Voice actor Tōru Furuya has vacated his roles in anime franchises One Piece and Detective Conan after confirming he had a four-and-a-half-year-long affair with a fan.
Tōru made a joint announcement with talent agency Aoni Production on June 22 that he was stepping away from voicing Sabo inOne Pieceand Tōru Amuro in Detective Conan. A statement onMantan Webstates that Aoni Production requested the actor step down from these characters, and Tōru agreed.
According to Aoni Production, the actor’s affair “directly and significantly damaged the image of the work and the character” in both instances, requiring an immediate reaction. In the statement, Tōru acknowledges the decision as “the only way I can make amends to everyone involved with the series, the many fans who support me, and to the works and characters.”
In May, the performer, who has played characters in Dragon Ball Z, Gundam, and Sailor Moon in addition to the above, admitted tohaving an affair with a female fanfor over four years. During that time, there was the threat of physical abuse, and Tōru revealed he pushed the woman to have an abortion.
A prominent name within the industry, Tōru’s career has lasted almost 60 years, with his first credited appearances occurring during his teen years. He’s become synonymous with certain characters, such as Yamcha in Dragon Ball Z and Amuro Ray in Gundam, voicing them across numerous installments.
On June 11, it was announced that his role in Metaphor: ReFantasio would be recast. His replacements for that or the aforementioned franchises have yet to be announced, and his status on any other productions is currently unknown. You can check out ourupcoming animelist for shows worth looking out for.
Related:
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, you can find a list ofresources for the US here, and a list ofresources for the UK here.
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
