Atlus has announced via its Japanese site that they are dropping veteran voice actor Toru Furuya from the cast of Metaphor: ReFantazio. While the statement only says that they’re dropping the actor for “various reasons,” it most likely has to do with reporting by Shūkan Bunshun that alleged the actor had a four-and-a-half year affair with a much younger fan.
Toru Furuya posted a message on Twitter back in May to apologize to fans. In his statement, he confirmed the affair with the fan, who was reportedly 37 years younger than him, as well as the fact that he, at one point, struck her. He also reportedly coerced the woman into getting an abortion after she became pregnant.
Following the reporting, many companies chose to distance from the actor, with the Showroom streaming service dropping his program and his appearance at Momocon 2024 being canceled.
Toru Furuya is a prolific voice actor, with roles going back to the ‘60s. He’s lent his voice to characters such as Yamcha from Dragon Ball, Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam, and Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon. He also, for a time, voiced Mario in the anime movie Super Mario Bros: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!, as well as various commercials.
Atlus has stated that they’ll announce who is filling the role in July. Metaphor: ReFantazio is slated to be released on October 11, 2024.
