Interest

Japanese Fans Rank Mamoru Miyano's Greatest Roles

Voice actor Mamoru Miyano has a versatile range; in his 13-year career, he's played everything from nice, ordinary guys to scheming geniuses, from bombastic eccentrics to sullen stoics. This versatility (and perhaps his good looks) have earned him a large fanbase as well (he came in fourth in a recent voice actor popularity poll). The Japanese survey site Goo Ranking plunged deeper into his career and polled his fans on their favorite Miyano roles. The survey was conducted from July 28 to 31 among 500 respondents equally split by gender and in their 20s and 30s.

Light Yagami, the cunning genius protagonist of Death Note, topped the list by an impressive margin. Fans cited his calm, knowledgeable voice, Miyano's nuanced portrayal, and his infamous laugh in the series finale.

Second place went to Setsuna F. Seiei of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Although this reflects Gundam's popularity in Japan to a large extent, fans also appreciated Setsuna's sense of justice, the strength of his will, and his "goosebump-inducing" coolness.

Miyano's third-most popular role is Tokiya Ichinose of Uta no Prince Sama, who captivated the anime's female fanbase with his low, sweet voice.

Here are the complete results:

1. Light (Death Note, 26.2%)
2. Setsuna (Mobile Suit Gundam 00, 6.4%)
3. Tokiya (Uta no Prince Sama, 5.7%)
4. Riku (Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~, 5.3%)
5. Rintarō (Steins;Gate, 5.2%)
6. Rin (Free!, 4.6%)
7. Tamaki (Ouran High School Host Club, 3.9%)
8. Taichi (Chihayafuru, 3.5%)
9. Wooser (Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth Life, 3.5%)

10. (tie) Joker (Black Butler: Book of Circus, 2.7%)
10. (tie) Saburō (Nobunaga Concerto, 2.7%)
12. (tie) Death the Kid (Soul Eater, 1.9%)
12. (tie) Takuto (Star Driver, 1.9%)
12. (tie) Zange (Inu × Boku SS, 1.9%)
12. (tie) Gilthunder (The Seven Deadly Sins, 1.9%)
12. (tie) Dent (Pokémon: Black & White, 1.9%)
17. (tie) Masaomi (Durarara!!, 1.7%)
17. (tie) Saguru (Magic Kaito 1412, 1.7%)
17. (tie) Eiji (Antique Bakery, 1.7%)
20. Ling (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, 1.6%)

[Via Goo Ranking; Images from Novelty Podcast and TV Tropes]