Biographie
Toshikazu Shiozawa, professionally known as Kaneto Shiozawa, was a Tokyo-born Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator. At the time of his passing, he was affiliated with Aoni Production. Renowned for his calm, aristocratic voice, he was frequently cast as villainous or anti-heroic strategists and intellectuals. His stage name was inspired by Japanese director Kaneto Shindō. Shiozawa was best known for roles such as Rei in Fist of the North Star (1984), M'Quve in Mobile Suit Gundam (1979), Paul von Oberstein in Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1988), Buriburizaemon in Crayon Shin-chan, D in Vampire Hunter D (1985), Gray Fox in Metal Gear Solid (1998), Iason Mink in The Space Between (1992), Devimon in Digimon Adventure (1999), Prince Demande in Sailor Moon (1992), Vega in Street Fighter, R. Ichiro Tanaka in The Ultimate Esper R (1991), Inspector Ninzaburo Shiratori in Detective Conan (1996), Zato-1 in Guilty Gear, Hyo Imawano in Rival Schools (1998), and Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands (1990).
On May 9, 2000, at 4 p.m., Shiozawa fell down the stairs in his Shinjuku, Tokyo home. Despite no apparent injuries and his insistence that he was unharmed, his condition deteriorated six hours later at 10 p.m. He collapsed and was rushed to Tokyo Medical University Hospital, where he died from a cerebral contusion at midnight on May 10, aged 46. Voice actor Hidekatsu Shibata was among those who attended his funeral. After his death, his ongoing roles were taken over by other voice actors.
Hikaru Midorikawa remarked, "Kaneto Shiozawa was my hero."
Following his passing, two characters he portrayed—Zato-1 from Guilty Gear and Hyo from Rival Schools—were written off within their respective stories. Zato-1 was succeeded by the shadow parasite Eddie (voiced by Takehito Koyasu), who inhabited Zato's body after his death until Guilty Gear Xrd.
