Dragon Ball Daima To Replace Major Voice Actor Following Controversy

Ryota Suzuki will no longer play Yamcha in Dragon Ball Daima.

By Evan Valentine

Dragon Ball Daima is set to bring back the Z-Fighters and the voice actors that portray them back to the forefront this month, but not every actor is returning for the new anime adaptation. While the anime heroes will be transformed into childish "mini" versions of themselves, the original voice actors are still planning on being a part of the sequel series. Unfortunately, Toru Furuya recently was a part of a major controversy and has had to depart several of his anime roles in recent days. Now, the same is true for Dragon Ball Daima as Furuya will be departing the series and a new voice actor is taking on the role of Yamcha.

If you're unfamiliar with the controversy surrounding voice actor Toru Furuya, it involves the long-time anime industry member having a years-long affair with an unnamed fan. In an official statement from Furuya himself earlier this year, he stated the following, "I had an affair with a female fan for four and a half years until last September. I was attracted to her because of her straightforward support for me, and I foolishly contacted her myself to start the relationship. During our relationship, we argued once and I unintentionally raised my hand. It was the worst thing I could have done as an adult and as a human being."

Furuya's statement continued, "I also made the unforgivable mistake of causing her to have an abortion. I am truly, truly sorry for the deep hurt that I caused the other woman, both physically and mentally. I cannot apologize enough for betraying the trust of all my fans who have supported me over the years, disappointing them, hurting them, and tarnishing my character. I have also betrayed the trust of all those involved and have caused them a great deal of trouble."

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(Photo: Shueisha)

Yamcha's New Voice Actor

Dragon Ball Daima's official website shared the following statement regarding the switch, "Toru Furuya, who has long played the role of Yamcha in the Dragon Ball series, will be replaced by Ryota Suzuki,who will take over the role from the first episode of Dragon Ball Daima, which will air on October 11, 2024."

Alongside departing the Dragon Ball franchise, Furuya has left other major anime franchises, One Piece and Detective Conan. In the former, Toru played the role of Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy's brother. In the latter, the voice actor took on the role of Rei Furuya in the long-running anime series Case Closed. 

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(Photo: Toei Animation)

Furuya's History With Yamcha

Like several other voice actors who work on Dragon Ball, Toru Furuya has been playing the role of Yamcha since the very beginning of the anime adaptation. Cast in the original Dragon Ball series, Furuya has lent his voice to the sand bandit for decades and has had major roles in other anime series. On top of the previously mentioned One Piece and Detective Conan, Toru has had roles such as Amuro in Mobile Suit Gundam, Seiya in Saint Seiya, Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, and Mewtwo in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.

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Foruya's replacement, Ryota Suzuki, also has some anime roles that fans might be familiar with. His biggest roles include Ryusui Nanami in Dr. Stone, Mizuro in Tokyo Ghoul:re, and Arbus in The Seven Deadly Sins. 

Want to stay up to date on Dragon Ball Daima's voice cast? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Z-Fighters and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

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