Top 5 Roles of Daisuke Ono

Though Daisuke Ono’s prime has largely been in this past decade, he actually debuted as far back as 2002! Ono was born and raised in Kouchi Prefecture on Japan’s Shikoku Island as the son of a furniture store owner. Their motto was “Kitai wa Uragiru. Yoso wa koeru,” a phrase that can be equate to “expect low, deliver high.” After high school, he studied broadcast at Nihon University College of Art. After he graduated, Daisuke Ono wanted to get into radio but the lack of work inspired him to get into voice work instead. Initially, Daisuke Ono dubbed foreign dramas and movies but then went into anime and has been on a non-stop streak since. So throughout his nearly 20 year run, what are some of Ono’s best work? Read our top 5 to find out!


5. Erwin Smith from Shingeki no Kyoujin (Attack on Titan)

  • Episodes: 49+
  • Aired: April 7, 2015 - Ongoing

With Ono’s deep voice for this role, the audience can appropriately feel Erwin’s authoritative presence as a commanding officer. When you listen to him give out a strategy or give orders, you feel as if you have an obligation to follow them not for him but for the sake of mankind. Not only does Ono capture Erwin’s captivating charisma, but he also captures his intellect, caring and yet stoic nature. However, Ono’s performance ultimately captures Erwin’s ability to earn the trust of his soldiers and when he has a plan, you can trust it’ll work out for the best despite the sacrifices.


4. Itsuki Koizumi from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsuu (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

  • Episodes: 14
  • Aired: April 3, 2006 – July 3, 2006

In comparison to a majority of the roles on this list, the performance Ono gives as Itsuki isn’t as deep or intimidating. As Itsuki, he uses a more neutral tone that isn’t too deep or too high but just enough to convince you he’s an unassuming teenager. He does a great job of pretending he’s that ordinary teenager when in fact, he’s an esper! However, the Itsuki character does share some traits with some of other roles of Ono. He’s pretty smart and distinctively articulate. He’s someone everybody can get along with and when something feels wrong, he’ll be the first to tell you out of your own safety, or he could lie to you for your own safety as well. Itsuki may not be as authoritative as Erwin, but Ono’s delivery of Itsuki’s friendlier charms is enough to get people to take him seriously when he has words of wisdom to share.



3. Shintaro Midorima from Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko’s Basketball)

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: April 8, 2012 – September 22, 2012

As his high school’s Steph Curry, Midorima is cold and calculating, but in a different manner than other characters listed here. Through Oda’s mature sounding voice, you feel Midorima’s crazy sense of ODC with his perfectionism, and how he’s critical of other people’s flaws. Yes, Oda has his background of effectively portraying supportive characters like Erwin who tends to be more encouraging, Midorima is the type to be harsh, and yet honest. If you take his advice seriously, in many instances, he is right. In the end, try to think of a dark twisted version of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory (who tends to be very socially awkward) who plays high school basketball, and that’s what you get with Oda’s performance of Midorima.


2. Sebastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: October 3, 2008 – March 27, 2009

In the role of Sebastian, the titular Black Butler, Ono does exhibit his trademark deep voice, but it is much softer compared to his performances of Erwin or Jotaro. As opposed to playing a leader, he is more of a loyal follower and Ono proves that he can also portray such a character, and yet maintain Sebastian’s distinguishing individuality. Though he can be violent like let’s say Jotaro, Sebastian is more of a twisted sadist and enjoys dishing out pain. As Sebastian, Ono’s performance shows that he is distant and yet attracted to humanity, and captures an odd sense of nihilism.


1. Jotaro Kujo from JoJo no Kimyou Na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)

  • Episodes: 48
  • Aired: April 5, 2014 – June 20, 2015

At number one, we have Jotaro from the long-running JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series. As Jotaro, his deep voice captures and balances that he’s both a punk ass and a bad ass. He’s not someone you can amuse and any wrong move, he’ll beat you to the ground. He knows how to delivery Jotaro’s trademark “yare yare daze” and his “ORA ORA ORA” battle cry when it counts with both humor and conviction. There are certain qualities that are very difficult to carry over from manga to anime, but Ono just understood how to bring Jotaro to life. He’s cool and intimidating, but Ono also knows how to capture his unassuming qualities that deep down inside, he’s really intelligent and he cares about his mother. Thanks to Daisuke Ono’s performance, he helped pave way for other voice actors with the same family name to play the next two succeeding main characters, Josuke (played by Yuuki Ono) and Giorno (played by Kenshou Ono).


Final Thoughts

Daisuke Ono is one of our generation’s most unique talents. He knows how to use that deep voice in both a rough and soft manner depending on the nature of the character. He can be a follower, a leader, or a loner. Thanks to our top 5 selections, we personally feel that they effectively exhibit his talents. Other than our top 5, what other roles of Daisuke Ono do you think are some of his best work? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Daisuke-Ono-Wallpaper-500x500 Top 5 Roles of Daisuke Ono

Writer

Author: Justin "ParaParaJMo" Moriarty

Hello, I am originally from the states and have lived in Japan since 2009. Though I watched Robotech and Voltron as a child, I officially became an anime fan in 1994 through Dragon Ball Z during a trip to the Philippines. In addition to anime, I also love tokusatsu, video games, music, and martial arts. よろしくお願いします

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