Voice Actor

Justin Briner | Biography 2021

Voiced Izuku "Deku" Midoriya in 'My Hero Acedemia'

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : April 27, 2022

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Justin Briner is an American anime voice actor best known for his role as Izuku "Deku" Midoriya in the 2016 anime television series My Hero Academia.

What characters has Justin Briner voiced?

Justin Briner is a voice actor who began his voice-acting career at the age of five. He then lent voices for the English version of numerous Japanese anime movies and TV shows throughout his career. 

Some of the major anime characters that he voiced in anime TV series include Alfonso San Valiante on Garo the Animation (2014-2015), Mikaela Hyakuya on Owari No Seraph, a.k.a. Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign (2015), Qwenthur Barbotage on Heavy Object (2015-2016), Kensuke Hanasaki on Trickster (2016-2017), Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya on My Hero Academia (2016-2021), Luck on Black Clover (2017-2020), Hanako on Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, a.k.a. Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (2020), and Ginro on Dr. Stone (2019-2021) among many others. 

Briner has done voice work in many anime movies, including the 2017 anime film Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic as Edward Midford. Furthermore, he voiced several video game characters, including Ichi/Blake on Cibele in 2015.

How old is Justin Briner?

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, on 23 August 1991, Justin Patrick Briner is 30 years old as of April 2022. He has a younger sister named Hayley Briner.

He Has Been An Anime Voice-Over Actor Since Five

Briner's career as a voice actor began at a very early age. He was just five years old when he debuted his voice work for Marcello in the 1996 anime television series B'T X. The following year, he lent the voice for the same character in its sequel B'T X Neo. Briner then began voicing the English version of the anime television series with the 2011 comedy-drama anime Gosick, based on a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuki Sakuraba and illustrated by Hinata Takeda. Briner continued to voice many more characters in anime television series in the following years.

He Has Done A Couple Of Abridged Series With Team Four Star

Briner has worked in a couple of abridged series with a digital production company called Team Four Star. From 2015 to 2019, he voiced Cloud Strife in Team Four Star’s abridged series Final Fantasy VII: Machinabridged, based on the classic PlayStation RPG Final Fantasy VII. He was also set to voice teen Gohan in their abridged web anime series Dragon Ball Z Abridged after Season 4, but his voice work was only in its seventh TV movie, Dragon Ball Z Abridged Movie: Super Android 13 (2015).

He Rose To Fame After Working With Funimation

While Briner was working at Team Four Star, his teammates worked at Funimation. Briner said in an interview with Honey’s Anime in September 2019 that he got connected with them while doing casual dialogue together, and they helped him enter Funimation, an American entertainment company specializing in dubbing and distributing East Asian media, including Japanese anime. 

“They were casting for one of their newer series, and they thought of my name and asked me to audition. So I sort of fell into it afterward,” Briner said.

Briner quickly rose to fame in 2015 after entering Funimation. His first role at Funimation was the English dub voice for Mikaela Hyakuya in the action-adventure anime television series Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign. 

Sharing how he got the role, Briner recalled, "It was the rise of SimulDubs at the time, so everything was sort of getting upended, and the director needed someone who sounded like a little kid. He knew me because I was just recently auditioning for him, and he called me in for that. And it ended up being a very large role!"

In 2015-16, he voiced the protagonist Qwenthur Barbotage in the mecha-themed action-comedy television series Heavy Object and Elam and the anime television series The Heroic Legend of Arslan.

Also Read: Matthew Mercer | Biography 2021

'My Hero Academia' Was His Breakthrough As A Voice-Over Actor

In 2016, Briner's recognition peaked along with the astronomical popularity of the superhero anime television series My Hero Academia. He became famous because of his breakout voice work in the series as Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya, a superhero-loving boy who is determined to enroll in a superhero academy without any powers to learn what it means to be a hero. Other cast members of the series included Christopher Sabat and Clifford Chapin.

Because of the huge success of the series, it has constantly been releasing at least a season per year, and the series was also adapted into films in 2018 (My Hero Academia: Two Heroes), 2020 (My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising), and 2021 (My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission).

His Incredible Voice Work Earned Him More Challenging Works

Briner's incredible voice work, followed by the massive success of My Hero Academia earned him more challenging roles and a string of opportunities to work on other television series. 

Sharing how he was approached after the success of My Hero Academia, Briner said, "It's been pretty funny and fascinating in some ways. It's definitely made my voice more accessible – people know how I sound now. But it's also prompted people to cast me outside of that comfort zone more often, now that I've pretty firmly planted my feet in this role of the young, spunky hero. I've been getting cast as villains or antagonists of some sort... just generally not nice people. Which has been fun! It's cool to be able to stretch your wings in that way."

About getting numerous invitations to work on other projects, he said, "It's a lot. And [Funimation] sent a text to me when I confirmed that I would be available for the role. They said, "So this show... it has X, Y, and Z going on. And it's a little so-and-so in nature." And I was like, All right. Let's do it. Let's do it!."

The same year, in 2016, Briner voiced Alfonso San Valiante in the anime television series Garo: The Animation, and the English cast was described by critics as a rich lineup, particularly highlighting Briner.

Other television series he voiced in 2016 include Space Patrol Luluco, Danganronpa: The End of Hope’s Peak High School, TabooTattoo, Handa-Kun, Cheer Boys!!, Show by Rock!!, Yuri!!! On Ice, Kiss Him, Not Me, Drifters, Puzzle & Dragons X, Trickster, and Nanbaka. 

In 2017, he voiced lead characters Haruki Mishima in a slice of life and romance anime Convenience Store Boy Friends, Tazuna Takatsuki in the action anime series Hand Shakers, and Ernest 'Eru' Chevalier in mecha-themed fantasy anime series Knight's & Magic. In addition, he lent his voice to many other anime television series in the same year.

In 2019, he voiced a nerdy, over-the-top character Enta in the fantasy anime series Sarazanmai. The same year, he voiced Akatsuki/Punitsuki in the mystery anime series The Ones Within, Yuki in the mystery drama series Yu-No: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World, and Maki in the sports-drama anime series Stars Align. In 2019, he also voiced Ginro and lent additional voices in the action-adventure anime series Dr. Stone and Moriarty and additional voices in the mystery anime series Case File nº221: Kabukicho.

In 2020, he voiced Hanako in the fantasy comedy anime series Toilet-bound Hanako-Kun and additional voices in the action-adventure anime series Black Clover. In 2021, he voiced Sojiro in the sci-fi anime series Log Horizon and Daida in the comedy anime series Ranking of Kings. Most recently, in 2022, he voiced Brand in the fantasy comedy anime series Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs.

He Voiced Ryota Mitarai in ‘Danganronpa’ TV Series

Briner famously voiced the English dub version of Ryota Mitarai in Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, the second anime series based on Spike Chunsoft’s Danganronpa video game franchise. Ryota Mitarai has a very skinny, somewhat frail-looking frame. He is a young man in his early 20s, whose title was the Ultimate Animator during his time in Class 77-B at Hope’s Peak Academy. His title was updated to the Former Ultimate Animator after leaving Hope’s Peak. 

Ryto Mitarai is a member of the Future Foundation, an organization composed of alumni of Hope’s Peak Academy. He is also the director of Future Foundation’s 10th Branch Office, where he is responsible for reviving education and culture. Furthermore, he is forced to participate in the Final Killing Game, along with other Future Foundation Directors.

The series is divided into three parts. The first two parts, Danganronpa: The End of Hope’s Peak High School - Future Arc and Danganronpa: The End of Hope’s Peak High School - Despair Arc, aired between July to September 2016. They were followed by Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Academy - Hope Arc, the conclusion to both Future Arc and Despair Arc, which aired on 29 September 2016.

He Has Lent His Voice To Over A Dozen Movies

Briner has also provided his voice in many anime films. After working on additional voices in some movies, he voiced Alfonso San Valiante in the 2016 anime movie Garo: Divine Flame, reprising his character from the TV series Garo the Animation. In 2017, he voiced Edward Midford in the supernatural disaster anime film Black Butler: Book of the Atlantic, which was based on the 'Black Butler' manga series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. The following year, Briner voiced his famous character Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, a film adaptation of the hit television series My Hero Academia. In 2019, he again voiced the same character in the movie sequel, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising, released in February 2020. He returned in the 2021 film My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission with the same voice.

He Has Provided His Voice To Multiple Video Games

In addition to anime television series and films, Briners voiced several video game characters, including Moska on Dust: An Elysian Tail (2012), Yayan on DreadOut (2013), Enchanted Chang’e (Jade Rabbit) on Smite (2014), Naruse on Burn Your Fat with Me! For Girls! (2015), Ichi/Blake on Cibele (2015), Megane Taro on Akiba's Beat (2016), Theo and additional voices on Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs (2017), Dalton/Thunk/Edgren on Borderlands 3 (2019), Announcer on Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (2020), and Izuku Midoriya on My Hero: One's Justice 2 (2020). 

Briner also gave additional voices on Octopath Traveler (2018) and system voice on Dragon Ball FighterZ (2018). Furthermore, he will voice Camphry Mageflower in the upcoming video game, Folk Tale. 

He Is An Award-Winning Voice Actor

For his standout role in the anime series My Hero Academia as Izuku Midoriya, Briner won the 'Best Male Lead Vocal Performance In An Anime Television Series/OVA' at the 6th Annual 'Behind the Voice Actors Award' (BTVA) in 2018. The previous year, he received the 'BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award' and 'BTVA Anime Dub Television/OVA Voice Acting Award' under 'Best Vocal Ensemble In An Anime Television Series/OVA,' along with other cast members. He was also nominated for the 'BTVA Anime Dub Voice Acting Award' for 'Breakthrough Voice Actor of the Year' in 2016 and 'Voice Actor of the Year' in 2018.

He Is Also A Singer And Does Musical Theater

Briner has engaged in musical theater and singing since childhood. He has also mentioned himself as a singer in his Twitter bio. In an interview with Honey’s Anime in 2019, he said that he did a lot of musical theater growing up and continued doing it throughout his life. In addition, he revealed he often sings while doing musical theater. He studied theater at the University of North Texas.

Interesting Facts

• Talking about his love for cooking, he said, "I just really like the act of cooking, messing up and trying again next time... I love the gratification that you get from making food, serving it to yourself and others, and getting to enjoy the work that you put in."
• During an interview in September 2019, Briner revealed that he loves card games and often played Hearthstone during its initial days.