In the Japanese version of Dr. Slump, Senbei Norimaki is most closely associated with Kenji Utsumi, who voiced the character in the original 1981 anime. In the English dub, Senbei has been voiced by actors including Michael C. Pizzuto, while the 1997 Japanese remake used Yūsaku Yara for the role.
Japanese Voice Actor: Hideo Ishikawa
Date of Birth
Kenji Utsumi was born on August 26, 1937. He died on June 13, 2013.
About Kenji
Kenji Utsumi was a major Japanese voice actor, actor, and narrator whose deep, commanding voice made him one of the most recognizable male performers of his era. For Dr. Slump fans, he is the definitive original Japanese voice of Senbei Norimaki, bringing comic timing and larger-than-life energy to the inventor who gives the series its title. He was also widely known for roles such as Raoh in Fist of the North Star, Alex Louis Armstrong in Fullmetal Alchemist, and several roles across the Dragon Ball franchise.
Hometown
Utsumi was from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. Japanese-language biographical sources list his origin as Fukuoka Prefecture, now identified specifically as Kitakyushu.
Career Highlights
For the query “Senbei Norimaki voice actor,” Kenji Utsumi is the key answer because he voiced Senbei in the original Dr. Slump anime and related films from the early 1980s. His broader career was equally distinguished: he was one of the foundational voices of television anime, later becoming especially famous for Raoh in Fist of the North Star, Shenlong and other roles in Dragon Ball, and Alex Louis Armstrong in Fullmetal Alchemist. He also founded Ken Production and received a Seiyu Award for lifetime achievement-level contributions to the field.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits from publicly verifiable source-based filmographies and official agency material. Because Utsumi’s career ran from the 1950s to 2013 across anime, dubbing, narration, and live action, this should be read as a documented selection of major confirmed credits rather than a guaranteed exhaustive master list of every role.
Television anime
1960s–1970s: Wolf Boy Ken (One-Eyed Jack), Sally the Witch (Sally’s Papa), and other early television anime roles that established him as one of the medium’s early standout male voices.
1980s: Dr. Slump Arale-chan (Senbei Norimaki), Fist of the North Star (Raoh), and Dragon Ball (Commander Red, Shenlong, tournament announcer, and other roles). These are among the performances most often cited in summaries of his career.
1990s–2000s: Continued franchise work and late-career prominence, including Hajime no Ippo (Coach Kamogawa), Fullmetal Alchemist (Alex Louis Armstrong), and NEEDLESS.
Theatrical anime and films
Documented Dr. Slump theatrical credits include Dr. Slump: Hoyoyo! Space Adventure, which lists Utsumi as Senbei Norimaki, alongside other Dr. Slump films from the original run. His screen career also extended into film dubbing and live-action acting, though his anime fame remains the most internationally recognized part of his body of work.
Dubbing and narration
Utsumi was also well known in Japanese dubbing, providing voices for actors such as Carl Weathers, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson, Sammy Davis Jr., Victor Mature, and Robert Shaw in Japanese-language versions of their films. This dubbing legacy is regularly highlighted in biographical summaries and helps explain his reputation as a versatile baritone performer beyond anime alone.
Critical Reception
Kenji Utsumi is remembered as one of the classic heavyweight voices of Japanese anime and dubbing. Biographical sources consistently describe him as a pioneering performer whose voice could shift between villains, comedic characters, and authoritative father figures, which helps explain why Senbei Norimaki worked so well in his hands: the character needed both absurd humor and strong presence. His later recognition at the Seiyu Awards further reflects how influential he was within the profession.
Useful sources for further reading:
Kenji Utsumi biography overview (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Utsumi)
Japanese biography and career history (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/内海賢二)
Ken Production profile archive / talent page (https://kenproduction.co.jp/talent/9)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump & Arale-chan (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Dr-Slump-and-Arale-chan/Senbei-Norimaki/)
English Voice Actor: Michael C. Pizzuto
Date of Birth
A full date of birth for Michael C. Pizzuto is not consistently documented across reliable public sources, so I would not treat the circulating dates on fan-run databases as confirmed. What is consistently documented is that he is an American actor and voice actor who was based in Hong Kong for many years before later working from Los Angeles.
About Michael
For the English dub side of Dr. Slump, the best-documented English voice for Senbei Norimaki is Michael C. Pizzuto. Behind The Voice Actors lists him as the English dub voice of Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump & Arale-chan, and franchise-level listings also place him among the credited English performers associated with Dr. Slump. His broader career spans anime dubbing, games, commercials, film dubbing, and live-action work.
Hometown
Publicly accessible profiles do not clearly document Pizzuto’s exact hometown. One recent professional résumé page describes him as originally from Detroit, Michigan, while other public bios focus instead on his later work base in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Because those sources emphasize different aspects of his background, “Detroit, Michigan” is best treated as a documented résumé claim rather than universally confirmed biographical consensus.
Career Highlights
For this query, Pizzuto’s key relevance is straightforward: he is the best-documented English Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump & Arale-chan. Outside Dr. Slump, public filmography sources associate him with roles such as Hiro/Harry Nohara in Shin Chan, Hideki Nogi in Kengan Ashura, Butler in Super Crooks, and additional voice work in Vinland Saga, Gamera: Rebirth, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and many other dubbed productions. His own bio also notes a long theater background and a substantial period in Hong Kong, where his voiceover career expanded significantly.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits visible from public sources such as IMDb, Behind The Voice Actors, professional profile pages, and résumé material. Because Pizzuto’s work includes a mix of named roles, ensemble dubbing, ADR, and additional voices across regional and streaming releases, this should be read as a documented source-based filmography and may not be exhaustive.
Anime series
Dr. Slump & Arale-chan — Senbei Norimaki. This is the role most directly tied to your query, and Behind The Voice Actors identifies Pizzuto as Senbei’s English dub voice.
Shin Chan — Hiro / Harry Nohara. Behind The Voice Actors lists this as one of the roles he is most known for.
Kengan Ashura — Hideki Nogi. Public role listings and Pizzuto’s own social posts connect him to this part.
Super Crooks — Butler. Behind The Voice Actors includes Butler among his notable roles.
Vinland Saga — Badger, Wulf, additional cast (Netflix dub). IMDb lists these credits for 2023.
Gamera: Rebirth — Anselm Rybrant, additional cast. IMDb lists this among his 2023 anime-related credits.
Scissor Seven — Various. IMDb lists this among his series credits.
Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf — Tamon. IMDb lists this as a 2024 TV-series credit.
Line Town — Moon. This role is referenced in podcast metadata describing Pizzuto’s Hong Kong dub work.
Sgt. Keroro — Kururu. The same interview metadata identifies him as the Hong Kong dub voice of Kururu.
Clover — role listed on professional résumé material.
Inazuma Eleven — Bobby and Xavier. These roles appear on his professional résumé page.
Films and specials
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — Additional Voices (English version). IMDb lists this under his 2024 credits. Although it is a game rather than a film, it is one of the clearer recent named credit categories on his public profile.
Eloá: The Hostage at the Diner / Eloá the Hostage: Live on TV — Marcelo Bittencourt (English dub). IMDb lists this among his 2025 dubbing credits.
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain — Doctor (English). IMDb lists this among his 2025 dubbing credits.
Live action, dubbing, and additional voice work
IMDb documents a large amount of English dubbing and ADR-related work, including credits on Babylon Berlin, Women of the Night, Curon, The Binding, School Life, The Rookies, The Bravest, Parot, Rooting for Roona, and The Bold and the Beautiful. These entries show that his career extends well beyond anime into international live-action dubbing and voice replacement work.
Critical Reception
There is not much mainstream critical writing focused specifically on Michael C. Pizzuto as an individual performer, so it would be misleading to invent a large reception history around him. What the record does show is that he is a recognized part of the Hong Kong-to-Asia English dubbing ecosystem that produced many Animax-era and regional English anime versions, and later a working Los Angeles-based dubbing actor with a steady stream of credits. That makes him notable less for a single widely reviewed star turn than for sustained professional presence across dubbed anime and streaming releases.
Useful sources for further reading:
Behind The Voice Actors page for Senbei Norimaki in Dr. Slump & Arale-chan (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Dr-Slump-and-Arale-chan/Senbei-Norimaki/)
Michael C. Pizzuto official website (https://michaelcpizzuto.com/)
Michael C. Pizzuto IMDb profile (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2841995/)
Creators Society member spotlight on Michael C. Pizzuto (https://www.creatorssociety.net/member-spotlight/michael-pizzuto)
Social Media
Instagram: @michael_pizzuto (https://www.instagram.com/michael_pizzuto/)
Facebook: Michael C. Pizzuto (https://www.facebook.com/MichaelCPizzuto/)
