Toshio Furukawa is a veteran voice actor in the anime community. From one of the most iconic characters in Dragon Ball, Piccolo, to Portgas D. Ace in One Piece, he offers a variety like no one else does. However, his career didn’t take off as he had hoped.
One of his earlier roles in the voice acting industry was Ataru Motoboshi in Urusei Yatsura, which Rumiko Takahashi wrote, and you might know her as the creator of Inuyasha. Toshio Furukawa gained a lot of criticism for that role, but the mangaka defended him.
The criticism towards Toshio Furukawa wasn’t entirely warranted, as it almost made him quit the voice acting industry altogether. If Takahashi hadn’t stepped up, we wouldn’t have had his talents as Piccolo or Ace.
Rumiko Takahashi Had Toshio Furukawa’s Back When No One Did
Imagining a world where Piccolo wasn’t voiced by Toshio Furukawa is impossible. He’s an iconic and beloved character from the Dragon Ball franchise who had a great redemption arc and became one of Goku’s greatest allies. He has voiced the Namekian since 1986, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Similarly, he lent his voice for One Piece as Portgas D. Ace, and now we can’t imagine anyone else playing him. He also returns during emotional flashbacks and has been confirmed to dub the character even for the Netflix live-action television series in Season 2.
His long and illustrious career isn’t limited to Shonen series. As Ataru Motoboshi in Urusei Yatsura, Furukawa offered a comedic tone. He nailed the role and will always be the first choice for the main protagonist. However, not all fans agreed.
Fans of Urusei Yatsura, specifically the manga, believed Toshio Furukawa’s voice didn’t fit the role of Ataru. It got to the point that the station handling the release received several complaint letters. While it can be a matter of opinion, they went too far.
Recently, on Furukawa’s X account, he posted about this difficult period as a new voice actor and how worried he was about being fired. Rumiko Takahashi, however, came to his rescue. He states:
At yesterday’s talk show with Director Mamoru Oshii and Yuichiro Oguro, I was recalling the time around the start of the Urusei Yatsura broadcast. The TV station was flooded with complaint letters saying that Ataru’s voice didn’t fit. Almost all of them came from fans of the original author.
Readers might have some kind of image of each character’s voice in their minds when reading the manga. Right after that, Rumiko Takahashi-sensei praised Ataru’s voice and performance as perfect in an anime magazine or something.
Suddenly, fan letters full of praise came pouring in. I was so down, thinking that if I got dropped from the role, I might have to quit the industry altogether, so I’m truly, endlessly grateful to the sound director Shigeji Suwa, who cast me, and to Takahashi-sensei.
It’s incredible how one show of support changed the trajectory of Furukawa’s career. If not for Takahashi, we wouldn’t have his talent.
Toshio Furukawa Is One of Many Voice Actors Who Have Faced Bullying
Fans can have their opinions on a voice actor’s capability as the character they play, but to go as far as to complain to the station is unnecessary. Toshio Furukawa wasn’t the first or last case of this harassment.
English and Japanese voice actors face criticism all the time, especially the former. As they don’t fit the energy of an anime, they are constantly subjected to bullying or unnecessarily harsh criticism. It’s a tough industry, and this only makes matters worse.
Rumiko Takahashi’s encouragement at least silenced the fans. Toshio Furukawa recognized his potential and kept going, and now we have an amazing voice actor for iconic characters.
Toshio Furukawa is so versatile, we can’t fathom how anyone doubted his talent. What do you think of the criticism he received and how it would’ve affected his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Urusei Yatsura can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll.
