Japanese voice actor Takahiro Fujiwara, known for his roles in a wide variety of anime series including My Hero Academia and Berserk, has died at age 43.
In a statement published on Thursday (May 21), Fujiwara’s agency, Ken Production, confirmed that he died on May 14.
“Our company-affiliated actor Takahiro Fujiwara (43) passed away peacefully on May 14,” reads the statement, which was originally published in Japanese. “We sincerely thank everyone for the kindness and support shown to him during his lifetime.”
Fujiwara had roles in some of the most popular anime series worldwide, voicing Kurogiri in My Hero Academia, Pippin in Berserk, Dorry in One Piece, and Sekijou in Kingdom.
The official My Hero Academia account on X led a wave of tributes to the late voice actor. A cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
The official account for Bleach, for which Fujiwara voiced Jerome Guizbatt and Kenpachi Kiganjō in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, also paid tribute.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences and once again express our deepest gratitude for your contributions across multiple roles, which brought such vibrancy to our work,” the post reads. “We pray sincerely for your eternal rest.”
Outside of his work in the world of anime, Fujiwara also contributed voice acting to multiple video games. His most recent work includes Rise of the Ronin, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.
His first credited role in an anime series was as an additional voice in Unlimited Psychic Squad in 2008, and by 2012, he was appearing in multiple high-profile projects a year.
Fujiwara most recently played Kurogiri in a pair of Season 8 episodes of My Hero Academia last year, reprising the role in the final season of the beloved show.
