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Voice Actor Takahiro Fujiwara Dies at 43

Talent agency Ken Production announced on Thursday that voice actor Takahiro Fujiwara died on May 14. He was 43. 

In accordance with his family's wishes, a private funeral service attended only by close family members was held.

Fujiwara was born on July 15 in Hokkaido. His agency profile page describes him as "an old man who can't stop playing video games, so much that he forgets to eat and sleep," and a "complete homebody who makes effort to stay indoors." The description adds his appearance and voice make him seem like a bad guy, but Fujiwara himself "thinks that he's actually quite cute."

Fujiwara voices the character Kan Jou (Huan Chang) in the Kingdom anime, but had to step down from the role in August last year, due to health reasons. Teruyuki Tanzawa replaced Fujiwara to voice the character.

Fujiwara is known for his roles as Kurogiri in My Hero Academia, Zenzō Inukai in the Laughing Under the Clouds television anime and film series, Jerome Guizbatt in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Bol Gil Bol in BASTARD!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-: Hell's Requiem, Pippin in Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition series and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc films, Eikichi Nebuya in Kuroko's Basketball, and Goichi Shima in Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z, among others.

In video games, Fujiwara voiced Walter Eckhardt in Detective Pikachu, Deadshot and Lagase in Batman: Arkham Shadow, Goro Daimon in The King of Fighters XIV and The King of Fighters: All Star, King Curlking in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, Owetu "Jackal" Mabuza in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Koryu in the Hokuto no Ken: Legend Revive mobile game.

Fujiwara also voiced Harry in the Japanese dub of the animated film Sing, and Marshmallow in Frozen. He also voiced Dr. Screwball Jones in the Japanese dub of the U.S. animated series Wander Over Yonder. Fujiwara's non-anime roles include Kevin Crawford in the U.S. series CSI.

Sources: Ken Production, Comic Natalie, Oricon