Eiji Yanagisawa dead at 57: The voice actor was best known for his role as Genzo in Naruto

Production Baobab revealed the news of voice actor Eiji Yanagisawa’s death and wrote: “He passed away on November, 12, 2024 due to a brain stem haemorrhage. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us during his lifetime and to inform you of his passing.

“The wake and funeral were held only for close relatives. We apologise for the delay in reporting this news due to the wishes of the bereaved family.”

According to Screen Rant, “In the wake of his passing, fans from all over the globe took to social media to post their condolences to the family, as well as moving tributes to the actor. His career took his voice to people from every corner of the globe, becoming a part of anime fans of all ages. Besides his roles in Naruto and Digimon, Yanagisawa also lent his voice to Mikio Nabe in Kengan Ashura, Uren Hibiki in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, and Roland Gustaf in Baki The Grappler.”

Seiyuu, a Facebook page for Japanese voice actor fans paid tribute to the voice actor and wrote: “The Production Baobab talent agency released a statement that Eiji Yanagisawa has passed away on 12 November due to brainstem haemorrhage. He was 57 years old.”

Many fans have paid tribute to Eiji Yanagisawa on social media and one fan wrote: “We lost another legend in anime, may you rest Mr Yanagisawa, your voice will forever be in the anime forever,” whilst another wrote: “Everyone we grew up with is passing. Rest easy.”