Content Warning: This article contains descriptions of physical abuse. If you or someone you know are a survivor of physical abuse you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE(7233). Additional resources can be found at the Family and Youth Services Bureau.
On June 22, anime voice actor Toru Furuya released a joint statement with his talent agency announcing he will step down from his roles as Sabo in One Piece and Toru Amuro in Detective Conan/Case Closed. His resignation comes following a scandal where the longtime voice actor admitted to having an affair and physically abusing a fan.
On May 22, Furuya acknowledged a report from Weekly Bushsin magazine about his affair with a fan that lasted for four-and-a half years on his now-deactivated X / Twitter account. In his statement, Furuya admitted to physically abusing the fan during an argument and that he caused her to terminate her pregnancy, saying, “I will spend the rest of my life atoning for my mistakes," according to Anime News Network.
“We have been in discussions with actor Toru Furuya, who is a part of our agency, regarding the series of scandals that have occurred,” Aoni Production wrote in a statement (translated by Crunchyroll). "We concluded in requesting [Furuya] to step down from two roles, those of Toru Amuro in Detective Conan and Sabo in One Piece, due to the damage to the characters' image, which has been accepted. We would like to deeply apologize to everyone involved in the production and the many fans of the work."
“I, Toru Furuya, would like to apologize for my selfish actions and the many people I have troubled," Furuya said in the joint statement. “I have, after careful consideration and a heavy heart, decided to step down from my roles of Toru Amuro and Sabo as I have caused great damage to the characters. I would like to apologize again to everyone I have greatly troubled. I am truly sorry."
Although Aoni Production has yet to announce Furuya’s recasting in One Piece and Detective Conan, plans are already in motion to replace the disgraced voice actor in the realm of video games. On June 11, Atlus announced Furuya's removal from the cast of Metaphor: ReFantazio, its upcoming RPG, “due to various circumstances" and that his replacement would be announced sometime in July.
Furuya's tenure as a voice actor spans over 50 years, with more than 100 roles, including Amuro Ray from Mobile Suit Gundam, Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon, and Yamcha in Dragon Ball. Furuya also voiced video game characters like Mewtwo in the Detective Pikachu series and Bryce Fairchild in Sega's recently released RPG Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Image credit Dick Thomas Johnson, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
