Dragon Ball Voice Actor Josh Martin Comes Home to be Krewe of Centaur Grand Marshal

The Krewe of Centaur is one of the largest Mardi Gras organizations in Louisiana, and is the largest in North Louisiana. Centaur anchors the annual Mardi Gras celebration schedule in Shreveport. Founded in 1991, the organization drives a local economic boom every year by drawing thousands of tourists to the Shreveport and Bossier City areas for parade weekend.

Over the last four decades (yeah, 90s...00s...10s...and now 20s) Centaur remains a cornerstone of the regional identity, providing Mardi Gras fun and excitement, and a way for residents to participate in Louisiana traditions.

Grand Marshal Highlights The Annual Centaur Parade

The position of Grand Marshal for the Krewe of Centaur parade serves as a celebratory leader for the Mardi Gras season. While the role doesn't have any official capacity within the Krewe, the selected individual leads the procession through the city on parade day. The Grand Marshal is someone the Krewe wants to celebrate for their professional achievements, contributions to public service, or a combination of these factors. They often as the public face of the organization during the Mardi Gras season.

Previous Grand Marshals include established figures from the sports and entertainment industries with Northwest Louisiana connections. The 2026 parade featured Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Robert Parish, who led the Centenary College Gents basketball team during his collegiate career. In 2025, Shreveport native, and national sports broadcaster, Tim Brando served as the Grand Marshal for the organization. Other previous Grand Marshals include late actor Bill Paxton, Miss USA Brandi Sherwood, and LSU legend Todd Walker.

Voice Actor Josh Martin Named Grand Marshal

This year, the Krewe of Centaur has announced that Haughton native Josh Martin will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 2027 season.

Martin is a voice actor with over 100 project credits, and over 90 individual character voices, on his professional resume. He is probably best known as the primary English voice for Majin Buu across the Dragon Ball universe, voicing variations including Good Buu, Evil Buu, and Kid Buu. His vocal performances span over 100 television episodes across series like Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Dragon Ball Super, alongside theatrical feature film releases like Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods.

The Dragon Ball franchise ranks among the top 15 highest-grossing media properties in history. It generates over $30 billion globally, outperforming properties such as Harry Potter, Transformers, and Jurassic Park in total worldwide revenue.

The Majin Buu character image appears on millions of units of merchandise, including action figures, Funko Pops, graphic apparel, and trading cards distributed at global retailers like Target, Walmart, Hot Topic, and GameStop.

Prior to his voice acting career, Martin worked for over a decade as a physical suit actor for Barney the Dinosaur. He performed inside the dinosaur suit across television broadcasts, network specials, live performances, and feature films.

He currently headlines comic conventions, anime expos, and fan festivals internationally...meeting attendees from multiple generational demographics. His convention appearances draw both parents who watched his physical acting work in the 1990s and young adults who follow his vocal performances in modern anime broadcasts.

Martin Family Holds Deep Roots In Local Mardi Gras

Martin graduated from Haughton High School in 1993 after competing as an All-District goalkeeper in soccer and a champion hurdler in track. He earned All-State Academic honors on the football team while performing as an All-State Tenor in the high school choir and an All-District Baritone at Princeton Junior High. His athletic background included playing for CABOSA from 1983 to 1991 and joining the LSU-Shreveport Pilots Men's Soccer team in 1993.

His performance background started in 2nd grade, playing Linus in a theatrical production of a Peanuts story. His early exposure to the entertainment industry came through observing his father John Martin, who worked for local advertising agencies.

Both his parents, John and Peggy Martin, served as central figures in establishing the modern Mardi Gras infrastructure in Shreveport and Bossier City.

His father acted as one of the first Co-Captains for the Krewe of Gemini, leading publicity efforts, and helping to design the inaugural poster for the organization.

His mother Peggy worked at Bank of the Mid South, and served alongside Parade Chairman Jim Waugh as the Throws Lieutenant for that initial Gemini parade. That original Gemini procession included 200 charter members, 12 floats, and 50 parade units. Their organizational efforts launched the modern era of local Mardi Gras by coordinating routes winding through Shreveport and into Bossier City.

You can see Josh continue his family's Mardi Gras legacy in Shreveport this season at the Krewe of Centaur's Grand Bal on Saturday, January 9th, the Float Loading Party the night before parade day, and then leading the Centaur parade on Saturday, January 30th, 2027.