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Fellow Voice Actors Respond to Hiromi Tsuru's Passing

Voice actress Hiromi Tsuru passed away on Thursday due to aortic dissection. Tsuru was a prolific and respected member of the voice-acting community in Japan. Especially since she was only 57, her death has been a shock to the industry. Many fellow voice actors and other anime staff members responded to her death on Twitter.

Hiroki Yasumoto (Food Wars! The Second Plate's Subaru Mimasaka, Fairy Tail's Elfman Strauss) said, "I have no words. The voice that touched me since was small..." Yuka Saitou (Student Council's Discretion's Chizuru Akaba, Sket Dance's Kumi Itō) said, "It's a lie, right?... Right?" Minoru Shiraishi (Seitokai Yakuindomo's Kenji Yanagimoto, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's Taniguchi) noted that Tsuru's character, Ukyo Kuonji, is his favorite in Ranma ½. He also said, "I pray for her happiness in the next world." Aoi Yūki (My Hero Academia's Tsuyu Asui, Madoka Magica's Madoka Kaname) said that she had at first thought the talk of Tsuru's passing was just rumors, and she also wished for Tsuru's happiness in the next life. Yuki Matsuoka (Negima!'s Evangeline A.K. McDowell, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha's Amy Limiette) said, "Ms. Tsuru... No way... I can't believe this."

Both Hideki Ogihara (Mahoromatic's Toshiya Hamaguchi, Waiting in Summer's Tetsurō Ishigaki) and Masayo Kurata (Girls und Panzer's Momogaa, Love Hina's Shinobu Maehara) expressed disbelief. Mika Kanai (Kirakira ☆ Precure a la Mode's Pekorin, Soreike! Anpanman's Melonpanna) said, "The news of Hiromi Tsuru's death, I can't believe it. My heart is ready to burst. I want to say a lot, but... praying..." Maya Okamoto (Sakura Wars' Soletta Orihime, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam's Emma Sheen) said, "I'm sorry... This is a bit too much of a shock... Please allow me to take today off of Twitter..."

Referring to Tsuru's lead role in The Perrine Story, Ryotaro Okiayu (Clannad's Akio Furukawa, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed's Andrew Waltfeld) said, "Huh, no way. Didn't Perrine's rebroadcast just start? This is really awful." Showtaro Morikubo (Naruto's Shikamaru Nara, Yowamushi Pedal's Yūsuke Makishima) said, "I just found out. R.I.P." Megumi Ogata (Evangelion's Shinji Ikari, Sailor Moon S' Sailor Uranus) mentioned her work together with Tsuru on Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai and described Tsuru as a beautiful person. Yuko Miyamura (Detective Conan's Kazuha Toyama, Evangelion's Asuka Langley Sohryu) said she has been a manga and anime fan since she was young, and she has always admired Tsuru's work on Soreike! Anpanman. Natsuki Hanae (Digimon Adventure tri.- Chapter 1: Reunion's Taichi Yagami, Dragon Ball Super's Jaco) said, "I'm sad. I wanted her to call Jaco again."

In addition to commenting on Twitter, character designer Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura) also posted a message on her official blog with an illustration of Tsuru's Kimagure Orange Road character Madoka Ayukawa. Takada said that she is sad she will no longer be able to meet "that 'Madoka.'" She described Tsuru's voice as strong and kind. She added that she met Tsuru at a DVD box launch party and did not have many opportunities to meet her after that.

The staff of Dragon Ball Super described Tsuru's passing on the anime's official Twitter account as "too sudden" and "unbelievable." They said, "We can't really find words. Ms. Tsuru conveyed a lot of courage and kindness. Thank you very much. We pray with all our hearts for your happiness in the next world."

Soreike! Anpanman producer Atsushi Kirimoto told the Mantan Web news site on Friday: "I'm so shocked to hear about her sudden passing. I pray with all my heart that she finds happiness in the next world. Regarding who will succeed her as Dokin-chan, we will make an announcement once the successor is decided."

Sumi Shimamoto, who voices Shokupanman in the Soreike! Anpanman anime series, said, "I just can't believe it. I'm so sad. Next week, for the 30th time, we're recording the Christmas special for Anpanman. I thought I would just be able to see her again like usual, but..." Shimamoto announced that the staff is urgently looking for a replacement for Tsuru for recordings planned for next week for the yearly Anpanman Christmas special.

Tsuru voiced many iconic characters in anime, including Bulma from Dragon Ball, Dokin-chan in Soreike! Anpanman, Madoka Ayukawa in Kimagure Orange Road, Ukyo Kuonji in Ranma ½, Sachiko Nishio in Touch, Asuna Kujo in Maison Ikkoku, Meryl Strife in Trigun, Mikami in Ghost Sweeper Mikami, and Kiddy Phenil in Silent Möbius. She also provided the Japanese voice for the character Trinity in The Animatrix shorts. In video games, she is most well known for the voice of Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear Solid series, Julia Chang in the Tekken series, and Anne in Bravely Second: End Layer.

[Via Ota-Suke]