The 20th Seiyu Awards, which honors the most active voice actors of the year, was held on March 15th at the Bunka Broadcasting Media Plus Hall (Minato-ku, Tokyo). Matsuya Onoe, Maaya Sakamoto, and Mutsumi Tamura were selected for the Foreign Film/Drama awards.
Onoue said, "I've only worked as a voice actor for a few dubbed works, but the more I do it, the more I realize how difficult it is to express myself using only my voice. I am truly happy to be included among such renowned and wonderful voice actors today."
Onoue, who garnered attention for his role as Maui in "Moana 2," said, "Through Maui, I've received so many positive comments from people, and it has made me realize the preciousness of voice acting and the happiness it brings that other jobs don't. I still have a small number of works to do, but I would be happy if I could continue this work even a little bit more in the future, and I would like to work hard so as not to bring shame to the award I have received."
The Seiyu Awards, established in 2006, are co-sponsored by KADOKAWA, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions. Aside from the MVS (Most Valuable Seiyu, the most outstanding voice actor as chosen by fans), the awards are selected by the Executive Committee and the Selection Committee. The 20th awards covered works and voice actors that aired, streamed, or were announced between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. To commemorate the 20th anniversary, Romi Park, who won the Best Leading Actress Award at the inaugural awards, and Aya Hirano, who won the Best New Actress Award, served as ambassadors.
