The esteemed career of Japanese voice actor Toru Furuya, spanning multiple decades, has come to an abrupt end. Furuya has announced his effective retirement and will no longer reprise his roles in Detective Conan and One Piece.
A month ago, Furuya publicly confirmed an infidelity scandal reported by the gossip site Bunshun. He admitted on Twitter to having an illicit relationship with a fan for several years. During this time, he not only betrayed his wife but also, at one point, physically struck his secret lover and forced her to terminate a pregnancy.
The news hit hard, especially in Japan, a country that does not handle scandals of this nature well. Despite winding down his career, Toru Furuya was still actively working, voicing Tooru Amuro in Detective Conan and Sabo in One Piece. He also had minor roles in recently aired adaptations like Highspeed Etoile, Birdie Wing, and Fluffy Paradise.
Upon going public with the scandal, the future of his career became uncertain. It seemed likely that he would be blacklisted by the industry, a theory that was soon proven correct when Atlus cut ties with Furuya for their upcoming RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and effectively recast his role and now he has announced that he will be stepping down from his main roles of prominence in today’s anime landscape.
The announcement was made on the official website of Aoni Production on the 22nd. I can’t say I’m surprised; it was either the man steps down with what little dignity he has left or be abruptly replaced, as Atlus had done.
Toru Furuya’s legacy spanned countless years, famously voicing Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam and later Sabo in One Piece, starting from Episode 663, which aired on October 19, 2014.
His actions are not only disgusting but inexcusable. The Japanese public does not handle scandals of infidelity or promiscuity well. His reputation is destroyed both in the West and especially in Japan.
Any voice roles he maintained are now gone, and upcoming projects have recast his parts. His career is effectively over; he won’t be remembered for his marvelous efforts but rather for this unfortunate scandal that will overshadow his long career.
There’s nowhere for him to go from here. Him stepping down from One Piece and Detective Conan is more or less the announcement of his officially retirement, as there’s no possibility of him ever being cast in the anime industry again.
