In the world of anime, there are few gigs more coveted than voice acting. From VA academies to seiyuu idols, the anime industry has turned Japanese voice actors into bonafide celebrities. The very public job has its ups and downs, but the industry’s top actors have proven just how rewarding VA work can be. Of course, there is a flip side as every job comes with drama, and a new report from Japan just confirmed One-Punch Man star Itaru Yamamoto has been let go from their agency due to a contract breach.
The update comes from I’m Enterprise, the talent agency that represents the Japanese voice actor. The company has confirmed it has ended its deal with Yamamoto, and this move became effective on September 14. No specific were given about Yamamoto’s exit, but the talent agency did say the decision was made because of an “acknowledged serious breach of contract.” Furthermore, I’m Enterprise shared Yamamoto will not be part of the entertainment industry moving forward.
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As for what this means in the short term, well – the team behind Transformers One is scrambling. Yamamoto voiced the character Soundwave in the new animated feature, but a re-dub is already being done. According to staff, Yoji Ueda will voice Soundwave in the updated Transformers One dub. No release date has been given for the new audio, so for now, Yamamoto’s performance is still showing in theaters.
Who is Itaru Yamamoto?
Beyond Transformers One, Yamamoto is also part of Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest as he plays Madmole; No word has been given on how the role will be handled in the wake of this contract breach. Yamamoto has also appeared in a number of other big-name series such as One-Punch Man (Sourface) and Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Yamamoto began his work in voice acting over a decade ago with Gintama in 2011. And in that time, the actor added plenty of roles to their resume. Now, a dire contract breach has taken Yamamoto out of the industry entirely, and netizens are waiting on recasting news as such.
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