T5W#357-Top 5 Characters Voiced by Billy Kametz

I’m once again pausing my month of exclusive Gundam themed Top 5s once again but this time for an unhappy occasion.  Last week, beloved Voice Actor Billy Kametz passed away and it was a loss that rocked the Anime Community pretty hard.  While he had a criminally short career, Kametz brought to life dozens of amazing characters across dozens of Anime TV Series and Movies and his is a talent that can never be replaced.  I know a lot of friends who were deeply saddened by this loss, so I wanted to dig a bit deeper into his resume and see if I could spot the roles I knew him from.  Sure enough, there were more than a few, plenty for a Top 5.  So, today’s Top 5 Wednesday is dedicated to the memory of Billy Kametz, Rest in Peace good sir. These are my Top 5 Characters Voiced by Billy Kametz.

 
#5-Hakuno Kishinami (Fate/Extra: Last Encore)

Looking back over these titles, this might be the first time I ever heard Billy Kametz voicing a character.  Truth be told, I wasn’t a big fan of Hakuno early on in Last Encore, feeling he was too dry but I see now there was purpose to that.  Hakuno is literally a blank slate of a character, starting with bare bones personality and little emotion.  He slowly grows as the series goes on, coming into his own just after the halfway mark and it’s here where Kametz really shines letting the emotion burst like a overflowing dam finally being unleashed. 
 

#4-Rui (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba)

Demon Slayer has no shortage of some of the most terrifying and tragic villains and Rui was one of the stand outs of the first season.  Kametz brought the perfect amount of calm menace to the role, making Rui seem just as invincible as he was dangerous with his spider powers and overwhelming strength.  He pushed Tanjiro and Nezuko to the limit but was eventually felled and, once again, the more emotional moments are when Kametz shined the best.  Getting to run through Rui’s sad backstory and learn that all he wanted was a family was heartbreaking, some of the tearjerking stuff Demon Slayer does best.  And seriously, with a voice that calm and smooth, Billy Kametz could play one helluva scary bad guy.

 
#3-Galo Thymos (Promare)

In a stark contrast to our last two entries, Kametz got to play the super macho lead role in Studio Triggers first major movie.  Ok so he’s basically Kamina from Gurren Lagaan except in a bigger budget version of Fire Force.  But still, Galo is a super fun lead, likeable in spite of his gung ho “I’m the star of the show” attitude.  It’s clear Billy Kametz was having an absolute blast being able to play this emotionally bombastic role who basically brags about how cool and awesome he is at any possible second.  And who could blame him because Galo is awesome.  Kametz also got an added boost playing the lead alongside Johnny Yong Bosch’s Lio, two legends making one of the best English Dubs for one of the wildest Anime films of the last decade.

 
#2-White Blood Cell (Cells at Work)

Oh man how can you not love this guy?  Up until my #1 entry, White Blood Cell was Billy Kametz at his very best and showing just how good he was at jumping from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other at the drop of a hat.  One second, WBC can be the chilliest and friendliest dude you’ll ever meet.  Then a germ shows up and he goes full murderous psychopath, bloodying his pristine white clothes with copious amounts of gore…and then he’s back to chillfully offering you a coffee.  It also helps that Kametz brought a very dry, Sousuke Sagara level of humor to the role.  Playing the calm veteran alongside the super cute rookie Red Blood Cell was a perfect pairing to show off Kametz’s comedic side, even if WBC is 100% totally committed to his work.

#1-Naofumi Iwatami (The Rising of the Shield Hero)

In a long list of characters both popular and underrated, Naofumi will probably go down as Billy Kametz’s career defining role.  From the moment he is betrayed and left with literally nothing in a fantasy world that despises him, you want to see Naofumi rise to the top and show all his doubters and betrayers he isn’t to be messed with.  You feel the anger and rage but also love it when Naofumi is a bit more vulnerable being unable to stand all that’s happened to him, showing a more human side as opposed to his IDGAF what people think of me mentality.  Billy Kametz played Naofumi to perfection, making him one of the most root worthy Anime leads in a long time and it’s a role that sadly has to be recast but that’s no small task.  Chances are when the Season Two Dub arrives, it’ll arrive with a pretty heavy cloud over it.  I hope his successor does a good job…but to many of us Billy Kametz IS Naofumi Iwatami, aka the Shield Hero, and that’s the way it’ll always be.