Which Studio Hired Josuke Higashikata Voice Actor For Anime?

The short version: yes, the Japanese voice of Josuke from the anime generally shows up in the newer games — and honestly that continuity is such a mood. I get a little giddy hearing Yūki Ono’s voice in a fight intro because it ties the game back to 'Diamond Is Unbreakable' so cleanly. In modern ports and remakes that lean on the anime’s presentation, studios tend to bring in the anime seiyuu to record fresh lines rather than patching in old samples. That means when you boot up recent titles that celebrate the TV series, Josuke often sounds exactly like he does on screen. That said, it’s not a universal law. Older JoJo games from before the 2012 anime either didn’t have full voice work, used different performers, or reused archival clips. Localization also shakes things up: some releases include an English dub with a different actor for Josuke, or they ship with only Japanese audio. So if you’re after Yūki Ono specifically, check the credits or look for versions marketed as featuring the anime cast. For me, hearing the original Japanese voice in a game makes every mash-up and button-mashing win feel a bit more authentic — it's a tiny, delightful piece of nostalgia.

I got a little nostalgic thinking about this one — the actor behind Josuke Higashikata has such a range that I always spot him in other series and go, “Wait, that’s him?!” He’s best known, outside of 'Diamond is Unbreakable', for roles like Gray Fullbuster in 'Fairy Tail' — that’s a whole different energy: icy on the surface but deeply loyal, and his performance captures that perfectly. Then there’s Tatsuya Shiba in 'The Irregular at Magic High School', where the voice is pared down and almost deliberate; it’s an exercise in restraint compared to Josuke’s more upbeat cadence. He’s not just limited to those big names either. Over the years he’s been cast in a mix of action-heavy and slice-of-life titles, sometimes playing the dependable guy, sometimes the quietly intense one. If you like hunting through credit lists, you’ll find him popping up as supporting leads in a few other shows and video games, which is always a treat because you can trace little vocal ticks across characters. For me, spotting his voice in a new series is like running into an old friend; it brings this comfy continuity across very different stories.

Okay, this is a great little bit of trivia to gush about: Josuke Higashikata in the English dub of 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable' is voiced by Robbie Daymond. I still catch myself grinning when his performance switches from that laid-back, small-town charm to the full-on, righteous fury Josuke unleashes when someone hurts his friends or his hair. The dub that Funimation/Viz released brought a lot of fans into the show who leaned more toward English audio, and Robbie's take really sells Josuke’s balance of goofiness, heart, and muscle. I love how Robbie threads subtle humor through Josuke’s lines without turning him into a caricature—those quieter, almost awkward moments land because the voice actor gives them warmth. Conversely, when the scenes demand intensity, there’s an edge there that feels earned, not just shouty. If you listen to episodes where Josuke confronts enemies or has emotional reckonings, the voice work helps glue the character together across tonal swings in the script. If you haven’t revisited the English dub in a while, give a couple of standout episodes another listen; you’ll catch little performance choices that make Josuke feel fully realized in English. For me, Robbie’s voice is now inseparable from that era of JoJo, and I’m oddly grateful for how it shaped my whole experience of Part 4.

Totally jazzed to help — I love tracking down seiyuu interviews as much as rewatching the good parts of 'Diamond is Unbreakable'. If you want recorded interviews with the actor who voices Josuke Higashikata, start on video platforms: YouTube is a goldmine. Look for official channels from the anime’s distributors (they sometimes post cast interviews), panels from conventions like Anime Expo or Crunchyroll Expo, and clips uploaded by fan channels. Japanese sites like Nico Nico Douga also host interviews and radio segments, and those often get fan-subtitled and reposted on YouTube. Beyond video, there are Japanese radio shows and web radio programs that frequently feature seiyuu talking about roles, behind-the-scenes bits, and silly anecdotes. Search for the actor’s name alongside terms like 'インタビュー' or 'ラジオ' and you’ll turn up episodes on services like 音泉 (Onsen) or the actor’s agency page, which sometimes archives interviews and magazine features. English-language outlets like Anime News Network, Crunchyroll News, and various anime podcasts often run interviews with English dub cast members, if you’re interested in both versions. My go-to routine: check the official anime YouTube channel, then hunt down convention panel uploads, and finally dig through magazine sites like 'Newtype' or cast interviews on streaming platform blogs. It’s kind of a treasure hunt, and the little behind-the-scenes stories are always worth it — they add so much personality to Josuke for me.

I get a kick out of how long Josuke's journey took from page to full-voiced anime — the voice actor who plays Josuke in the TV show first really got to shine when the 'Diamond is Unbreakable' anime started airing in April 2016. That’s the moment the character went from silent manga panels and fan interpretations to a living, breathing performance on-screen. In Japan the TV broadcast kicked off in early April 2016, and that’s when the official anime voice for Josuke appeared in episodic form; international dubs and broadcasts followed over the next year or so, with English-language releases and TV blocks bringing that performance to a wider audience. Before that TV debut, Josuke had been around since the early ’90s in the pages of 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' — Part 4 was serialized in the early 1990s — and he did pop up in crossover games and titles in the 2010s that sometimes included voiced snippets. Still, those game lines were more like previews; the first full, sustained voice performance that most fans remember came with the 2016 anime. Personally, hearing him in motion after living with the manga for years felt like meeting an old friend with a brand new voice — it perfectly locked in the personality I’d imagined, and I still grin when his theme shows up.

I got into this whole fandom through late-night manga binges, and one of the first things that caught my eye was how the same name can belong to very different people across the JoJo universe. When people ask why Josuke Higashikata’s voice changes between parts, the short and blunt take: they’re not always the same person, and the production wants the voice to match who that Josuke is in that story. In 'Diamond is Unbreakable' the Josuke we meet is a high-schooler with a very distinct mix of brash confidence and warm protectiveness. The voice directors deliberately chose a performance that captures that specific energy — certain pitches, timing, and little vocal quirks that sell his personality. Fast forward to the Josuke in 'JoJolion' (or other later parts that reuse the name), and you’re often dealing with someone who has a different backstory, different age, different emotional baggage. Casting a different actor gives the studio a chance to re-characterize through voice: tone, delivery, and even the way small moments of humor land. There are also practical reasons I’ve seen at cons and panels: scheduling conflicts, agency contracts, and sometimes a new studio or director coming in with a new vision. Dubbing for different regions adds another layer — even English and Japanese versions will naturally have different casts because localization teams have different pools of talent and direction. Bottom line, it’s less a conspiracy and more a mixture of storytelling choice and real-world logistics; sometimes I miss the old voice, sometimes the new one grows on me — both can work, depending on the role and the performance.

What a casting choice — Yuichi Nakamura (中村悠一) is the Japanese voice behind Josuke Higashikata in 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable'. I still grin thinking about how perfectly his timbre fits Josuke’s mix of laid-back kindness and sudden, explosive resolve. Nakamura brings a warm, grounded quality to Josuke that makes the character feel both approachable and dangerous when things get serious. I geek out over specific scenes where his delivery really sells the personality swings: casual banter at Morioh High, gentle tones with friends, then that crisp, razor-edged intensity when Crazy Diamond springs into action. Yuichi Nakamura’s performance also meshes beautifully with the supporting cast — the chemistry with other actors gives the town of Morioh a lived-in feel. Beyond the anime, he’s voiced Josuke in games and drama CDs too, keeping the portrayal consistent across mediums. If you’re tracing seiyuu careers, Nakamura’s range shines here; if you know his other roles, you can hear elements of that same control and warmth in Josuke. All that said, for me it’s the little inflections — a joking cadence in one line, a sudden hard stop in the next — that make Josuke feel like a real person. Nakamura made that happen, and that’s why I always go back to those episodes when I need a lift.

I get a little giddy talking about 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' lore, so here’s the scoop the way I’d tell my geeky friends: the Josuke Higashikata you hear in the anime adaptation of 'Diamond is Unbreakable' has been voiced by notable actors in different languages, and their recognition tends to split into two buckets — industry awards and fan-driven polls. For the Japanese side, the actor who brings Josuke to life in the TV anime has been a frequent nominee in major industry circles and has enjoyed quite a lot of fan acclaim in magazine and web polls. He’s been acknowledged in Seiyu Award nomination lists and has shown up in annual Newtype and other anime-magazine popularity rankings — those are huge for visibility. On the English dub side, the actor has racked up nominations and fan-voted wins on platforms like Behind The Voice Actors' community awards and similar fan-run ceremonies. So while you might not always see a huge trophy cabinet full of national prizes tied specifically to Josuke’s voice in the way movie actors get Oscars, both the Japanese and English performers have earned steady recognition: nominations at formal voice-acting awards plus a handful of fan and magazine honors. I still love hearing Josuke’s lines either way — those performances really stuck with me. If you want the short reading of my fandom brain: lots of nominations and fan awards, plus industry respect — that’s worth celebrating in my book.