'Ghost in the Shell' Voice Actress Atsuko Tanaka Dies At 61

Atsuko Tanaka

Image Source: Otakukart

Tributes from around the world have started pouring in as it was revealed that legendary voice actress Atsuko Tanaka has died at the age of 61.

The news broke in a post on X from voice actor Hikaru Tanaka, who announced that his mother passed away Tuesday, August 20th, after fighting an undisclosed illness for a year. Hikaru’s post also stated that Atsuko lived ‘a serious, dignified, and a little playful life’ while fighting her illness. He also thanked her fans and industry co-workers for their love and support and asked that her memory and the many characters she brought to life be remembered fondly.

Atsuko Tanaka was born on November 12th, 1962 in Gunma Prefecture. She studied voice training at the Tokyo Announcement Academy in 1991, before making her voice acting debut in Mobile Suit Victory Gundam in 1993. She is most well known for her work in the Ghost in the Shell franchise, where she voiced the main character Motoko Kusanagi in a film that sparked a revolution in sci-fi and cyberpunk fiction. She would reprise the role in sequel films and the anime series, Stand Alone Complex.

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Tanaka lent her voice to many other characters from anime and video game series over the decades, including Bayonetta from the Bayonetta franchise, Konan from Naruto: Shippuden, Lisa Lisa from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Carmilla from Fate/Grand Carnival, Caster from Fate/stay night, Hanami from Jujutsu Kaisen, and Flammel from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, just to name a few. 

Atsuko Tanaka’s final role is believed to be in the upcoming anime series #Compass 2.0: Combat Providence Analysis System, which is set to release next year.

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Source(s): Anime News Network [1], [2]

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