Kyle Phillips

Birth Date: 17/03/1987

Behind the microphone and behind the console, Kyle Phillips shapes English anime dubs from Dallas. Best known for Denki Kaminari in My Hero Academia, Marco in One Piece, and Kineshi Hairo in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., the Detroit-born performer also directs English dubs including Fire Force, SK8 the Infinity, and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid for Funimation and Crunchyroll.

Kyle Phillips’s Journey from the Engineering Booth to the Booth Next Door

Few careers in American anime dubbing began as literally behind the scenes as this one. Joining Funimation in 2008 as an ADR engineer after a chance recommendation from Christopher Sabat, Phillips spent his early years mixing and recording titles like One Piece, xxxHolic, and Fairy Tail. Crowd scenes offered his first chances at the microphone, and those small walla sessions grew into bit parts, then recurring characters. By the mid-2010s, acting had become a core part of his work rather than a side task.

Denki Kaminari and the My Hero Academia Breakthrough

The role that put Phillips on the map arrived with My Hero Academia, where he voices the electric-quirked Denki Kaminari across the series, its films, and specials. The part showcases his knack for comic timing, swinging between Kaminari’s confident swagger and his short-circuited daze. Other standout performances include Marco the Phoenix in One Piece, Kineshi Hairo in The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Genshiro Saji in High School DxD, Toru Kishiri in Fire Force, Yo Uei in the Dr. Stone sequels, and Suigin Riku in The Silver Guardian.

Directing the Dubs: From Ultimate Otaku Teacher to SK8 the Infinity

Directing ambitions took shape in 2013, when Phillips left engineering to assistant direct under Tyler Walker. Two years later he helmed his first show, Ultimate Otaku Teacher, and a steady run of high-profile dubs followed: Overlord, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Fire Force, Megalobox 2: Nomad, and SK8 the Infinity among them. His dual perspective as both actor and former engineer informs a directing style praised for pace and naturalism.

Streaming, Podcasting, and Life in Dallas

Away from the studio, Phillips is a partnered Twitch streamer and co-hosts the Spark + Chaos podcast with fellow actor Leah Clark, rewatching the shows they helped create. Home base remains the Dallas area, where he balances recording sessions with raising four daughters alongside his wife Kara.