Today, the anime industry is mourning the loss of Norihiro Inoue. The veteran voice actor passed away in Japan on February 28 as reported by his talent agency Enkikaku. Inoue was 63 years old.
According to the agency’s new statement, the beloved actor passed away from esophageal cancer. A private funeral was held for family and loved ones shortly after his passing. Now, fans of the voice actor are paying tribute to Inoue online, and they are remembering some of his best work.
Of course, fans will know Inoue the best from Code Geass. The actor voiced Schneizel El Britannia in the series, after all. The character was one of the hit anime’s antagonists as Schneizel was Lelouch’s half-brother. Fans will also recognize Inoue from Fruits Basket circa 2001 as he voiced Kazuma Sohma in the original series.
Outside of these two hits, Inoue worked on various other anime series such as Detective Conan as well as Rosario + Vampire. The actor also did a ton of dub work in Japan for international titles such as Agent Carter. With his career spanning back to 1985, Inoue had decades of experience under his belt, and the acting veteran will be missed by the anime fandom at large.
Our thoughts go out to Inoue’s loved ones during this difficult time. May he rest in peace.