Atsuko Tanaka, Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen Star, Dies at 61

Today, the anime fandom is mourning the loss of a special talent. Atsuko Tanaka, a beloved voice actor from Japan, has passed away. The actress' family announced the tragic news in a letter to fans and said the 61-year-old died after being diagnosed with an unnamed illness.

For those who do not know Atsuko by name, the actress has been in a number of very recognizable anime series. The star began working in entertainment in 1985, and in that time, Atsuko became a go-to VA for projects. She is known best for her work as Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell as Atsuko has voiced the cyberpunk heroine a number of times.

Beyond Ghost in the Shell, Atsuko has earned attention for dozens of other roles. She voices quite a few key characters in anime, so you can read up on her top roles below:

• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Lisa Lisa
  
• Naruto - Konan
  
• Jujutsu Kaisen - Hanami
  
• Bayonetta - Bayonetta
  
• Black Butler - Francis Midford
  
• Fate/Stay Night - Caster
  
• Frieren: Beyond Journey's End - Flamme
  

At this time, no word has been given on whether Atsuko's roles will be recast moving forward. The voice actress most recently starred in Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master . In 2025, Atsuko was expected to appear in #Compass 2.0 . There is no telling whether Atsuko already recorded dialogue for the upcoming series, but if so, the show will house the star's final role posthumously.

We sent out best wishes to Atsuko's loved ones during this difficult time.