Yūki Masuda

is a Japanese actor and voice artist from the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

Career Voice acting Masuda’s breakthrough came with voice director Takayuki Hamana’s 2004 television adaptation of The Prince of Tennis. Cast as Masaharu Niō, a doubles specialist who “reads ten moves ahead,” he quickly became a fan favourite and has reprised the character in original-video animations, feature films and stage recordings.

Parallel to his anime work he joined the Sonic games, debuting in Sonic Heroes (2003). A 2024 casting survey by specialist outlet Siliconera lists Masuda among the returning Japanese leads for Sonic x Shadow Generations, underscoring Espio’s importance to the current franchise canon.

Other notable roles covered in the trade press include Ferb Fletcher in the Japanese dub of Phineas and Ferb, for which he supplied promotional comments during the Disney/Marvel crossover campaign.

Live-action and stage Masuda’s highest-profile screen role remains Hiroshi Kuronaga, “Boy 9” of Class 3-B, in Kinji Fukasaku’s dystopian thriller Battle Royale (2000). The Arrow Video archival booklet names him in the principal cast list for both the original theatrical cut and the director’s edition.

On stage he has featured in several 2.5-dimensional musicals, among them the second Prince of Tennis live series, where reviewers singled out his chemistry with co-star Eiyū Tsuda for sustaining the franchise’s comedic “trick play” routines. 2003 Sonic X (Espio) 2004 The Prince of Tennis (Masaharu Niou) Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Daichi Misawa) 2005 Idaten Jump (Masa) Ginga Legend Weed (Kyōshirō) 2006 Eyeshield 21 (Riku Kaitani) Kekkaishi (Yoshiro Takemitsu) Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry (Colin) Tokko (Ajiro) Musashi Gundoh (Kirigakure Saizō) Red Garden (Luke) 2007 Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (Sune) 2008 Kure-nai (Tadashi Kunō) True Tears (Jun Isurugi) Persona: Trinity Soul (Watanabe) 2010 Angel Beats! (Fujimaki) Katekyo Hitman Reborn (G) Night Raid 1931 (Kiyoshi Mitani) Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (Breo) 2011 Kamisama Dolls (Fujima, Torimasa) 2012 The New Prince of Tennis (Masaharu Niou )

Original video animation The Prince of Tennis series (Masaharu Niō) Red Garden: Dead Girls (Luke)

Film animation Only Yesterday (Shuji Hirota)

Video games Angel Beats! 1st Beat (Fujimaki) Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (Charles VII of France) One Tree Hill (Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray)) Shameless (Lip Gallagher (Jeremy Allen White)) Untraceable (Owen Reilly (Joseph Cross))

Live-action Battle Royale (Hiroshi Kuronaga)