Amuro Ray, the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam, has been closely associated with his original Japanese voice actor Tooru Furuya. However, the voice association may end sooner than usual, as Bandai Namco is contemplating whether to employ a new voice actor for the famous character in light of Furuya’s recently revealed scandal.
Yahoo! Japan’s Meikou Kawamura sent a question to Bandai Namco to confirm whether it is considering a change to Amuro Ray’s voice role from Tooru Furuya. Bandai Namco Filmworks, the subsidiary which owns Sunrise, replied with the following message:
In this company, we think over the world settings and characters who appear in our works with utmost care. In regards to this matter, we want to make a careful consideration to deal with it, so we are refraining from commenting for now.
Bandai Namco Filmworks
Tooru Furuya has been receiving an intense spotlight ever since Bunshun reported on his adultery scandal with a forced abortion. The veteran voice actor has since apologized for committing the acts. However, the scandal is still having a great impact on his career. His agency, Aoni Production, persuaded him to step down from his two roles as Sabo in One Piece and Tooru Amuro in Detective Conan / Case Closed. Atlus also removed him from an upcoming role in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
A fair number of people in the Japanese fandom have been posting recommendations for Osamu Wakai to step up as the new voice actor for Amuro Ray. This is because the Japanese comedian has been well-known for his impersonation of the character.
The recommendation is not without merit, as there was a prior similar example. Kanichi Kurita is originally a comedian known for impersonating the titular protagonist of the Lupin the Third series. He eventually became the official Japanese voice actor for Lupin III starting from the 1995 movie Farewell to Nostradamus following the death of the original voice actor Yasuo Yamada.
