Yōsuke Naka

Yōsuke Naka
中 庸助
Born
Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男)[1][2][3][4][5]

(1930-03-30)March 30, 1930[5]
Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan[6]
DiedOctober 20, 2023(2023-10-20) (aged 93)
Occupations
Years active1950–2023
AgentMausu Promotion (final affiliation)[6]
Notable creditsDoraemon as Nobisuke Nobi
Kamen Rider as Admiral Majin

Yōsuke Naka (中 庸助, Naka Yōsuke; born Kazuo Nakajima (中島 和男, Nakajama Kazuo) March 30, 1930 – October 20, 2023) was a Japanese actor from Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture.[1][4][6]

He is best known for his roles as Admiral Majin in Kamen Rider, Nobisuke Nobi in Doraemon, Ehrenberg in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Mulligan in Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings, and Nijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon) in 21 Emon.

Biography

Career

Born in Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan on March 30, 1930, Naka graduated from Chiba Prefectural Chiba First High School.[1][5]

In 1953, Naka joined the Chiba City Civic Hall.[5] Despite wanting to originally become a writer, he was a somewhat naturally lazy person, so he never even got as far as to think that he'd ever try to write plays, but instead, he ended up in the world of acting. He moved to Tokyo during the Shinkigeki boom and was introduced to several Shinkigeki-style theatre companies by Yotaro Nishizawa, the editor-in-chief of theatre magazine Tragedy and Comedy by Hayakawa Publishing. While he still couldn't decided on which company to join, Naka had heard that the Enza Theater Company had been searching for actors, so he ended up joining without as much as a second thought. After he joined Enza in 1956[5], he joined the Mirai Gekijō theater company two years later[5], then the Zokei theater company three years after that[5], before finally joining the Tōgei theater company[7], where he ended up spending days on-stage. Though at that period in time, the attitude that society had grown toward theater company actors was harsh, to the point where even renting an apartment became a struggle, and life was incredibly hard.[8]

During this time, Naka would take on performing small roles in dramas such as Dial 110, Crime Reporter, and Seven Detectives, but his income remained stagnant, and he would spend days juggling part-time jobs while resuming his work on-stage. Eventually he began to receive offers to perform dubbing for foreign shows. Although the pay then was only about 70% of the usual rate, the amount of shows was huge, and Naka was finally able to stabilize his livelihood.[8]

While continuing to dub foreign dramas, Naka met a manager who invited him to "give it a serious try", leading him to start appearing in Toei Company television dramas. On Special Mobile Investigation Squad, Naka would play criminal roles. He was approached regarding this when the show switched to a three-unit system: "Hey, Naka, isn't it about time you played a detective instead of a criminal?" He turned down the offer, replying, "It's more interesting to play villains because I can portray so many different types." People told him that he was weird for thinking that, which Naka himself would later reflect on, saying, "Looking back now, it might have been a mistake."[8]

Eventually, as the mainstream of television dramas shifted to two-hour specials and work began to dwindle, Naka asked the president of his agency to if they could let him partake in dubbing the foreign drama Hill Street Blues. While he going on record to say that the long monologues were painful, from that point on, voice acting became his main profession.[8]

After working with G&B Planning[7], Murakami Office[7], and Kumazawa Production, he joined Mausu Promotion, his last affiliation.[6]

Death

Naka died on October 20, 2023, at the age of 93.[9][10] Mausu announced his death that November.[11]

Personality

In tokusatsu productions, Naka often portrayed villainous commanders, most famously Admiral Majin in the Kamen Rider series. He would also often portray villainous roles in period dramas and yakuza bosses in police dramas.

His most famous voice acting role was as Nobita's father Nobisuke Nobi in the Doraemon anime from 1992 to 2005. Naka was cast on short notice, as the previous voice actor, Masayuki Katō, had stepped down due to ongoing health problems. Naka was a personal friend of Katō's and accepted the offer with the intention of "carrying on his friend's legacy".

He stepped down from the role of Nobisuke in March 2005 with the end of the 1979 series, with the role being succeeded by Yasunori Matsumoto for the 2005 reboot.

Successors

After his death, the following individuals have taken over his roles.

SuccessorCharacterWorkDebut
Chihiro NishimoriNikko KadorInvasion U.S.A.Blu-ray release bonus content

Filmography

Television dramas

List of performances in television dramas
Year Title Role Notes Source
1957Dial 110
1958Crime Reporter
1961Seven Detectives
1965Taikōki
1968Ryōma ga Yuku
1965–1977Special Mobile Investigation UnitVarious characters
1967Kaiju BooskaTotsu-Otsu Real Estate employee
1968Three Outlaw SamuraiCarpenter, Akamatsu, ZōngjíAkamatsu in Season 5, Zōngjí in Season 6
1968Princess CometSite Supervisor
1968Key Hunter
1969Kappa Sanpei: The Yokai Operation
1969PlaygirlVarious characters
1969Tokyo Bypass Directive
1969MuyōnosukeTwo-Eyed DemonEp. 9
1980Kamen RiderAdmiral MajinEpisodes 17–53[4]
1980New Edo no KazeSugaiEp. 1
1983The Chronicles of Nemuri KyoshiroDōanEp. 21
1983Asadora / Oshin
1983Thursday Prime-Time Drama / The Sea Wall
1984Sakichi the Shooting Star
1985Saturday Wide Theater / The Woman Loved by a Rapist
1990Tsukikage Hyogo's Wild JourneyDojo MasterSeason 2
2003THE MONDAY NIGHT MYSTERY THEATER / Seiichi Morimura Suspense SeriesAngler

Theatrical films

List of performances in theatrical films
Year Title Role Notes Source
1967A Fallen WomanYakuza B[12]
1969From a Married Woman: The Rules of the NightIshiyama[13]
1970Rebel Against GloryBuddhist Monk[14]
1974Lupin the Third: Strange Psychokinetic StrategyAssassin Dōkasen[15]
1979G.I. SamuraiDefeated Warrior
1980Kamen Rider: 8 Riders VS Galaxy KingAdmiral Majin[16]
1985Fire FestivalFisherman[17]
1989Yawara!Yanagisawa Director

Television animation

List of voice performances in television animation
Year Title Role Notes Source
1979Heidi, Girl of the AlpsThe Doctor
1982Dash KappeiKatsuhei's grandfather
1983Space Adventure CobraPumpkinEpisodes 28, 29, and 31
1983Mirai Keisatsu UrashimanCatsburg
1984Cat's EyeMaejima
1984Lupin the Third: Part IIIWang DaquanEp. 21
1989–1990The Adventures of Hutch the HoneybeeStag Beetle Grandpa, Ronin
1991OishinboHiyama, Director of Personnel
1991Yawara!Director Yanagisawa, University President
199121 EmonNijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon)[4][18]
1992–2005DoraemonNobisuke NobiSecond voice[19][20]
1992The Laughing SalesmanShuro Yuji
1995NinkuOld ManEp. 16
1996The Life and Adventures of Santa ClausBob O'CallaghanEp. 9
1996KochiKame: Tokyo Beat CopsOwner
1997BerserkMilitary Officer A
1998Master KeatonMr. ShinjoEp. 7
2002Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone ComplexNogi
2002Secret of Cerulean SandDuncan
2005Black JackKenmochi (Karte 38)[21]
2006Black Jack 21Kenmochi (Karte 38)[22]
2018Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - EncounterEhrenberg

Theatrical animation

List of voice performances in theatrical animation
Year Title Role Notes Source
1991The Heroic Legend of ArslanBahmanEp. 2
1992The Heroic Legend of Arslan IIBahman
21 Emon: To Space! The Barefoot PrincessNijūemon Tsuzureya (20 Emon)[23][24][25]
1993Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin LabyrinthNobisuke Nobi[26]
1994Doraemon: Nobita's Three Visionary SwordsmenGeneral[27]
Pom PokoFood Stand Customer B[28][29]
1995Doraemon: Nobita's Diary on the Creation of the WorldNobisuke Nobi[30][31]
1996Doraemon: Nobita and the Galaxy Super-expressMayor[32][33]
1997Doraemon: Nobita and the Spiral CityNobisuke Nobi[34][35]
Spasibo at the End of the Edo PeriodKakichi Oaki
1998Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure in the South SeasNobisuke Nobi[36]
Doraemon Comes BackNobisuke NobiShort film[37][38]
1999Doraemon: Nobita Drifts in the UniverseNobisuke Nobi[39][40]
2000Doraemon: Nobita and the Legend of the Sun KingLeader[41]
2001Good Luck! Gian!!Nobisuke NobiShort film[42][43]
2002The Day When I Was BornNobisuke NobiShort film[44][45]
2003Doraemon: Nobita and the WindmastersCaptain of Time Patrol[46][47][48]
2004NitabohKengyo[49][50][51]

Original video animation (OVA)

List of voice performances in original video animation
Year Title Role Notes Source
1989Shinshuu Sudama HenŌno Kurobei
1989David no HoshiChief Detective, Genpei ŌtaguroChief Detective in Ep. 2, Genpei Ōtaguro in Ep. 4[52]
1990KentōshiEddie Williams[53]
1990Mad Bull 34Don EnricoEp. 2
1991Legend of the Phantom HeroesDouglas
1991Tales of Yajikita CollegeChairman YoshidaEp. 2[54][55]
1991Shin David no Hoshi: Inma DensetsuPriest[56]
1992Spirit of Wonder: Miss China's RingSullivan
1992Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon KingsMulligan
1994Wild 7Ginkaku Daigishi

Web animation

List of voice performances in web animation
Year Title Role Notes Source
2017Mouse ZooYōsuke the Crane

Video games

List of voice performances in video games
Year Title Role Platform Source
1998Panzer Dragoon SagaDamonSega Saturn
2001Kids Station: Doraemon: Himitsu no Yojigen PocketNobisuke NobiPlaystation
2001Boku, DoraemonNobisuke NobiDreamcast[57]
2002Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Innocent BlackFūrin GōzōPlaystation 2
2002My Summer Vacation 2Old Man WolfPlaystation 2
2003True Crime: Streets of LAGeorgeGamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox, Windows, Mobile, Mac OS X
2005Shinobido: Way of the NinjaOnjiPlaystation 2
2010My Summer Vacation Portable 2: The Riddle Sisters and the Secret of the Sunken Ship!Old Man WolfPlaystation Portable

Dubbing

List of dub performances in overseas productions
Title Role Notes Source
Sesame StreetHanford (David Smyrl)NHK version
The Secret of NIMHJenner (Paul Shenar)
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue RangersFat Cat (Jim Cummings)
Mr. Gribbish (Peter Cullen)
Rat Capone (Jim Cummings)		New dubbed version
2020 Nyeon Ujuui Wonder KiddyAdditional voice
Aladdin: The SeriesAyam Aghoul (Hamilton Camp)
ReBootMegabyte (Tony Jay)Cartoon Network version
Spider-Man: The Animated SeriesSilvermane (Jeff Corey)
Batman: The Animated SeriesDr. Wakati (Roscoe Lee Browne)
Angela AnacondaMayor Jamal

References

  1. 1 2 3 『日本タレント名鑑2017』(in Japanese). VIP Times Co. Ltd., 2017. page 264. ISBN 978-4-904674-08-6.
  2. ↑ 『日本タレント名鑑'80』(in Japanese). VIP Times. 1979.
  3. ↑ 『声優名鑑』(in Japanese). Seibido Publishing. 1999. ISBN 978-4-415-00878-3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 「男性篇」『声優事典』（第2版）(in Japanese). Kinema Junpo Sha. March 30, 1996. page 220. ISBN 4-87376-160-3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 『新劇便覧』(in Japanese). Teatro. 1965.
  6. 1 2 3 4 マウスプロモーションによる公式プロフィール (in Japanese). Mausu Promotion. Mausu Promotion Official Website. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 「新劇俳優名鑑」『新劇便覧1984』(in Japanese). Teatro. 1984.
  8. 1 2 3 4 『東映ヒーロー悪役俳優列伝』(in Japanese). Tatsumi Publishing. December 30, 2006. ISBN 4-7778-0319-8.
  9. ↑ Voice Actor Yousuke Naka Passes Away at 93. Anime News Network. Anime News Network Official Website. November 10, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Doraemon" voice actor Yousuke Naka passed away. yahoo! life. Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore. Cinema Online. November 13, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "訃報" (in Japanese). Mausu Promotion. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "堕落する女". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ ""人妻"より 夜の掟". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  14. ↑ "栄光への反逆". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  15. ↑ "ルパン三世 念力珍作戦". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  16. ↑ "仮面ライダー 8人ライダーVS銀河王". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ "火まつり". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  18. ↑ 21エモン ★ キャスト・スタッフ (in Japanese), Shin-Ei Animation official website, 21 Emon, Shin-Ei Animation, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  19. ↑ "スタッフ&声のしゅつえん" (in Japanese), Doraemon, TV Asahi, Archived from the original on January 4, 2003, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  20. ↑ ドラえもん (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  21. ↑ ブラック・ジャック (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ ブラック・ジャック21 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  23. ↑ 21エモン 宇宙いけ！裸足のプリンセス (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ 21エモン 宇宙いけ!裸足のプリンセス (in Japanese), Eiga.com, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  25. ↑ 21エモン 宇宙（そら）いけ！裸足のプリンセス (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  26. ↑ ドラえもん のび太とブリキの迷宮 (ラビリンス) (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  27. ↑ ドラえもん のび太と夢幻三剣士 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  28. ↑ 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ (in Japanese), Eiga.com, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  29. ↑ 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  30. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太の創世日記 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  31. ↑ ドラえもん のび太の創世日記 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  32. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太と銀河超特急 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  33. ↑ ドラえもん のび太と銀河超特急 (エクスプレス) (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  34. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太のねじ巻き都市冒険記 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  35. ↑ ドラえもん のび太のねじ巻き都市 (シティー) 冒険記 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  36. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太の南海大冒険 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  37. ↑ 帰ってきたドラえもん (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  38. ↑ 帰ってきたドラえもん (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  39. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太の宇宙漂流記 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  40. ↑ ドラえもん のび太の宇宙漂流記 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  41. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太の太陽王伝説 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  42. ↑ がんばれ！ジャイアン!! (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  43. ↑ がんばれ! ジャイアン!! (in Japanese), Eiga.com, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  44. ↑ ぼくの生まれた日 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  45. ↑ ぼくの生まれた日 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  46. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太とふしぎ風使い (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  47. ↑ 映画ドラえもん のび太とふしぎ風使い (in Japanese), Eiga.com, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  48. ↑ ドラえもん のび太とふしぎ風使い (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  49. ↑ NITABOH 仁太坊 津軽三味線始祖見聞 (in Japanese), KINENOTE, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  50. ↑ NITABOH 仁太坊 津軽三味線始祖見聞 (in Japanese), eiga.com, Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  51. ↑ NITABOH 仁太坊—津軽三味線始祖外聞 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  52. ↑ 堕靡泥 (ダビデ) の星 (1～4) (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  53. ↑ 拳闘士 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  54. ↑ やじきた学園道中記 牡丹慕情編 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  55. ↑ やじきた学園道中記 牡丹慕情編 (in Japanese), J.C.Staff, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  56. ↑ 新・堕靡泥 (ダビデ) の星 淫魔伝説 (in Japanese), allcinema.net, Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Boku Doraemon - Production Credits", SEGA Retro website, Retrieved on April 28, 2026.
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