Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90
Nobuyo Oyama, best known for voicing the title character of "Doraemon," one of Japan’s most popular anime series, died from natural causes on Sept. 29 at age 90, media reports said Friday.
From the show's debut in 1979 until 2005, Oyama voiced the nation's beloved blue cat-robot in her own inimitable way.
The "Doraemon" anime series has been watched by millions in Japan and around the world and has been translated into 55 languages, while the original manga has been translated into 12 languages and released in 17 countries.
Since the initial release of the manga in 1970, the franchise, which also includes several movies and video games, has garnered global popularity.
The character has even made its way into politics, with Doraemon having been appointed as an anime ambassador by the government in 2008.
Born in Tokyo in 1933, Oyama entered the entertainment industry with ambitions to become an actor. Her voice acting career began in 1957 when she performed in the dubbed version of the TV series “Lassie.”
Other notable parts of her career include voicing the main character Punch in the anime series “Hustle Punch,” which aired between 1965 and 1966, as well as her role as Kappei Jin in “Invincible Super Man Zambot 3.”
In 2001, she was diagnosed with rectal cancer and retired from all of her roles besides Doraemon. She made a comeback in 2010, voicing the role of Monokuma in the popular video game series Danganronpa.
Oyama’s career was expansive, having performed as an actor and singer as well as working as a screenwriter and essayist. In 2005, she received an award from the Society of Japanese Women in Radio and Television for her work in the industry.
It was revealed in 2015 by her husband — actor and television talent Keisuke Sagawa, who she met and married in 1964 — that Oyama had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. Sagawa, who had been looking after her since the diagnosis, died in 2017.
