'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' Actor Nobuo Tanaka Passes Away

This year, fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have lost some beloved talent. Earlier this summer, [...]

This year, fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have lost some beloved talent. Earlier this summer, news broke of Unsho Ishizuka's death, and a brand-new piece has confirmed Nobuo Tanaka passed away as well just recently.

According to Nikkan Sports, Tanaka passed away in Japan on October 17. The well-known voice actor was 83 years old and died after a battle with esophageal cancer.

For those unaware of Tanaka by name, you will surely know several of the series he lent his voice to. Famously, the actor played Dio Brando in the original JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OVA back in November 1993. Tanaka took up the role one more in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2000 OVA series, bringing Dio to life in a supporting role.

Outside of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Tanaka enjoyed success with his work on Gatchaman, Lupin III, and Detective Conan. The actor voiced many supporting anime roles over his tenure, and he provided narration for a few variety shows in Japan as well.

While Tanaka has not played an active role in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for some years, his legacy with Dio lives on. Currently, the title's actual TV series is exploring its 'Golden Wind' arc featuring Giorno Giovanna. The blond-haired lead just so happens to be the illegitimate son of Dio Brando, so there is still plenty of story to explore with the infamous villain even today.

Which of Tanaka's roles will you remember him by? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was originally created by Hirohiko Araki for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987. Currently the second longest running series in the magazine with over 100 volumes collected, the series tells the story of the Joestar family, who are each entwined in a destiny battling outrageous foes. The series has been split up into eight parts, with each part following a different generation of the Joestar family.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind is the fifth part of Araki's series and follows Giorno Giovanna, the son of former series villain Dio Brando, as he joins the mafia group Passione in order to change and reform them into reputable thieves and crooks from the inside. The series officially began October 5 in Japan, and can currently be found streaming on Crunchyroll.

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