Voice Actors Who Quit Anime Series Mid-Season

Voice acting is crucial to anime, bringing characters to life and giving them emotional depth. Sometimes, though, voice actors need to be replaced during a show due to illness, personal issues, or disagreements. These changes can be upsetting for fans who’ve become attached to a particular actor’s performance. This list looks at several times well-known voice actors had to leave their roles mid-series, and shows how difficult it can be to keep a long-running animated show consistent.

Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Tatsuhisa Suzuki originally voiced the main character, Anos Voldigoad, in the first season of ‘The Misfit of Demon King Academy’. After a public scandal and a break from work due to health concerns, he was replaced. Yuichiro Umehara took over the role for the second season and all episodes that followed. This change happened even though both the character and Suzuki’s performance were very popular and helped make the show a hit. It was part of a larger decision for Suzuki to step back from several of his other projects at the time.

Takahiro Sakurai

Takahiro Sakurai was initially chosen to voice Haruaki Kurama in the anime series ‘Ayaka,’ but due to personal issues that became public, the production team decided to recast the role before the show premiered. He also lost his role as the Medicine Seller in the ‘Mononoke’ film. Both projects required re-recording lines he’d already completed. This marked a major change for several long-running series where Sakurai had been a regular voice actor for years.

Risa Taneda

Risa Taneda originally voiced the character Erina Nakiri in the first two seasons of ‘Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma’. However, in 2016, she had to take a break from voice acting due to a throat condition and needed medical treatment. This meant she couldn’t participate in the third season, so Hisako Kanemoto took over the role to keep production on schedule. While Taneda eventually returned to voice acting, she didn’t reprise her role as Erina in the series.

Akira Kamiya

For more than ten years, Akira Kamiya was the well-known voice of Kogoro Mouri in ‘Detective Conan.’ He unexpectedly left the show in 2009 after a contract dispute and issues of trust with the production team. This came as a shock to fans, who loved his portrayal of the character as a key part of the series. Rikiya Koyama quickly stepped in to take over the role, beginning with episode 553. Later, Kamiya shared his regrets about the situation on his blog, signaling the end of a significant period for the show.

Vic Mignogna

As a big fan of both ‘RWBY’ and ‘Dragon Ball’, it was pretty jarring when Vic Mignogna, who I really liked as Qrow Branwen in ‘RWBY’ from Volume 3 onwards, and as Broly, suddenly stopped voicing those characters. Rooster Teeth investigated some harassment allegations against him, and ultimately decided to part ways. They brought in Jason Liebrecht to take over as Qrow starting with Volume 7, and he also replaced Vic as Broly during the making of ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’. It definitely sparked a lot of conversation among dub fans, and you could really hear a shift in how those characters sounded after that.

Keiji Fujiwara

Keiji Fujiwara was well known as the voice actor for Hiroshi Nohara in ‘Crayon Shin-chan’ and Leorio in ‘Hunter x Hunter’. He stepped away from his work in 2016 to receive cancer treatment, which meant other actors temporarily filled in. Toshiyuki Morikawa voiced Hiroshi Nohara during this time to ensure the show continued airing regularly. While Fujiwara briefly returned to work, his health remained unstable until he sadly passed away in 2020. To both respect his memory and allow the shows to continue, his roles were eventually given to new voice actors.

Kazunari Tanaka

Keishin Ukai, the volleyball coach from ‘Haikyuu!!’, was voiced by Kazunari Tanaka. Sadly, Tanaka passed away unexpectedly from a brain hemorrhage while working on the third season. His last lines aired in episode eight of that season, which meant the show quickly needed a new voice actor. Hisao Egawa stepped in to take over the role for the rest of the season and all future episodes. The cast and crew honored Tanaka’s work and contributions during this challenging time.

Ayumi Fujimura

As a huge anime fan, I was really surprised when I heard Ayumi Fujimura, the voice behind characters like Neferpitou from ‘Hunter x Hunter’ and even Eevee from ‘Pokémon,’ announced she was taking a break from voice acting back in 2019. It was indefinite, which meant they had to recast her in projects she was already working on – like her role in the second season of ‘The Promised Neverland.’ Her agency didn’t say why she was stepping back, and that just fueled a ton of fan speculation. Luckily, they’ve been able to find other talented voice actresses to take over her roles and keep things moving forward.

Tomoko Kawakami

Tomoko Kawakami was the first voice actor for the character Soi Fon in the popular anime series ‘Bleach’. Sadly, she had to leave the role while the show was still airing after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Another voice actor, Houko Kuwashima, stepped in to continue the character’s story during the Soul Society arc. Kawakami bravely fought the illness for several years but passed away in 2011. Both the creators and fans of ‘Bleach’ still remember her performance with great fondness.

Daisuke Gōri

Daisuke Gōri voiced the popular characters Mr. Satan and Enma Daio in the ‘Dragon Ball’ series for many years. Sadly, he passed away during the production of ‘Dragon Ball Kai,’ a remastered version of the original show. This meant the producers had to find a new voice actor for those characters, specifically for the Cell and Buu story arcs. They chose Unshō Ishizuka to take over the role, and he continued to voice the characters in future ‘Dragon Ball’ projects. This change was a sad moment for the anime and its fans.

Hirotaka Suzuoki

Hirotaka Suzuoki, a well-known voice actor, was best remembered for his roles as Bright Noa in ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ and Giovanni in ‘Pokémon’. Sadly, he died of lung cancer in 2006 while both shows were still being made. After his passing, Kenta Miyake took over the role of Team Rocket’s leader in ‘Pokémon’ to keep the character alive in the anime. Suzuoki was known for his powerful and commanding voice, which made it challenging to find someone to fill his shoes, and he is still considered a legend in Japanese voice acting.

Kaneto Shiozawa

Kaneto Shiozawa was a very popular voice actor, famous for his smooth, distinctive voice in shows like ‘Crayon Shin-chan’ and ‘Fist of the North Star’. He voiced the character Buriburizaemon in ‘Crayon Shin-chan’ until his death in 2000 following a tragic accident. As a tribute to his memorable performance, the character was either silent or absent from the show for 16 years. In 2016, Hiroshi Kamiya was chosen to take over the role, demonstrating how much Shiozawa’s work was valued by everyone involved.

Takeshi Aono

Takeshi Aono, a well-known voice actor, was famous for bringing characters like Dracule Mihawk from ‘One Piece’ and Shiro Fujimoto from ‘Blue Exorcist’ to life. A stroke in 2010 sadly forced him to stop working while projects were still in progress. Hirohiko Kakegawa took over the role of Mihawk for the Marineford arc because Aono was unable to return to the studio. Aono’s unique, gravelly voice created many unforgettable characters over the years, and his death in 2012 left a significant mark on the anime world.

Ichirō Nagai

Ichirō Nagai, who voiced Chairman Isaac Netero in the 2011 version of ‘Hunter x Hunter,’ sadly passed away in early 2014 during the production of the show’s important Chimera Ant arc. Since Netero was a key character, Ginzō Matsuo was brought in to take over the role. Fortunately, Nagai had already recorded many crucial scenes, allowing for a smooth transition during a natural break in the storyline. Nagai’s fifty-year career made his death a significant loss for everyone involved in the show.

Kiyoshi Kobayashi

Kiyoshi Kobayashi, the last original cast member of the ‘Lupin the Third’ series, was the voice of Daisuke Jigen for more than 50 years. He retired from the role in 2021 while working on ‘Lupin the Third Part 6’, making his first episode of the season a farewell to his decades-long performance. Akio Otsuka then took over the part for the rest of the season and all future projects. Kobayashi sadly passed away less than a year after his final performance as the beloved character.

Please share your thoughts on these voice acting transitions in the comments.

2026-01-15 05:16