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Atlus Recasts Tōru Furuya in Metaphor: ReFantazio Game

Atlus announced on Tuesday that it has removed voice actor Tōru Furuya from the cast of its upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio fantasy role-playing game "due to various circumstances," and will announce the replacement cast member sometime in July. Atlus had not previously announced which character or role Furuya would be playing in the game.

On his X (formerly Twitter) account on May 22, voice actor Tōru Furuya acknowledged a recent report by the Weekly Bunshun magazine regarding an affair he had with a fan. Weekly Bunshun interviewed him for the article.

Furuya admitted that he had been in a relationship with a female fan for four and a half years until last September. He said that he had become attracted to a fan of his that was supporting him earnestly, and that he had contacted her to begin the affair. He also admitted that during their relationship, he had raised his hand to strike her once when they had an argument. Furuya also admitted that he had caused the woman to have an abortion.

Following the admission, Animate canceled its Detective Conan event scheduled for July 27, which would have him as a speaker. He also left a stage reading production scheduled for August 10 to 11.

Furuya's voice-acting career extends more than 50 years, and he has performed in more than 100 titles. He is known for voicing characters such as Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam, Yamcha in Dragon Ball, and Tōru Amuro/Rei Furuya in Detective Conan. His anime roles also include Sabo in One Piece, Pegasus Seiya in Saint Seiya, Kyosuke Kasuga in Kimagure Orange Road, and Ribbons Almark in Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

Source: Atlus via Hachima Kikō