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Kingdom Hearts, Code Geass Voice Actor Yū Shimaka Passes Away at 70
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The official website for Tohokai, the alumni association for the Toho Gakuen vocational school, announced on July 30 that voice actor Yū Shimaka passed away on July 28. He was 70.
Shimaka was a lecturer at the Tokyo Announce Gakuin school, and his funeral services were held on July 31 and August 1.
Shimaka is perhaps most well known as the Japanese dub voice for the Disney character Goofy. He played the character in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, including in Kingdom Hearts III. He also voiced the role in A Goofy Movie and in other animated works and video games featuring the character
In anime, Shimaka voiced such roles as Ryouga Senba in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Misha in Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Valke Shultz in Star Blazers 2199, Bishop of Hereford in Robin Hood, Goddado/Tekkaman Axe in Tekkaman Blade, Pertti in Mori no Tonto-tachi, and Bob Floyd in Powered Armor Dorvack. He also played minor roles in numerous anime including Detective Conan, EUREKA SEVEN AO, Space Adventure Cobra, Cowboy Bebop, Doraemon, and Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl, among many others.
In animation, Shimaka also voiced the character Plugsy in The Brave Little Toaster, Fat Cat in Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Spike in Tom & Jerry. He also performed dubs for Western live-action series such as X-Files, ER, and LOST.
Shimaka also ran a private voice acting school called "Goof Troop."
Image via Production A-Gumi
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