Hatsuta Keisuke (初田 啓介) is known as The voice of SASUKE due to having announced 25 SASUKE tournaments. He began as the #2 announcer in SASUKE 2 and became the main announcer following Furutachi Ichiro's departure after SASUKE 12. Ogasawara Wataru moved from #2 announcer to lead after SASUKE 21 was Hatsuta's last competition until returning in SASUKE 24 and SASUKE 27 onwards to SASUKE 30. Due to being unable to announce SASUKE 31, his spot as the number #1 announcer was taken over by Komada Kengo. He was the sole announcer in KUNOICHI 1 and KUNOICHI 2.
After a 2-tournament absence from SASUKE, he was the lead announcer for KUNOICHI 8. He was later replaced by Komada Kengo since KUNOICHI 9. Hatsuta is also play-by-play announcer to nearly all Pro Sportsman No. 1 tournaments from 1996 until 2010 Monster Box Special.
Trivia[]
- In SASUKE 22, some thought that Hatsuta Keisuke had not left SASUKE due to the #2 announcer, Satō Fumiyasu, sounds nearly identical to Keisuke.
- Throughout his tenure as being the 1st announcer for competitors #1-#80, Hatsuta Keisuke announced the first clear in the First Stage in all but one of his appearances.
- The lone exception was SASUKE 6, when the first 82 competitors failed the First Stage and Furutachi Ichiro announced the first clear(Hatakeda Yoshiaki(#83))