After moving on from the training school, he became a member of
81 Produce under the influence of his admiration for
Toshihiko Seki. Even before his official debut, he had already received work in radio dramas and other projects during his time at the training school, but for a while after his debut, there was a period of time when he was unable to find work even after auditioning. In 1999, when he was 25 years old and wondering if he should quit voice acting, he got regular roles in two TV anime in a row,
Digimon Adventure and
Sensual Phrase, and in the same year, he sang his first character song in his first starring film,
Gate Keepers. From August 31 to September 3, 2006, Sakurai appeared in
Eternity, a stage play produced by the theater troupe Joy. Sakurai and Joy were accused of copyright infringement, as
Eternity was based on
Kōki Mitani's stage play ''Tokyo Sunshine Boys' Trap''. Sakurai, as well as his agency, 81 Produce, issued apologies. On April 22, 2011, Sakurai won the "Male Character Voice Award" at Famitsu Awards 2010. In 2012, he won the "Overseas Fan's Award" at the
6th Seiyu Awards. In 2013, after a year of discussions with the record company, Sakurai announced on his radio show that he would be singing the character song for
Shirokuma Cafe. In April, he announced on the radio show "Cherry Bell Co., Ltd" that he would be leaving 81 Produce, where he had worked since his debut, and going freelance. On July 20, 2014, it was announced on the official website that he became a member of INTENTION, founded by his friend
Kenichi Suzumura. On October 25, 2016, Sakurai stepped on the red carpet at the 27th
Tokyo International Film Festival as John Paul in
Genocidal Organ with
Yuichi Nakamura as Clavis Shepherd. On October 25, 2018, he attended the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival as Metofies in
Godzilla: The Planet Eater with
Mamoru Miyano as Haruo. Sakurai lists people like
Ryūsei Nakao,
Chō,
Ryōtarō Okiayu,
Tomokazu Seki, and
Minami Takayama as his favorite and respected voice actors, and he had a close relationship with
Keiji Fujiwara in his private life. He is good at illustration and once wanted to be an illustrator. In addition to the eyecatching illustrations in
Canvas 2: Niji Iro no Sketch, he was also a member of the key drawing staff for the final episode of
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, and was credited as a logotype designer for the second season of
Active Raid. ==Personal life==