Specifically, Weekly Bunshun reported that Sakurai has been involved in an extramarital affair for over 10 years with a writer for his travel radio show (via Anime News Network). The voice actor’s agency, INTENTION, confirmed the news, saying that Sakurai feels “great remorse” for what he has done.
Takahiro Sakurai – The Voice Behind Some Iconic Anime Characters
In case you’re unfamiliar, Sakurai is a veteran voice actor who is signed under the agency INTENTION. He has been active since the late 90s and has voiced several iconic characters in different anime, games, and movies. Sakurai is perhaps best known now for his roles including Giyu Tomioka in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Reigen Arataka in Mob Psycho 100, and Suguru Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen. Though even before these major roles in new anime, Sakurai has voiced other iconic characters, including Cloud Strife in the Final Fantasy 7 games (including FF7 Remake), as well as Suzaku Kururugi in Code Geass, and Sasori in Naruto: Shippuden. Given his popularity, the news became a big point of discussion among anime fans, especially in Japan as it trended online. This is no surprise given how voice actors are also general entertainers, with some being singers or radio hosts (as is the case with Sakurai). Though this isn’t the first time a major cheating scandal broke in the Japanese voice acting industry. Other actors including Daisuke Namikawa, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Tatsuhisa Suzuki have also had cheating controversies over the past years. RELATED: Jujutsu Kaisen Star Hypes Up Satoru Gojo’s Shocking Fate in Season 2
Takahiro Sakurai Admits to Extramarital Affair
As for the details of Sakurai’s affair, according to Weekly Bunshun, Sakurai had an affair with a writer on his radio show, P.S. Genki Desu. Takahiro. According to the report, the woman whom he had an affair with did not know that Sakurai had a wife. Upon finding out, the woman was so shocked that she had to be admitted to the emergency room. Sakurai has been married for quite some time now, though he hasn’t revealed his marital status until just a month ago. The report also mentioned that representatives from his agency stated that the affair was already over when Sakurai’s marriage was revealed to the public. Though they said they were unaware of his marital status before then as well. Given these events, it remains to be seen how Sakurai’s cheating scandal will affect his roles in ongoing TV anime such as Mob Psycho 100 III or the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2. Discover more anime news and info by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.
