Max Lobo

Max Lobo’s Role in Banana Fish

Meeting Ash while sharing a prison cell is not exactly the foundation most mentorships are built on, yet that volatile first encounter plants the seed of one of the series’ most affecting bonds. Max carries the weight of what happened to Griffin in the Iraq War, a guilt that quietly shapes his decision to align with Ash even when it costs him professionally, legally, and personally. Quick-witted and physically capable despite years away from active combat, he holds his own in confrontations that would floor most journalists. His humor surfaces at the strangest moments, cutting through tension the way only someone who has survived real darkness can manage. The paternal dynamic he develops with Ash, rooted not in sentimentality but in shared loss and hard-won loyalty, gives Banana Fish much of its emotional grounding.

Who Voices Max Lobo in Banana Fish?

In the Japanese dub, Max Lobo is voiced by Hiroaki Hirata, a veteran actor with decades of work behind him. Hirata brings a gravel-edged authority to Max that suits both the character’s combat history and his dry, self-deprecating warmth. He is best known internationally as the voice of Vinsmoke Sanji in One Piece, a role he has held since 1999, and also earned Seiyu Award recognition for his lead performance as Kotetsu T. Kaburagi in Tiger and Bunny. Banana Fish aired exclusively in Japanese on Amazon Prime Video in 2018, and as of mid-2026.