Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin and the primary antagonist of much of the Naruto series, is voiced by Kujira in the original Japanese version and Steve Blum in the English dub. Their distinctive performances helped make Orochimaru one of anime’s most recognizable villains, known for his eerie calmness, obsession with immortality, and unsettling charisma.

JAPANESE VOICE ACTOR (KUJIRA)

Date of Birth

April 1, 1960.

About Kujira

Kujira (くじら), born Wakako Matsumoto, is a veteran Japanese voice actress represented by 81 Produce. Known for her deep, distinctive voice and remarkable versatility, she has built a career portraying everything from comedic characters to intimidating villains. Among her most famous roles are Orochimaru in Naruto, Otose in Gintama, and Hitogami in Mushoku Tensei.

Her portrayal of Orochimaru is considered one of the defining performances of the Naruto franchise. By combining a calm delivery with an unsettling edge, Kujira created a character whose presence remains memorable decades after his debut.

Hometown

Tokyo, Japan.

Career Highlights

Some of Kujira’s most notable roles include:

  • Orochimaru — Naruto
  • Otose — Gintama
  • Hitogami (Human God) — Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
  • Sakura Ogami — Danganronpa
  • Ursula — Kingdom Hearts series (Japanese version)
  • Ella — Sonic X
  • Rokume — BEASTARS

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented major credits from publicly available sources and may not be exhaustive.

Television Anime

  • Naruto — Orochimaru
  • Naruto Shippuden — Orochimaru
  • Boruto: Naruto Next Generations — Orochimaru
  • Gintama — Otose
  • Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation — Hitogami
  • BEASTARS — Rokume
  • Danganronpa: The Animation — Sakura Ogami
  • Sonic X — Ella

Anime Films

  • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie — Lady
  • Multiple Naruto theatrical films — Orochimaru

Video Games

  • Naruto Ultimate Ninja series — Orochimaru
  • Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections — Orochimaru
  • Kingdom Hearts series — Ursula
  • Danganronpa series — Sakura Ogami

Critical Reception

Kujira’s performance as Orochimaru is frequently praised for its uniqueness. Her deep, almost serpentine vocal delivery gives the character an unsettling presence that perfectly matches his role as a manipulative and dangerous antagonist. Many fans consider her interpretation inseparable from the character’s identity.

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ENGLISH VOICE ACTOR (STEVE BLUM)

Date of Birth

April 29, 1960. (en.wikipedia.org)

About Steve

Steve Blum is an American voice actor widely regarded as one of the most influential performers in animation, anime dubbing, and video games. Known for his distinctive deep voice, Blum has voiced hundreds of characters across multiple entertainment mediums and holds a Guinness World Record for the most video game voice acting credits by a performer.

In Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, Blum provides the English voice of Orochimaru, delivering a chilling performance that perfectly captures the character’s intelligence, cruelty, and obsession with forbidden jutsu. His interpretation became one of the most recognizable villain performances in English anime dubbing. (behindthevoiceactors.com)

Hometown

Santa Monica, California, United States. (en.wikipedia.org)

Career Highlights

Some of Steve Blum’s most famous roles include:

  • Orochimaru — Naruto
  • Spike Spiegel — Cowboy Bebop
  • Wolverine — Marvel Animation and Video Games
  • Zeb Orrelios — Star Wars Rebels
  • Amon — The Legend of Korra
  • Starscream — Transformers Prime
  • Tom — Toonami
  • Sub-Zero — Mortal Kombat franchise
  • Grunt — Mass Effect series (en.wikipedia.org)

Full Current Filmography

The following list reflects documented major credits from publicly available sources and may not be exhaustive.

Anime Series

  • Naruto — Orochimaru
  • Naruto Shippuden — Orochimaru
  • Boruto: Naruto Next Generations — Orochimaru
  • Cowboy Bebop — Spike Spiegel
  • Digimon Fusion — Dorbickmon
  • The Big O — Roger Smith
  • Blue Exorcist — Shiro Fujimoto
  • Durarara!! — Shiki Haruya
  • Marvel Anime: Wolverine — Logan / Wolverine
  • The Seven Deadly Sins — Fraudrin

Western Animation

  • Star Wars Rebels — Zeb Orrelios
  • The Legend of Korra — Amon
  • Transformers Prime — Starscream
  • Ben 10 — Various Roles
  • Young Justice — Various Roles
  • Generator Rex — Various Roles

Video Games

  • Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series — Orochimaru
  • Mortal Kombat X — Sub-Zero
  • Mortal Kombat 11 — Sub-Zero
  • Mass Effect series — Grunt
  • Call of Duty franchise — Various Roles
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic — Various Characters
  • God of War series — Various Roles
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake — Supporting Roles
  • Marvel’s Midnight Suns — Wolverine

Critical Reception

Steve Blum’s portrayal of Orochimaru is frequently cited among the best English-dub villain performances in anime. Fans praise his ability to make the character sound simultaneously calm, intelligent, and deeply unsettling. His performance helped establish Orochimaru as one of the most memorable antagonists in the English-language version of Naruto and remains a fan favorite years after the series concluded. (behindthevoiceactors.com)

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Published by Limarc Ambalina

Limarc Ambalina is the founder of Japan Bound, a website covering all things Japan — from travel and culture to anime, manga, and pop culture. He is also the Director of Content at ISNation and the former VP of Editorial at HackerNoon. Based in Japan, he has been writing about Japanese life and entertainment since 2019, growing the site to over 2.4 million views.

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