Norio Wakamoto

Norio Wakamoto (若本 規夫, Wakamoto Norio; born October 18, 1945) is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with the Sigma Seven talent agency. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University.

On adult works, like OVAs or dating sims, he goes by the alias Kyōnosuke Hiruma (比留間 京之介, Hiruma Kyōnosuke).

Norio Wakamoto at Desucon Frostbite 2013, Finland

Wakamoto studied in Waseda University under the Faculty of Law. During his time there, he participated in Shorin Kempo activities.

Wakamoto entered the Nakano Police Academy, intending to become a police officer. He sought advice from a career counselor after his professor did not agree with his plans to do graduate studies. He was later assigned to his first post at the Kuramae Police Station. Later on, he was assigned to be in an anti-riot unit and was deployed to arrest rioters participating the Shinjuku riot in 1968. Wakamoto became disillusioned with his duties and decided to leave.

Wakamoto joined the Consumers Union of Japan after leaving the force. But he got into trouble at times as he did his work without getting approval from his superiors.

According to Wakamoto, he decided to do voice work, starting from dubbing foreign movies, when he saw an ad calling for applications to Ryo Kurosawa's training school after he left the union due to a fight with his boss while drunk. Tohokushinsha's dubbing director, Kanji Nakano, encouraged him to go into voice acting despite uncertainties if he would be able to get potential work as a voice actor.

• Blue Dragon (Nene)
• Brave Story: New Traveler (Sogreth)
• Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (Dracula)
• Code Geass: Lost Colors (Emperor of Britannia)
• Crysis (Admiral Morrison, Nanosuit Voice (In Promotion Video))
• Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Marz (DYMN/Daimon)
• Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (Overlord Zenon)
• Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (Overlord Zenon)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (Cell)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (Cell)
• Eien no Aselia: The Spirit of Eternity Sword (Eternity Sword 'Wisdom'/Takios the Black Blade)
• Everybody's Golf 6 (Izaak)
• Fantasy Earth Zero (King Nias Ielsord)
• Flash Hiders (Moonrize)
• GetAmped2 (Daigokuin Raizo)
• Grandia (Baal)
• inFAMOUS (Kessler)
• Koihime Musō (Chōsen)
• Last Bronx (Tōru Kurosawa)
• Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai! (Prime Minister)
• Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome (King Drake the Third)
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Gene)
• Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story (Philip Hughes)
• Muv-Luv (Paul Radhabinod)
• Muv-Luv Alternative (Paul Radhabinod)
• Odin Sphere (Hindel, Wraith/Halja)
• Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (Akechi Mitsuhide)
• Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams (Ishida Mitsunari)
• Phantasy Star Universe (Renvolt Magashi)
• Princess Maker 4 (Daikun)
• Project X Zone 2 (M. Bison, Metal Face)
• Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom (Fonfon, Guwanji)
• Rusty Hearts (Ian Jablonsky)
• Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny (Golba)
• SD Gundam G Generation series (Doku Dāmu, Philip Hughs)
• Sharin no Kuni: The Girl Among the Sunflowers (Houzuki)
• Skies of Arcadia (Gilder)
• SNK vs. Capcom series (M. Bison)
• SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (M. Bison)
• Star Ocean: First Departure (Ashlay Barnbelt)
• Summon Night EX-Thesis: Yoake no Tsubasa (Fighfar)
• Super Robot Wars series (Neue Regisseur, Stern Neue Regisseur, Maier V. Branstein, Alan Brady, Shapiro Keats, Ōta Kōichirō, Moon Will, Augustus)
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (Metal Face)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Metal Face)
• Tales of Destiny (PS2) (Barbatos Goetia)
• Tales of Innocence (Gardle)
• Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 (Barbatos Goetia)
• Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Barbatos Goetia)
• Tales of Vesperia (Barbatos Goetia)
• Tales of VS. (Barbatos Goetia)
• TERA (Samael Cranwood)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (Victor Coste)
• Transformers: The Game (Megatron)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Megatron)
• Tsuyokiss (Tachibana Heizō)
• Valkyrie Profile (Janus)
• Wild Arms Alter Code: F (Siegfried/Zeikfried)
• Xenoblade Chronicles (Mumkhar)
• Zettai Hero Kaizou Keikaku (Narrator)

Live-action

Animation

• Official agency profile Archived July 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
• Norio Wakamoto at Hitoshi Doi's Seiyuu Database
• Original Name Works Cited (archive) on lain.gr.jp (in Japanese)
• Wakamoto Norio profile (archive) on Animate.tv (in Japanese)
• Iyasare-radio, hosted by Wakamoto (archive) (in Japanese)
• Norio Wakamoto at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Norio Wakamoto at IMDb