 Voice actress Tomo Sakurai, best known for her roles in Macross 7 and Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (Rurouni Kenshin), died on August 13 after a battle with multiple organ cancer. She was 53.The news was announced by her agency, Feathered, through her official X (formerly Twitter) account. Sakurai had been urgently hospitalized on August 4 after her condition worsened, and subsequently canceled her "TOMO Natsu 2025 Live" concert, which had been scheduled for August 17 at Shibuya, Tokyo. "Sakurai Tomo was striving for a full recovery from her illness, and always worked hard and proactively with us on his treatment. However, this outcome has come to this, and we are deeply saddened and heartbroken," Feathered stated. The agency added that her funeral will be held privately by only close relatives in attendance, and they are considering organizing a farewell event for fans at a later date. Her official X account will continue to operate, sharing photos and memories from her life. Born in Chiba Prefecture in September 1971, Sakurai made her major debut in 1987 with her first role as herself in Cream Lemon: Lemon Angel (Lemon Angel). She also performed the third ending themes for Choujin Gakuen Gowcaizer: The Voltage Fighters (Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer) and Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows). In September 2016, she announced her retirement from the entertainment industry due to vocal difficulties, but later returned in June 2019. Over the course of her career, Sakurai voiced many memorable characters including Mylene Flare Jenius from Macross 7, Misao Makimachi from Rurouni Kenshin, Shirona from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, Hinowa from Gintama, and Meimi Haneoka from Kaitou Saint Tail (Mysterious Thief Saint Tail). Source: Oricon News, Sponichi Annex News submitted by nirererin |
VindstotSep 15, 2025 6:10 AM
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| "Marine from Akazukin chacha" damn, poor _-_Sally_-_ That was one of her favorite characters anyway, Rest in peace ⎧ᴿᴵᴾ⎫𓇢🥀🕯️ |
| :v |
| rip tomo-san she was great in lemon angel too, great VA |
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| Surprised she was planning to hold a concert despite having cancer. |
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| First Aku Toyosaki's husband, now this. VA industry is suffering so many loses lately. |
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| I only knew a few of her characters and I don't remember her voice anymore, but it's just sad. People shouldn't die at 50, it's too early. My condolences to her family and fans. I won't get around to her roles in Macross, Gintama or Pokemon anytime soon, but maybe I should try Kaitou Saint Tail where she had a major role? It looks like a cute little shoujo anime. |
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| Rest in peace Tomo Sakurai and condolences to her family. |
| BANZAI NIPPON. Nippon is the Land of freedom. Nippon is the Land of Peace. Nippon is the Land of Justice and Prosperity. In Nippon, we trust. We love Nippon, we love Anime. Anime love us, Nippon love us. 日本 I believe in freedom of expression. |
| Rest in peace lady. |
| Cancer is just awful. At least Sakurai is no longer suffering. May family and friends and everyone that knew her find comfort during this time. 💐 |
| Fuck cancer. RIP. |
| People on MAL refuse to actually enjoy watching anime. Your taste in anime isn't a personality trait. Take me back to the days before MAL became infested with Twitter's favorite buzzwords. |
| Rest in peace.. :( |
| May she rest in peace, she was so young :'( |
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| She was terrific as Mylene in Macross 7 and a great singer. It's tragic to hear this, Rest in Peace. |
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