Highlights
- Voice actress Atsuko Tanaka has passed away at 61 following a near-year-long battle with an undisclosed illness.
- Tanaka leaves behind an enormous legacy in video games and anime, among other media.
As a gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that Atsuko Tanaka was a titan in the world of video games and anime. Her passing at 61 leaves an enormous void in the industry, one that will be hard to fill.
61-year-old voice actress Atsuko Satou, commonly recognized as Atsuko Tanaka, has passed away. Leaving behind an impressive body of work in video games, she contributed significantly to various titles within the Final Fantasy and Bayonetta series.
In the ’90s, Tanaka embarked on voice acting for video games, and her initial recognized role was that of Lisa in the Japanese adaptation of the 1992 Sega CD game “Night Trap,” a movie-style interactive title. Since that time, she has taken on numerous characters across more than 160 different games.
Atsuko Tanaka Passed Away From Undisclosed Illness
61-year-old Tanaka sadly passed away on August 20th. Her passing was confirmed by her son, voice actor Hikaru Tanaka, via social media. He mentioned that his mother passed peacefully after battling an illness for almost a year, respecting her wishes not to disclose the nature of her condition. In a translated statement, he expressed gratitude towards his mother’s fans and colleagues for their long-term support and asked them not to forget “the characters she lovingly brought to life.”
As a gamer, I can’t help but feel the weight of Atsuko Tanaka’s impact on the gaming world over four decades. From video games and movies to TV shows, her work has graced multiple formats. Just last year, I got my hands on “Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash,” a fighting game published by Bandai Namco that hit stores in February 2024. In the Japanese versions of “Final Fantasy 14” and “Dissidia Final Fantasy,” she brought Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn and Ultimecia to life, respectively. Her final performance will live on posthumously, set to appear in “#Compass 2.0: Combat Providence Analysis System,” an anime based on the upcoming Japanese MOBA “#Compass” targeted for a 2025 launch.
Machine Translation of Hikaru Tanaka’s Tribute to His Mother
Beyond Japan, Tanaka might be familiar to gamers as Kaine from NieR and its remake, Cassandra Pentaghast in Dragon Age 2, Trish from Devil May Cry, or the portrayal of Yennefer of Vengerberg in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. She also lent her voice to Dorothy Fisher in the exclusive 2016 game Detective Pikachu for Nintendo 3DS and played Yodogimi in Nioh. In addition, she joined the Bayonetta series in 2014 as the main character Bayonetta, appearing in both the second and third installments of the franchise’s mainline entries. She also voiced Bayonetta in Japanese versions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Switch.
In the not too distant past, Tanaka briefly appeared as the alchemist Rhinedottir within Genshin Impact. Beyond her involvement with video games, she has dubbed almost 200 live-action TV series and voiced over 200 anime shows, plus 40 films. Besides her child, Tanaka leaves behind her sister and spouse.
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2024-08-21 09:53