Yu Hayashi

Yu Hayashi’s Journey from Child Actor to Seiyuu Stage

Long before anime fans knew his name, Yu Hayashi (林勇) was already a working entertainer. Growing up in Zama, Kanagawa, he joined the Himawari Theatre Group as a young child – entering the industry through stage work, television dramas, and commercials. When his focus shifted to basketball during middle school, his entertainment career paused entirely. High school brought him back, but with a different direction: music had taken hold. That new passion drove him to enroll at Nihon Kogakuin College’s Computer Music Department, where he studied composition, learned piano, and began developing the vocal skills that would later define a second career. After graduating, he affiliated with Ken Production, formally debuting as a seiyuu in 2003 with a supporting role in Ultra Maniac. His early years kept him in the background – minor and supporting parts, with dubbing work filling much of his schedule. For nearly a decade, lead roles remained out of reach.

Haikyu!! and the Breakthrough of Tanaka Ryunosuke

The turning point arrived in 2014, when Hayashi joined the cast of Haikyu!! as Tanaka Ryunosuke, the boisterous and fiercely loyal wing spiker of Karasuno High. Originally auditioning for both Nishinoya Yu and Kageyama Tobio before landing the role, he brought an explosive energy to Tanaka that made the character one of the series’ most beloved figures. The role ran through multiple seasons and into the 2024 theatrical film Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle, giving Hayashi sustained visibility over a decade-long span. The Karasuno ensemble work also became a launching pad into higher-profile casting across the industry.

Tokyo Revengers and the Role That Changed Everything

2021 marked the most significant shift of Hayashi’s career. Cast as Manjiro “Mikey” Sano in Tokyo Revengers – the founding leader of the Tokyo Manji Gang and one of the most complex figures in the series – he delivered a performance that carried through multiple arcs: the original 2021 run, Christmas Showdown Arc (2023), and Tenjiku Arc (2023). Mikey’s character demands an unusual range, moving between the warmth of a loyal friend and the cold menace of a gang commander. Hayashi navigated that tension with precision. International fandom took notice, and his profile at anime conventions outside Japan expanded substantially in the years that followed.

Anime, Games, and a Career Built on Range

Beyond his two signature roles, Hayashi has accumulated credits across a wide span of genres. In Jujutsu Kaisen, he voices Takuma Ino across the TV series and the 2021 film Jujutsu Kaisen 0. In Bungo Stray Dogs, he plays Michizo Tachihara through five seasons of the series. His game work includes Issei Hoshino in both Judgment (2018) and Lost Judgment (2021), plus Kingdom Hearts II as Peter Pan. Smokey Brown in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency marked an earlier landmark credit. His dubbing portfolio adds another layer entirely – he serves as the established Japanese voice of Shia LaBeouf and has voiced characters across Steven Universe, Sausage Party, and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Most recently, he joined the Japanese cast of Zenless Zone Zero as Billy and appeared in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024) and the Japanese dub of The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) as Johnny Storm / Human Torch.

SCREEN Mode and Music as a Parallel Calling

In 2013, Hayashi co-founded the musical unit SCREEN mode alongside producer Masatomo Ota, performing under the alias Yuu-YOU-. The group has contributed opening and ending themes to Gingitsune, Bungo Stray Dogs, Kuroko’s Basketball, Food Wars! The Second Plate, Gundam Build Fighters Try, and Ultraman Decker, among others. The duality of seiyuu and vocalist – uncommon at the level Hayashi maintains both – has become central to his public identity. He has also hosted fan-oriented radio shows, including the Nico Nico Douga series Hayashi Yuu’s Yu Yatchainayo!!, and maintains a personal YouTube channel, 林勇Tube!!, where he shares music covers as a self-taught pianist.