Biography
Joji Yanami, also credited as Jōji Yanami or 八奈見 乗児, was a Japanese voice actor and narrator. Born Shigemitsu Shirato on 30 August 1931 in Fushun, Manchuria, he was affiliated with Aoni Production.
He voiced Gikkuri in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). Yanami was best known for his long association with the Dragon Ball franchise, providing the narration and voicing characters including Dr Briefs and Kaiō-sama (King Kai) across Dragon Ball (1986), Dragon Ball Z (1989) and later films and series up to Dragon Ball Super (2015).
Other notable roles included Dr Isaac Gilmore in Cyborg 009 (1968) and characters in the Time Bokan series. He took medical leave from Dragon Ball Super in 2015, after which his roles were recast. Yanami died on 3 December 2021.
