Renowned voice actor Hiroya Ishimaru, known for his role as Kozuki Oden in the One Piece manga, has announced his retirement from the dubbing industry. According to Anime Explained, Guinness World Record holder Hiroya Ishimaru, who was also the official Japanese dub-over for Jackie Chan, has decided to retire from the voice acting field.
Beginning his career in the 1960s, Ishimaru started working in the anime industry in 1972 and worked on several productions, including Mazinger Z, Astro Boy, City Hunter, and One Piece. In recent years, he was involved in the production of ‘Soreike! Anpanman’, special ’24-Hour TV’, ‘Friday Road Show’, and many other production works.
During one of his radio shows, he mentioned that he believes a voice actor’s success depends on chance. Ishimaru is very grateful for the opportunity to voice Jackie Chan, sharing that the long-time running series was the reason why he could continue working as a voice actor.
“Even if you start selling as a voice actor, your job will stop as soon as the series is over,” said Ishimaru. “Because you never know when a job will become your masterpiece,” he added.
Apart from voicing Kozuki Oden in the manga One Piece, Hiroya Ishimaru is a retired Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator, famous for his role as Koji Kabuto in the 1972 anime series Mazinger Z and its sequels. He also voiced Tutty from Bosco Adventure and Ultraman Taro in recurring entries in the Ultra series.
Regardless of his retirement, Hiroya Ishimaru’s contribution to the anime industry will not be forgotten. Fans will forever remember his talent and contribution to the industry.
