Otakon has announced that voice actor J. Michael Tatum will be a guest at its upcoming convention. His notable roles include characters from My Hero Academia, Ouran High School Host Club, Black Butler and Steins;Gate.

Nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of Star Blazers, this reclusive actor/writer spent more years than he cares to remember in what might charitably be called free-fall before landing, mostly by accident, smack dab on the industry of his dreams.

Cast as Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum’s inexplicable luck has held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Otori in Ouran High School Host Club; suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler; Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss; and Okarin Rintarou from Steins;Gate. More recently, Tatum can be heard in the epic My Hero Academia as Teyna Iida; Louis in Fire Emblem: Engage; and Moran in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Other characters he’s played include: Eneru in One Piece; Ryosuke Takahashi in Initial D; Kraft Lawrence in Spice and Wolf; Zarbon in Dragon Ball Z Kai; Scar in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood; Acnologia in Fairy Tale; and Erwin Smith in Attack on Titan.

His videogame credits include Sir Hammerlock from the Borderlands franchise; Julius Kresnik from Tales of Xillia 2; Mr. Foster from Killing Floor 2; Kelvin and Pendles from Battleborn; 15 playable characters from SMITE; and August Wallenstein from Tales of Luminaria.

Ever the workaholic, Tatum is currently burning the midnight oil on a number of exciting projects due for release later this year. He also co-hosts Ghoul Intentions, a spooky podcast dedicated to creeping you out.

Otakon will be held from July 28-30, 2023 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

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