Toshio Furukawa

Biography

Toshio Furukawa (古川 登志夫, Furukawa Toshio), born on July 16, 1946, in what is now part of Tochigi city, is a prominent Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator associated with Aoni Production. He is well-known for his diverse range of roles throughout his career, including Kagege in "Keroro Gunso," Kai Shiden in "Mobile Suit Gundam," Shin from "Fist of the North Star," Asuma Shinohara in "Mobile Police Patlabor," Piccolo in the "Dragon Ball" series, Ataru Moroboshi in "Urusei Yatsura," and Portgas D. Ace in "One Piece." Toshio made his voice acting debut as a soldier in "Brave Raideen."

As a seasoned voice actor, he has portrayed a spectrum of characters, from the comedic Ataru in "Urusei Yatsura" and Inumaru in "Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai!" to the more serious and composed Shin in "Fist of the North Star" and Piccolo in "Dragon Ball." Additionally, he is adept at producing a "boy voice" and has voiced passionate heroic figures, including Prince Mito in "Saikyō Robo Daiōja" and Kento Tate in "Future Robo Daltanius."

Toshio was also part of the band Slapstick (スラップスティック) alongside Toru Furuya, Kazuyuki Sogabe, Yūji Mitsuya, and Akio Nojima. In 2007, the band reunited to honor their late members, Hirotaka Suzuoki and Kazuyuki Sogabe.

He is a dog owner and has a Shih Tzu named Asuma (遊馬), named after his character Asuma Shinohara, while his late Shih Tzu, Ataru (あたる), who