Kai Shimada is a professional shogi player of rank 8-dan. 
~!When Kiriyama first encountered him, he noticed that Shimada had no notable strengths or weaknesses in shogi.!~

Shimada possesses a calm and collected personality. At first, it seems like he's very plain, but as seen on his game with Rei he has a very intimidating yet serene personality. 
He's observed to be caring over fellows under him like Nikaidou. Shimada is very kind to his fellow shogi players and tries to help them improve their game. 
~!He runs a study group consisting of himself, Kiriyama, Nikaidou, and Shigeta.!~

Rei Kiriyama is a 17 year old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he's yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students. 
 
Meanwhile, his professional career in Shogi has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed upon him, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate. 
 
Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. He frequently visits the family, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home. 
This is the story of Rei's triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person. 
 
(Source: TV Tropes)

__Height:__ 180 cm
__Agency:__ 81 Produce

[Website](http://www.miki-ha.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/miki_shin318) | [Wiki (jp)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/三木眞一郎) | [Wiki (en)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin-ichiro_Miki)

__Non-anime voice roles:__
- Blade - *Honkai: Star Rail* (VG)
- Charizard - *Super Smash Bros. Series* (VG)
- Alucard - *Castlevania* (2017, TV Series)
- Jason Bourne - *The Bourne Identity; The Bourne Supremacy; Jason Bourne* (Movies) (JP Dub)
- Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto - *X-Men: First Class; X-Men: Days of Future Past; X-Men: Apocalypse; Dark Phoenix* (Movies) (JP Dub)
- Lee - *Arknights* (VG)
- Kamejim - *Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger* (TV series) 
- Randy Orlando - The Legend of Heroes Series (VG)

He is known for playing tough or grouchy men in dubbed anime and video games. His career includes Hotohori in Fushigi Yūgi 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.  According to Anime News Network, Thornton has the most credits of any male voice actor and he is second in total voice actor credits only next to Wendee Lee. He has been in nearly two hundred voice-over productions for Japanese animation.  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. Currently, he is co-directing the ADR for the popular anime series Bleach alongside Wendee Lee.

Rei Kiriyama is a child prodigy. Rei Kiriyama is also an orphan who lives alone in an empty apartment. Rei Kiriyama is a teen working in an adult's world. Life is complicated for Rei. He's an up-and-coming shogi player on the verge of turning pro, but he has no homelife, or much of a life period,outside his board game, but thankfully with the help of some life-long friends he has an opportunity start all over again.
 
(Source: DENPA)
 
Notes: 
- Winner of the Grand Prize at the 4th Manga Taishou Award in 2011. 
- Winner of the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in 2011. 
- Winner of the Grand Prize at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2014. 
- Winner of the Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2021.

The second season of 3-gatsu no Lion. 
 
Now in his second year of high school, Rei Kiriyama continues pushing through his struggles in the professional shogi world as well as his personal life. Surrounded by vibrant personalities at the shogi hall, the school club, and in the local community, his solitary shell slowly begins to crack. Among them are the three Kawamoto sisters—Akari, Hinata, and Momo—who forge an affectionate and familial bond with Rei. Through these ties, he realizes that everyone is burdened by their own emotional hardships and begins learning how to rely on others while supporting them in return. 
 
Nonetheless, the life of a professional is not easy. Between tournaments, championships, and title matches, the pressure mounts as Rei advances through the ranks and encounters incredibly skilled opponents. As he manages his relationships with those who have grown close to him, the shogi player continues to search for the reason he plays the game that defines his career.