‘Naruto’ and ‘One Piece Actor Dies of Heart Attack: Takaya Hashi Was 72

Japanese actor Takaya Hashi has died. He was 72.

A statement posted by Apte Pro, the acting agency where he served as CEO, he passed away last Wednesday from a sudden myocardial infarction.

Hashi got his start in theater and appeared in several Japanese films and TV shows, but his voice acting roles are what he’s best known for. He’s appeared in several video games, anime series, and Japanese versions of American films.

His most famous anime roles are as Kakuzu in Naruto, as Duke Inuarashi in One Piece, as Ernest Mecklinger in Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Toki in Fist of the North Star. On the gaming side, he voiced main antagonist Skull Face in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Emhyr var Emreis in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, who was the father of deuteragonist Ciri.

He had plenty of other roles, however, with over 250 credits to his name. In Japan, he provided the voice-over for Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Most recently, he voiced Gustav Honda in Fire Force, Shirosuke Inudō in Golden Kamuy, and Donovan Desmond in Spy x Family.

Hashi was considered a legend in his field, with the New York Times deeming him “[one] of Japan’s top voice actors” in 2021.