Kensho Ono is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer recognised for portraying some of the most memorable characters in modern anime. His best-known performances include Tetsuya Kuroko in Kuroko’s Basketball, Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs, Giorno Giovanna in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind and Yuri Briar in Spy × Family. He is also widely known in Japan for voicing Harry Potter in the Japanese-language versions of the Harry Potter films, a role he began performing while still young. Over the years, Ono has established a career spanning television anime, animated films, video games, international film dubbing and live-action acting. His expressive voice, versatility and ability to portray both determined heroes and complicated antagonists have made him a familiar name among anime fans.
Who Is Kensho Ono?
Kensho Ono (小野 賢章, Ono Kenshō) was born on October 5, 1989, in Fukuoka, Japan. He works as an actor, voice actor and singer and is represented by Animo Produce.
Ono entered the entertainment industry as a child performer, gaining experience in acting before becoming widely recognised for his voice work. His career is unusual in that he became associated with a major international film franchise at an early age, long before many of his best-known anime roles arrived.
His Japanese-language portrayal of Harry Potter helped introduce him to audiences outside anime. As an adult performer, he went on to voice a wide range of characters, including the quiet basketball player Tetsuya Kuroko, the ruthless yet complex Akutagawa and the determined young hero Giorno Giovanna.
Ono’s career also includes work in music. In 2014, he began releasing music as a solo singer, adding another dimension to his work in entertainment.
Early Life and Career
Ono started acting as a young child and developed his performance skills through television, theatre and other acting opportunities. His early experience provided a foundation for the vocal control and emotional expression that later became important to his voice-acting career.
One of his most significant early opportunities came when he was selected to voice Harry Potter in the Japanese-language dub of the first Harry Potter film. He continued voicing the character throughout the film series, following Harry’s development from a young schoolboy into a young adult confronting increasingly dangerous challenges.
Working on a long-running film franchise during his formative years gave Ono experience with character continuity. He had to maintain a recognisable voice while allowing the performance to mature alongside the character.
His early career also included live-action television appearances and stage work. Rather than abandoning conventional acting when he moved into voice performances, Ono continued to work across different formats.
As anime opportunities expanded, he began taking on increasingly prominent roles. His performances in Kuroko’s Basketball, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic and Aldnoah.Zero helped establish his identity as an anime voice actor in his own right.
Voice Acting Career
Ono’s voice-acting career spans sports anime, supernatural action, science fiction, fantasy, romance and comedy. One of his defining strengths is his ability to adapt his delivery to characters with different temperaments and motivations.
Kuroko’s Basketball and His Breakthrough
Tetsuya Kuroko, the central character of Kuroko’s Basketball, is among Ono’s signature roles. Kuroko is a basketball player whose quiet personality and unusual playing style contrast with the confidence and intensity of his teammates and opponents.
Ono gives the character a calm, understated voice that reflects his approach to teamwork. Kuroko may not be the loudest person on the court, but his determination and loyalty make him a central figure in the series.
The role helped establish Ono’s association with a major sports anime and introduced his performance to a broad audience.
Expanding His Range in Anime
In Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Ono voices Hakuryu Ren, a prince whose personal history and ambitions shape his decisions. The role requires a balance between composure, vulnerability and moments of emotional intensity.
He later voiced Slaine Troyard in Aldnoah.Zero, a science-fiction series built around political conflict and war between Earth and Mars. Slaine’s complicated loyalties and shifting motivations give Ono opportunities to portray a character whose decisions become increasingly difficult to predict.
In Seraph of the End, he voices Mikaela Hyakuya, a central character caught between his attachment to his friends and the dangerous world of vampires and humans. The emotional weight of Mikaela’s relationships is an important part of the performance.
These roles demonstrated that Ono could move beyond the restrained personality of Kuroko and portray characters dealing with ambition, grief, loyalty and conflict.
Major Roles in Bungo Stray Dogs and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Ono’s portrayal of Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs is one of his most recognisable performances. Akutagawa is a formidable member of the Port Mafia whose ruthless exterior conceals a deep need for recognition and validation.
Ono’s sharp, forceful delivery reflects the character’s volatility, while quieter scenes reveal the insecurity that shapes his behaviour.
Another major role is Giorno Giovanna in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. As the central protagonist, Giorno combines a calm manner with exceptional resolve and a clear ambition to transform the criminal organisation he seeks to lead.
Ono’s controlled performance suits Giorno’s strategic thinking and unwavering confidence. The role further demonstrated his ability to lead a high-profile action series.
From Fantasy Adventures to Modern Comedy
Ono has continued to work across genres. He voices Shikadai Nara in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, bringing a thoughtful and sometimes dry sense of humour to the character.
In SPY × FAMILY, he plays Yuri Briar, Yor Forger’s younger brother. Yuri is an enthusiastic secret police officer whose professional suspicion contrasts with his intense affection for his sister. The role requires a combination of dramatic tension and exaggerated comedy.
Ono also voices Floch Forster in Attack on Titan, a character whose political beliefs and increasingly extreme actions become important to the story’s later developments.
Together, these performances illustrate the range of characters Ono has brought to life throughout his career.
Most Famous Anime Roles
Ono’s best-known anime performances reflect his ability to play characters with contrasting personalities, from thoughtful protagonists to volatile rivals and morally complicated antagonists.
Tetsuya Kuroko — Kuroko’s Basketball
Tetsuya Kuroko is one of Ono’s defining roles. A member of Seirin High School’s basketball team, Kuroko relies on misdirection, teamwork and an understanding of his teammates rather than physical dominance or showmanship.
Ono captures the character’s quiet determination and understated humour. His performance helps communicate the idea that Kuroko’s greatest strength is not his visibility on the court but his ability to make the entire team more effective.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa — Bungo Stray Dogs
Akutagawa is a dangerous member of the Port Mafia whose ability, Rashomon, transforms his clothing into a powerful weapon. His hostility, pride and complicated relationship with Atsushi Nakajima make him one of the series’ most compelling characters.
Ono gives Akutagawa a forceful, often severe delivery that conveys his ruthlessness. Beneath that intensity, however, the character’s need for recognition provides an emotional dimension that makes the performance more than a straightforward villain portrayal.
Giorno Giovanna — JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
Giorno Giovanna is the protagonist of Golden Wind, the fifth major story arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Determined to become a powerful figure within Italy’s criminal underworld, Giorno combines strategic intelligence with a strong personal code.
Ono’s performance emphasises Giorno’s composure and conviction. Even during confrontations, the character generally maintains a sense of purpose, making his decisive moments particularly effective.
Yuri Briar — SPY × FAMILY
Yuri Briar works for Ostania’s State Security Service while remaining intensely protective of his older sister, Yor. His commitment to his job frequently clashes with his emotional attachment to his family.
Ono handles the character’s contrasting sides with an energetic performance. Yuri’s professional seriousness can quickly give way to exaggerated enthusiasm when Yor is involved, providing much of the character’s comedy.
Slaine Troyard — Aldnoah.Zero
Slaine is a major character in the science-fiction anime Aldnoah.Zero. His experiences during a war between Earth and the Vers Empire shape his loyalties and gradually transform his ambitions.
The role requires Ono to communicate changing motivations and emotional conflict over the course of the story. Slaine’s development demonstrates his ability to sustain a dramatic performance across a politically complicated narrative.
Mikaela Hyakuya — Seraph of the End
Mikaela Hyakuya is one of the central characters in Seraph of the End, a dark fantasy series involving vampires and the remnants of humanity. His devotion to Yuichiro Hyakuya is fundamental to his decisions.
Ono brings emotional intensity to Mikaela’s struggle between personal loyalty and the circumstances that separate him from the people he cares about.
Kensho Ono’s Notable Characters
The following table highlights selected Japanese original voice performances from Ono’s anime career. The years indicate the initial release of each television series, rather than later seasons or adaptations.
| Anime / Project | Character | Year | Role Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuroko’s Basketball | Tetsuya Kuroko | 2012 | Lead character |
| Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic | Hakuryu Ren | 2012 | Supporting character |
| Aldnoah.Zero | Slaine Troyard | 2014 | Major character |
| Seraph of the End | Mikaela Hyakuya | 2015 | Lead supporting character |
| ReLIFE | Arata Kaizaki | 2016 | Lead character |
| Bungo Stray Dogs | Ryunosuke Akutagawa | 2016 | Major supporting character |
| Attack on Titan | Floch Forster | 2018 | Supporting character |
| JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind | Giorno Giovanna | 2018 | Lead character |
| Pokémon the Series: XY | Alain | 2014 | Major recurring character |
| Boruto: Naruto Next Generations | Shikadai Nara | 2017 | Supporting character |
| Vinland Saga | Canute | 2019 | Major character |
| SPY × FAMILY | Yuri Briar | 2022 | Supporting character |
| Hell’s Paradise | Toma Yamada Asaemon | 2023 | Supporting character |
| The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten | Yuuta Kadowaki | 2023 | Supporting character |
This is a selection of notable credits rather than a complete filmography. Ono has appeared in many additional anime series, films, games and audio productions.
Movies, Television and Other Voice Roles
Ono’s work beyond television anime is an important part of his career. He has voiced characters in theatrical animation, dubbed international films into Japanese, performed in video games and continued to work as a live-action actor.
Animated Films
Ono has reprised several of his popular anime characters in theatrical films, including Tetsuya Kuroko in Kuroko’s Basketball: Last Game (2017) and Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple (2018).
He also voices Tomohiro Nagatsuka in A Silent Voice (2016), an animated drama about bullying, disability, guilt and reconciliation. Nagatsuka becomes a loyal friend to the protagonist, Shoya Ishida, and provides warmth and humour amid the film’s more difficult themes.
In Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (2021), Ono voices Hathaway Noa, the central character in a politically charged science-fiction story. The role connects his work to one of Japan’s most enduring animated franchises.
Other film credits include Taiyo Tsukuba in The Orbital Children (2022), Yuri Briar in SPY × FAMILY CODE: White (2023) and Hiiragi Yatsuse in My Oni Girl (2024).
International Film Dubbing
One of Ono’s most distinctive professional achievements is his long association with the Japanese-language version of the Harry Potter film series. He voices Harry Potter, the character portrayed on screen by Daniel Radcliffe, in the Japanese dubs.
This is a dubbing role, not an original anime performance. Ono has also dubbed other characters played by Radcliffe in films such as The Woman in Black and Now You See Me 2.
His animation dubbing work includes Andy Davis in the Japanese version of Toy Story 3 and Miles Morales in the Japanese versions of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
He also voices Mugman in the Japanese-language version of The Cuphead Show!. These performances demonstrate his ability to adapt to productions made originally in English while maintaining natural dialogue and character consistency for Japanese-speaking audiences.
Video Game Voice Acting
Video games have provided Ono with further opportunities to portray established characters and develop performances across longer stories.
Notable credits include:
- Tetsuya Kuroko — Kuroko’s Basketball games: Reprising the character from the anime franchise.
- Giorno Giovanna — JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure games: Bringing his anime character to interactive adaptations.
- Vaan — Dissidia Final Fantasy: Voicing the Final Fantasy XII protagonist in crossover fighting games.
- Serenoa Wolffort — Triangle Strategy: Playing the central protagonist of a tactical role-playing game built around political conflict and difficult decisions.
- Diluc — Genshin Impact: Performing the Japanese voice of the playable character, a powerful swordsman associated with Mondstadt.
The Japanese voice performance in a game should be distinguished from its English or other language versions, which may use different actors. Ono’s role as Diluc, for example, is his Japanese-language performance; the English version features a separate voice actor.
Live-Action Acting and Theatre
Although voice acting is central to Ono’s public profile, he has not abandoned live-action performance. His early work included television drama and stage productions, and he has appeared in theatrical productions throughout his career.
His stage experience includes work associated with The Prince of Tennis musical, in which he played Tōji Muromachi. Such performances involve a different combination of physical acting, singing and characterisation from recording dialogue in a studio.
Ono’s background across stage, screen and voice performance helps explain the versatility of his career.
Awards and Recognition
Ono received one of the most significant honours of his voice-acting career at the 16th Seiyu Awards in 2022, when he won the Best Lead Actor Award.
The Seiyu Awards recognise achievements in Japanese voice acting, making the honour an important milestone in his professional development. It reflected his standing after years of work in leading anime roles, supporting performances and dubbing projects.
His career has also earned attention through major franchises with international fan communities, particularly Kuroko’s Basketball, Bungo Stray Dogs, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and SPY × FAMILY.
Beyond acting, Ono has pursued music as a solo performer since 2014. This additional creative work has allowed him to connect with audiences through recordings, live performances and music associated with his entertainment career.
Career Highlights
Several qualities help explain why Kensho Ono remains a recognisable figure in Japanese voice acting.
A memorable early dubbing role: Voicing Harry Potter across the Japanese versions of the film series gave Ono extensive experience with a character who grows older and changes emotionally over several films.
Success with leading anime characters: His work as Tetsuya Kuroko and Giorno Giovanna established him as a performer capable of carrying prominent series.
Complex supporting characters: Akutagawa, Slaine Troyard and Floch Forster demonstrate his ability to portray characters whose decisions and motivations are not always straightforward.
Versatility across media: His work encompasses anime, animated films, video games, international film dubbing, theatre and live-action television.
Industry recognition: Winning the Best Lead Actor Award at the 2022 Seiyu Awards marked a significant achievement in a career built over many years.
For fans, Ono’s appeal lies in the variety of performances he brings to these projects. His characters can be quiet and analytical, fiercely ambitious, emotionally vulnerable or comically overenthusiastic. That range has helped him remain active across genres and generations of anime.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Kensho Ono?
Kensho Ono is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer born on October 5, 1989, in Fukuoka, Japan. He is known for anime roles including Tetsuya Kuroko, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Giorno Giovanna and Yuri Briar.
2. What is Kensho Ono’s most famous anime role?
Tetsuya Kuroko from Kuroko’s Basketball is one of his signature roles. His performances as Giorno Giovanna in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind and Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs are also widely recognised.
3. Does Kensho Ono voice Harry Potter?
Yes. Ono voices Harry Potter in the Japanese-language dubs of the Harry Potter films. Daniel Radcliffe portrays Harry on screen in the original English-language films.
4. Does Kensho Ono voice Miles Morales?
Yes. Ono provides the Japanese-language voice of Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Other actors perform Miles in other language versions.
5. Which characters does Kensho Ono play in SPY × FAMILY?
Ono voices Yuri Briar, Yor Forger’s younger brother and a member of Ostania’s State Security Service. Yuri’s intense affection for Yor creates a contrast with his serious professional duties.
6. Has Kensho Ono won a voice-acting award?
Yes. He won the Best Lead Actor Award at the 16th Seiyu Awards in 2022, recognising his achievements in Japanese voice acting.
7. Which video games feature Kensho Ono’s voice?
His video game credits include Vaan in Dissidia Final Fantasy, Serenoa Wolffort in Triangle Strategy and Diluc in the Japanese version of Genshin Impact, alongside roles connected to anime franchises.
8. Is Kensho Ono also a singer?
Yes. Ono began his solo music career in 2014. His work as a singer complements his acting and voice-acting career.
Conclusion
Kensho Ono has built a varied career through memorable anime performances, international film dubbing and work across games, theatre and live-action productions. From the understated determination of Tetsuya Kuroko to the intensity of Akutagawa and the ambition of Giorno Giovanna, his roles demonstrate a strong command of character-driven performance. His long association with the Japanese Harry Potter films further distinguishes his career, while his work in SPY × FAMILY and other modern anime continues to introduce him to new audiences. With industry recognition and a portfolio spanning multiple entertainment formats, Ono remains an important name in Japanese voice acting.
