“His infectious smile always filled the room with joy and happiness. Billy always left a positive impression on everyone he met”

- From the official obituary of Billy Kametz

Hershey, Pennsylvania: The Beginning

There is a town in Pennsylvania known as “the sweetest place on Earth” - Hershey, the birthplace of the famous chocolate. It was here, amidst the quiet of the countryside and the scent of cocoa, that William Peter Kametz grew up; everyone simply knew him as Billy.

He was born on 22 March 1987 in neighbouring Lancaster, and spent his childhood in Hershey. From an early age, he had one dream - to become an actor. Not just a dream as a nice-sounding word on a form, but a concrete, stubborn goal. Whilst studying at West Chester University, he spent years on the theatre stage, trying things out, making mistakes and improving. At the same time, he worked as part of the entertainment crew on the Disney Cruise Line - performing on cruise ships, stepping into the shoes of Disney characters.

Aladdin and the Turning Point

In 2016, when Billy was almost 29, Disney’s California Adventure was closing its iconic musical, “Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular” - the very same show that had been running at Disneyland for 13 years. They needed an Aladdin for the final season. Billy landed the role.

He moved to Los Angeles, to the Sherman Oaks area, and took to the stage. When the curtain fell for the last time, that episode closed one door - and threw open another, far wider one.

Living in California, he began auditioning for voice acting roles. His career took off rapidly: his first roles came as early as 2016 - Agent Coulson, Iron Lad, The Collector and Thor Noir in the mobile game Marvel Avengers Academy. Minor characters, but valuable experience.

And then he was heard by those who needed to hear him.

JoJo: The First Major Breakthrough

When Viz Media set about producing the English dub of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable - the fourth instalment of Hirohiko Araki’s legendary shōnen manga - casting the lead character proved no easy task. Josuke Higashikata is a lively, charismatic character with a huge range: from explosive fighting fervour to sincere tenderness. Billy Kametz landed the role and handled it so well that fans accepted him unreservedly.

Josuke became his starting point. It was this role that introduced him to a wide audience within the anime community, and it was this role that opened the doors to studios such as FUNimation, Bang Zoom!, Studiopolis, NYAV Post and VSI Los Angeles.

Between 2016 and 2022 - over the course of six years - Billy has amassed more than 126 roles. For a voice actor, that is an exceptional pace.

A portrait through his roles: the characters he has voiced

Looking at his filmography as a whole, it is not just the sheer number of roles that is striking, but their diversity. He had a knack for bringing characters to life-whether principled paladins, broken outsiders, or cheerful jokers. Here are his key roles:

Anime

Naofumi Iwatani - The Rising of the Shield Hero (2019)

This is his star role. The story’s protagonist is a student who is drawn into a fantasy world, where he is betrayed and humiliated from the very first moments. The character goes on a journey from a downtrodden outcast to a stern but fair leader. Billy conveyed this transformation with subtlety - and the audience felt it. In 2020, at the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, he won the award for "Best English Voice Acting’. A victory over some very strong competition.

Josuke Higashikata - “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable” (2018-2019)

His first major role - and, as Billy himself admits, one of the dearest to his heart.

Recording director Tony Oliver gave the actor a key piece of advice right at the start: Josuke is the same age as Koichi; they are both sixth-formers. It might seem like a simple remark, but it was precisely this that helped Billy find the right tone - a mixture of sincerity, occasional shyness and a genuinely simple-hearted directness that makes Josuke so lifelike. But Billy described the magic of the role as playing on contrasts. When calm, Joske is just an ordinary, awkward teenager. But the moment someone touches his hair, the switch happens instantly, almost without transition: the gentle schoolboy vanishes, and in his place appears a confident, dangerous fighter. Billy loved embodying precisely this sharp contrast - from a shy smile to a cold threat.

Physically, the role turned out to be one of the most gruelling of his career. The fight scenes demanded extreme strain on his vocal cords, and the team devised a special tactic: the cry of "Shining Diamond!” was always left until the very end of the session - deliberately, so as not to "burn out’ his voice at the start of the session. After a four-hour recording session, Billy would often have delivered around 20 lines of pure screaming, some lasting up to 15 seconds. He recalled how one 12-second clip took five attempts: his voice simply couldn’t cope with the strain.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the studio, he said, was lively and cheerful. The team would laugh at the "puberty voice” that inevitably resulted from the strain - and this collective laughter helped him keep going. Billy valued his colleagues’ support just as much as the material itself.

The realisation that his voice was featured in such a large-scale project as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure on Toonami evoked, in his own words, a mixture of excitement and pride. He always spoke of this role with warmth - not as a professional achievement, but as something personal.

Galo Timos - Promare (2019)

One of Studio Trigger’s most memorable characters: a firefighter of the future, impetuous, boisterous, with fire in his blood-both literally and figuratively. The casting story is particularly noteworthy: dubbing director Stephanie Shee struggled for a long time to find the right actor. She then wrote to her friend and colleague Erika Lindbeck - who recommended Billy. He came to the audition and, according to Shi, was immediately "perfect”.

Takuto Maruki - "Persona 5 Royal” (2020)

One of the most psychologically complex characters in the history of the Persona series. Maruki is a therapist with good intentions and monstrous power, whose story raises questions about the illusion of happiness and the price of genuine choice. In an interview with Crunchyroll, Billy himself said that this role was particularly important to him.

Ferdinand von Aegir - "Fire Emblem: Three Houses” (2019) and "Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes” (2022)

An aristocrat obsessed with his own nobility and horses - yet sincere in his desire to improve himself. Fans loved him partly because of the way Billy conveyed this mix of pomposity and honesty. Ferdinand’s role in “Three Hopes” was released posthumously - Billy had managed to record all his lines before falling ill.

White blood cell (Neutrophil) - Cells at Work! (2019)

Literally a character straight out of a biology textbook - but alive, clumsy and endearing. One of the most recognisable characters in anime that year.

Asmodeus Alice - "Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun” (2019-2021)

The protagonist’s best friend: passionate, loyal, slightly theatrical. A standout supporting role in one of the most heart-warming comedy anime of the early 2020s.

Shinei "Shin” Nouzen - "86 -Eighty Six-” (2021)

Here, Billy showed a completely different side. Shin is withdrawn, cold, and bears the weight of his losses. He hears the voices of his fallen comrades. It is a role with almost no surface intonation - and all the depth is conveyed through pauses and quiet words. The episodes were released whilst Billy was already ill, and fans noted that his performance in the final episodes sounded particularly poignant.

Nishikata - "The Master of Teasing Takagi-san” (2019)

A teenager constantly teased by a classmate - a gentle, heart-warming comedy. A complete contrast to his action roles, and Billy handled it just as naturally.

Shigeru Aoba - "Evangelion” (Netflix dub, 2019)

A techie from NERV, one of the control room operators. A small but iconic role in one of the greatest anime series of all time.

Nicolo - "Attack on Titan” (2021-2022)

A cook from Marley who finds himself in an impossible situation. A small role, but in one of the most important anime of the decade.

Rui - Demon Slayer (2021)

A spider demon and the antagonist of the first arc. A complex villain with a tragic backstory. The role has also appeared in video game adaptations, including The Hinokami Chronicles 2 (2025), posthumously.

Metal Lee - "Boruto” (2018-2022)

Son of Rock Lee. A role that Billy announced with undisguised enthusiasm on Twitter: "No more cutbacks for me!’ - a joke for those in the know.

Osomatsu Matsuno - "Mr Osomatsu” (2021)

One of six twin brothers in Fujio Akatsuka’s absurdist comedy. All six are voiced by different actors, and Billy landed the first named role.

Monkey - "LEGO Monkie Kid” (from 2020, posthumously until 2023)

A mysterious shape-shifting villain based on a character from Chinese mythology. The series continued after Billy’s death - the final recording featuring his voice was released posthumously, with a dedication.

Roman Torchwick - "RWBY” (2023, posthumously)

Billy was due to return to the role in Season 9. He had managed to record his lines. The episodes were released after his death - with a dedication at the end of the episode.

Video games

• 2016 - Marvel Avengers Academy - Agent Coulson, Iron Lad, The Collector, Thor Noir
• 2018 - BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle - Naoto Kurogane
• 2018 - Brawl Stars - Colt
• 2019 - Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Ferdinand von Aegir
• 2019 - Pokémon Masters - Blue
• 2019 - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Announcer
• 2020 - Persona 5 Royal - Takuto Maruki
• 2020 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - Nenji Ogata
• 2020 - Fire Emblem Heroes - Ferdinand von Aegir
• 2021 - Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster - Raidou Kuzunoha
• 2021 - Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles - Rui
• 2021 - Ys IX: Monstrum Nox - Marius
• 2021 - Epic Seven - Ran
• 2022 - Triangle Strategy - Jerrom Laesmi
• 2022 - AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative - Tearer (posthumously)
• 2022 - Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - Ferdinand von Aegir (posthumously)
• 2022 - The Elder Scrolls Online - various NPCs (posthumously)
• 2024 - Demon Slayer: Sweep the Board! - Rui (posthumously)
• 2025 - Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 - Rui (posthumously)

Colt - Brawl Stars (2018)

One of the most unexpected twists in Billy’s career. A cheeky gunslinger with golden revolvers, the face of a game with hundreds of millions of downloads - and a role he landed almost by chance.

At the time, Billy was just starting out in voice acting and was recording auditions literally from a wardrobe crammed with clothes - a makeshift soundproofing solution for those without a studio. He looked for work through pay-to-play sites, where you pay for the right to take part in auditions. That’s exactly how he ended up at the audition for Brawl Stars - and he had no idea what the project was about. No pressure, no expectations. In his own words, that’s exactly what helped: he simply relaxed and gave it his all.

When creating the character, Billy drew inspiration from Chris Pratt as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy - the same energy, confidence and charisma of the lead character. But he described Colt more accurately in another way: it was himself on a "really good day”, when you’re at the top of your game and everything just falls into place.

Years later, Billy could easily recite the character’s iconic lines - "Brawn and Beauty”, "Pretty for pain”, "Time for trouble”, "Sorry, noob!” - as if he’d recorded them yesterday. He tried playing Brawl Stars himself and even unlocked Colt there, but tried not to get too carried away with mobile games: it ate into the time he needed for voice-overs.

A particularly touching moment in the interview came when Billy spoke about a gift from the fan community - a large poster of Colt, which he had hung up in his home. He was genuinely moved.

Western animation and other works

• Macaque in LEGO Monkie Kid (Amazon Kids+) - lead role, seasons 1-4
• Roman Torchwick in RWBY, volume 9 - posthumously
• Nevareth in The Owl House (Disney, 2020)
• Road Rash / Paul in "Hailey’s On It!” - posthumously
• Characters in "The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners”, "The Elder Scrolls Online”

Personal: The man behind the microphone

Billy was in a relationship with voice actress Erica Lindbeck - the very same person who recommended him for the role of Halo Timos. She was by his side right to the end.

His colleagues unanimously described him as a man of rare warmth. Actress Cassandra Lee Morris wrote after his death: “He radiated joy, warmth and talent. Truly one of the kindest people in voice acting.”

Voice actress Stephanie Shee recalled how long she had searched for Galo Timos - and how a single conversation with Erica Lindbeck settled everything: “She was right. He was perfect.”

Actress Erica Harlacher wrote simply: “Absolutely devastated. I can’t believe the last time I saw you was the last. I can’t believe it happened so quickly. I really thought you had more time.”

45 days: diagnosis and treatment

On 26 April 2022, Billy appeared on Instagram with a video message to his fans. Calmly and without drama, he announced that around ten weeks earlier he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. By that point, the disease had already metastasised to his liver, lungs and spine.

He said he was starting chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He said he was taking a break from work and returning home to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to be with his family. And he asked fans to support those who would be taking his place in his roles: “Be their loudest supporters.”

On 1 May, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to cover treatment, insurance and transport costs. Over $184,000 was raised in just a few weeks. The GoFundMe team wrote that Billy and his agent were overwhelmed by the scale of the response - they regularly shared their amazement and joy at this outpouring of love.

On 9 June 2022, Billy Kametz passed away in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He was 35 years old. It was about three and a half months from his diagnosis to his death.

After

He passed away - but his voice lives on.

Several of his roles were released posthumously: Ferdinand in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (June 2022 - two weeks after his death), Roman Torchwick in RWBY, Monkey in the final episodes of "LEGO Monkie Kid”, a character in "AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative”, and Rui in the 2024 and 2025 video game adaptations of "Demon Slayer”.

The Elder Scrolls Online tweeted immediately after his death: "We are deeply saddened by Billy’s passing. He was a talented voice actor and singer who lent his voice to several NPCs in ESO, including in the High Isle chapter.”

AFK Arena wrote on its page: “Your voice brought Angelo to life, bringing joy to many. Thank you for your contribution. A moment of silence.”

His family has asked anyone wishing to honour his memory to donate to the Colon Cancer Coalition - an organisation dedicated to the early detection of colon cancer. Billy died young largely because a stage 4 cancer diagnosis at the age of 35 is almost always a late diagnosis.

What he left behind

Over the course of his six-year career, Billy Kametz became the voice of several generations of anime and video games. The neutrophil from Cells at Work!, which children watched as a cartoon about biology. Joske, whose voice JoJo fans will hear in their heads as they re-read the manga. Naofumi, for whom the global anime community voted. Maruki, whose story made thousands of people reflect on what it means to be truly happy.

His family’s obituary concluded: “His love for his work as an actor and his unforgettable voice will continue to entertain fans and will always be remembered. Billy was always generous to his fans and cherished the opportunity to do what he loved every day.”

Today, 9 June 2026, marks exactly four years. His voice still resonates - in the preserved seasons, in the games that remain on the servers. In new players who are only just discovering "Hero’s Shield” or "Promar” and do not yet know who is behind that voice.

Billy Kametz (22 March 1987 - 9 June 2022). Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Grew up in Hershey. Died at home. Agency: AVO Talent. Studios: NYAV Post, SDI Media, VSI Los Angeles, Studiopolis, Studio Nano, FUNimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment. Awards: Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2020, Best VA Performance (EN) - "The Rising of the Shield Hero”