Summary
Next week will be an exciting time forDragon Ballfans, as the new series,Dragon Ball DAIMA, will be premiering. While many characters from the previous series have been confirmed already, there is still a lot of speculation regarding what others are going to make appearances in the new series. One character that has been confirmed to be in the show from Episode 1, though, is Yamcha. However, he is going to undergo a major change for the first time in almost four decades.
Several news sites reported this week that Yamcha’s usual voice actor, Toru Furuya, will be stepping down from the role. This is mainly due to the famous voice actor’s personal life, and several incidents that have occurred in the past few years regarding his marriage. The shocking news has really shaken theDragon Ballcommunity, who will need to adjust to a new voice when the anime premiers next week.
The Scandal Behind Yamcha’s Voice Actor
Why Toru Furuya is Stepping Down
The news that Toru Furuya is stepping down from the role of Yamcha in the upcomingDragon Ball DAIMAseries came as a surprise to many fans when it was announced this past week. Furuya has been voicing the character for 38 years, voicing the character since 1986. The voice actor has an impressive resume of roles under his belt outside ofDragon Ball, too, including Tuxedo Mask inSailor Moonand the main protagonist in the originalMobile Suit Gundam.
Despite being in his 70s, Furuya still remained active in his career. However, very recentlysome scandals in his personal lifecame to light. This past May, Furuya admitted that he had been having an affair with a fan despite being married to his second wife since 1985. He also admitted that he had hit the fan before, and forced her to get an abortion when she became pregnant with his child.
In light of this, the following was posted on the officialDragon Ball DAIMAwebsite:
The decision has been made to recast the voice of Yamcha, a role which has been played by Toru Furuya in the Dragon Ball series for many years. Starting with Episode 1 of Dragon Ball Daima, which will air on October 11, the character will be voiced by Ryota Suzuki.
While it does not directly reference Furuya’s personal life, it can be implied, especially as this is not the only role that the voice actor has stepped down from since the scandal came to light. According toSoraNews24, “There’s far less forgiveness for extramarital affairs in the Japanese entertainment sphere than there is in the Hollywood show business world.” Likely to avoid any more problems, the studio and Furuya decided to part ways.
Who Will Voice Yamcha?
A New Cast Member forDaima
Because Toru Furuya is stepping down from the role of voicing Yamcha, that leaves an opening for a new actor to join the cast.Goku’s former enemywill be voiced now by Ryota Suzuki, best known for voicing the character Yu isKaguya-sama: Love is War. He has a considerably less impressive resume compared to Furuya, but comes without any known off-microphone scandals to make things complicated.
Admittedly, Yamcha has not been an extremely important or powerful character inDragon Ballfor a long time, so it is unclear how much he will actually be inDAIMAin the first place. If he ends up only showing up occasionally, it likely won’t matter to fans beyond the most die-hard ones that his voice has changed. However,Dragon Ball DAIMAdoes mark the third major series that Furuya has stepped down from since his personal life has come to light, with the other two being his roles as Sabo inOne Pieceand Toru Amuro inDetective Conan. There may be even more to come in the future.
Dragon Ball DAIMAwill air on October 11th, 2024 onNetflix.
Dragon Ball
Goku, a young, powerful boy with a tail, spends his days hunting and living off the land. His life changes when he meets Bulma, a teen genius on a quest to collect seven magical Dragon Balls that summon a dragon capable of granting any wish. Together, they set off on an adventure filled with powerful martial arts battles, formidable foes, and unlikely alliances.
