Beloved for his performances as Mitsuki Izumi in IDOLiSH7 and Nagi Mikado in Uta no Prince-sama, Tsubasa Yonaga is a veteran in the world of idol anime. In this interview with Anime Trending from FanimeCon 2025, Tsubasa Yonaga opens up about why he doesn’t want to miss a chance to meet international fans, the unique challenges of recording live concerts, and how voice actors like himself take charge of their own creative projects and musical units. Whether you’re a dedicated IDOLiSH7 or Utapri fan, you’ll hear more about Yonaga’s involvement in both franchises and his views on being a voice actor.
This interview was conducted through an interpreter and has been edited for clarity. Questions submitted by Gerrymelyn Casupang and James Mizutani.
Anime Trending: Your first main lead role was Ren Mihashi from Big Windup! How did you feel getting a lead role for the first time?
Tsubasa Yonaga: When I was a newcomer, it was hard to land a role for a big series like Big Windup!, so I was really happy to be chosen for it. I was happy, but I felt that my agency was happier than I was. They were so excited when they called me, but I was also nervous.
A different franchise you’re a part of is IDOLiSH7. It’s often recommended as the idol anime to watch when people are looking into fandoms on where to get started in the male idol space. What do you think are the most charming points of the IDOLiSH7 franchise?
Tsubasa Yonaga: There is so much idol content in Japan, but what’s distinct about IDOLiSH7 is that its story is quite real. You’re starting from the beginning, trying to become a top idol, and there are so many different motivations that each member has. The story is easy to empathize with, each character has their own reason, and is relatable to others.
The other reason is that the songs are really good, but that’s not the only attractive point. There are also people-to-people interactions, including those between parents and children, friendships, relationships between managers and agencies, as well as what’s happening on social media. Those are all possibilities that can actually happen in real life. I think these are the reasons why IDOLiSH7 is loved by so many people.
The IDOLiSH7 franchise is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. There have been a bunch of announcements, such as a new season for the anime series and a compilation movie of the first season. How does it feel looking back on 10 years of IDOLiSH7 and that it’s continued to have such a strong following for so long?
Tsubasa Yonaga: For the series to continue for over 10 years, it’s almost a miracle. The game itself is a miracle for continuing for such a long time. We also have a new series coming up, a fourth season, and the first season compilation version will be in movie theaters as well. The game will have another story too.
We have an enormous amount of content, not only because of ourselves, but also because we have a lot of fans and supporters. There are players who think that the series is very interesting and fun to watch and [play]. Those who are not really good at playing music games can enjoy it too. I think that’s the reason why IDOLiSH7 is loved by so many people, and the reason why we can continue for all ten years. In addition to that, all the voice actors in IDOLiSH7 love this series. That’s why I think we reached this 10-year anniversary.
There are so many ways IDOLiSH7 and UtaPri fans can engage in the game or with the live concerts and animated concerts. What are some of the challenges, as an actor, when recording for a live concert compared to the animated concerts in the series?
Tsubasa Yonaga: In the singing recording for the game, I am always asked to be Mitsuki, and as you know, Mitsuki is a really energetic person who supports each member. He has a really masculine personality. Those are the characteristics I’m asked to do when I sing during the recording of the game. However, I think that I wanted to show a cooler side of Mitsuki or a sexier kind of Mitsuki, but I was often asked not to do so because that’s not Mitsuki’s role.
Regarding live concerts, I try to maintain half of myself in my mind, and I try to fill up the other half with Mitsuki as a character. I cherish the character, and I really enjoy singing at the concert. I think that’s the difference between singing in the game recording and a live concert.
At the live concert, I can perform more freely and have more fun. I feel like I can enjoy it twice as much as the game recording, and I can also see many supporters cheering during the live concert.
You voice two idol characters in two different franchises. There’s Mitsuki from IDOLiSH7 and Nagi from UtaPri. Because there’s that additional challenge of having to not only act in character but also sing in character, how do you keep your two idol characters distinct during singing and also when acting?
Tsubasa Yonaga: Mitsuki’s a really energetic character. He’s masculine, leads all the members, and has an uplifting role. So that’s kind of the characteristic I’m asked to do for everyone.
On the other hand, Nagi is really cute. He knows he’s really cute, so during the live performance, I go, “I’m cute, right?” demonstrating that kind of character and trying to return the support he gets from the audience. At the same time, he’s also cunning and manipulative. I think that’s the difference between Mitsuki and Nagi in terms of acting. It’s kind of embarrassing to say, but I try to be cute.
That’s funny because you already said it’s 50% of yourself plus 50% of the character. Switching that part out is interesting from an acting perspective.
Tsubasa Yonaga: It depends on the voice actor. Some of the voice actors completely act as the characters. Other voice actors completely ignore the character and are themselves. So it depends on the voice actor on how they do it.
You share several series with fellow guest Atsushi Abe-san, from IDOLiSH7, Yowamushi Pedal, and Cardfight!Vanguard. How has it been to work with Abe-san over so many years and across so many different franchises?
Tsubasa Yonaga: Actually, our relationship has lasted for over 20 years. We started as classmates at the same voice acting school at Ken Production. I think our voices are a little different, but we also match [each other]. Even though we get the same shounen roles, I think Abe-san tends to portray a stronger character. Meanwhile, I tend to act as a more timid or weak character. That’s why our characters don’t really conflict. It’s balanced because we can have different roles and voices for competitive characters, and we can also work as a team.
I didn’t really expect to co-star with Abe-san this much, and I think Abe-san thinks that way too. Actually, I want to ask the production side why they cast us in the same content. I just wonder if they have any intentions [behind] doing this to us.
Abe-san also mentioned 20 years in our interview. He said he felt a competitive drive toward you, but he also feels hypercompetitive with all actors, pretty equally. How does having competition in the voice acting space help your career and development?
Tsubasa Yonaga: We have so many competitors, and because it is also a competitive industry, that makes me want to voice a specific character. This creates an environment where getting a specific character is a really important driver for me. Without having competitors, I don’t think it’s fun to do, and it’s not interesting. As you know, there are many different voice actors, and each voice actor has different character development. It’s interesting to see how each voice actor develops their own character, and it’s really good to learn.
I have a higher voice than other voice actors, and I have many competitors as well. Abe-san is also my competitor, but at the same time, he’s a really good friend. I think the reason I’ve gotten here in my career is because we’ve been competing alongside each other for a long time and helping each other, so that’s how we’ve gotten so far in our careers.
You’ve been in a number of different musical units, including Trignal, BRAVE WING, and Genki Dan. What leads to these musical units being created? Is it the production’s decision, or do two or three members decide they want to collaborate on a unit?
Tsubasa Yonaga: In terms of Trignal, it started when our producer planned and wanted to create a unit. First, we did the song she wanted to do, and she obviously selected the song. However, as we continued singing, we started to pick songs by ourselves and what kind of performance we would be doing. Also, we started thinking about fans and how to reach them. We even thought about the title of our own album! We had a gradual shift into making stuff by ourselves.
Also, thank you so much for knowing about Genki Dan! I’m glad to hear that. Actually, we started that ourselves because voice actors don’t have voice acting jobs all the time. So whenever we have a break or free time, we end up wanting to do something like doing theater things, recitation plays, making CD dramas by ourselves, and also creating original songs. I think the main purpose of doing such things by ourselves is not to lose the skills of acting.
Do you have any other last closing thoughts about your current career as well as FanimeCon in general, or anything to say to your fans?
Tsubasa Yonaga: This time, I’m really glad I was invited to come to San Jose, California. Whenever I get an offer to [attend] such an event overseas, I never say no. I always want to go. I love going to overseas events. Of course, I love fans in Japan. I always appreciate them. However, knowing that overseas fans also know so many anime and know the songs from Trignal is really encouraging.
I think the biggest difference between Japanese fans and overseas fans is their passion. The latters’ overall passion is so different, and that’s what I love about it. Also, to be able to see fans here is really encouraging. I want to bring back such passion to Japan and also use it as a drive to do more work in the future. So again, I would love to go to overseas conventions when the time comes. I want to tell fans to come to my events if I have the opportunity to do so overseas. I hope to continue doing a lot of series, anime, and so on.
