Taito Ban is the Japanese voice actor who lent his distinctive voice to Sung Jinwoo, the protagonist of the currently ongoing superhit series Solo Leveling. Originally from the Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan, Ban has been the voice behind multiple fan-favorite characters over the years before recently coming into fans’ eyes once again for his iconic voiceover of Jinwoo.
Of all the characters he has given his voice to date, Taito Ban has also played a role behind the mics for one of the biggest fan-favorite anime series ever. While most fans must be unaware of this, it is only true that Ban has been the voice behind none other than the Cocky Demon Slayer in the superhit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series.
Taito Ban Voiced the “Cocky” Demon Slayer in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Japanese actor Taito Ban’s voice-acting abilities are truly incredible, and there’s no doubt about it. Recently, he scored the spotlight once again for voicing the fan-favorite character of Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling most distinctively in the currently ongoing anime series of the same name.
But there is another equally distinctive role that Ban lent his voice to, though this one doesn’t belong to the Solo Leveling saga. Instead, this one character is from the superhit anime series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
While the lead prominent characters of the manga-based adventure anime series were voiced by multiple other immaculate voice actors, Taito Ban stuck to voicing the minor yet iconic character of the Cocky Demon Slayer.
Just to jolt your memory, the Cocky Demon Slayer appeared in the 18th episode, A Forged Bond, of season one of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. And yes, he is the very sword-swinging demon hunter who had a massive ego.
(Well, of course, he did, because otherwise, why else would he be called a ‘Cocky’ Demon Slayer?!)
Yet, the minor character of the Cocky Demon Slayer in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and the lead character of Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling aren’t the only two renowned characters for whom Taito Ban has crafted his voice to perfection!
His other notable achievements include lending his voice to characters like Amane Fujimiya and Nagahiro in The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten and the Pretty Boy Detective Club manga-based anime series respectively.
Adding to his already star-studded triumphs are the further characters whom Taito Ban voiced with utmost perfection including that of Shizusumi in the one-season Given anime series and Rhodes in the two-season Mashle: Magic and Muscles anime series.
However, what’s even more amazing than all the characters he has played is the extent to which he went just to ace his performance!
Taito Ban puts his “Heart and Soul” Into Voicing his Characters!
While the end results of just how truly pleasing his voice ends up sounding after recording is indeed admirable, most people don’t understand just how hard it is to perfectly voice any character.
At the Solo Leveling world premiere, Taito Ban talked about the same as he said (originally in Japanese via Moca News, translated by Anime Corner):
“I believe that this work has an incredible amount of energy. During the recording, I act with the feeling that I could collapse at any moment, and I put my life on the line every time. I have put my heart and soul into this work to the extent that I coughed up blood at the end of one recording session. I think this work is capable of moving the world, so I hope that everyone can enjoy it together!”
Well, for what it’s worth, the utter dedication and perfection with which Taito Ban nails each of his respective characters’ voices is nothing short of commendable.
You can stream Solo Leveling and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Crunchyroll.
