Keiji Fujiwara


Keiji Fujiwara was a Japanese actor and voice actor.
His best known works are voicing Shinnosuke's father Hiroshi Nohara in the long-running anime series Crayon Shin-chan, Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist, Holland Novak in Eureka Seven, Axel in Kingdom Hearts, Leorio in Hunter × Hunter, Shiro Fujimoto in Blue Exorcist, Shingo Shoji in Initial D, Zenzo Hattori in Gintama, and Esidisi in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency.
In the live-action field, he was most known for dubbing actor Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man/Tony Stark.
Fujiwara founded his own talent management and production company, Air Agency, in 2006.
𝕏 AIR_AGENCY

Biography

Fujiwara was born in Tokyo. He spent the majority of his childhood in Iwate Prefecture. In high school, he handled vocals in a band he formed with his friend Kotaro Furuichi, future guitarist of rock band The Collectors.
Around 18, he moved back to Tokyo on his own and joined the Bungakuza acting school. He spent the 1980s performing in several theater troupes while working odd jobs. Fujiwara was introduced to his first voice acting agency, Ken Production, in the early 1990s. The first TV anime in which he appeared as a regular was Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi, but his breakout role was Hiroshi Nohara in Crayon Shin-chan.
In November 2006, he left Ken Production and founded his own agency, Air Agency. Aside from talent management, the company went on to release original drama and situation CDs through its child company Air Label, as well as produce live events. In 2010, Fujiwara made his own sound directorial debut in Kakkokawaii Sengen!
Fujiwara was a regular lecturer at the Japan Newart College since 2008.

Illness and death

In August 2016, Fujiwara was diagnosed with an unspecified illness, even though he continued to work for Air Agency and various dubbing for long as he was able to undergo medical treatment. He officially resumed work in June 2017. Fujiwara died at the Tokyo Medical Hospital from cancer on April 12, 2020, aged 55 years old.

Filmography

Dubbing roles

Animated

YearTitleRoleNotes / Refs.
1992TUGSBig Mac, Sea Rogue, Little Ditcher, Frank, The Shrimpers
1994Pink PantherLouie
1997Beast Wars: TransformersDinobot, Clone Dinobot
1998ToonsylvaniaFred Deadman
1999Paddington BearPaddington
Batman BeyondSpellbinder/Ira Billings
2000The Rugrats MovieStu Pickles
2002101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London AdventurePongo
House of MousePongo
2003Bionicle: Mask of LightPohatu
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven SeasSinbad
Transformers: ArmadaScavenger
2005The BatmanRag Doll
D.I.C.EPike
2007The BoondocksEd Wuncler III
Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTraximus
2009Batman: The Brave and the BoldThe Joker/Red Hood, Norville "Shaggy" Rogers
2010Transformers: AnimatedGrimlock
2011Kung Fu Panda 2Lord Shen
2012Transformers: PrimeMegatron
2013Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes UniteJoker
2014Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & PunisherIron Man
2016Lego DC Comics Superheroes: Justice League - Gotham City BreakoutJoker
Pokémon GenerationsDetective Handsome
2018Next GenJustin Pin

Narration

The below is a selection.
YearTitleNotes/Refs
2010–2012Ishikawa Ryou Special RESPECTGolf show
2010Gyakuryuu Shiraberu TravelVariety Show
2011–2015Mirai Seiki ZipanguEconomy Documentary Show
2012Koi nante Zeitaku ga Watashi ni Ochitekuru no darouka?TV Drama, 6 eps
2012–2013Bakushou Gakuen Nasebara-ruProgram aimed at teenagers
2014"SWEET ROAD TO YOUTH"-A Documentary Film featuring KOTARO FURUICHI & THE COLLECTORS-
2017 -Gekiroku: Keisatsu Micchaku 24-ji !Police documentary show

Live-action

The following are physical appearances as opposed to voice work.
YearTitleRoleNotes/Refs.
2010Wonderful WorldNishikawa Yoshitaka
2013Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters Returns vs. Dōbutsu Sentai Go-BustersBackpacker
2014Crayon Shin-chan: Serious Battle! Robot Dad Strikes Back TV commercialsSingle Man

Substitutes

Below is a list of voice actors who stood in for him during his health-related hiatus, and after his death in 2020.