Hiro Shimono

Hiro Shimono (下野 紘, Shimono Hiro, born April 21, 1980 in Tokyo) is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise. He attended the Japan Narration Acting Institute and became active in 2001.

During his youth, Shimono was entranced by the world of entertainment after watching The Irresponsible Captain Tylor for the first time. This encouraged him to join his high school's drama club and sign up with his current agency later on. However, due to Shimono's lack of experience at the time, he had been struggling with winning auditions early on.

He gradually felt disillusioned by his perceived ineptitude and would have given up if not for his voice instructor pinpointing Shimono's desperate need to convey emotion as a major problem. Soon enough, he was able to make his acting sound more natural and even managed to land the leading role in Rahxephon.

As Shimono's popularity with fans soared, he had seriously considered whether or not to launch a singing career to complement his growing credentials. Although he had been awarded "Best Singer" in the 6th Seiyu Awards, he was concerned about releasing an album that was subpar due to lacking music fundamentals, leading him to study up on songwriting and composition. In time, Shimono commemorated his 15th anniversary as a voice actor by announcing his singing debut under Pony Canyon.

Shimono's hobbies include gaming, cooking, and cycling. He is also a karaage enthusiast, having been voted "Best Karaagenist" by the Japan Karaage Association six times in a row. Fellow voice actor Yuki Kaji is one of his closest friends.

While Shimono was initially assigned with voicing young male characters who acted shy or withdrawn, he gradually nabbed roles that enabled him to show off different aspects of his voice acting skills. As of late, fans tend to associate him with characters that exude an air of mystery about them. His roles include Kokichi Oma in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, Zenitsu Agatsuma in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Jaune Arc in RWBY.

Works for Koei

 * Theo Mohnmeier - Atelier Lilie: The Alchemist of Salburg 3
 * Sou Kiryu - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 (Kazahanaki)
 * Man - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 Gentou Rondo
 * Isidro - BERSERK and the Band of the Hawk
 * Connie Springer - Attack on Titan series; reprise of his role in the anime
 * Perseus, Loki - Warriors Orochi series

Live Events

 * Musou Festival 2019
 * Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Festival 2012
 * Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Festival 2011 - Ouka
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 Hachiyou Ranman 2