Toshio Furukawa

Toshio Furukawa (古川 登志夫; born on July 16, 1946, in Ōhira, Tochigi) is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, playwright, and guitarist. He is affiliated with Aoni Production, and is best known for being the voice of Piccolo in the Dragon Ball franchise.
==Biography==
Toshio Furukawa lives in Tochigi, and is married to fellow voice actress Shino Kakinuma (the voice actress of Naru Osaka in the Sailor Moon franchise and Videl in Dragon Ball Z Kai). His height is 164 cm (5 ft 4.5 in), and his blood type is B. He love collecting action figures, making diorama, reading, and sports fishing. He owns a Shih Tzu pet dog named Asuma (遊馬), after Asuma Shinohara of Patlabor.Asuma on Toshio Furukawa's personal website His former pet dog died in 2008 at age fifteen and was a Shih Tzu dog named Ataru (あたる), after Ataru Moroboshi of Urusei Yatsura.Tribute page was made for Ataru on Toshio Furukawa's personal website
His debut voice role was a soldier in the 1975-1976 anime Brave Raideen. He is now a veteran who has played a variety of characters, from comedians like Ataru Moroboshi of Urusei Yatsura and Inumaru Yomota of Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai! and Maroko, to calm, serious ones like Shin from the Fist of the North Star franchise and Piccolo from the Dragon Ball franchise. Toshio is also capable of performing with a "boy voice" and has played noble hot-blooded heroes such as Prince Mito of Saikyō Robo Daiōja and Kento Tate of Future Robo Daltanius. From 1977 to 1986, he was a member of the Japanese band SLAPSTICK (スラップスティック), on rhythm guitar, with the other voice actors Yūji Mitsuya (keyboards; replaced by Hirotaka Suzuoki in 1984), Tōru Furuya (drums), Akira Kamiya (bass), Kazuyuki Sogabe (lead guitar), and Akio Nojima (Saga in Saint Seiya and KITT in Knight Rider). In 2007, SLAPSTICK got together to pay tribute to former band members Hirotaka Suzuoki and Kazuyuki Sogabe.
He voiced Taro Soramame, Super Mecha "Ping-Pong", the Sun, and the Narrator in Dr. Slump. He also voiced General Blue in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT, Shula in Dragon Ball, and Adult Piccolo in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Z Kai. His other notable roles include Adam in 2001 Ya Monogatari, Leon McNichol in AD Police Files, Mesphisto II in Akuma-kun, Yoshiharu Kubo in Aoki Densetsu Shoot!, Calon in Appleseed, Manabu Aki in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, Toru Enriques in The Aurora, Leon McNichol in Bubblegum Crash and Bubblegum Crisis, Perrault in Call of the Wild: Howl, Buck, Detective Yamamura in Case Closed, Yō Hinomura/Lóng Tài-Yáng and Yo Hinomura/Om Thai Yeung/Crying Freeman in Crying Freeman, Misao Yamamura in Detective Conan, Jay in Garaga, Aobouzu and Chinpo in the Gegege no Kitarō franchise, Bryan/Bura-chan in Gin-iro no Olynssis, Akakage in Kamen no Ninja Akakage, Kagege in Keroro Gunso, Yoshimitsu Suguro in Kishin Corps, Daisaku Enjouji in Kōsoku Denjin Albegas, Olivier Poplin in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Kimball Kinnison in Lensman, Arsene Lupin III in Lupin III, Sakamoto in Maison Ikkoku, Kai Shiden in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise,Ogura in Nanako SOS, Akira Tsukuba in Odin - Starlight Mutiny, Portgas D. Ace in the One Piece franchise, Myer in Parasite Dolls, Asuma Shinohara in the Patlabor franchise, Yamato no Akanemaru in The Phoenix: Chapter of Ho-o, Hideto Oboshi in Planet Robot Danguard Ace, Hawks Eye in the Sailor Moon franchise, Berenike in Saint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youth, Moa in Saint Seiya: Warriors of the Final Holy Battle, Bulme in Sentou Mecha Xabungle, Tatsunin Oikawa in Shouri Toushu, Micheal Okita in Slam Dunk: Shōhoku Saidai no Kiki! Moero Sakuragi Hanamichi, Asura / Kishin in Soul Eater, Shirō Ginga in Super Space Machine X Bomber, D'Artagnan in Tekkamen o Oue - D'Artagnan Monogatari yori, Editor-in-Chief Hideki Egami in Tetsuko no Tabi, Doricas Soldam IV in They Were 11, the Narrator in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger The Movie: Full Blast Action, Lyukmann in the Tongari Bōshi no Memoru franchise, King Suguru Kinniku in Ultimate Muscle, and Shin in Wizardry.
==Gallery==
Toshio Furukawa 2.jpg|Toshio Furukawa
FurukawaPiccoloBox.png|Toshio Furukawa in 2012
DBCast2012.jpg|Horikawa, Tanaka, Nozawa, and Furukawa in November 2012
FurukawaGokuNozawa(March2014).jpg|Toshio Furukawa, Goku, and Masako Nozawa (March 2014)
HarisenbonNozawaFurukawaGoku(March2014).jpg|Harisenbon, Masako Nozawa, Toshio Furukawa, and Goku (March 2014)
==References==
==External links==
*Topio's Home, Toshio Furukawa's personal website (Japanese)
*Toshio Furukawa's profile on the Aoni Production website (Japanese)
*Toshio Furukawa's biography (Japanese)
*Toshio Furukawa's works, at animenewsnetwork.com (English)
Category:Real people
Category:Japanese voice actors