However, since the emergence Matsuoka’s most famous role, that of Sword Art Online protagonist Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, it has become fairly common for the characters he plays to be overpowered in some way, or the centre of a harem. The actor’s talent is without a doubt, but in some ways, the appearance of Matsuoka on a show’s voice acting credits can tell you a lot about the character in question.
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The Overpowered Main Character
One thing that a lot of the protagonists voiced by Matsuoka have in common is the fact that they’re very popular with the female characters in their close circle, or eventually become a hot commodity amongst the various women in their lives. They become a magnet for damsels in distress, and win them over not with directed charm or flirtatious banter, but with the overwhelming power of their ability to do virtually anything. This tends to coincide with their overpowered nature, where characters voiced by this particular voice actor tend to be incredibly adept at pretty much anything, and if they’re not, they learn faster quicker than the time it takes for lightning to strike the ground.
Characters voiced by Matsuoka that fit this description include Sword Art Online’s Black Swordsman, Kirito, Mob Psycho 100’s Teru Hanazawa, as well as the Food Wars! protagonist Soma Yukihira, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer’s Inosuke Hashibira, as well as Sora from No Game No Life. These characters are known for achieving incredible feats in insurmountable circumstances or being born incredibly talented in some way.
The Perpetual Love Interest
Matsuoka often plays the main character in romance anime, but characters played by Matsuoka also have the added tendency of being the centre of several romantic situations. They are often the linchpin of a harem, like in the case of characters like the talented Soma Yukihira from Food Wars!, the rapidly-growing Bell Cranel from DanMachi: Is It Right to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, the intelligent Futarō Uesugi from The Quintessential Quintuplets, and of course, the infamously unbeatable Kirito from Sword Art Online.
In Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Matsuoka plays the main character Tomoya Aki, a character who is a massive otaku looking to establish a doujin circle and create a game with a memorable heroine. In The Pet Girl of Sakurasō, Matsuoka lends his voice to Kanda Sorata, the main character whose life changes as he gets closer to the quiet, reserved, and enigmatic Mashiro Shiina.
Less Commonly, The Crazed Antagonist
On occasion, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka will lend his talents to the depiction of a powerful antagonist rather than an overpowered protagonist. In these cases, Matsuoka plays a crazed villain whose loud and erratic manner of speech will definitely stand out as one of the character’s most memorable qualities. Characters who fit this bill are Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World antagonist Betelgeuse Romaneé-Conti and High School DxD minor antagonist Freed Sellzen, both of whom are depraved and eccentric characters capable of incredible feats of violence. Betelgeuse speaks in an erratic sing-song-like cadence, which is accompanied by sudden repetitive jerking movements and interjections, as well as unsettling bouts of self-harm such as face scratching and head bashing. Freed has a sadistic streak and a very foul mouth, but an equally eccentric and erratic personality that can make him funny to watch but terrifying to experience.
Overall, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka is a voice actor who isn’t necessarily confined to certain types of roles, but he has definitely found his niche voicing the protagonists who are immensely talented or the inexplicably popular male protagonist of a romantic slice of life comedy. At times, these two different sets of characters intersect for the voice actor, spawning some of his most notable performances to date.
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