Voice actress Emi Shinohara, known for her role as Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto, has passed away at the age of 61.
Her talent company, 81 Produce, made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that she was undergoing medical treatment for an unspecified illness that did not prove to be effective.
Shinohara (whose real name was Emiko Watanabe) was born on August 8, 1963 in Fukushima, Prefecture and was primarily raised in Nagano throughout her early life.
In addition to Kushina Uzumaki, she was also known for her roles as Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon, Tennyo Masaki from Tenchi-Muyo Ryo Ohki OVAs, Presea in two seasons of Magic Knight Rayearth, Biko “B-Ko” Daitokuji from the Project A-ko anime film and original video anime projects, Kaho Mizuki in the Card Captor Sakura and Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card series, and Charlotte Elbourne in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
Most recently, she played the clumsy mother of Yuki Izumi, Motoko Izumi, from Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie in 2022.
Aside from voice acting in anime, she also provided the Japanese dub for many foreign films and TV series such as Perdita from 101 Dalmatians: The Series, April O’Neil in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, and Natalie Portman’s character Mathilda Lando from Léon: The Professional.
Anime Trending offers our sincere condolences to Shinohara’s family, friends, colleagues, and fans during this difficult time.
Source: Comic Natalie, Anime News Network
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