Emi Shinohara, the beloved voice actress for Sailor Moon and Naruto characters, passed away at the age of 61 on September 8, 2024.
The sad news was announced by Shinohara’s talent agency 81 Produce on its official website. The voice actor, who has starred in many top anime series, was suffering from an unknown illness and passed away while undergoing treatment.
The company’s website States: “[Sad news] Shinohara Emi (real name Watanabe Emiko), an actress affiliated with our company, passed away on September 8, 2024, at the age of 61, while undergoing medical treatment. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to her for the kindness she showed us throughout her life.
This is a major blow to the anime industry, as the late actress lent her voice to many iconic anime characters, including Sailor Moon’s Sailor Jupiter, Naruto Shippuden’s Kushina Uzumaki, Cardcaptor Sakura’s Mizuki Kaho, and Loveless’ Katsuko.
In addition to her roles in animated films, Shinohara has also dubbed foreign films into Japanese. Some of her most famous dubbing roles include Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (originally played by Judy Garland), Taptip from The King and I (Rita Moreno), and Matilda de Leon (Natalie Portman).
Following the announcement, fans have been mourning his death and paying tribute to his illustrious career on social media. One such fan wrote on X, “Rip Emi Shinohara, Kushina, Natsuhi and Misuzu, thank you for giving voice to so many awesome mom characters.”
“My deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones. Last month, Atsuko Tanaka also passed away. It’s unreal,” commented another user, referencing the Ghost in the Shell voice actor’s death in August 2024. Coincidentally, Tanaka also voiced a female character in Naruto Shippuden – Konan.
“Rest in peace, Shinohara-san. She has more notable roles than Kushina, like Natsuhi from Umineko, Biko from Project A-Ko, and Kekkou Kamen for that matter.” added a third.
“NO. 61?!! She was so young, man. We’re having a horrible year with so many legends passing away,” one user said.
As we remember Shinohara and his contribution to the anime industry, we can revisit some of his best works. Our Naruto episode guides and Naruto fillers will help you do just that.
