Sabo voice actor Toru Furuya steps down from ‘One Piece’ following scandal

Toru Furuya, the acclaimed voice actor renowned for his role as “Flame Emperor” Sabo in One Piece, is stepping down from multiple high-profile series following an abusive affair with a fan.

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Furuya, who has been a significant figure in the anime industry for over 60 years, publicly acknowledged his extramarital affair with a fan in her 30s, which lasted over four years. The 70-year-old actor admitted to physically assaulting the woman during their relationship and coercing her into having an abortion.

Japanese news website Oricon reported that Furuya and his talent agency, Aoni Production, issued a statement announcing his departure from One Piece and Detective Conan, where he voiced the character Rei Furuya. This decision follows Atlus’s removal of Furuya from its upcoming role-playing game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, in early June.

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Furuya expressed remorse in a message archived by the One Piece fan account @pewpiece before deleting his social media accounts.

“Due to my selfish actions, I, Toru Furuya, have caused trouble and concern for many people. This incident has significantly damaged the works and character images of Detective Conan and One Piece. To compensate for the damage done to these works and characters, and to support the fans of these works, I have thought deeply and painfully decided to withdraw from voicing the characters Furuya Rei and Sabo. Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone for the significant trouble caused. I deeply regret this incident and feel truly sorry”

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Toei Animation, the production company behind One Piece, confirmed Furuya’s departure in a statement: “Toru Furuya’s agency has requested that he no longer voice the character Sabo. We have accepted this request and decided to replace the voice actor. We will proceed with selecting a new voice actor. We ask for your continued support of the One Piece anime in the future.”

Furuya’s departure marks the end of an era for his fans and the anime community, where he has voiced iconic characters like Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, Yamcha in Dragon Ball, and Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam. The future of his career remains uncertain, with many speculating that he may retire from the industry entirely following this controversy.