Japanese fans are praising M!LK member Hayato Sano (佐野勇斗) for his voice acting debut in the Japanese dub of “Toy Story 5,” with many saying his performance was so convincing they assumed he was a professional voice actor until they saw his name in the credits.
The reaction started with a post from X user @taiyo_181, who wrote that they genuinely wondered “who is this voice actor?” while watching the film, only to check Twitter afterward expecting to see the hashtag “Sano’s voice acting is too good” trending, and finding it wasn’t. The post went on to gain attention regardless, with other viewers echoing similar surprise. One reply noted that some viewers had guessed the voice belonged to veteran voice actors, while another commented that Sano’s vocal range had already stood out to them from his narration work with M!LK, and that it clearly translated well to animation.
According to the film’s official Japanese Disney Studio account, Sano voices a character called Smarty Pants (スマーティー・パンツ) in “Toy Story 5,” alongside Kazu Inoue of Nogizaka46 and Kemuri Matsui of the comedy duo Reiwa Roman, who round out what the official account called the “Tech Trio.” The three characters help revive fellow toys Snappy and Atlas after their batteries run out. The official account also shared that Sano, a Toy Story fan since childhood, was surprised with the casting news himself and expressed excitement about landing the role.
“Toy Story 5” opened in Japanese theaters on July 3, 2026.
Who is Hayato Sano?
Hayato Sano is a member of M!LK, a Japanese idol group known for combining singing and dance performances. “Toy Story 5” marks one of his voice acting roles, and fans on social media have pointed to his narration work with M!LK as an early sign of the vocal range he brought to the film.
