Seiyu Awards 2026: Kikunosuke Toya and Shion Wakayama Win Best Lead Voice Actor, Toya Thanks Mentor Megumi Ogata in Emotional Speech

The 20th Seiyu Awards, one of the largest annual events honoring voice actors in Japan, announced all winners during the ceremony held in Tokyo on March 15. The Best Lead Voice Actor award went to Kikunosuke Toya, who plays Denji in Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc, and Shion Wakayama, who voices Momo in Dandadan.

During his speech, Toya expressed gratitude to the staff behind the productions he worked on.

“I don’t think this is an award I could have won alone. I believe it is something achieved together with the production team,” he said, thanking the creators and staff involved in his projects.

Toya also delivered a special message of appreciation to voice actor Megumi Ogata, who played a significant role in his career.

“The person who taught me acting, Megumi Ogata. After joining my agency in 2017, there was a period until 2022 when I couldn’t pass any auditions. I was searching for what I was lacking when I encountered the voice acting school that Ogata runs.”

He continued:
“There I learned acting and the joy of performing. If Ogata hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be standing here today, and I might not even have continued acting. Thank you very much, Ogata.”

The Seiyu Awards have been held every March since 2007, honoring voice actors who have achieved remarkable success during the year as well as veteran performers who have made long lasting contributions to the industry. The ceremony brings together many of the most prominent figures in voice acting and is considered one of the industry’s most prestigious events.

Winners of the 20th Seiyu Awards

■Best Lead Voice Actor
Kikunosuke Toya
Shion Wakayama

Best Supporting Voice Actor
Reina Ueda
Shinji Kawada
Mayumi Tanaka

Best New Voice Actor
Taihi Kimura
Taiga Takano
Momoka Terasawa
Yoshinori Nakayama
Hana Hishikawa
Minori Fujidera
Haruna Mikawa
Manatsu Murakami

Singing Award
AiScReam

Personality Award
Yoko Hikasa

Merit Award
Aruno Tahara
Keiko Yokozawa

Synergy Award
The Idolmaster series

Kei Tomiyama and Kazue Takahashi Award
Shinichiro Kamio
Rei Sakuma

Kids and Family Award
Lilo & Stitch cast

Foreign Film and Drama Award
Matsuya Onoe
Maaya Sakamoto
Mutsumi Tamura

Game Award
Fate Grand Order cast

MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu selected by fans)
Akira Ishida

Special Achievement Award
Honoring voice actors who passed away during the year

Special Award
Nami Mizuno

Source : ORICON NEWS