In the Japanese version of Gintama, Toshiro Hijikata is voiced by Kazuya Nakai. In the English dub releases, Hijikata has been voiced by multiple actors depending on the production, including Blake Shepard, Michael Adamthwaite, and Travis Roig.
Japanese Voice Actor: Kazuya Nakai
Date of Birth
Kazuya Nakai’s agency profile publicly lists his birthday as November 25. Public reference databases widely report his full birth date as November 25, 1967.
About Kazuya
Kazuya Nakai is a veteran Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Aoni Production. For Gintama viewers, he is the definitive Japanese voice of Toshiro Hijikata, but he is also one of the most recognizable voices in anime more broadly thanks to major roles such as Roronoa Zoro in One Piece, Date Masamune in Sengoku BASARA, Mugen in Samurai Champloo, and Shizuo?—no, more reliably from his official profile—Shizuka Dōmeki in xxxHOLiC, Sōma Schicksal in God Eater, and Ryūji Suguro in Blue Exorcist.
Hometown
Aoni Production lists Nakai as being from Hyogo Prefecture, and public biographies commonly narrow that to Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Career Highlights
Nakai’s career highlights are unusually strong even by seiyuu standards. His official agency profile lists One Piece, the Gintama series, Blood Blockade Battlefront, God Eater, Sengoku BASARA, Blue Exorcist, and Samurai Champloo among his signature anime credits, while his games résumé includes Final Fantasy X, Persona 3, Dynasty Warriors, Sengoku BASARA, and God Eater. He also won Best Supporting Actor at the 5th Seiyu Awards, which is one of the clearest formal markers of industry recognition attached to his career.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits published on Nakai’s current Aoni Production profile as accessed today. It is source-based and substantial, but it may not be exhaustive of every role in his full career outside what his agency profile currently highlights.
Anime
- One Piece — Roronoa Zoro
- Gintama series — Toshiro Hijikata
- Blood Blockade Battlefront — Zapp Renfro
- God Eater — Soma Schicksal
- Ghost in the Shell ARISE ALTERNATIVE ARCHITECTURE — Borma
- Broken Blade — Borcuse
- Hero Bank — Fukuta Kanemaru
- Sengoku BASARA series — Date Masamune
- Aldnoah.Zero — Kōichirō Marito
- Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman — Roman
- BRAVE10 — Jinpachi Nezu
- Ixion Saga DT — Senglen
- Blue Exorcist — Ryūji Suguro
- Asu no Yoichi! — Ryō Washizu
- xxxHOLiC — Shizuka Dōmeki
- Hataraki Man — Fumihiko Sugawara
- Digimon Savers — Gaomon
- Jyu-Oh-Sei — Zagi
- Samurai Champloo — Mugen
- After War Gundam X — Witz Sou
- Noein: To Your Other Self — Karasu
- Trinity Blood — Tres Iqus
- Grenadier — Yajiro Kojima
- Blade of the Immortal — Magatsu Taito
- Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie — Borma
Television / Narration
- Sukkiri!! — live narration
- Akko ni Omakase! — narration
- Bakuhō! THE Friday — narration
- I Am Bōkenshōnen — narration
- SupoRuto! -MONDAY FOOTBALL- — narration
- Seigi no Mikata — narration
- Masakame TV — narration
- Express — narration
- Doyō LIVE Watts!! Nippon — narration
- Jōhō Project Super — live narration
- Uocha — live narration
- Doyō Ichiban! Hanayashiki — live narration
- Super Morning — narration
- Kamen Rider Hibiki — narration
- GET IN Golf Channel — narration
- Super J Channel — narration
- Sports Beat — narration
- Yamatake no Quiz Totsugeki Sainokuni — narration
- STYLEBOOK — narration
- Kakutōbi Sengen — narration
Games
- Sengoku BASARA series — Date Masamune
- God Eater series — Soma
- Final Fantasy X — Wakka
- Shin Sangoku Musou / Dynasty Warriors series — Xiahou Dun, Dian Wei
- Hero Bank — Fukuta Kanemaru
- Persona 3 — Shinjiro Aragaki
- Shining Ark — Adam
Dubbing
- Annie — Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks
- Las Vegas — Josh Duhamel as Danny McCoy
- The Thieves — Derek Tsang as Johnny
- The Bourne Legacy — Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross
- Blue Bloods — Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan
Critical Reception
Nakai’s reputation is backed by both longevity and formal recognition. The official Seiyu Awards record shows that he won Best Supporting Actor at the 5th Seiyu Awards, and his agency profile’s concentration of long-running marquee roles helps explain why: he has remained central to some of anime’s most durable franchises, especially as Hijikata in Gintama and Zoro in One Piece. In practice, that combination of range, staying power, and instantly recognizable vocal presence is the core of his critical standing.
Useful source links:
Aoni Production profile for Kazuya Nakai (https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/nakai-kazuya.html)
Aoni profile PDF (https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/items/nakai-kazuya.pdf)
5th Seiyu Awards winners page (https://www.seiyuawards.jp/winning/winning_05/index.php)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Toshiro Hijikata (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Gintama/Toshiro-Hijikata/)
English Voice Actor: Blake Shepard
Toshiro Hijikata does not have one single English dub actor across all Gintama releases. The clearest release-specific credits are Blake Shepard for Gintama: The Movie and Gintama: The Very Final, Michael Adamthwaite for Gintama°, and Travis Roig for the 2019 Gintama TV listing.
Date of Birth
Blake Shepard’s full birth date is publicly listed by IMDb as July 23, 1984.
About Blake
Blake Shepard is an American voice actor best known for English-language anime dubbing. For Gintama specifically, he is the most clearly documented English Hijikata in the movie releases, with Behind The Voice Actors listing him for Gintama: The Movie and Gintama: The Very Final. His broader career also includes major anime roles such as Soma Yukihira in Food Wars!, Yuzuru Otonashi in Angel Beats!, and Arata Wataya in Chihayafuru.
Hometown
IMDb lists Shepard as born in Houston, Texas, USA.
Career Highlights
Outside Gintama, Shepard is especially associated with Sentai Filmworks-era and Houston-area dubbing. Public reference sources consistently identify him with roles including Soma Yukihira, Ikki in Amnesia, Arata Wataya, and Shiryu in Saint Seiya, which helps explain why he was a natural fit for Hijikata’s sharp, dry delivery in the English movie dubs.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits visible in the cited sources and is not exhaustive.
Anime / Dubbing
- Gintama: The Movie — Toshiro Hijikata
- Gintama: The Very Final — Toshiro Hijikata
- Food Wars! — Soma Yukihira
- Angel Beats! — Yuzuru Otonashi
- Chihayafuru — Arata Wataya
- Parasyte: The Maxim — Hideo Shimada
- Saint Seiya — Shiryu
- Brynhildr in the Darkness — Ryota Murakami
- From the New World — Satoru Asahina
- Princess Resurrection — Hiro Hiyorimi
Critical Reception
Shepard’s public profile is built less around awards coverage than around a long run of lead and supporting anime roles. His official site emphasizes his voice-acting and creative work, while IMDb and reference profiles show a steady career in dubbed anime across many well-known titles. In Hijikata’s case, his importance is straightforward: he is the most consistently documented English actor for the character’s film appearances.
Useful source links:
Blake Shepard official site (https://www.blakeshepard.com/)
IMDb page for Blake Shepard (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1814328/)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Toshiro Hijikata (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Gintama/Toshiro-Hijikata/)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Gintama: The Movie Hijikata (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Gintama-The-Movie/Toshiro-Hijikata/)
Date of Birth
Michael Adamthwaite’s full birth date is not stated in the strongest sources I could verify here. Public reference pages consistently identify him as being from Ontario, Canada, but I could not confirm a full date of birth from an official biography in the sources reviewed.
About Michael
Michael Adamthwaite is a Canadian actor and voice actor. For Gintama, Behind The Voice Actors lists him as the English Hijikata in Gintama°, and IMDb episode cast pages also associate him with Hijikata in that release era. He is widely recognized outside Gintama for animation and game work, especially as Jay in Ninjago.
Hometown
IMDb identifies Adamthwaite as being from Ontario, Canada, and his professional profile says he later settled in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2000 to continue acting professionally.
Career Highlights
Adamthwaite’s career spans anime dubbing, Western animation, live action, and voice work. Public biographies highlight him as the voice of Jay in Lego Ninjago, and his professional profile describes a career as an actor, writer, filmmaker, teacher, and voice artist. That breadth helps place his Gintama role in context: he is the English Hijikata most clearly attached to the Gintama° television continuation.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits visible in the cited sources and may not be exhaustive.
Anime / Animation / Dubbing
- Gintama° — Toshiro Hijikata
- Gintama episodes — Toshiro Hijikata, Tenko, Jabu
- Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu — Jay
- Black Lagoon — various credited dubbing roles
- Dragon Drive — credited dubbing role
- Mega Man: Fully Charged — Sergeant Breaker Night / Lord Obsidian, Duane, Mary Flair
- Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes — Namor
- Hulk Versus — Balder
- Dinotrux — Downdraft the Dozeratops
Live Action
- Stargate SG-1 — Herak
- Walking Tall — credited screen role
- later television work including Fire Country is also noted in current public profiles.
Critical Reception
Adamthwaite’s critical standing is mostly tied to versatility rather than to a single signature anime franchise. Public biographies consistently present him as a durable working actor with credits across screen acting, animation, and voiceover, and that versatility is the clearest frame for his Hijikata performance in Gintama°.
Useful source links:
IMDb page for Michael Adamthwaite (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1027678/)
Michael Adamthwaite professional profile (https://michaeladamthwaite.workbooklive.com/Wbl.mvc/Page/Profile)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Gintama° Hijikata (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Gintama-2015/Toshiro-Hijikata/)
Date of Birth
Travis Roig’s full birth date is not publicly documented in the reliable sources I could verify here.
About Travis
Travis Roig is an actor and voice actor with a lighter public profile than Shepard or Adamthwaite. For Gintama, Behind The Voice Actors lists him as the English Toshiro Hijikata in the 2019 TV entry, which makes him the key name attached to that specific release listing.
Hometown
A hometown is not publicly documented in the strongest sources I reviewed. Some fan-maintained databases describe him as Miami-based, but I cannot verify that from a stronger primary or mainstream biographical source here, so it is better treated as unconfirmed.
Career Highlights
Roig’s most clearly documented anime-related association in the sources reviewed is his Hijikata credit. Behind The Voice Actors also identifies him as known for Yoshihiko Sagami alongside Hijikata, but his public biography footprint is much smaller than the other English actors tied to the character.
Full Current Filmography
The list below reflects documented credits visible in the cited sources and may not be exhaustive.
Anime / Dubbing
- Gintama (2019 TV listing) — Toshiro Hijikata
- known voice role: Yoshihiko Sagami
Screen credits
- Wild Republic
- Raw Deal: A Question of Consent
- Cave
- Shehita
Critical Reception
There is very little substantive critical commentary on Roig individually in the sources I could verify. The reliable takeaway is narrower: he is the English actor attached to Hijikata in the 2019 Gintama TV listing, which matters for accurate franchise crediting even if his broader press coverage is limited.
Useful source links:
IMDb page for Travis Roig (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0737658/)
IMDb biography page for Travis Roig (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0737658/bio/)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Travis Roig (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Travis-Roig/)
Behind The Voice Actors page for Gintama Hijikata (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Gintama/Toshiro-Hijikata/)
For a one-line answer to the search query, the most accurate version is: Toshiro Hijikata in Gintama is voiced by Kazuya Nakai in Japanese, while the English dub voice varies by release, with Blake Shepard, Michael Adamthwaite, and Travis Roig all documented for different Gintama productions.
