Suzuoki's most notable trait is his soft, dignified voice. He was affiliated withKen Production, in which he worked in many animation roles.
In 1972, Suzuoki made his voice acting debut inDevilman.
Suzuoki was the best friend of fellow voice actorToru Furuya, who co-starred with him in several different series. Suzuoki felt that Furuya'sDragon Ball Yamcha character was closer to his own personality, rather than Tenshinhan whom Suzuoki played.[2]
Suzuoki was a heavy smoker and drinker. In July 2006, Suzuoki was diagnosed withlung cancer and undertook hospitalization and medical treatment, but on the morning of August 6, 2006, his health declined, and Suzuoki died at the age of 56. His ongoing roles were replaced by other voice actors.
His last voicing role was the voice of Bright Noa inMobile Suit Z Gundam III: Love is the Pulse of the Stars, which was seen by fans as the best sendoff in Suzuoki's name.
Note: Another Century's Episode 3, which was produced after the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki, re-used the voice tracks that has been recorded for A.C.E.1 (which also become the first title with Bright's voice after Hirotaka Suzuoki's death), making it the first game involving Bright Noa to re-use a prior recording. With characters whose voice actors are deceased, Banpresto traditionally reuses prior recordings in this way rather than record new lines with a different actor - it is expected that future productions involving Haran Banjou will continue to use Suzuoki's voice. The official replacement of Suzuoki as Bright's voice actor, due to the recording of Gundam Unicorn, withKen Narita, is likely to result in future appearances of Bright Noa, across all series, being voiced by Narita.
