Iizuka Shōzō

With a desire to specialize in theater, he enrolled in the Department of Theater at Nihon University College of Art. While still a student, he formed a theater troupe and performed plays across Japan. After graduating, he continued to perform with his troupe, staging plays with his colleagues. Later, he became a manager responsible for working with television stations. Over the course of three to four years, he gained the necessary know-how by managing relationships with these stations.

His career as a voice actor began with dubbing foreign films. As a voice actor, he mainly worked in narration, anime, and foreign film dubbing. His first role was Kumondes in Suki! Suki!! Majo Sensei. This role marked the start of his career playing monsters, villains, and antagonists, often taking on roles of characters aiming to destroy the world. Even in his later years, he actively participated in volunteer work. When asked about this, he jokingly said that it was "atonement for all the times I tried to conquer Earth" due to the many villainous roles he had played.

He took great pride in his profession, feeling a strong sense of mission to "teach children important lessons." He left behind remarks such as, "Children's programs have a significant impact on their emotional development," "It's important to show protagonists struggling and overcoming hardships," and "Parents must work alongside schools and not leave everything to them."

His notable roles include Hakaider in the tokusatsu series Jinzō Ningen Kikaider, Demon King in The Seven Deadly Sins series, and Nappa in Dragon Ball.

[Passing]
Since late 2022, he had been in poor health and refrained from work. On February 15, 2023, at 9:14 AM, he passed away from acute heart failure.