Gorō Naya

was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He was part of Theatre Echo all his career, and was the older brother of actor and voice actor Rokurō Naya.

Biography Gorō Naya was born on 17 November 1929 in Hokkaidō. At the age of 15, he joined the Kamikaze, believing "My life is to die for His Majesty the Emperor." Afterwards he thought he lost "things that take youth", and then attended Ritsumeikan University, becoming a dialect coach, specialising in that of Kyoto and finding himself interested in acting: "Eventually, I started thinking, "Hey, maybe you should do this." That's what started it. Until then, I had never thought about acting at all."

Before joining Theater Echo in 1959, he acted at the children’s stage company Todo and at Ina no Kai, and performed in radio drama, gaining an affinity for narration. When he joined, new actors were selected for dubbing foreign-language films for TV. "There weren’t many actors who could dub the voices, so I was really busy." The transition was easy for him, as "I felt the same as if I had been given a role on stage. The only difference was that there was no audience in front of me." Despite his prolific voice work, he did not like being referred to as a voice actor (or ateshi), claiming "I'm not proud of using it, but it wasn't a word I didn't like that much." requesting he, with a similar voice to his own, dubbed Tell’s impostor.

In 1969 Naya began his association with Lupin the Third with the Pilot Film, voicing Goemon Ishikawa, a role subsequently taken by Makio Inoue. In 1971 he began voicing Koichi Zenigata, gaining a passion for his character. "I like the single-minded devotion to chasing after Lupin. This innocence (?) makes me very envious of someone like me, who has a lot of troubles in life." He was best friends with Yasuo Yamada, voice of Arsène Lupin III until his death in 1995, having lived in a rented beach house with him. In 1974 he became the voice of Juzo Okita in Space Battleship Yamato He was initially angry about being involved. "Why do I have to play such an old man?". Later he regretted the voice he chose for the character, believing "If you're an active captain, you're in your 50s, so I should have done it younger." In 1985 he underwent surgery for a stomach ulcer, which hindered his physical and vocal ability. He lamented "I've been out of breath since the late 90s, and my physical condition has gotten worse. I was frustrated because people around me said, "I don't have a smooth tongue" behind my back." At Yamada’s funeral he said "Hey, Lupin, who should I chase from now on? If you're dead, who will I chase now?"

He criticised the modern voice acting industry, claiming "There are too many voice actors who think that they should just give their voices. They don't think they have a customer in front of them."

Lupin the Third: Pilot Film Goemon Ishikawa Voice only Flying Phantom Ship Ghost Captain Voice only 1970 30,000 Miles Under the Sea King Magma VII Voice only 1971 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Goro Voice only 1972 Kamen Rider vs. Ambassador Hell Great Leader of Shocker Voice only 1973 Kamen Rider V3 vs. Destron Mutants Great Leader of Destron Voice only 1974 Prophecies of Nostradamus Kazuo Ota

Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato Juzo Okita Voice only The Mystery of Mamo Koichi Zenigata Voice only

Galaxy Express 999 Dr. Pan Voice only Aim for the Ace! Chairman Ryuzaki Voice only The Castle of Cagliostro Koichi Zenigata Voice only 1982 Future War 198X Tono Voice only

Crusher Joe Kowalsky Voice only Final Yamato Juzo Okita Voice only Golgo 13: The Professional Leonard Dawson Voice only 1984 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Lord Yupa Voice only

Night on the Galactic Railroad Dr. Bulganillo Voice only Legend of the Gold of Babylon Koichi Zenigata Voice only Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight Kuramoto and Narrator Voice only 1986 Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies Bongo Voice only 1995 Farewell to Nostradamus Koichi Zenigata Voice only 1996 Lupin III: Dead or Alive Koichi Zenigata Voice only 1997 Noiseman Sound Insect Professor Franken Voice only 2003 Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Lost Wirepuller of Smart Brain 2004 Casshern Narrator 2007 Kamen Rider: The Next Great Leader Voice only 2011 OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders Great Leader Voice only

Television