yamadera koichi covid-19
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Voice Actor Koichi Yamadera Tested Positive For COVID-19

Veteran voice actor Koichi Yamadera tested positive for COVID-19. His agency, Across Entertainment, shared this news on August 16, 2023. He started reporting symptoms such as a fever on August 15, 2023. As a result of this, he will not appear at the “Seiyuu NEO Kayou Fes,” which will take place on August 20, 2023 in Japan.

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Across Entertainment apologized to fans who were excited to see him at the Seiyuu NEO Kayou Fes. It also apologized for causing trouble and worry towards those in the industry. Across Entertainment stated that it is working on preventing further infection among fans, staff, and other voice actors.

Koichi Yamadera is a prominent voice actor who debuted in 1985. His most prominent roles include Spike Spiegal in Cowboy Bebop, Shun Akiyama in the Yakuza series, and Beerus in Dragon Ball Super. He is also the official dub actor for several Disney characters such as Donald Duck, Stitch, Sebastian, and Beast. He has also portrayed them in their appearances in Kingdom Hearts games.

Koichi Yamdera has COVID-19 and will not participate in the Seiyuu NEO Kayou Fes. It is unclear if this will affect any ongoing roles or recordings. However, other voice actors in the past who tested positive for COVID-19 did not have any major lapses in their performances.


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Stephanie Liu
Stephanie is a senior writer who has been writing for games journalism and translating since 2020. After graduating with a BA in English and a Certificate in Creative Writing, she spent a few years teaching English and history before fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a writer. In terms of games, she loves RPGs, action-adventure, and visual novels. Aside from writing for Siliconera and Crunchyroll, she translates light novels, manga, and video games.