Fans of Toru Furuya, the voice actor behind iconic characters such as Sabo from One Piece, Amuro Ray from Gundam, Mamoru Chiba from Sailor Moon, and Yamcha from Dragon Ball, were left deeply disappointed when Furuya admitted on social media to having an affair with a fan for over four years.
On his official Twitter account, Furuya acknowledged the allegations made by the gossip site Bunshun, which closely follows celebrities. He admitted to initiating and maintaining an illicit relationship with a 30-year-old fan from April 2019 to September of last year.
In addition to the infidelity, Furuya confessed to physical abuse, admitting that he had hit the woman during an argument.
He also revealed that he had pressured her into having an abortion during their relationship. Furuya apologized for the mental and psychological harm he caused her and expressed his regret to his fans for betraying their trust and tarnishing the characters he voiced.
Furuya stated that he is prepared to accept any punishments and intends to spend the rest of his life making amends. His career as a voice actor, will now be overshadowed by this scandal. In Japan, such controversies are not taken lightly, and his reputation has been severely damaged.
Despite not frequently reprising prominent roles in modern animation, Furuya continued to work as the voice of Tooru Amuro in Detective Conan and served as the narrational voice for Highspeed Etoile, which is currently airing.
However, his future in the industry remains uncertain following these revelations, it’s highly likely that he will be blacklisted moving forward.
