Studio Ghibli Actor Tsunehiko Kamijo Passes Away
by 
August 1, 2025
There is sad news coming out of Japan as we learn about the passing of actor Tsunehiko Kamijo on July 22. His cause of death was listed as senility, and he was 85 years old. His family has already held a funeral.
Readers of Otaku USA would probably know him best for his work in Studio Ghibli movies. He played Gonza in Princess Mononoke, the manager in Spirited Away, and Mamma Auito Boss in Porco Rosso.
Other anime credits include Boss in Kentauros no Densetsu and Cash in Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s Great Adventure in the South Seas.
But he was far from only being a voice actor. As a singer, he performed at the 1971 World Popular Song Festival and took home the Grand Prize for his performance of “Tabidachi no Uta.”
Kamijo did quite a bit of stage work, including for Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and Zorro. As something extra impressive, he took part in almost 1,000 performances of Man of La Mancha between 1977 and 2023.
He also did some dubbing work. Kids in Japan know him as the voice of Sebastian for the Japanese dub of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
In addition, he was known for doing live-action TV work. His long and diverse career means that his talents impacted many people’s lives.
GKIDS has licensed Studio Ghibli’s films for North America, and gave this description for Princess Mononoke:
Princess Mononoke Plot
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes an epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity.
Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
