Yuki Kaji Details Intense Preparation For Toshiro Hitsugaya’s Role In Bleach TYBW Anime: ‘I Spent Days With Stomachache’

Yuki Kaji has opened up about the intense preparation and pressure he experienced while taking on the role of Toshiro Hitsugaya’s adult form in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity, revealing that he was so nervous ahead of recording that he spent days with a stomachache.

The 44th episode of the anime, which aired Aug 15, featured Toshiro achieving his Complete Bankai. Because the transformation causes Toshiro to take on an adult appearance, Kaji was brought in to portray the character in this form, while Romi Park continues to voice his usual form.

Kaji explained that the role carried considerable pressure because Park, whom he deeply respects, has portrayed Toshiro throughout the series. He also described Bleach as a particularly meaningful project for him, having followed the manga and anime since he was a student.

“After all, this is a masterpiece that has gone down in manga history, and its serialization began when I was still a student. Later, while attending a voice acting school, I watched the anime, and I remember talking with my classmates about how we should work hard so that one day we could appear in a series like this,” he said.

“As the recording drew closer, I spent more and more days with a stomachache,” Kaji added, recalling the anxiety he felt ahead of the session.

The actor underwent multiple rounds of auditions supervised by Bleach creator Tite Kubo before being selected.

During the audition, Kaji prepared two different interpretations of adult Toshiro: a lower-pitched version suited to the character’s adult physique and another that stayed closer to Park’s established vocal performance.

Kaji ultimately received approval to lean toward Park’s vocal tone.

The production wanted to preserve the audience’s established image of Hitsugaya while also avoiding a voice that would overlap too closely with Byakuya Kuchiki, who appears alongside him.

Kaji therefore had to find a balance between maintaining continuity with Park’s performance and creating a performance of his own.

“If I simply imitated Park-san’s voice, there would be no point in changing the voice actor in the first place,” Kaji said.

So he focused on capturing Toshiro’s personality, dignity and strength while keeping the established tone and manner of speaking in mind.

Kaji also reread the entire Bleach manga and repeatedly listened to Park’s portrayal of Toshiro. He said he wanted to have the same depth of memories and understanding of the character that Toshiro himself would possess before stepping into the recording booth.

The recording session also gave Kaji the opportunity to work alongside Park, as their schedules were coordinated so they could record together. Kaji said having Park present was reassuring despite the additional pressure it created.

Kubo was also present at the studio and worked with the director and staff to closely examine Kaji’s vocal tone and performance nuances.

The voice actor recalled feeling particularly relieved when Park complimented his performance during the session.

The Bleach anime began airing in 2004 and ran through 2012, adapting Tite Kubo’s manga, which has sold more than 130 million copies worldwide.

The Thousand-Year Blood War anime adaptation began airing in October 2022, with The Calamity serving as its fourth and final installment. It premiered on July 25, 2026, and will consist of 10 episodes.

Source: Oricon