Voice actor Kikunosuke Toya, known for playing Denji in Chainsaw Man, revealed during an interview in the November issue of Japanese fashion magazine Oggi, the unusual lengths he went to in order to embody the character, including baking bread, slamming into walls.
In the interview, published on Sep 27, 2025, Toya explained that simply reading his lines was not enough to bring Denji to life, stating, “Just mimicking the form doesn’t feel complete, nor does it convey anything to the audience, and I can’t be satisfied either,” he said.
For the scene where Denji prepares and eats his ultimate bread, Toya did the same thing and ate it while practicing the line.
This commitment extended into combat scenes as well. Toya admitted to slamming his back against a wall to feel the physical impact and discover the kinds of sounds that would naturally come out in that moment. “Even if the impact is on your back, the shock still reaches your chest, and you realize what kind of sounds naturally slip out. I like exploring those genuine details,” he explained.
The actor emphasized that he prepares thoroughly until no one can question his performance before stepping in front of the microphone.
Toya first came into the spotlight after winning a special award at the 6th Anistoteles’ voice acting audition in 2017. His career breakthrough came five years later when he was cast as the protagonist of Chainsaw Man. Since then, he has also played Choji Tomiyama in Wind Breaker and Donny in The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse.
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc movie hit the Japanese theatres on Sep 19, 2025. The film has surpassed 2.9 billion yen in box office within just 10 days, attracting 1.96 million moviegoers.
Source: Oricon
