Do we like Kappei Yamaguchi?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A long, steady career with no harmful words or acts turning up, but little documented good beyond the work, so we stop at a cautious 6.
Kappei Yamaguchi is one of Japan's most recognisable voice actors: the voice of Inuyasha and Ranma, plus L in Death Note, Shinichi Kudo in Detective Conan and Usopp in One Piece. Anime fans of a certain age have probably heard him without knowing it. He has voiced Shinichi and Usopp for around two decades each.
His breakthrough was Ranma, which he has said was the first anime he auditioned for and worked on regularly. He said he threw himself into the role, and that Inuyasha later let him go back to his roots as a voice actor. That's a long, steady run at the top of a tough industry.
On the harm check, we looked for anything he has said or done about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants, vaccines or the climate, and for the company he keeps. Nothing turned up. The other Yamaguchis in the headlines (journalists, idols) are different people, so don't mix them up. His recent credits are mainstream anime and games, nothing that sets off alarms.
He is also known for a creative side: SoraNews24 reported him sketching characters for fans, including a Shinichi Kudo portrait for the character's birthday. He took up rakugo, traditional comic storytelling, a few years back. It paints a playful, hands-on performer, though it's thin evidence for how he treats people day to day.
The recent news is all work. In January 2026 he was announced as Enkaku, a new original character in the Gintama Yoshiwara film, his first Gintama job, and he joked about being an important character. Ranma season 3 is also on its way to Netflix with him back in the lead.
Honest summary: we found no scandals, no lawsuits and no harmful statements, but we also found no big public causes or charity work, so we can't give him top marks. A clean sheet and a lot of fan love is a good place to be, and we'd happily keep watching.