Zach Aguilar, talks about his role in Demon Slayer and Blue Box

YVMedia: Share with us how you became a part of the Demon Slayer franchise.

Zach Aguilar: To take you all the way back to the start, I actually won a voice acting competition at Anime Expo in 2014. Eventually, after working for years with the studio that held that competition, I had a chance to audition for Demon Slayer. I auditioned for Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. At the time, none of us really knew just how massive Demon Slayer would become. I remember reading Tanjiro’s lines and immediately connecting with his heart. He’s someone who always pushes through against all odds for the people he loves. He inspires me to be like him. When I found out I had booked the role, I freaked out. Watching the series grow into this global phenomenon has been incredible. Getting to be the voice of Tanjiro and seeing how much the character means to fans around the world is something I’m grateful for every single day.

YVMedia: You are an award-nominated voice actor. How did you begin your career as a voice actor?

Zach: I’ve loved performing for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing music and doing on-camera acting, so storytelling was always a part of my life. Voice acting came into the picture when I realized that animation and games allow you to play characters you could never physically portray on screen, whether that be heroes, villains, or monsters, anything. I loved the idea of not being limited by appearance. The beginning of my career was a lot of auditions, a lot of learning, and a lot of persistence.

YVMedia: Netflix’s hit series Blue Box was recently renewed for another season. Tell us about your role and how you feel about the renewal.

Zach: Blue Box is a really beautiful story because it mixes sports with romance and coming-of-age themes in a very genuine way. It follows Taiki, a badminton player who’s chasing his dreams while also navigating his feelings for Chinatsu, a basketball player he deeply admires. What makes the series special is how real it feels. It captures the excitement, nerves, and vulnerability of being young and figuring out who you are. Seeing the show Blue Box renewed for another season is incredibly exciting. It means the story resonated with people, and getting to continue that journey with the characters is something I’m really looking forward to.

YVMedia: What are some other roles that you’ve done? What characters do you enjoy playing the most?

Zach: I’ve been lucky enough to work across anime, video games, and animation, so I’ve gotten to play a wide range of characters. Byleth in Super Smash Bros. and Dr. Hedo in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero were some bucket list roles for me personally, having been a fan of those franchises. It’s hard to pick favorites because I have such a great experience working on everything. I loved David Martinez from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. It’s not often I get to play an edgier protagonist like him, so I had a lot of fun with it.

YVMedia: Is there a role you’d love to perform someday?

Zach: There are so many things I could say. I’m always up for a challenge. I’d love to play maybe a comic book superhero or something Godzilla related. I heard that they are making a Godzilla anime, and I’d love the chance to audition for it. I’m a huge Godzilla fan, having seen every movie and even playing video games from the franchise as a kid, so fingers crossed I get the opportunity to take a shot at it.

YVMedia: Name three things most people don’t know about you.

Zach: I’ve actually played piano my entire life. Music has always been a huge creative outlet for me. I also sing and write songs for fun whenever I have free time. It’s something I’ve always loved doing outside of acting. And the last one might surprise people. I’m very competitive when it comes to video games, especially Halo and other FPS games. I take it pretty seriously, haha! 

Photo Credits:

Photography: Ben Cope

Styling: Anna Schilling