Hi all!
I regret to report that Rokuro Naya, the voice of the Narrator in Gatchaman Fighter, passed away on November 17th. He was 82-years-old.
Born in Tokyo on October 20, 1932, Mr. Naya's acting career began after he graduated from college, when, as he claimed, he was "dragged into it" by his older brother and fellow thespian Goro Naya. The two became part of the same theatrical troupe, and often acted together on stage. Mr. Naya started as a voice actor in 1969, when he gave voice to Fuga, a guest character episode #24 of the anime series "Humanoid Monster Bem."
Following his appearance in Bem, Mr. Naya enjoyed a steady stream of both guest roles and recurring character roles in a number of anime series. Among his memorable parts during the 1970s were Lone Wolf in "Tiger Mask," Tarohei Hachimon in "Samurai Giants," the Narrator in "Urikupen Rescue Squad," and Barry Hawk in "Champion Gordian."
Mr. Naya first came to Gatchaman providing guest voices during the first TV series. In that capacity, he brought to life the Gallactor Captain in "Gatchaman" #49, the Gallactor scientist Nakamora in "Gatchaman" #59, the baseball game Announcer and Gallactor Soldier B in "Gatchaman" #63, and a Gallactor Soldier and one of the Guardsmen who fatally encounters Bem in "Gatchaman" #65. Mr. Naya returned to Gatchaman in 1979, when he was cast as the Narrator for the "Gatchaman Fighter," replacing Shusei Nakamura, who had been the Narrator for "Gatchaman II."
Mr. Naya continued voice acting for the rest of his life. The 1980s saw him appear as the voices of Aquarius Camus in "Saint Seiya," Wolf Kanagushi in "Tomorrow's Joe 2," and Papa in "Magical princess Minky Momo." The 1990s brought him to the roles of Dorai in "Street Fighter II V," Koshin Chin Sanzan in "Giant Robo, and Duke Brown in the movie "Lupin III - From Russia With Love." During the 2000s, he appeared a character like the Chief in "Karas," Grumman in "Full Metal Alchemist," and in a return to his roots, he even voiced Dana Oshi in the 2007 remake of "Humanoid Monster Bem." He remained busy in in the 2010s, where he voiced Encho in "Crayon Shin-chan," Christophe Blanc in "Eureka Seven AO," and Kotemon in "Digimon Xros Wars." And these are but the tip of the iceberg of Mr. Naya's career, which also included dubbing foreign movies and TV shows, such as his work as "Ducky" Mallard in the Japanese version of N.C.I.S., live action tokusatsu shows, where he voiced Jaguarman in the series of the same name, and video games, where he brought Dr. Nazonazo to life in the "Zatch Bell!" games. His final role came earlier this year, when he voiced the Old Man in TV anime series "Knights of Sidonia." All these and hundreds of other performances are the legacy of his lengthy and successful career.
In February of this year, Mr. Naya was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to voice acting during the 8th annual Seiyu Awards. An honor he richly deserved.
On October 22nd, Mr. Naya was admitted to a Tokyo-area hospital complaining of poor health. An examination discovered that he was suffering from a brain infarction and pneumonia. He began receiving treatment for both, but on November 17th, he died from complications caused by the pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Mitsue Naya, and their children.
Mr. Naya's funeral services will be held at the Aoyama Funeral Home in Tokyo on November 20th at 11am. His eldest son, Ryosuke Naya, will be the Chief Mourner.
James
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