The Voice Actress Nobuyo Oyama Of Doraemon, Japan's Robotic Cat, Has Passed Away At The Age Of 90

TV & Film

Oct 16

Nobuyo Oyama, the voice actress of Doraemon from 1979 until 2005, passed away on September 29th at the age of 90. Her agency, Actors Seven, reported her death, and she was reported to have died of natural causes. Oyama had been dealing with dementia for quite some time and had a stroke in 2008.

Oyama (real name Noburo Yamashita) was born on October 16th, 1933, in Shibuya, Tokyo. She made her acting debut in 1957 and had her first major role in the 1965 anime Hustle Punch as Punch. Nobuyo made her debut as the gadget cat from the future, Doraemon, in the 1979 anime adaptation of the Doraemon anime, succeeding Masako Nozawa (known for Son Goku in the Dragon Ball franchise), who voiced him in the 1973 Doraemon anime. She voiced the role in the series and its related media until 2005 when she was succeeded by Wasabi Mizuta in the 2005 Doraemon anime. In addition to Doraemon, Oyama was also known for voicing Monokuma in the Danganropa franchise from 2010 to 2016. Other notable roles included Huck in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Norakuro in the anime of the same name, and the titular role in Hazedon.

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Oyama retired in 2015. Her late husband, TV personality Keisuke Sagawa, revealed on a radio show that the actress had dementia. As of 2016, she was living in a nursing home. Keisuke Sagawa passed away on July 11th, 2017. Her longtime manager, Akiko Kobayashi, continued to visit her until her death. Despite her condition, she remained active in her assisted living community and even participated in activities such as choir.

There was a private funeral held for the actress before the announcement of her passing. The Doraemon episode aired on October 12th featured a condolence message for Oyama and included scenes from the 1979 anime.

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