Tekken 7 Heihachi Mishima & Pokemon Prof. Oak Voice Actor Passes Away
By TJ Denzer ·
The gaming and entertainment world mourns the loss an impeccable and iconic Japanese voice actor today. Unsho Ishizuka, Japanese voice of Pokemon's Professor Oak and current Tekken's Heihachi Mishima, has passed away.
Unsho Ishizuka has been a prolific force in various Japanese media for decades now. With a career that spanned tons of iconic animation, video games, and other entertainment, his voice has been heard around the world. Unfortunately, the legendary voice actor has passed away as of today.
Ishizuka’s notable appearances began in 1984. He quickly found his way to iconic series like Lupin the 3rd and Detective Conan, but some of his most iconic works of all time including voicing the narration for the Pokemon animated series as well as Professor Oak, Jet Black of Cowboy Bebop, and more recently Joseph Joestar of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Heihachi Mishima in Tekken 7. Tekken Director Katsuhiro Harada was among the many to share emotional words at Ishizuka’s passing.
The voice actor (Unsho Ishizuka) of Heihachi Mishima has died.
— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) August 17, 2018
We have lost Heihachi's voice actor Gouri Daisuke a few years ago.
And we are losing Heihachi Mishima on the story of TEKKEN 7
It’s sad
—-
The Japanese Voice Of Pokémon Professor Oak Has Died https://t.co/aQaxr2sgDb
Unsho Ishizuka was reported to have died on August 17, 2018 by Mantan Web. According to the original report, Ishizuka succumbed to esophageal cancer at the recorded age of 68.
Whenever a burly voice was called for, Ishizuka’s voice was likely one of the first to come to mind in Japanese VO. If you have taken the time to watch any number of Japanese media featuring voice acting, you have likely heard Ishizuka’s voice in the role of the many overly macho or elderly characters he gave life to throughout the years. You can catch just a glimpse of his contributions to the industry here.
Even outside of Tekken 7 and Pokemon losing the voice to their most enduring characters over the years, the loss of Ishizuka is certainly one that echoes through the entire entertainment industry, not as the stalwart young star, but as the grisled veteran, sage guide, and overzealous braggart. Twin Galaxies offers condolences to the friends and family of Unsho Ishizuka. It will never be as fun putting Jin and Kazuya in their place without him.