Hiroya Ishimaru, One Piece and Tekken Star, Announces Retirement

After a heralded career, it seems a member of the One Piece family is ready to head into retirement. A new report from Japan confirms Hiroya Ishimaru, the voice of Kozuki Oden, has chosen to retire. The 82-year-old actor began their work in anime in 1972, and they made a name for themselves working on everything from Mazinger Z to One Piece and more.

The update comes from Ishimaru's talent agency, Production Baobab. The actor has chosen to retire at last after more than 60 years in the business. After all, they began working in entertainment years before Ishimaru moved to anime. In fact, their first gig in the industry dates to 1960, so you can hardly blame the man for wanting a break.

If you are not familiar with Ishimaru, you may have heard his work in several major projects. His most recent claim to fame comes from One Piece as the actor voiced Kozuki Oden on screen. Their work was met with praise across the world given Oden's intense performance. Before One Piece, Ishimaru was known best for his work in Mazinger Z as Kaji Kabuto, and the actor also worked on projects like Space Battleship Yamato, Gin Tama, Tokyo Ravens, and more.

As for gaming, Ishimaru provided the Japanese voice for Lei Wulong in the Tekken franchise. This is because the martial artist was based on Jackie Chan. In Japan, Ishimaru did dubbing for dozens and dozens of Chan's live-action projects. From Hand of Death to Rush Hour and more, Ishimaru became synonymous with Chan in Japan, so Tekken brought him in to voice Lei. Ishimaru also provided voices in Final Fantasy and Street Fighter over his long career.

If you want to listen in to Ishimaru's latest work, you can check out his performance as Oden ASAP. One Piece's Wano Country saga is still being adapted by the anime, after all. New episodes are launching weekly from Japan over on Hulu and Crunchyroll, so go binge them whenever you get the chance!

Do you have a favorite role or performance from Ishimaru? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.