Anime voice actress Nobuyo Oyama, one of the main voices of Doraemon in addition to playing the villainous mascot in Danganronpa, has died. She was 90.
The new was announced by Oyama's agency and circulated on X/Twitter. Oyama had been living in a retirement home since 2016 and reportedly suffered from dementia. She died on September 29.
Nobuyo Ōyama and Noriko Ohara.
— Daily Pictures of Doramula (R.I.P Nobuyo Ōyama) (@DailyDoramiPics) October 11, 2024
Born 1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks, and 16 days apart, died less than a year, 2 months, 11 weeks, and 2 days apart.
Close friends until they physically couldn't during their lives anymore.
Doraemon and Nobita for 25 years straight.
Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/hQ2IYAT4Aq
Prior to her retirement, Oyama had been best-known for her role as Doraemon, the robotic cat from the future who is often seen as being right up there with Astro Boy as one of the foundational characters of modern anime. Oyama voiced Doraemon for an incredible 2,338 episodes over the course of more than 25 years before finally handing the role to Wasabi Mizuta for a new show that began in 2005. She also had a starring role in the iconic 1970s mecha anime Zambot 3, where she played the hero Jin Kappei.
After Doraemon, Oyama took on a new role: Monokuma, the villainous mascot of Danganronpa, a "walking, talking, psychopathic bear." The series developed a devoted cult fanbase in the U.S. and Japan, and Oyama continued in the role for several games before her retirement in 2015.
Nobuyo Õyama, the Japanese voice actress for Doraemon in the "Doraemon" (1979) series, has been confirmed to have passed away at 90 years old.
— Tungor ╭Ꙭ╮ (@TungorMonFansub) October 11, 2024
She passed away back on September 29th.
Rest in peace. Thank you for everything you gave to this world ??#Doraemon #ドラえもん pic.twitter.com/beOZptuyv3
Interestingly, Oyama was something of a gamer herself, and was an especially big fan of Arkanoid. Her personal Arkanoid cabinet has reportedly found a home at Mikado, one of Tokyo's most famous arcades, and Arkanoid has been trending on Japanese social media.
RIP Nobuo Oyama, pengisi suara Doraemon ? pic.twitter.com/23APkM64am
— Ry ? (@ventableu) October 11, 2024
In the meantime, fans on social media have paid tribute to Oyama with old pictures and videos highlighting her work while thanking her for her contributions to anime over the years.
"Oyama Nobuyo-san, thank you for lending your voice to one of the most iconic anime characters and making my childhood enjoyable," one fan wrote. "You will truly be missed."
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
