Shin was the Eighth Generation Yakumo's lifelong friend and partner growing up, and Konatsu's father. Apprenticed under Yakumo Yuurakutei alongside Bon, he was originally given the name "Hatsutarou," but rejected it to instead perform under the name "Sukeroku." As a shin'uchi, his unique and passionate style of performing quickly earns him a name and reputation in the rakugo community, but also strikes a nerve with the traditionalist members of the rakugo association.

Sukeroku and Kikuhiko made a promise with each other to ensure rakugo's survival as an art form together—Sukeroku would practice rakugo that changed to appeal to the public and Kikuhiko would practice rakugo that never changed and stayed true to its roots. This promise would go unfulfilled when Sukeroku died a tragic death at a young age, but his impact on rakugo as an art never faded.

~!As a penniless abandoned child, Shin found himself drawn to a rakugo street performer named Sukeroku, who trained him—making Shin the Second Generation Sukeroku. In his prime, the First Generation Sukeroku was apprenticed alongside the Seventh Generation Yakumo, who sabotaged him and caused his downfall.

When Sukeroku was forced to leave the Yuurakutei household due to both his callous disregard for higher-ranked rakugo performers and Yakumo's own insecurities, he eloped with Miyokichi, with whom he fathered Konatsu. Sukeroku and Miyokichi both died in the titular lovers' suicide.!~

The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Shouwa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice. Most of the season delves into Yakumo's own past during World War II and the years afterward.
 
(Source: Anime News Network)
 
Note: The first episode aired with a runtime of 48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.

__Height:__ 176cm (5'9)

A Japanese actor, voice actor, singer and narrator from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment.

He was the manager of the Tagajou Senior High School basketball team before he made a name for himself. His voice acting debut was the OVA [Megazone 23](https://anilist.co/anime/1935/) as the motorcycle-riding [Shinji Nakagawa](https://anilist.co/character/56633/), while his television debut was the anime [Bosco Adventure](https://anilist.co/anime/3460/) as the cowardly Otter. His break-out role, however, was in the anime [Ranma ½](https://anilist.co/anime/210/), in which he played the dual role of [Hibiki Ryoga](https://anilist.co/character/2369/) and the [Jusenkyo Guide](https://anilist.co/character/58321/). In 1991, Yamadera joined forces with [Toshihiko Seki](https://anilist.co/staff/95129/) and [Noriko Hidaka](https://anilist.co/staff/95181/) to form the acting unit Banana Fritters, which disbanded in 1995. In October 1997, Yamadera became a host on the TV Tokyo children's variety show Oha Suta. In March 2016, after almost two decades, he announced his retirement from it.

Yamadera's also known for his versatile range, as shown in the video game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony where he voiced all five Monokuma Kubs, including Monophanie (female). According to the Danganronpa V3 official blog, Yamadera is the first person who came to mind as "the same person voicing multiple characters at the same time". No one has as much "multiple characters" experience as him. He was able to take the individual quirks of each of the Monokuma Kubs and make all of them unique.

Other notable examples of multiple voice acting include the Kingdom Hearts series where he voiced Donald Duck, Genie (Aladdin), Sebastian (The Little Mermaid), Beast (Beauty and the Beast), Mushu (Mulan), Jaq (Cinderella) and Stitch (Lilo and Stitch), and the [Japan Animator Expo](https://anilist.co/anime/20947/) series of 35 short films where Yamadera and [Megumi Hayashibara](https://anilist.co/staff/95014/) voiced all characters.

Yamadera was married to fellow voice actresses [Mika Kanai](https://anilist.co/staff/95029/) from 1993 to 2006, and to [Rie Tanaka](https://anilist.co/staff/95060/) from 2012 to 2018. On June 14, 2021, his marriage to singer and idol Robin Shoko Okada was announced.

__Trivia:__
- His nickname is Yama-chan.
- The official dub-over voice for Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey and Disney's Donald Duck.
- He didn't consider to do voice acting at first and was more interested in being either a live-action actor or a salesman.
- He is known as "the man with the seven-colored voice".
- In 2011 and 2017, TV Asahi conducted a poll among Japanese voice actors and actresses on "who they thought was really the most amazing person in their profession". Yamadera ranked first both times.

Unable to forget a performance of "Shinigami" performed by the rakugo master Yakumo in the prison where he was being held, Yotaro's first act upon his release was go right to the theater, where he begged, pleaded, and was finally accepted as Yakumo's live-in apprentice. After years of refining his art, Yotaro was promoted to the rank of Shinuchi and inherited the title of 3rd Generation Sukeroku. For the sake of his master Yakumo, Konatsu, and to change the image of Sukeroku inside them both, what kind of rakugo will Yotaro discover? 
 
This celebrated human drama, based on a story by Haruko Kumota, offers an honest and sympathetic look into the lives and livelihoods of rakugo storytellers in the Showa era. 

(Source: Crunchyroll)

This multi-generational epic dives deep into rakugo, a rich form of Japanese storytelling theater. Small-time crook Yotaro has never forgotten the rakugo tale "The God of Death," which the master Yurakutei Yakumo performed for Yotaro during his time in prison. After his release, he goes to Yakumo's theater and pleads to be made his apprentice. Yakumo reluctantly accepts, but Yotaro quickly finds the world of rakugo is complex and grapples with a growing bond with Yakumo's ward, Konatsu. Meanwhile, the two young people bring reminders of Yakumo’s own inescapable past.
 
(Source: Kodansha USA)
 
Note: Won the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards for Best General Manga and the New Creator Prize of the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.

Bundled with the special editions of the manga's 7th and 8th volumes. 
 
The story revolves around a mature prisoner who was released on good behavior during Japan's Showa Genroku era (1960s to early 1970s). He is called Yotarou by others, a term that means an "anti-hero" or a "dim-witted man." When he returns to society, he starts a new life in rakugo (comic storytelling). Touched by Yakumo's role as the "grim reaper," he asks the master to take him in as an apprentice.
 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Sukeroku Yuurakutei