Honestly, most people probably recognize his voice before they recognize his face. It’s a weird reality of modern stardom. If you have kids—or if you were a kid in 2014—Ryan Potter is Hiro Hamada. Period. That fast-talking, brilliant, slightly grieving robotics prodigy in Big Hero 6 became a cultural touchpoint, and Potter's voice was the soul of that character. But if you’ve been paying attention to Ryan Potter movies and tv shows over the last decade, you know he’s been working overtime to break out of that "voice actor" box. He’s a martial artist. He’s a director. He’s a guy who grew up in Tokyo and brought that specific, grounded energy to Hollywood when it desperately needed it.
He’s not just a guy in a recording booth.
Potter’s career didn’t start with Disney, though. It started on Nickelodeon. Remember Supah Ninjas? It was one of those high-energy, slightly campy action shows that relied heavily on the fact that the lead kids could actually move. Potter, who started studying White Tiger kung fu when he was eight years old, didn’t need a stunt double for the basics. He was Mike Fukanaga, a high schooler who discovers he comes from a long line of ninjas. It ran for two seasons. Looking back, it was the perfect sandbox for a kid who wanted to mix traditional acting with physical performance. It’s also where he started building the foundation for what would eventually become his most physical role to date: Beast Boy.
From Animation to the Gritty Streets of Gotham
When DC announced Titans for their then-new streaming service, the internet did what the internet does—it complained. People weren't sure about the dark, "f-batman" tone. But then they saw the casting. Ryan Potter as Garfield "Gar" Logan was a massive win for fans.
It’s interesting because Gar is usually the comic relief. In the Teen Titans cartoons, he’s the green guy cracking jokes. In the live-action world of Titans, Potter had to find a way to keep that lightheartedness while existing in a world that was, frankly, pretty depressing. He played Gar with this sort of puppy-dog earnestness that felt real. He wasn't just a shapeshifter; he was the heart of a broken family.
The physical demands of Titans were intense. Even though a lot of the actual animal transformations were CGI, Potter’s movement stayed fluid. You could see the martial arts background in how he carried himself. He stayed with the show through its entire run, from 2018 to 2023, watching it migrate from DC Universe to HBO Max. By the end, he was even co-writing episodes. Specifically, he had a heavy hand in Season 4, Episode 9, titled "Dude, Where’s My Gar?" It was a trippy, Multiverse-spanning episode that showed he had ambitions way beyond just standing in front of a camera.
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The Big Hero 6 Legacy
We have to talk about Hiro. It’s unavoidable. Big Hero 6 won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for a reason. It wasn't just the robot. It was the relationship between Hiro and his brother, Tadashi, and eventually Hiro and Baymax.
Potter brought a specific vulnerability to that role. He was only 18 when the movie came out. He sounded like a real teenager—not a 30-year-old trying to sound like a teenager. The success of the film led to Big Hero 6: The Series on Disney Channel and Disney XD, where he voiced Hiro for over 50 episodes. He even returned for the Baymax! shorts on Disney+.
Most actors would get tired of playing the same character for ten years. Potter seems to view it as a responsibility. He’s been vocal about how much it meant to him to see a mixed-race, Japanese-American lead in a massive Disney movie. He didn't just take the paycheck; he became an advocate for the representation the movie provided.
Exploring the Full List of Ryan Potter Movies and TV Shows
If you're looking to marathon his work, the list is surprisingly diverse. He hasn't done a million projects, but the ones he chooses tend to stick.
- Supah Ninjas (2011–2013): The beginning. Pure Nickelodeon energy. He plays Mike Fukanaga. It’s worth a watch just to see how much his physical acting has evolved.
- Big Hero 6 (2014): The blockbuster. The role that made him a household name (or at least a household voice).
- Under the Dog (2016): This is a niche one. It was a Kickstarter-funded anime project. Potter voiced the character Anthea Kallenberg in the English dub. It showed his deep ties and respect for the anime community.
- Lab Rats: Elite Force (2016): He had a recurring role as Riker. It was a brief return to the Disney/Nick-style sitcom world, but he played a villain, which was a nice change of pace from his usual "good kid" persona.
- Titans (2018–2023): The big live-action break. Four seasons of green hair, tiger transformations, and increasingly complex emotional arcs.
- Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022): Another major voice role. He played Kenji Kon, the wealthy, somewhat spoiled kid who eventually grows a backbone. Again, he took a character that could have been annoying and made him likable.
He’s also done a fair amount of short films. Save My Soul and Write It in the Sky come to mind. These often fly under the radar, but they show his interest in the indie side of the industry. He’s a guy who likes to be on set, whether it’s a $100 million production or a passion project with friends.
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The Viral Tim Drake Audition
One of the coolest moments in Ryan Potter's career wasn't even an official job. Back in 2016, there was a lot of talk about who should play Robin (Tim Drake) in the Ben Affleck Batman universe. Potter didn't wait for a phone call. He made a concept fight scene video and posted it to YouTube.
It went viral.
In the video, he clears a room of thugs using a bo staff, showing off incredible speed and precision. He ended the video by looking directly into the camera and saying, "Hey Ben, like Tim Drake said, Batman needs a Robin." He didn't get the part in the movies, but many fans believe that viral stunt is exactly what put him on the radar for the role of Beast Boy in Titans later on. It was a masterclass in self-promotion and proving your own worth.
Why He Stands Out in a Crowded Industry
Hollywood is full of actors who can do one thing well. Potter is a bit of a polymath. He’s fluent in English and Japanese. He’s a high-level martial artist. He’s a photographer. He’s a writer.
When you watch Ryan Potter movies and tv shows, you aren't just watching someone read lines. You’re watching someone who understands the mechanics of an action scene. He knows how to sell a punch. He knows how to move his body so the camera catches the right angle. That’s a skill set that comes from years in a dojo, not just drama school.
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There’s also a level of authenticity he brings to his Japanese heritage. He spent a significant chunk of his childhood in Tokyo. When he’s involved in projects that touch on Japanese culture, he’s often the first person to speak up if something feels "off" or stereotypical. That kind of creative integrity is rare when you're still a young actor trying to make it.
What's Next for Ryan Potter?
As of 2025 and heading into 2026, Potter is in a transitional phase. Titans is over. The Big Hero 6 saga has matured. He’s been moving more into the director’s chair and the writer’s room. He’s expressed a lot of interest in producing projects that bridge the gap between Eastern and Western storytelling.
He’s not the kind of actor who stays in the spotlight just for the sake of it. You won't find him in the tabloids. He’s usually posting photos of his dog, his photography, or his latest training session. This "low-profile, high-talent" approach has given him a lot of longevity. He’s avoided the "child star" burnout that ruins so many others.
How to Support and Follow His Work
If you actually want to see the best of what he offers, don't just stick to the hits.
- Watch the Titans Season 4 episode he co-wrote. It’s some of his best work and gives you a glimpse into his brain as a storyteller.
- Go back and find that Tim Drake audition on YouTube. It’s a piece of internet history and still one of the best fan-made "audition tapes" ever created.
- Check out Camp Cretaceous on Netflix. Even if you think it’s "just a kids' show," the character development for Kenji across the seasons is actually pretty great.
- Keep an eye on his social media for his photography. He has a really unique eye for capturing the "behind the scenes" energy of film sets.
Ryan Potter is one of those actors who is constantly evolving. He started as a kid doing roundhouse kicks on Nickelodeon and turned into a creative force who can lead a franchise and write the script at the same time. Whether he’s back in front of a microphone or directing his first feature film, he’s proven that he’s got the discipline to stay relevant in an industry that usually forgets people in six months.
If you're looking for real-deal talent that isn't manufactured by a PR machine, he's the one to watch. His filmography isn't just a list of jobs; it's a map of a kid figuring out exactly who he wants to be in an industry that’s constantly trying to tell him he can only be one thing. He chose to be everything.