News
In Memoriam

posted on 2025-12-31 23:50 EST by Crystalyn Hodgkins

To those who left us in 2025

William Bassett
Voice actor
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

517587184_18353439919158019_7359148934287665142_n — Image via Erica Schroeder's Instagram account

James Carter Cathcart
Voice actor, script adaptor
Pokémon, Revolutionary Girl Utena

Juli Erickson
Voice actress
Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, Ouran High School Host Club

Bill Flynn (also known as William Flynn)
Voice actor
Case Closed, One Piece

Ron Friedman
Writer
The Transformers: The Movie, Transformers: The Animated Movie

Image of Gil Gerard — Image via Janet Gerard's Facebook page

Gil Gerard
Actor
Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Elan Ross Gibson
Voice actress
Dragon Ball Z, Ranma ½ (TV 1/1989)

gofundme-matt-haasch — Image via GoFundMe's website

Matt Haasch
Star Fruit Books founder

Kunichika Harada
Manga creator
Pro Wrestling Superstar Retsuden, Kimura

Shōhei Harumoto
Manga creator
Kirin, Crazy Blood Line Now

Takaya Hashi
President and CEO of Pate Pro, voice actor
Fist of the North Star, One Piece

Picture of Barbie Hsu — Screenshot taken from Vogue Taiwan's YouTube channel

Barbie Hsu
Actress
Live-action Meteor Garden, Mars

ishihara-ryo — Image via Aoni Production's website

Ryō Ishihara
Voice actor
Cyborg 009, Cyborg 009 and the Monster Wars

Mizuki Itagaki
Actor
Ushijima the Loan Shark Part 2, Blue Spring Ride, Hibiki

Tomonobu Itagaki
Game creator
Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden

Photo of Masashi Kageyama — Image via Brave Wave's Bluesky account

Masashi Kageyama
Composer
Gimmick!, Purumui Purumui games

taisho-baseball-cover — Image via Amazon

Atsushi Kagurazaka
Novelist
Taishō Yakyū Musume, Uchi no Danna ga Amachan de

tsunehiko-kamijo — Image via Keiseven Nakamuraya's website

Tsunehiko Kamijō
Singer, actor, voice actor
Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso

tcheky_karyo_1992 — Tchéky Karyo in 1992 by Georges Biard, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Tchéky Karyo
Actor
Live-action Crying Freeman film, La Femme Nikita

Sui Kasai
Manga creator
Gisèle Alain, Tsukiyo no Toratsugumi

Image via Aoni Production

Yōko Kawanami
Voice actress
Armored Trooper Votoms, Dr. Slump & Arale-chan

Image of NoisyCell's band members — Image via NoisyCell's X/Twitter account

Kiara
NoisyCell bassist
Barakamon, Death Parade, Mr. Tonegawa

2025-02-17-14-31-www.instagram.com-1-.png — Image via Sae-ron Kim's Instagram account

Sae-ron Kim
Actress
Live-action Bloodhounds series

Nobumasa Konagai
Founding member of publisher Hakusensha, magazine editor
Bessatsu Margaret, Hana to Yume, LaLa, Young Animal

Tomio Kuriyama
Director
Tsuri Baka Nisshi live-action film series

503802550_18466159444077496_6407276211744907067_n — Image via Daniel York's Instagram account

Pik-Sen Lim
Actress
Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3

Dave Mallow
Voice actor
Digimon, Hunter × Hunter

Michio Mamiya
Composer
Grave of the Fireflies, Gauche the Cellist

Julie Mayfield
Voice actress
One Piece, Fruits Basket

Osamu Miyawaki
Founder of anime figure manufacturer Kaiyodo

Kazuki Motoyama (real name Masumi Motoyama)
Manga creator
Super Mario manga

one-piece-film-z-poster-2 — ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation © 2012 One Piece production committee

Tatsuya Nagamine
Director
One Piece, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Heartcatch Precure!

Tatsuya Nakadai
Actor, voice actor
Ran, Belladonna of Sadness

Kiriko Nananan
Manga creator
Blue, Strawberry Shortcakes, Kabocha to Mayonnaise

Tomomichi Nishimura
Voice actor
Slam Dunk, Street Fighter

Image via Judy Green's Instagram account

Richard Norton
Actor, trainer, stuntman, choreographer
1993 Hong Kong live-action City Hunter

Hell Teacher Nube — © 真倉翔・岡野剛/集英社・テレビ朝日・電通・東映アニメーション

Yōichi Ōnishi
Animator
Jigoku Sensei Nube, World Trigger, Digimon Adventure

Photo of Roberto Orci speaking at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California — "Roberto Orci" by Gage Skidmore

Roberto Orci
Screenwriter, producer
2007 Transformers film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

transformers-the-movie — Image via Amazon

Clive Revill
Voice actor, actor
Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, 1984 U.S. Transformers: Animated series

William Roberts (a.k.a. Bill Roberts)
Actor, director, writer
Patlabor 2: The Movie, Appleseed

sakurai-tomo.jfif — Image via Tomo Sakurai's X/Twitter account

Tomo Sakurai
Voice actress
Macross 7, Rurouni Kenshin

Akiko Sekine
Voice actress
Aoki Densetsu Shoot!, Tokimeki Memorial

Heatshot of Tetsuhisa Seko in business attire — Image via Nippon Ichi Software's website

Tetsuhisa Seko
President and CEO of Nippon Ichi Software, Director of NIS America
Disgaea series, Phantom Brave

Shikako
Manga creator
Manchuria Opium Squad

Atomu Shimojo
Actor
Human Crossing, Kamen Rider Hibiki

Image via Hiroshi Shinkawa's X/Twitter account

Hiroshi Shinkawa
Composer, arranger
Cat's Eye, Kimagure Orange Road, Ninja Scroll

Shino
Manga creator
Boku to Gyaru (Kimi) ga Fūfu ni Naru Made

Image via Production baobab's website

Ken Shiroyama
Vioce actor
Naruto Shippūden, Spriggan

509266441_17922549921068059_2377361000909059878_n — Image via Jim Shooter's Instagram account

Jim Shooter
Comic writer, editor, publisher
Supergirl, Superman, Transformers

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Actor
Mortal Kombat, Tekken, The Last Emperor

toheart_manga_engvol1 — Image via Amazon

Ukyou Takao
Manga creator
To Heart, To Heart Remember my memories

tamasandaiou — Image via Jun Tamatani's X/Twitter account

Jun Tamatani
Designer, illustrator
Princess Maker Q, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Raising Project

Shin Tsukumo
Manga creator
Edomae no Sushi, Namida Meshi

Image via Peter Navy Tuiasopopo's Facebook page

Peter Navy Tuiasosopo
Actor
1994 live-action Street Fighter film, 2008 live-action Speed Racer movie

Matha Farm Hara Urara — Image via Matha Farm

Haru Urara
Thoroughbred race horse
Served as the inspiration for the Uma Musume Pretty Derby franchise's character of the same name

jeffutanes — Image via Jefferson Utanes' Facebook page

Jefferson Utanes
Filipino voice actor
Dragon Ball Z, Doraemon, Detective Conan

Jim Ward
Voice actor
Ratchet and Clark, Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Lee Weaver
Actor, voice actor
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Bill Cosby Show

Dale Wilson
Voice actor
Dragon Ball Z, Cardcaptors, Transformers: Armada

Hisako Yamada
Gendai Production President and producer
Live-action Barefoot Gen film, Angel ga Tonda Hi

Nobuo Yamada (also known as NoB)
Singer
Saint Seiya, Kemono Michi: Rise Up

Hirohiko Yokomi
Travel writer, manga creator
Tetsuko no Tabi

Cover image via depositphotos.com

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In Memoriam