2013), Captain Earth (2014) and Bakumatsu Rock (2014), between others.

2016

Peak Popularity

2016 was a key year for Toyonaga, one that he will certainly remember for years to come. Up until now his career had been steady, with one or more main roles per year, appearances in buzzworthy anime and consistently showcasing his versatile acting skills. However everything was ready to change for an even better picture than what we could have expected.

If Tokyo Ghoul was 2014’s buzzworthy anime, then Yuri!!! on Ice was 2016’s anime of the year. In fact, it was, earning awards and accolades a bit across all major media outlets in Japan and ultimately ending up with Toshiyuki Toyonaga earning a Best Lead Actor Award and Junichi Suwabe earning a Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2018 Seiyuu Awards.

Yuri!!! on Ice is a sports/comedy anime that easily captured the hearts of fans of figure skating across the world. The anime was met with critical acclaim and turned into the most buzzworthy anime for its portrayal of the sport as well for how representation (LGBTQ+, treatment of women, showcasing different ethnic groups, etc) was handled in the series, straying away from most stereotypes.

Toyonaga gave life to the series’ protagonist, Yuri Katsuki. Suffering from anxiety after failing a figure skating event, the character decides to give one last try at the sport after being approached by Victor Nikiforov, a legend in the sport.

The series created a whole movement surrounding it, with professional figure skaters joining in the craze that had surrounded the original anime series. Toyonaga’s popularity was through the roof by the time the anime ended.

Still in the same year, Toyonaga joined the cast of B-PROJECT, anime produced by Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution) in collaboration with MAGES..

He voices Goushi Kaneshiro, THRIVE‘s passionate and short-fused leader. The character is featured on the series’ two seasons B-Project: Kodou*Ambitious (2016) and B-Project: Zecchou*Emotion (2019).

He joined the cast of Bungou Stray Dogs in 2016. He voiced Junichiro Tanizaki, detective at the Special Detective Company. Although it is but a secondary character, Toyonaga’s performance make the character stand out in serious as well as comedic moments. Toyonaga reprised his role in the series’ two other seasons: Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season (2016) and Bungou Stray Dogs 3rd Season (2019).

Still in 2016, Toyonaga was casted as Hideki Nishimura in the romance/harem anime, Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta?, Rei Katsura in Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters and Atomu Kai in the school anime, Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu.

He joined the cast of the popular sports anime Haikyuu!! for its 3rd season: Haikyuu!! Karasuno Koukou vs. Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou as the hot-blooded setter, Kenjirou Shirabu.

To top it off, Toyonaga shone with his comedic performance in the comedy anime, Nanbaka as Tsukumo, a wannabe ninja with less than polished shinobi skills.

Picking up on Toyonaga’s successful 2016, the following two years were met with a packed agenda, piling up main roles after main roles although never achieving the same success he had portraying Yuri Katsuki.

2017 –

Music anime galore, maintaining his popularity

2017 was a year filled with premieres of original music series adapted to anime. Toyonaga is no stranger when it comes to participating in music projects and, luckily enough, two more projects were greenlit for anime adaptation, premiering during this year.

Toyonaga reprised his role as Shy Makishima in the anime, Marginal#4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang. The series does not focus much on Lagrange Point, veteran group in the Marginal #4 universe, however it is notable Toyonaga’s performance as Shy, a stoic and perfectionist character.

At the same time he reprised his role as Sora Ohara, SOARA‘s leader, in the adaptation of TSUKIPRO’s drama + music franchise, Tsukipro The Animation. Sora Ohara is the lyricist and composer of SOARA. He is known for his energetic and bright personality but when required, he is extremely serious and dedicated to his craft. Some of the comedic moments came from his interactions with some of the characters in the series.

The last main role of 2017 was as Tasuku Uehara in the comedy/romance anime, Gamers!. The anime is an adaptation of a popular light novel and it was well received in Japan although with mixed reviews overseas.

2018 welcomed a new batch of roles, from main to secondary ones, in popular anime. His most notable role of the year was Asahi Shiina in Free!-Dive to the Future-.

Asahi Shiina was Haruka Nanase’s former teammate and friend from his middle school days.

2019 was a quiet year for Toyonaga when it came to voice acting in anime. His only notable credit comes from his role as Tsubasa Soga in the drama/sports anime, Hoshiai no Sora.

From 2016 up until now he also voiced supporting characters in anime such as  Prince of Stride: Alternative (2016), DAYS (2017), Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari (2017),  Spiritpack (2017), Butlers: Chitose Momotose Monogatari (2018), Mahou Shoujo Ore (2018), Senjuushi (2018), Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin (2019), ACTORS -Songs Connection- (2019), between many others.

In 2020, Toyonaga is going to reprise his role as the eccentric Homare Arisugawa in the anime adaptation of the popular smartphone game, A3!.

Awards

At the 12th Seiyuu Awards (2018), Toshiyuki Toyonaga received the Best Lead Actor award for his role as Yuri Katsuki in the worldwide hit anime, Yuri!!! on Ice.

Acting

He made his debut in the show business in 1995 as an actor under Himawari Theatre Group. He has participated in numerous dramas, movies and theater plays since then.

Since early on, Toyonaga showcased his versatility and quick-witted acting skills in genres such as horror, comedy, musicals and action.

Stage plays, Musicals & Reading plays

His debut role was as Rousseau, one of the lead actors in the stage play Sing for You, Sing for Me. (1995).

Then he joined the cast of the Japanese musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast as Chip (1995 – 1997), Sound of Music (1998), Tenka no ichidaiji (1998), The Heroes (1999), Star tanjo monogatari (2001).

Despite being a supporting role in a musical filled with great actors, Toyonaga took an important step in his career by joining the Japanese musical fever of the 00s, Prince of Tennis.

He portrayed Kachirou Kato in the musical Prince of Tennis and was, for 3 years (2003 – 2006), on stage for this role (in a total 9 different musicals inspired by the manga/anime). 

The Prince of Tennis musicals wrote a history for many of the actors taking part, with almost every single stage actor featured on it later on turning into a respected actor or star.

The cases of Toshiki Masuda, Mamoru Miyano, Yuki Fujiwara, Genki Okawa, Kazuki Kato, KENN, Kensho Ono, and Toshiyuki Someya, now well respected in the musical/stage acting scene, illustrate well just how much this franchise impacted their careers, as well as Toyonaga‘s, even if not as highlighted as some of those actors’ roles.

In 2005, after graduating from Prince of Tennis, Toyonaga joined the cast of Japanese musical adaptation of the 50s movie, Rebel Without a Cause. That was the last stage role Toyonaga went on a 4 year hiatus in this field, only to return in 2009 with a role in Oasis to sabaku 〜 Love on the planet 〜.

2010 kicked off with a role in the musical, Magdalena Maria series. The musical play went on to have 3 other iterations, in which Toyonaga reprised his role as Peter Gluten (wearing a blue suit in the photo above).

In 2014, Toyonaga starred in the comedy play, Maccoli Bros. and Big Canvas of the impression.

In 2016, Toyonaga joined the cast of Genki Okawa’s superhero stage play, Bakafuki for its sequel, Retsu! Bakafuki!.

Toyonaga was invited to join the cast by Genki Okawa – that was producing, writing, directing and acting for this play.

2015 welcomed a role in the reading play, Madoushi wa Heibon o Nozomu. He played the role as Klaus alongside a cast that included Genki Okawa, Kaori Nazuka, Mario Kuroba, Atomu Mizuishi and Kazuki Watanabe.

READING HIGH announced an ambitious project: a reading play that adds music and technology to create a unique 3.5D entertainment experience. Toyonaga was casted in Homunculus 〜ホムンクルス〜 in 2017.

In 2017, Toyonaga was announced as part of the cast of the annual stand-up event, AD-LIVE. Toyonaga was in his element as he tackled two insanely fun and natural performances paired up with Showtaro Morikubo.

Toyonaga returned in 2019 to AD-LIVE ZERO, this time around paired up with Takuma Terashima.

Movies & TV dramas

Toyonaga’s debut in the silver screen was in 1997, as part of the supporting cast in the horror/mystery movie, Gakkou no Kwaidan 3.

In the same year he made his debut on the small screen, with a role in the Ultraman Dyna TV series.

After that, Toyonaga was consistently acting in both movies and TV series. Some of those include: Tensai TV-kun The Ghost company (1998), Yume, oi kakete (2002), Kono Yo no Sotoe – Club Shinchugun (2004), Densha Otoko (2005), Pray (2005), Linda Linda Linda (2005), Tsubasa no Oreta tenshitachi  (2006), Room of King (2008), Eight Ranger 2 (2014)

In 2003, Toyonaga joined the cast of the horror/psychological classic starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Battle Royale II: Requiem.

Three years later, he joined the cast of the TV series adaptation of the popular manga/anime, Nodame Cantabile (2006). He portrayed Kobayashi, one of the supporting characters in the series.

Other highlight in his career is his main role as Doctor Nakazato in the horror/sci-fi movie, Shi ga futari wo Wakatsumade… Part II -nananka- (2012).

The movie received mixed reviews much due to the low budget quality and the predictable plot. Even so, Toyonaga got his time to shine, with his performance being the highlight of the movie.

In 2017, he joined Aka Shatsu no Gyakushu as part of the supporting cast.

In 2018, Toyonaga joined the cast of Abema TV’s original drama, Koe dake Tenshi.

The drama counted with special cameos by popular seiyuu such as Hikaru Midorikawa, Kenji Nojima, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Showtaro Morikubo, Kensho Ono, Shigeru Chiba and Toshio Furukawa. Toyonaga joined the series for episodes 5, 6 and 7.

Radio

Toyonaga’s first time hosting a radio show was in 2005 for The Prince of Tennis On The Radio. He stayed on the radio show for a total of 5 years which makes this first radio hosting experience of his all the more impressive.

In 2007, he hosted his own radio show: Tosshi hottama no “bakada na 〜♪ te iwaretai”. The show ran for two years before coming to an end.

From 2009 up until 2011, Toyonaga co-hosted Tera G o Fantasy alongside fellow seiyuu Takuma Terashima.

From 2012 to 2014, Toyonaga and fellow seiyuu Kouki Uchiyama co-hosted Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Yuki Uchiyama’s Weekly Sound Wing -Otowa Editorial Department-.

Thanks to his leading role in Durarara!!, Toyonaga has been multiple times co-host to each of the anime’s iterations on the radio. He co-hosted Durarara!! Rajio ryaku shite de Duraraji!! from 2010 to 2012.

Then, from 2014 to 2016, he co-hosted Duraraji!! × 2. On both radio shows, he shared the mic with co-star, Kana Hanazawa.

In 2016, Toyonaga was back to hosting his own radio show. Toyonaga Toshiyuki no 3 channel lasted a whole year before coming to an end.

In 2018, alongside long-time friend Yuki Ono, Toyonaga co-hosts Toyonaga Toshiyuki, Ono Yuki no Sekai RADIO.

Other radio shows he has hosted or co-hosted include VELVET UNDER WORLD Web Radio VELVET-NETWORK (2009 – 2010), Gundam AGE x 3 radio (2011 – 2012), Hon chan web radio Zetsuen no Tempest (2012 – 2013), Kamiaso raji (2015), Tokyo Ghoul – Ghoruraji (2014 – 2015), and more.

Games

Toyonaga has a consistent career in this field although never straying too far when it comes to choosing the games he wants to work in, often reprising his roles in anime for the game adaptations and voicing characters in otome games.

He made his debut in this field in 1997 with a role in the RPG game, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon. From 2002 to 2011, Toyonaga reprised his role as Kentaro Aoi in 6 iterations of the Prince of Tennis franchise in the games industry.

Toyonaga reprised his roles as Shouichi Irie and Chikusa Kakimoto in the 2 Katekyo Hitman Reborn! games released in 2007.

In 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2015, Toyonaga reprised his role as Mikado Ryugamine in the Durarara!! games.

His most notable roles include:

Takeru Totsuka in Kamigami no Asobi (2013 and 2016)

Strong personality, tough exterior. Takeru Tostuka is a character that easily rubs off the wrong way on a first encounter. Interestingly enough, Toyonaga’s portrayal of Totsuka’s troubled personality charmed a lot of players of the popular otome game.

Shy Makishima in MARGINAL#4 IDOL OF SUPERNOVA (2014)

Toyonaga reprised his role in the drama CDs as Shy Makishima in MARGINAL#4 IDOL OF SUPERNOVA. He brought Shy’s personality to life with an on-point portrayal of the perfectionist, tsundere, and proudful member of Lagrange Point.

Sousei Tachibana in Yumeiro Cast (2015 – 2019)

Sousei Tachibana is a member of Yumeiro Company and Asahina Kyouya (the company’s chairman)’s best friend. He is calm and collected, analyzing everything before acting.

Goshi Kaneshiro in B-PROJECT (2017 -)

Goshi Kaneshiro is, perhaps, one of Toyonaga’s most passionate characters. Kaneshiro is THRIVE’s leader and is know for being rough, stubborn and hot-blooded which, in comparison with most of the characters that Toyonaga has voiced over the years, is a change from the quirky and, some times, funny characters he portrays.

Homare Arisugawa in A3! (2017)

A3! launched in 2017 and was an instant popularity hit. The game follows the happens of a theater company and its 4 troupes: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Toyonaga voices Winter Troupe’s Homare Arisugawa, passionate poet and a bit of an eccentric and a troublemaker due to his obsession with aesthetically pleasing things and unconventional problem-solving methods.

Claude von Regan in Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)

In 2019, Toyonaga joined the main cast of the award-nominated, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He voices Claude von Regan, character shrouded in mystery, keeping everyone around him on their toes.

Other games he has voiced characters in include Sunday VS Magazine: Shuuketsu! Choujou Daikessen! (2009), Mobile Suit Gundam: Try Age (2011), Custom Drive (2012), SD Gundam G Generation Overworld (2012), SoulCalibur V (2012), Hana Awase (2012), Aikatsu! My No. 1 Stage! (2015), POSSESSION MAGENTA (2015), Prince of Stride (2015), Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya wo Mezasu (2016), Icchibanketsu -ONLINE- (2016), Ikemen Vampire (2017), OnAir! (2018), between many others.

Dubbing

Dubbing is quite possibly the field in which Toyonaga has the least work. Even if it is not his main focus as an actor, he has a couple of dubbing roles under his belt albeit all as supporting roles.

He dubbed in movies and or TV shows such as Smartphone exercise~ 1-nichi 3-bu abema taisō ~ and Himitsu × senshi fantomirage!.

Drama CDs

If Toyonaga is not as active in dubbing, he certainly is when it comes to drama CDs. Since 2014, Toyonaga has been one of Rejet’s household names, being a constant presence in the company’s early projects. He has also lent his talents to characters in several Otomate records projects.

Toyonaga is best known for his role as Momochi in the Dear Vocalist (Rejet) franchise.

His skills were put to test as he gives life to the experimental musician that is quite a complicated person within a personal setting.

Vitriolic and manipulative with hints of bipolar disorder, Momochi is no easy character to tackle as the mood shifts and mind games come out of nowhere and the listener never knows when to trust the character or not.

Toyonaga excels when he performs characters that are this complex, perfectly grasping their issues, turn those into quirks that fit with the character’s profile, and performing a believable performance that leaves the listeners both melting or in rage.

Still within the Rejet brand, he voiced Lagrange Point’s Shy Makishima in the Marginal #4 franchise.

As well as Ku for Corpse†Heart 3rd Night, another character that, a bit like Momochi, is twisted.

Within TSUKIPRO, Toyonaga has been voicing Sora Ohara, SOARA’s leader, and songwriter.

The franchise kicked off in 2016 and since then, annually, there are more than a couple of drama CDs released.

Of course, the franchise ended up spanning a smartphone game – Tsukipara -, an anime adaptation – TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION -, and multiple music releases and live performances, however, it was his performance as the passionate Sora that made people want to root for the group and follow them through their journey.

He voiced characters in other drama CDs such as ACTORS, Custom Drive, CØDE:BREAKER, Zutto issho dayo, Say, I love you., Durarara!!, Dollyholic, High☆Speed -Free! Starting Days-, VELVET UNDERWORLD, Mononoke Mansion, Rescue ME! and more.

Music

Labeled by many as the most talented singer in the seiyuu industry, Toyonaga is nothing short of amazing.

Multi-talented singer-songwriter can play plenty of music instruments, knows how to produce and arrange his own music and is extremely skilled as a singer. Whether he’s performing as a solo artist, performing character songs or performing as part of 2D groups, he always brings the same energy and quality to each performance. Fans know that any performance of his is always a highlight.

Solo career

Toyonaga made his debut as a solo artist under Art Sonic in 2014 with the self-produced and composed album, Music of The Entertainment.

This album is still considered one of the best releases by a male seiyuu in this decade.

Toyonaga was in charge of composing the songs, writing lyrics, performing some of the instruments – namely guitar, piano, and drums -, and was the producer.

He crafted an album that explores rock, funk, enka, jazz, and pop sonorities and gave his own twist to those. He showed his genius when it came to music with this album and after that, nothing would ever be the same for him.

In 2017, he moved from the indie scene and made a major debut under Aniplex+.

His stint with Aniplex+ was rather brief. The label, known for not being foreigner-friendly (as in, promotional videos are only available domestically) was something that hindered Toyonaga’s sales in comparison with his time as an indie artist. Suffice to say, this and the lack of creative freedom – being locked to release music for anime – made him quickly change airs.

After the release of Reason… (2014), Day you Laugh (2015), and C”L”ROWN (2016), Toyonaga bid goodbye to the music label and went on to create his own music label, T’s music.

The first release under his own music label was the covers album, T’s.

It was followed by the pop-rock, easy-listening album, With LIFE (2018).

Toyonaga was back to being on the helm for all things creative in his music career and crafted an album inspired by the birth of his first child.

2019 arrived and Toyonaga announced the release of the jazzy Into The Light.

Toyonaga mentioned in an interview that this album had been heavily influenced by fatherhood, leading to a unique, softer sound.

Groups

TH IA (2011)

TH IA debuted in 2011, stemming from the radio show 素顔の少年(Sugao no Shounen). The unit consisted of Toyonaga Toshiyuki, Ida Toshinobu, Acaba Mio and Yuki Fujiwara. This was Toyonaga’s first endeavor as part of a unit.

The group released two singles Bokura no Hikari and Arigato / Hoshikuzu Elegy.

Lagrange Point (2014 -)

Toyonaga joined Rejet’s ambitious idol project – Marginal #4 – in 2014. The project already had a year under its belt and it was in need of a veteran group to step in and, story-wise, guide the face of the project, Marginal #4.

Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Genki Okawa, that already knew each other from acting in the same stage plays and or musicals, were the members chosen to be Lagrange Point.

It was not long before Lagrange Point made a mark for itself.

Lagrange Point was a breath of fresh air when it debuted. In the middle of the music and seiyuu industries that were starting to be overcrowded with bubblegum pop acts and subpar performances, this duo showcased flawless vocals, exciting performances, and a regal rock sound with some sprinkles of pop in the lyrics and conquered everyone with their explosive charisma.

Lagrange Point was the perfect package that Rejet had carefully wrapped up for its fans.

Release after release, this unit never failed to impress with its unique sound and top-tier vocal performances.

Toyonaga and Okawa quickly showcased great chemistry between them, something that could have much to do with having crossed paths before as actors, and it was noticeable that both were learning from each other while working as a unit. Both put to test their dancing skills and it was clear that Toyonaga‘s quality on the vocal end was rubbing off on Okawa, that evolved as a singer while around him.

They were sharing knowledge between themselves and, as a result, this unit shows constant improvement in all areas.

Today, Lagrange Point is one of the most powerful and exciting units in the seiyuu industry. They have perfect teamwork and chemistry, their choreographies are eye-catching and their singing skills are truly impressive. They are Rejet‘s crown jewel.

SOARA (2015 -)

SOARA consists of Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Yuki Ono, Makoto Furukawa, Taishi Murata and Chiharu Sawashiro.

The group/band made its debut in 2014, joining the TSUKIPRO franchise and quickly establishing themselves as the youth pop-rockers that aimed at putting a smile on the fans’ faces.

Early on, the group had an odd dynamic. Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Yuki Ono were the founding members and, for what seemed like half a year, they were supposed to be a duo.

Turns out that, by the end of 2014, TSUKIPRO announced the addition of 3 other members to this band: Makoto Furukawa, Taishi Murata, and Chiharu Sawashiro.

Starting from there the group increasingly added more lines to these three members and now, by the end of 2019, there is an equal distribution of lines among members.

With that change and the realistic passage of time in the TSUKIPRO franchise, the band has been maturing with their sound having recently ditched its youthful vibe in favor of a mature, slightly more serious yet nostalgic style of pop-rock.

Since the group’s debut, Yuki Ono has been featured in all drama CDs and participated in all series within the franchise.

The group has participated in all CD series in the franchise. Those include:

• ALIVE Side:G Series (ALIVE Side:S Vol.1, ALIVE Side:S Vol.2, ALIVE Side:S Vol.3, ALIVE Side:S Vol.4)
• KACHOFUGETSU Series (Ai no Hana, Lapis Blue, Soyokaze no Uta, Mikazuki Fantasy)
• Unit Song Series (Wonder Wand)
• TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION Theme Song Series (ALIEL, FRIEND, Start Line ~Boys, Be Mighty~, Mirai e no Okurimono, Dear Dreamer,)
• RE:START Series (vol.3 SOARA and vol.6 SOARA)
• CARDS Series (CLUB and HEART)
• TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION 2 Theme Song Series (Gonna Be Alright, LET IT BE, Himitsu no Treasure and Best Wishes,)
• Anokoro no Bokura wa

As far as character songs go, Toshiyuki Toyonaga has performed as Sora in the following CDs:

• X Lied Series (Vol.1 SORA X KOKI)
• RE:START Series (vol.1 Sora & Morihito, vol.5 Sora & Ren & Nozomu)
• Neo X Lied Series (Vol.1 OHARA SORA× ETO KOKI)

When it comes to the live performances, SOARA has performed in several franchise live events. The unit’s live debut was at TSUKIPRO LIVE 2016 in Nakano.

A year later, in 2017, the group performed at A.L.P -ALIVE PARTY 2017 SUMMER-, event specifically featuring ALIVE’s groups: SOARA and Growth.

In 2018 and now following the premiere of the first season of TSUKIPRO THE ANIMATION, the franchise held the big live event TSUKIPRO LIVE 2018 SUMMER CARNIVAL.

An in 2022, after 3 years of no live events for the franchise – due to Covid-19 -, Growth was back on stage at TSUKIPRO LIVE 2022 WINTER CARNIVAL.

THRIVE (2015 -)

Toyonaga joined the cast of B-PROJECT in 2015. He’s the leader of THRIVE, unit consisting of himself, Natsuki Hanae, and Kazuki Kato.

Since their debut, the group has released 4 singles – Dreaming Time (2015),  Maybe Love (2016), Needle No.6 (2017), and Welcome to the GLORIA! (2019) – and 1 mini-album – Chokan Destiny (2018).

THRIVE has performed live four times: B-PROJECT Kodou Ambitious BRILLIANT PARTY (2016), B-Project – Kodo Ambitious – Brilliant Party (2017), B-PROJECT Summer Live 2018 – Eternal Pacific – and B-PROJECT THRIVE Live 2019.

F∞F (2015 -)

Still in 2015, Toyonaga joined the lineup for the idol grooming game, I☆CHU. He voices Akira Mitsurugi, calm and collected member of F∞F. The group’s lineup includes KENN (leader) and Iguchi Yuichi.

Yumeiro Company (2016 – 2019)

Yumeiro Company consisted of the main cast of Yumeiro Cast. Ryota Osaka, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Yuto Uemura, Yuki Ono, Natsuki Hanae, Tasuku Hatanaka and Yu Hayashi performed several songs featured in game.

With a musical approach to their, Yumeiro Company released several songs during its 3 years of existence.

Black Verry (2016)

Rejet created the project Forbidden Star in 2016. Several units were announced to be part of this project – now dropped – including Black Verry, group consisting of Kenji Nojima, Yuma Uchida, Koutaro Nishiyama, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga.

The group released two singles before disbanding: Yushi Kajitsu (2016) and MISTAKE Wah NOISY (2017).

Among all units part of the Forbidden Star franchise, Black Verry was considered the most powerful and consistent unit, making great use of the enormous talent as well as carefully crafted pop-rock instrumentals.

Nebulas (2016)

In an odd feat within the Marginal #4 franchise, 3 shuffle groups were created. Toyonaga joined Nebulas, group including Naozumi Takahashi (Marginal #4) and Chiharu Sawashiro (Unicorn Jr.).

The group released 2 singles before the project was put on a shelf by Rejet: Hoshi dake ga shiru! and Canaria.

This group stood out for the quality on the vocal end and consistent sound and fancy performances.

Dear Vocalist: Momochi (2015 -)

In 2015, Toyonaga was announced as the face of Dear Vocalist, drama + music CD series created by Rejet.

He voices Momochi, Veronica’s vocalist known for his twisted personality as well as the huge gap between his on-stage persona and his actual self. Momochi’s songs are the most eclectic in the Dear Vocalist franchise. Traditional Japanese music, tropical house, jazz, rock, dance, he’s tried it all and each and every song is hit-worthy.

So far Toyonaga has performed for 4 singles – all part of the respective 4 drama CDs released up until now – and 1 Best of album.

Toyonaga performed live for the first time as Momochi on CR69Fes.2018「Dead or Alive」, Dear Vocalist‘s first-ever live show held at Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo on 30/09/2018. He performed キミだけのサイン (Kimi dake no sign), Last Coffee and 騙り鳥 (Katari Tori).

A3! Winter Troupe (2017 -)

As mentioned above, Toyonaga is part of the Winter Troupe. He voices Homare Arisugawa, Winter Troupe’s passionate poet and a bit of an eccentric.

The troupe initially featured Atsushi Tamaru, Takuya Sato, Junta Terashima, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Tetsuya Kakihara but early in 2018, a new member was introduced to each of the 4 troupes, extending the lineups to 6 people. Satoshi Hino joined the Winter Troupe in 2018.

The Winter Troupe has participated in three EP series: First (2017), Blooming (2017), and VIVID (2018).

In 2018, as part of a special intermission during Toyonaga’s solo tour With my LIFE, he performed the eccentric Kiteretsu Poema.

LuCer (2018 – 2019)

In 2018, the ambitious idol RPG game IDOL FANTASY was announced.

Toshiyuki Toyonaga was announced as a member of the rock trio, LuCer (alongside Kensho Ono, Shimba Tsuchiya). The game ended up not having too many active users and distribution ended in 2019.

Before disbanding, the group’s debut song, liveD, was previewed in-game.

DREAM!ing (2018 -)

Toyonaga joined the DREAM!ing franchise in 2018. He performed alongside the game’s main cast in the franchise’s first single, TAKE A DREAM!!.

He’s performed as well on Secret Scarlet Yume Live CD Touji&Shion, single scheduled to be released in March 2019.

cozmez (2019 – )

In late 2019, Toyonaga was announced as part of the cast of Paradox Live, multimedia project developed by Avex and G Crest, that has hip-hop music as its selling point.

Toyonaga is part of cozmez with fellow seiyuu Yusuke Kobayashi.

Photobooks

Before photobooks were a trend in the seiyuu industry, in 2015, Toyonaga released his first photobook, Multicolored.

It featured exclusive photos and a special interview about his career and himself.

Variety

Known for his quick-witted humor, over-the-top shenanigans, and explosive energy on stage, there is basically no person that is charmed by Toshiyuki Toyonaga’s quirky personality.

Over 20 years of career as an actor and almost 15 as a seiyuu with a couple of MCing instances have made him one of the most exciting guests and hosts in variety shows or live events of almost any kind of project.

He has been a part of a wide variety of projects the highlights include:

Tokimeki Recipe (2012)

Toshiyuki Toyonaga joined Takuya Eguchi for Tokimeki Recipe’s DVD back in 2012.

Tokimeki Recipe was a variety show in which two seiyuu would be paired up and work together to cook several dishes with available ingredients. Between cooking, game corners to earn ingredients or hints, and challenges, the duo was cracking jokes and getting along in an entertaining way.

Rejet Fes. 2016 – ONLY ONE

Almost every Rejet Fes edition has featured Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Yuki Ono as its hosts, however Rejet Fes. 2016 – ONLY ONE is featured here.

Not was this one of the most chaotic editions of Rejet’s annual 4 sessions in a 2-day event, but also because Toyonaga hosted, acted and performed as Momochi and as a member of Lagrange Point.

Seiyuu Koe Jikken-Shitsu (2017)

In 2017, Yusuke Shirai alongside Toshiyuki Toyonaga and Yuki Iwai hosted the variety show Seiyuu Koe Jikken-Shitsu (Voice Actor Lab).

The show aired on AbemaTV and featured the hosts talking about seiyuu life, their techniques, rituals as well as a couple of voice experiments.

A3! MANKAI Company Fuyu no Kokai-sei keiko! (2018)

A3! MANKAI Company Fuyu no Kokai-sei keiko!, also known as the day that Toyonaga would not let the host and Winter Troupe’s leader, Atsushi Tamaru, host, was a special seasonal show to showcase new features in the game, new merchandise, and projects within the franchise.

Since the start of the broadcast, it was noticeable that Toyonaga would not take this broadcast lightly. He was all the time cracking jokes, making puns, and disrupting the Atsushi Tamaru’s hosting in an ingenious way – channeling Arisugawa – that made everyone, even the “victim”, have fun throughout.

Morikawa Toshiyuki happy-bo-lucky Spin Off (2018)

In 2018, Toyonaga joined Ryohei Kimura and Tsubasa Yonaga on Toshiyuki Morikawa’s non-scripted variety show, Morikawa Toshiyuki happy-bo-lucky Spin Off.

Jinro Battle – Jinro VS Ouji (2018) and Jinro VS Samurai (2019)

In 2018, Toyonaga joined the cast of Marine Entertainment’s Jinro Battle.

His participation in the Jinro VS Ouji set of battles against some of the variety’s veterans such as Kenji Nojima, Hirofumi Nojima, Ryohei Kimura, Hisayoshi Suganuma proved to be quite challenging, however with his acting skills and quick wits, he was able to, alongside Takahiro Mizushima, eliminate just enough people for them to win.

A year later and he participated in Jinro Battle – lies and the truth 2018 October – Jinro VS Samurai.

Facts

Music virtuoso

Toyonaga composes, writes, and produces his own music since his indie days. He plays a variety of musical instruments on a professional level such as guitar, piano, and drums.

Special skills

Toyonaga has mentioned often that his specialties, aside from being incredibly skilled as a singer-songwriter, are dancing and sword fighting, skills that he has had the opportunity to showcase in the musicals, stage plays, and music projects he has been a part of since the start of his career.

Bromance with Genki Okawa

On Rejet’s 2017 Endless Summer event, Okawa was barely tamable during the special “Marginal #4 and Dance with Devils” corner.

And all that was due to what?

Fellow Lagrange Point member, Toshiyuki Toyonaga was one of the hosts, as well as his junior, Yuto Suzuki, and guest Subaru Kimura.

People would think that the Suzuki–Okawa mix was going to be hilarious but what surprised everyone was the fact that Okawa and Toyonaga were always showing support and love for each other throughout the show.

Messing around or not, the two of them have grown closer after several years of performing and acting together (since 2005).

The fact that both are perfectionists led them to quickly grow incredibly close to each other during the very first rehearsals for Rejet Fes.

2014 (as Toyonaga recalled during the event) was the year in which the unit not only made its official debut, but also the year in which they set their feet on stage as a duo and rocked everyone out. It seems that any difficulties one might have had during that practice were quickly fixed by the other’s skills.

They balance themselves perfectly and show the best chemistry among Pythagoras Production‘s units.

Part of… AKBN84

This is a running joke between 1984-born Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Yuki Ono, Ryohei Kimura, Marina Inoue, Kenji Akabane, and Yoshino Nanjo.

AKBN84 (Akabane 84) is a play with the group’s birth year, Akabane’s name, and the massively popular girl group AKB84.

The group of same-year friends often plays around during Fool’s Day and it has turned into a running gag even among fans.

With this, we wrap up another Seiyuu Digest. In the meantime, don’t forget to check past Seiyuu Digests (some of those recently updated) – HERE.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!