The coronavirus pandemic has thrown in a number of big monkey wrenches into the medium of anime in 2020, and continues to do so in 2021, though some good news has recently emerged wherein a beloved voice actor has recently recovered from his bout with COVID-19. Hiro Shimono, the voice actor who lends his talents to the likes of Demon Slayer and Attack On Titan to name a few, was reported earlier this month to have contracted the virus and has seemingly bounced back after a visit to the hospital as he has quickly returned to work.
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Shimono specifically voices the roles of both Armin Arlert in Attack On Titan and Zenitsu in Demon Slayer, two characters who share a timid personality but are vastly different from one another in a number of big ways. On top of these two new roles, he also plays the role of Dabi in My Hero Academia, who is set to have a huge role in the upcoming storyline of the fifth season in My Villain Academia, as well as the future of the franchise that will dive into the fiery villain’s origins. Hiro has also been a part of series including Backflip!!, Kemono Jigen, and The Dungeon of Black Company, which will premiere this week.
An update regarding Shimono released an update via his agency’s website, letting fans know that he had recovered from COVID-19 and was getting back to work in bringing his unique characters in the world of anime to life:
“I was treated after being confirmed to be positive for the new coronavirus infection. Hiro Shimono, who belongs to our company, has met the medical treatment cancellation criteria set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and my physical condition has recovered. I would like to report that the activities will be gradually resumed from July 13th tomorrow at the discretion of the health center and medical institution. Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing a great deal of inconvenience and concern to all concerned parties and fans.”
Both Demon Slayer and Attack On Titan have ended their respective stories in the pages of their manga, but expect some big moments to come for Shimono in both as their anime adaptations continue.
What is your favorite role of Hiro Shimono? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
