 Nobuyo Ooyama, the iconic voice actress who brought life to Doraemon, died on September 29 in Tokyo at the age of 90. Her agency, Actors Seven, confirmed the news, stating that Ooyama had been suffering from dementia in recent years. She had also battled other health issues, including a stroke in 2008 and a diagnosis of rectal cancer in 2001.Ooyama's voice acting career took off in 1957 with a role in the dubbed version of the television series Lassie, but she became a household name in 1979 when she took on the role of Doraemon, a character from the future sent to help a young boy, Nobita, solve his daily problems with gadgets from his magic pocket. Her portrayal of the plump, earless robot resonated with audiences for over two decades, making her a central figure in one of Japan's longest-running and globally recognized anime series. From 1979 to 2005, Ooyama voiced Doraemon with a distinctive alto voice and vibrant energy, helping the series reach millions of fans worldwide. The franchise's success extended beyond television, spawning numerous films, video games, and translations into over 50 languages. In 2008, the Japanese government appointed Doraemon as an anime ambassador, a testament to the character's cultural significance. After stepping down from the role in 2005, Ooyama received Japan's Broadcasting Woman Award. She continued her voice work, notably returning in 2010 to voice Monokuma in the Danganronpa video game series, but by 2012, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Out of concern for the public image of Doraemon, she kept her diagnosis private until her husband, actor Keisuke Sagawa, revealed it in 2015. Ooyama then retired from voice acting and moved to a nursing home in 2016. Ooyama's career spanned decades, with notable roles beyond Doraemon, including Punch in Hustle Punch and Kappei Jin in Muteki Choujin Zanbot 3 (Invincible Superman Zanbot 3). She also contributed as a singer, screenwriter, and essayist, receiving industry recognition for her extensive work. Her passing marks the end of an era for Doraemon fans and the anime community at large, but her legacy as the voice behind one of Japan's most cherished characters will continue to resonate for years to come. Source: NHK News, Oricon News |
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| Rest in Peace, Her voice as Doraemon have accompanied me since childhood :( To me, this is like losing Akira Toriyama :( |
 (っ◔◡◔)っ 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓭𝓪𝔂 ♥ |
| Yawn... Can we have actual decent anime news, not some Granny dying from old age? I could at least understand news about a sudden shocking death or event. It's just mostly weddings and deaths on this subforum, so boring. "Oh no, some old women died, she voiced some popular character way back when..... anyway, back to my day". Nobody really cares. Start posting interesting news already. |
| rip to another legend she live a long life at least |
| Iconic voice. She voiced Doraemon, one of the most popular anime characters not only in Japan, but also worldwide. At least she lived a long life. May she rest in peace. |
| A legend. It's amazing that she has reached the age of 90. Doraemon won't be the same without her iconic voice. Rest in Peace. =( |
| My condolences. As a late child, I understand somewhat the difficulty of caring for seriously ill relatives. |
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| I hope Ooyama had a peaceful ending despite her many health problems. She is a legend within the world of anime and will remain so even after her passing. |
LadyMarbleOct 17, 2:33 PM
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| Doraemon holds a special place in my heart, thank you very much for all your hard work and please rest in peace. It’s a sad day for the industry indeed. |
#Anime4Life be my Life Motto! #PrayForKyoAni  |
| Rest in peace Lady. |
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 (Drawing by Kohei Ashiya) MichikoNomura said: Oyama-san and I worked together on Doraemon for 26 years. We became really good friends, and I have a lot of fun memories, such as going on trips with Oyama-san, Ohara-san, and myself, just the three of us. For the past 18 years or so, I haven't been able to meet her due to her health, but I always had her in my heart. I wish I could have seen a recent photo of Oyama-san before she passed away. I pray for her soul to rest in peace. It's sad to think that Michiko Nomura is the only one who's still around and presumably doing well today (I said "presumably" because she's pretty much retired after 1979 anime ended) out of 1979 anime's main cast. When Nomura's inevitable passing comes, that'll truly marked the end of the era. LunyRem said: Doraemon won't be the same without her iconic voice. I get what you meant, but she hasn't voice the character for almost 20 years at this point and Wasabi Mizuta (Doraemon's current VA) is pretty much just as iconic today even if you still have some soft spots towards Oyama's performance. |
MahiaErebeaNegiOct 14, 8:48 PM
| Pathetic rage bait attempt from the sorry pedo loser who made the 2nd comment. May this woman rest in peace, condolences to her family and friends. |
| People on MAL refuse to actually enjoy watching anime. Your taste in anime isn't a personality trait. MAL is literally just anime Twitter as its own website lol. |
| My childhood right there. Rest in peace Ooyama-san. This hits really hard. |
| 🐷 |
| I never watched Doraemon meaningfully in Japanese; it was mostly a Spanish dub with Portuguese subtitles, but this and Dragon Ball were big parts of my childhood. She was a legend for her work and got to live long, albeit suffering from end-of-life issues, time for a good rest. If only more people in the anime industry, manga, and LNs could live as long... RIP to a queen of anime. |
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| RIP, I know she was quite the legend in Japan. |
Bum Bum Dum Dum |
| 90!? Rest in peace. |
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