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Image via Nhk The anime industry lost a legend recently with the passing of Nobuyo Oyama (real name Noburo Yamashita). The seasoned voice actor — known for some truly iconic roles, including the titular robot cat in Doraemon — passed away on September 29 at the age of 90. According to a statement from the talent agency Actors Seven via Nhk , Oyama was in and out of the hospital this year . Back in 2015, Oyama revealed she had been suffering from dementia since 2012, but continued voice acting for a few more years. She voiced Doraemon for 26 years from 1979 to 2005, and is also known for roles such as Monokuma in the Danganronpa series, Katsuo Isono in the Sazae-san anime and more. All in all, Oyama had a storied career that started with her professional voice-acting debut back in 1957. She left a powerful impact on the industry, and our thoughts go out to her family, friends, colleagues and fans.

Doraemon voice actress Nobuyo Oyama passed away at the age of 90. Her agency, Actors Seven, made the announcement on Oct 11, revealing that Oyama died peacefully on Sep 29 due to old age.

According to the statement, in keeping with her family’s wishes, Oyama’s passing was marked with a private funeral.

The agency also expressed gratitude for the love and support she received throughout her life and career.

“Our actor Nobuyo Oyama passed away peacefully due to old age on September 29, 2024 (Reiwa 6), at the age of 90. In light of current circumstances, a private funeral was held with only close family members. We sincerely thank everyone for their kindness and support during her life. We deeply apologize for the delay in this notification. Sincerely, Nobuyo Oyama Office, Actors Seven Co., Ltd.“

Aside from Doraemon, Oyama also voiced Monokuma in Danganronpa, Katsuo Isono in Sazae-san, Norakuro in Norakuro, among others.

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For over 23 years, anime voice actor Masako Nozawa has provided the voice for Son Goku from Akira Toriyama's beloved shonen franchise, Dragon Ball. Recently, Japanese audiences demonstrated their appreciation for Nozawa's iconic role by granting her the title of "Japan's top female voice actress."

NetLab, a popular Japan-based entertainment site, collaborated with "Voice Note" to hold a survey asking viewers to state who they believe to be "the best female voice actor in Japan." This particular poll, targeted toward audiences in their 50s and 60s, allowed participants to choose performers from not just anime but also video games, TV commercials and VAs for foreign-made films. In a landslide vote, roughly 24.4% of voters chose Nozawa. The second place winner, with 11.3% of the vote, was Nobuyo Oyama, who voices the titular robot cat from Shin-Ei Animation's Doraemon anime. The top 13 winners are listed below.

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