Kirk Thornton (born May 13, 1956) is an American voice actor known for playing sassy characters, among others, in dubbed anime and video games. His career includes Hotohori in Fushigi Yuugi and Jin in Samurai Champloo. He also played numerous cameos and minor characters in Rurouni Kenshin, in addition to the major character of Hajime Saito. He also does Don Patch in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo as well as Gabumon and other voices in Digimon. He is even the English voice of Jet Link in Cyborg 009, as well as Kisame Hoshigaki in Naruto and its sequel, Naruto: Hurricane Chronicles. As of 2010, he's the English voice of Shadow the Hedgehog.
Thornton is also well-known for having played many different minor voice roles throughout the Power Rangers franchise (and similar series such as VR Troopers and Masked Rider).
Thornton has also had experience with ADR direction. He also co-directed the ADR for the first 168 episodes of the popular anime series Bleach alongside Wendee Lee.
Thornton's career is difficult to track, due to the multiple names under which he has been credited.
His wife, Julie Nesbitt, and his daughter, Chloe Thornton, are also voice actors.
Notable roles
Anime
- Ajin - Douglas Almeida
- Aldnoah.Zero - Saazbaum
- The Big O - Instro (Episode 6)
- Black Jack - Black Jack (credited as Sean Thornton and Sparky Thornton)
- Bleach - Eikichiro Saido, Hinagiku (Shun Shun Rikka), Ugaki, Narrator, Zennosuke Kurumadani, Gyokaku Kumoi
- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - Don Patch and Hydrate
- Chobits - Zima/Jima
- Code Geass - Kaname Ohgi
- Cowboy Bebop - Asimov Solenson (Episode 1)
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners - Jimmy Kurosaki
- Cyborg 009 - Jet Link/Cyborg 002 (credited as Sparky Allen)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Hand Demon/Tanjuro Kamado
- Destiny of the Shrine Maiden - Girochi
- Digimon Adventure/Digimon Adventure 02/Digimon: The Movie/Digimon Adventure tri./Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna - Tsunomon/Gabumon/Garurumon/WereGarurumon/MetalGarurumon, Mummymon
- Digimon Tamers - Mr. Matsuki
- Digimon Frontier - Tsunomon/Gabumon, Karatenmon
- Digimon Data Squad - Yushima, Citramon
- Digimon Fusion - AxeKnightmon, Tactimon, Apollomon
- Doomed Megalopolis - Kamo
- Duel Masters - Knight
- Eureka Seven - Matthieu
- Expelled from Paradise - Official B
- The Faraway Paladin - Gus
- Fate/Grand Carnival - James Moriarty
- Fate/stay night (2006 dub) - Kiritsugu Emiya
- Fate/Zero - Byakuya Matou and Norikata Emiya
- Figure 17 Tsubasa & Hikaru - Hideo Shiina
- Fist of the North Star - Head Banger (1986 movie), God's Army Razor Whip Guy and Toki / Amiba (Manga Entertainment Dub)
- Fushigi Yuugi - Emperor Hotohori
- Gate Keepers - Chotaro "Big Boss" Banba
- Gate Keepers 21 - Nazo/Reiji Kageyama
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Swat chief (Episode 17)
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig - Hideo Kuze
- Great Pretender - Seiji Ozaki
- Great Teacher Onizuka - Ryuji Danma, Yoshito Kikuchi, Noboru Yoshikawa, additional voices
- GUN×SWORD - The Claw Man
- Gungrave - Brandon "Beyond the Grave" Heat
- IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix - Mark Ramsey
- Jujutsu Kaisen - Atsuya Kusakabe
- K - Daikaku Kokujouji, Yuujiro Benzai, Saburouta Bandou, the Prime Minister, and more.
- Kikaider - Hattori
- Love Hina - Seta Noriyasu
- Lupin III:
- The Castle of Cagliostro - Count Cagliostro (Manga Entertainment version); Gustav (MGM version)
- Jigen's Gravestone - Mamo
- Mahoromatic - Kiyomi Kawahara, Ryo Misato, Hokaze Minato, and Professor Mephlis
- Mashle: Magic and Muscles - Regro Burnedead
- Mega Man Star Force - Damian Wolfe
- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory - Anavel Gato
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Todo Mirconen
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny HD Remaster - Baba
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn - Gilboa Sant
- Mon Colle Knights - Earth Dragon
- Monster - The Baby
- Naruto - Tazuna, Kisame Hoshigaki, Shukaku, Akahoshi, Gennou, Chiriku, Fukasaku, Fu, Mifune
- Ninja Scroll - Hanza
- Outlaw Star - Crackerjack, Ark Manaf
- Overman King Gainer - Gain Bijou
- Perfect Blue - Yamashiro
- Pokémon Origins - Mr. Fuji, Lance
- Planetes - Hachirota "Hachimaki" Hoshino
- The Prince of Tennis - Kunimitsu Tezuka
- Rave Master - Berial
- Reign: The Conqueror - Demosthenes
- Risky☆Safety - Moe's Father (credited as Sparky Thornton)
- Rurouni Kenshin - Saito Hajime, Ginji
- Saiyuki Reload/Saiyuki Reload Gunlock - Dr Ni Jianyi
- Samurai Champloo - Jin
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1994) - Kesslor
- S Cryed - Narrator, Hideki, Urizane
- Serial Experiments Lain - Masami Eiri
- The Seven Deadly Sins - Galand and Waillo
- Shingetsutan Tsukihime - Michael Roa Valdamjong (supposedly, he never did this)
- Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and Street Fighter II V - Guile
- Sword Art Online - Klein
- Tenchi Muyo! GXP - Seiryo Tennan, Barry, Wau Official
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA 3 - Ikeda, Nakita Kuramitsu
- Tiger & Bunny - Muramasa Kaburagi, Benoit Depardeau
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise - Dr. Onishi
- Trigun - Rai Dei the Blade
- Vampire Hunter D - D's left hand
- Vandread - Bart Garsus
- Witch Hunter Robin - Kazuya Misawa, Shirou Masuda
- Wolf's Rain - Leara's Father
- Ys I and II OVA - Darm (Ys II only), Luta Gemma
Video Games
- .hack - Orca
- .hack//G.U. vol.1//Rebirth - Antares, Negimaru
- .hack//G.U. vol.2//Reminisce - Antares, Negimaru
- .hack//G.U. vol.3//Redemption - Antares, Negimaru
- Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War - AWACS Thunderhead (uncredited)
- Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - Sgt. Louis McKnight (uncredited)
- Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War - Erich Hillenbrand/Schnee One (uncredited)
- Armored Core: For Answer - Additional Voices (uncredited)
- Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia - Leard Barsett (uncredited)
- Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana - Additional Voices (uncredited)
- Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm - Ash F. Abenstein (uncredited)
- Baten Kaitos Origins - Shanath
- BlazBlue - Jubei, Misc. Voices (such as the Isle of Ranking in Jin's Joke Ending in Continuum Shift)
- The Bouncer - Commander (as Sparky Thornton)
- Brave Fencer Musashi - Ed (as Sparky Thornton)
- Bravely Default - Barras Lehr
- Castlevania: Judgment - Grant DaNasty (uncredited)
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Sword Familiar (uncredited, Dracula X Chronicles redub)
- Catherine - Boss aka Thomas Mutton
- Code of Princess - Shooting Star Tsukikage
- Dead or Alive 5 - Gen Fu and Victor Donovan
- Death by Degrees - Soldiers (uncredited)
- Devil Survivor - Yasuyuki Honda
- Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII - Incidental Characters
- Digital Devil Saga - Roland (uncredited)
- Drakengard - Fighter Jet Pilot (uncredited)
- Dynasty Warriors/Warriors Orochi - Meng Huo, Xiahou Dun (uncredited)
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 - Anavel Gato
- Fire Emblem: Awakening - Yen'fay
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - Nomah
- Fire Emblem Heroes - Dorcas, Surtr
- Fire Emblem Warriors - Iago (replacing John Rubinstein)
- Galerians: Ash - Major Romero (as Ron Allen)
- The Granstream Saga - Slayzer (as Sparky Thornton) (was miscredited as the voice of Korky)
- Grandia III - Rotts (uncredited)
- Guilty Gear Xrd - Potemkin
- Judgment - Kaoru Ichinose
- Kessen II - Cao Cao (uncredited)
- Kessen III - Nagahide Niwa, Katsuyori Takeda (uncredited)
- Kingdom Hearts II, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, & Kingdom Hearts III - Saïx
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Isa
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steelnote - Bleublanc
- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - Head Priest
- Magna Carta 2 - Nyx
- Neo Contra - Plant Contra (uncredited)
- Omega Quintet - Tomekichi
- Persona 4 - Kinshiro Morooka (aka King Moron)
- Persona 5 (including The Animation and Royal) - SIU Director, the real Igor; reprises the latter in Persona 3 Reload
- Phantom Brave - Ringmaster Hamm (uncredited)
- Pokémon Masters - Blaine, Clay
- Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2 - Kevin Ryman (uncredited)
- Resident Evil: Revelations - Parker Luciani
- Rogue Galaxy - Cancer King, Starr, Logan
- Romancing SaGa - Darque (uncredited)
- Samurai Warriors - Katsuyori Takeda, Kennyo Honganji, Morichika Chosokabe Type Generic Officer (uncredited)
- Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends - Tadakatsu Honda (uncredited)
- Scarlet Nexus - Joe Sumeragi (credited as Buba Chow)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 - Roland (uncredited)
- Shin Megami Tensei V - Zeus
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - Harry Mason
- Sonic the Hedgehog - Shadow the Hedgehog (From 2010 onwards, replacing Jason Griffith), Orbot
- Soul Calibur V - Male Custom Voice "Veteran Knight"
- Soulcalibur VI - Nightmare & Siegfried Schtauffen (replacing Roger Craig Smith)
- Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - Lancar, Vendeen Soldier (uncredited)
- Stella Glow - Hrodulf
- Suikoden IV - Gary (uncredited)
- Suikoden V - Rahal (uncredited)
- Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Zestiria - Jade Curtiss (uncredited)
- Time Crisis 4 - Terrorist Leader (Complete Mission mode only) (uncredited)
- Trauma Center: New Blood - Robert Cromwell (uncredited)
- Tyranny - Graven Ashe
- Warriors Orochi 2 - Meng Huo, Xiahou Dun (uncredited)
- Wild ARMs 5 - Fereydoon, Joseph Russellberg, Sol Niger (uncredited)
- Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Mach - Capt. Matthews (uncredited)
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon - Dragon Fighterspoiler
Western Animation
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes - Adam Warlock
- Clarence - Buckey O'Neil
- Monsuno - Beyal
- The Queen's Corgi (US Version) - Donald Trump
- Sonic Boom - Orbot, Shadow the Hedgehog
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Sanjay Rash
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) - Shadelock
- Wakfu - Poo and the Sadida King note
Staff
Director
- Bleach - ADR co-director (alongside Wendee Lee)
- BloodLad - Voice director
- Destiny of the Shrine Maiden - Voice director
- Durarara!! Season 2 - ADR director
Tropes applying to Kirk Thornton:
- I Have Many Names: Has worked under 19 different stage names, in addition to his real name.
