Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho is voiced by Megumi Ogata in the original Japanese version and John Burgmeier in the English dub. Ogata’s calm, intelligent, and emotionally restrained performance helped establish Kurama as one of the most iconic bishōnen characters in anime history, while Burgmeier’s English portrayal became widely praised for capturing the character’s elegance and hidden intensity. (behindthevoiceactors.com)

Megumi Ogata – Japanese Voice of Kurama

Date of Birth

June 6, 1965

About Megumi

Megumi Ogata is a legendary Japanese voice actress, singer, and stage performer known for voicing emotionally complex and intelligent anime characters. Throughout her career, she has become especially famous for portraying calm, introspective, and psychologically layered roles.

Her performance as Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho became one of the defining roles of her early career. Kurama’s composed personality, strategic intelligence, and hidden ruthlessness required a subtle performance style that contrasted heavily with the louder personalities of the series. Ogata’s delivery gave Kurama a graceful and mysterious presence while still conveying the emotional conflict between his demon past and human life.

The role also helped solidify Kurama as one of the most popular anime characters of the 1990s, particularly among female anime fans in Japan and internationally.

Outside of Yu Yu Hakusho, Ogata is widely recognized for iconic roles in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Sailor Moon, and Danganronpa.

Hometown

Tokyo, Japan

Career Highlights

  • Kurama — Yu Yu Hakusho
  • Shinji Ikari — Neon Genesis Evangelion
  • Sailor Uranus / Haruka Tenoh — Sailor Moon
  • Yugi Mutou — Yu-Gi-Oh! (Toei version)
  • Makoto Naegi — Danganronpa
  • Hanako-kun — Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
  • Nagito Komaeda — Danganronpa 2
  • Princess Emeraldas — Queen Emeraldas

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented anime, film, and game credits from publicly available industry sources and may not be exhaustive.

Television Anime

  • Yu Yu Hakusho — Kurama
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion — Shinji Ikari
  • Sailor Moon — Haruka Tenoh / Sailor Uranus
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) — Yugi Mutou
  • Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun — Hanako-kun
  • Danganronpa: The Animation — Makoto Naegi
  • Cardcaptor Sakura — Yukito Tsukishiro (young)
  • Magic Knight Rayearth — Eagle Vision
  • Detective Conan — Various Roles
  • Bleach — Tier Harribel’s Fracción member Apache
  • Angelic Layer — Icchan

Anime Films

  • Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie — Kurama
  • Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report — Kurama
  • The End of Evangelion — Shinji Ikari
  • Evangelion Rebuild film series — Shinji Ikari
  • Sailor Moon Eternal — Sailor Uranus
  • Danganronpa franchise films and specials — Makoto Naegi

Video Games

  • Danganronpa series — Makoto Naegi / Nagito Komaeda
  • Jump Force — Kurama
  • J-Stars Victory VS — Kurama
  • Yu Yu Hakusho game adaptations — Kurama
  • Super Robot Wars series — Shinji Ikari

Critical Reception

Megumi Ogata’s portrayal of Kurama is widely regarded as one of the most influential performances in classic shonen anime. Fans frequently praise her calm vocal delivery, emotional subtlety, and ability to convey Kurama’s intelligence and hidden danger without excessive dramatics.

Her performance helped establish Kurama as one of Yu Yu Hakusho’s most enduring and beloved characters.

Our Sources

John Burgmeier – English Voice of Kurama

Date of Birth

October 24, 1974

About John

John Burgmeier is an American voice actor, ADR director, and scriptwriter best known for his long-running work in English anime dubbing with Funimation and Crunchyroll. He became especially recognized during the early 2000s for portraying calm, intelligent, and emotionally layered characters.

As the English voice of Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho, Burgmeier delivered a composed and elegant performance that perfectly matched the character’s strategic personality and hidden emotional depth. His portrayal emphasized Kurama’s intelligence, restraint, and quiet menace, helping the character become one of the standout performances of the English dub.

Fans frequently praise Burgmeier’s performance for maintaining Kurama’s calm sophistication while still capturing the darker intensity of the character’s demon side, Yoko Kurama.

Outside of acting, Burgmeier has also worked extensively as a writer and ADR director for numerous major anime releases.

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Career Highlights

  • Kurama — Yu Yu Hakusho
  • Shigure Sohma — Fruits Basket
  • Germany — Hetalia: Axis Powers
  • Keiichi Morisato — Ah! My Goddess
  • Tetsuya Kuroko — Kuroko’s Basketball
  • Ikkaku Madarame — Bleach
  • Tomoya Okazaki — Clannad (ADR/script involvement)
  • Additional ADR direction for Funimation productions

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented English dub acting and production credits from publicly available industry sources and may not be exhaustive.

Television Anime

  • Yu Yu Hakusho — Kurama
  • Fruits Basket — Shigure Sohma
  • Hetalia: Axis Powers — Germany
  • Bleach — Ikkaku Madarame
  • Kuroko’s Basketball — Tetsuya Kuroko
  • Ah! My Goddess — Keiichi Morisato
  • Fullmetal Alchemist — Cain Fuery
  • Dragon Ball Z — Additional Voices
  • One Piece — Additional Voices
  • Soul Eater — Additional Voices
  • Case Closed — Various Roles
  • Black Butler — Additional Voices

Anime Films

  • Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie — Kurama
  • Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report — Kurama
  • Bleach film series — Ikkaku Madarame
  • Fruits Basket Prelude — Shigure Sohma
  • Hetalia film projects — Germany

Video Games

  • Yu Yu Hakusho game adaptations — Kurama
  • Jump Force — Kurama
  • Bleach game series — Ikkaku Madarame
  • Hetalia game projects — Germany

ADR Direction & Scriptwriting

John Burgmeier has also contributed heavily behind the scenes in anime localization.

Notable writing and ADR credits include:

  • Clannad
  • Fullmetal Alchemist
  • Black Butler
  • Soul Eater
  • One Piece
  • Dragon Ball franchise dubbing projects

Critical Reception

John Burgmeier’s portrayal of Kurama is widely praised for its calm sophistication and emotional subtlety. Fans often credit his performance for helping preserve Kurama’s graceful, intelligent personality in the English adaptation while still delivering convincing emotional intensity during battle scenes and Yoko Kurama transformations.

His work remains one of the most respected performances in the Yu Yu Hakusho English dub cast.

Our Sources

Social Media

Published by mayciballesteros03

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