8 Popular Anime You’ve Heard Buggy’s Voice In

When it comes to comic relief characters in One Piece, there’s arguably no better one than Buggy the Clown. With his over-the-top personality and hilarious tendency to fail upwards, he’s definitely one of the series’ most beloved characters, but he would be nowhere near as popular as he is today if it weren’t for Shigeru Chiba’s excellent performance in the Japanese dub of the anime.

He’s a legend of the voice acting industry who has been working for over fifty-three years, and he’s still delivering high-quality performances, even to this day. Most people may know him from One Piece, but he has actually worked in a lot of other popular anime, and the following eight roles are some of the most impressive ones of his entire career so far.

Kazuma Kuwabara In Yu Yu Hakusho

A Feisty Delinquent With A Heart Of Gold

Nowadays, Shigeru Chiba is often typecast as old and grumpy men due to his age, but back in the 80s and 90s, he would usually voice more youthful characters. One of the most notorious examples is one of his breakout roles: Kazuma Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chiba’s raspy and distinctive voice works perfectly for this beloved rival character, who may initially come off as reckless or stupid but eventually proves that he’s much stronger, kinder and honorable than expected. Chiba’s performance as Kuwabara is absolutely iconic and has paved the way for other similar characters in the action shōnen genre, like Wataru Takagi’s performance as Okuyasu Nijimura in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Yoshihiro Kira In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable

A Sadistic And Villainous Old Man

Speaking of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Shigeru Chiba was also chosen for a voice role in the 2016 adaptation of its fourth part, Diamond Is Unbreakable, where he voiced Yoshihiro Kira, the father of the story’s main antagonist, Yoshikage Kira. This is one of the most despicable characters in the series, because he repeatedly enabled and spoiled his own son, who was a supernatural serial killer.

Chiba’s signature “old man voice” worked perfectly for Yoshihiro, because he made him sound as slimy and pathetic as necessary (if anything, Chiba sounds slightly less cool than usual). While this was one of the voice actor’s smaller roles, it was so impressive that it still managed to make a huge impact on fans of this series.

Jigoro Kuwajima In Demon Slayer

Zenitsu’s Kind And Gentle (Albeit Impatient) Mentor

Even after working on numerous popular action shōnen series for many decades, Shigeru Chiba keeps delivering high-quality performances, even to this day. Demon Slayer is a notorious example, seeing as he voices Zenitsu Agatsuma’s reluctant mentor (and a former Thunder Hashira), Jigoro Kuwajima.

Like most of his other roles, Jigoro is half a comic relief who stars in funny and over-the-top scenes with Zenitsu and half an important figure in the story who not only taught the young demon slayer how to use Thunder Breathing but also encouraged him to keep getting stronger despite knowing only one technique. Needless to say, Chiba seamlessly switches from one side of the character to the other and delivers a surprisingly memorable and nuanced performance.

Wasuke Itadori And Jogo In Jujutsu Kaisen

Two Completely Different Characters, Voiced By The Same Actor

But Demon Slayer is not the only modern action shōnen series Shigeru Chiba has worked on, because Jujutsu Kaisen features some of his best work yet. He famously voiced Yuji Itadori’s grandfather, Wasuke Itadori, in the first episode, who sounded frail, gentle and a bit grumpy, which really elevated his emotional final scene with his grandson.

However, Chiba is fondly remembered by Jujutsu Kaisen fans due to his performance as the special grade cursed spirit, Jogo. This is a completely different role from Wasuke, which showcases this voice actor’s incredible range. Jogo is loud, evil and arrogant, and his voice can get really high-pitched at times as a result, in a way that reminded seasoned anime fans of Buggy the Clown.

Don Kanonji In Bleach

A Goofy But Respectable Comic Relief

As implied by his epitaph, Buggy the Clown is a performer at heart, and Chiba’s voice makes him sound as silly and over-the-top as necessary. Of course, he carried that same energy when he went on to voice Don Kanonji in the animated adaptation of Bleach.

In a world filled with Hollows, Soul Reapers and other supernatural beings, Kanonji is a TV show host with small spiritual power who, despite his exaggerated demeanor and desire for attention, is actually well-meaning and wants to help others. Needless to say, Chiba excels at voicing this hilarious but endearing comic relief character, with his signature laugh (Bwahahaha!) becoming an iconic sound bite among anime fans.

Sebas Tian In Overlord

One Of The Most Serious Performances Of His Career

While Shigeru Chiba has been repeatedly cast in comedic and/or villainous roles (and he has done an amazing job with all of them), he can also voice more serious and mature characters surprisingly well, and he got the opportunity to prove it when he was chosen to portray Sebas Tian in Overlord.

This is a very patient, honorable and brave old gentleman, and Chiba seamlessly brought him to life with a more subdued and lower-pitched voice that makes him sound absolutely incredible. This is such a remarkable performance that it’s quite mind-blowing to think Sebas Tian shares a voice actor with more absurd characters like Buggy the Clown or Don Kanonji.

Chidaruma In Dorohedoro

A Mischievous Demon That’s Much More Powerful Than It May Seem

As is evident with his performances as characters like Jogo or Pilaf, Chiba’s raspy and high-pitched voice can be oddly appropriate for more monstrous and inhuman characters and he perfectly put this talent to good use in 2020, when he voiced Chidaruma in the animated adaptation of Dorohedoro.

This is a strange and surreal anime with many bizarre characters, and Chidaruma is obviously no exception. He’s an all-powerful devil who likes to perform pranks on other people just because he’s bored, which contrasts tremendously against his creepy and intimidating appearance. Chiba’s voice performance did not disappoint, as he can brilliantly make him sound goofy in one scene, and menacing in the next one.

Pilaf And Raditz In Dragon Ball

The Legendary Anime That Put Him On The Map

While most people nowadays may associate Shigeru Chiba with his role as Buggy in One Piece, he had already worked with Toei Animation many times, as this is the same studio that brought Dragon Ball to life in the 80s. This is undoubtedly the show that put him on the map, and the characters he portrayed in it pretty much laid the groundwork for the rest of his extensive career.

He first voiced Pilaf in the original Dragon Ball, who’s a small and weak comedic villain with an iconic high-pitched and loud voice that is reminiscent of Chiba’s work as Buggy. On the complete opposite spectrum, there’s Goku’s older brother, Raditz, from Dragon Ball Z. Unlike Pilaf, this is a powerful, violent and brutal villain who actually poses a threat to the heroes, and Chiba managed to make him sound as threatening and memorable as possible. The fact that these two completely different Dragon Ball antagonists share a voice actor is solid proof that Shigeru Chiba is one of the most talented performers in the anime industry.