Mecha Personnel Profile: Show Hayami – The Gentleman of Mecha
Mecha is a significant genre with a long running history of more than 50 years. During that 50-year period, many voice talents emerged from Mecha anime series, and became widely known and loved voice actors. One of those talents is Show Hayami, the flashy “jenius” in the seiyuu world.
I. Background:
Show Hayami, real name Yasushi Ohama, is the youngest son of a family in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. As a child, he showed himself to be quite gifted: he achieved good academic results, was class president for six years of elementary school, and starred in school plays. In high school, he joined the school’s drama club after being impressed by Seinenza theater company’s play Sharakuko. After graduating from high school, he decided to pursue his dream of studying theater. Show Hayami moved to Tokyo to live with her aunt, working at a trading company in the morning and studying drama at the Seinenza Research Institute in the evening. Six months later, he joined the Shiki Theater company, but left after three years, due to a loss of interest in musicals.
After leaving the troupe, Show Hayami accidentally saw an amateur voice-over contest with a prize of 100,000 yen. Attracted by the prize, he decided to participate, and beat over 30,000 contestants to win – an event that marked the beginning of Hayami’s more than 40 years of voice acting. 2 years later, he got his first big role – Maximillian Jenius in Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982). The following year, he landed his first main character role as Kei Katsuragi in Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983).
The OVA versions of Devilman (1987) and Brave Exkaiser (1991) marked a turning point in his voice acting career, and he began playing roles that deviated from his mainstream image. He also received support for content aimed at women, such as the pioneering otome game Angelique series. Since the early 1990s, Show Hayami has been active as a singer under his own name, and since 2003, he has produced SSDS ~Super Stylish Doctors Story~ in various media.
In February 2014, Show Hayami became a freelancer. Previously, in October 2013, he founded the actor and voice actor agency “Rush Style” and became the representative of this agency. In 2017, he and his wife, Rei Igarashi, opened a training school attached to his office called RS Academy.
Show Hayami, real name Yasushi Ohama, is the youngest son of a family in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. As a child, he showed himself to be quite gifted: he achieved good academic results, was class president for six years of elementary school, and starred in school plays. In high school, he joined the school’s drama club after being impressed by Seinenza theater company’s play Sharakuko. After graduating from high school, he decided to pursue his dream of studying theater. Show Hayami moved to Tokyo to live with her aunt, working at a trading company in the morning and studying drama at the Seinenza Research Institute in the evening. Six months later, he joined the Shiki Theater company, but left after three years, due to a loss of interest in musicals.
After leaving the troupe, Show Hayami accidentally saw an amateur voice-over contest with a prize of 100,000 yen. Attracted by the prize, he decided to participate, and beat over 30,000 contestants to win – an event that marked the beginning of Hayami’s more than 40 years of voice acting. 2 years later, he got his first big role – Maximillian Jenius in Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982). The following year, he landed his first main character role as Kei Katsuragi in Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983).
The OVA versions of Devilman (1987) and Brave Exkaiser (1991) marked a turning point in his voice acting career, and he began playing roles that deviated from his mainstream image. He also received support for content aimed at women, such as the pioneering otome game Angelique series. Since the early 1990s, Show Hayami has been active as a singer under his own name, and since 2003, he has produced SSDS ~Super Stylish Doctors Story~ in various media.
In February 2014, Show Hayami became a freelancer. Previously, in October 2013, he founded the actor and voice actor agency “Rush Style” and became the representative of this agency. In 2017, he and his wife, Rei Igarashi, opened a training school attached to his office called RS Academy.
II. Notable Works:
One of Show Hayami’s trademarks is his deep and rich voice. Thanks to this voice, along with the grandiosity and strength in his voice, Show Hayami often plays charismatic leaders, such as Exkaiser in Brave Exkaiser, Da-Garn in Brave of Legend Da-Garn, or Maximillian Jenius in various Macross installments. In addition, Show Hayami also often plays gentlemen who dress extremely elegantly and flashily, such as Klein Sandman in Gravion, Tokiomi Tohsaka in Fate/Zero, Ichiya in Fairy Tail. On the other hand, he can also portray sinister and crazy villains very well, most notably Sosuke Aizen in Bleach, or Ark in Kamen Rider Zero-One.
In addition to the roles mentioned above, Show Hayami has also brought many characters to life in various Mecha anime series. Some of them include Transformers G1 Ironhide and Ultra Magnus, Tatsuo Izumo in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, Rommel in Gundam Build Divers and Captain Zeon in Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise.
Through his iconic roles, Show Hayami has captivated many Mecha fans in particular and anime fans in general with his unique voice. No matter how his career changes, he will always be a “Jenius” and “Kaiser” in the hearts of Mecha anime viewers.
III. Gallery:
See Also:
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