Kara Dennison
May 1, 2021 
At last, Resident Evil Village comes to our consoles next week! We’ve gotten a taste of the spooky new game (and its extremely tall audience fave) throughout various demos. So we know what to expect… at least somewhat. But if you’re a fan in Japan, or playing with a Japanese language track, there are even more surprises to uncover.
Here are a handful of the anime stars appearing in the game! There are lots of others besides these three, but we have a feeling you’ll recognize these in particular.
The Duke: Chafurin
Need something? The Duke is right there… in the middle of Lady Dimitrescu’s house… waiting to buy and sell. The merchant of Resident Evil Village showed up in the most recent demo, and has been entertaining and confusing players with both his presence and his location.
But we’re more entertained by his Japanese voice actor: Chafurin. The actor has a massive CV, and you’ve probably heard him before. He appears regularly as Inspector Megure in Case Closed, and in multiple roles throughout the Gundam franchise (including Monsha in 0083). Outside of anime and games, he has a regular gig as the dub voice of Nick Frost’s film characters.
Karl Heisenberg: Hiroshi Shirokuma
Patriarch of the Heisenberg family and owner of the factory featured in Resident Evil Village, Karl Heisenberg is one of the game’s mysterious nobles. Though, depending on what anime you watch, his Japanese voice — Hiroshi Shirokuma — may be slightly less mysterious.
Shirokuma recently appeared in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon as the monk-eating demon Totetsu. Overlord fans may also recognize him as the voice of Gazef Stronoff, the enemy of skeletal protagonist Ainz Ooal Gown. Right now, he’s making trouble for magical girls as Chongire, the villainous (and unmotivated) hermit crab baddie of Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure.
Lady Dimitrescu: Kikuko Inoue
No, we didn’t forget your favorite tall vampire. Lady Dimitrescu has an unforgettable voice, and that’s even truer in Japan. There, she’s voiced by Kikuko Inoue: legendary voice actress and “eternal teenager,” notably only showing perhaps 17 of her 50-something years.
Listing all of Inoue’s well-known roles would take all day, so we’ll hit you with a few. Belldandy in Ah, My Goddess!? That was her. Kasumi Tendo in Ranma 1/2? Also her. Plus Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Macrophage in Cells at Work!, and many more. She’s got a range from sweet to terrifying… and it’s pretty obvious which end of the spectrum Lady D is on.
Be sure to keep an ear out for the the stars of Resident Evil Village, no matter what language you play in, when the game goes on sale!
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