Do we like Kazuya Nakai?
Our score: 6 out of 10. Nothing nasty found and a solid career, but there's little public record on how he treats people or what he stands for.
Quick warning: don't mix him up with Masahiro Nakai, the former SMAP star who retired in 2025 after sexual misconduct allegations. Different bloke entirely. Kazuya Nakai is the voice actor from Kobe, and none of that scandal has anything to do with him.
His route into the industry was refreshingly ordinary. He worked as a civil servant while training at the Aoni Juku school's Osaka branch, then debuted as a voice actor. His first regular role was Wufei in Mobile Suit Gundam X in 1996, and in 1999 he landed the one that made him: swordsman Roronoa Zoro in One Piece.
Zoro opened the door to a long run of cool-headed and rougher characters, such as Hijikata in Gintama and Date Masamune in Sengoku Basara. He also narrates the morning show Sukkiri!! and TV commercials. In 2011 he shared the Seiyu Awards' Best Supporting Actor prize for One Piece and Gintama.
On the harm check, the cupboard is bare, which is good news. We found no reporting of him attacking LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants, no conspiracy rabbit holes and no court cases. We also found no public statements from him on those issues, so we can't tell you what he thinks. His recent work is mainstream anime: Urashiki in Boruto, Gaku Miyama in Yakuza Fiancé, and Zoro as ever.
The Zoro job has also shown his professional side. When Netflix's live-action One Piece kept the anime voice cast for the Japanese dub, Nakai said he was honestly delighted to be cast. He also pledged to protect the appeal of Mackenyu's live-action Zoro rather than do a carbon copy.
He's also good-humoured about the job. In a 2024 interview about the series' saddest scenes, he said the farewell to Vivi nearly made him cry, but he held it together. He added that Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice of Usopp, was the only castmate who cried, and that happened during a break. It's a small thing, but it points to a close-knit cast.