America Zarigani (アメリカザリガニ) is a Japanese comedy duo formed in 1994 by Tetsuya Yanagihara (born September 1, 1972) and Yoshiyuki Hirai (born March 12, 1973).
[1] America Zarigani started out as a theatrical troupe but became a comedic duo composed of just Hirai and Yanagihara after the other members left.
[2] In addition to performing in America Zarigani, Yanagihara works as a voice actor.
[3] Hirai attended Osaka Designer's College, with the intention to pursue a career in the video games industry, but started performing comedy after being recommended by a friend.
[2] In addition to performing in America Zarigani, Hirai has also written video games including Weapon Shop de Omasse, and the flash anime Aka-chan.