Takahiro Sakurai, one of the most prolific and well-known voice actors in the past decades, ended his contract with his agency INTENTION on March 31, 2023 as penance for his recent adultery scandal. In October 2022, a report revealed that Sakurai has had a decade-long extramarital affair with one of the writers from his radio show P.S. Genki Desu: Takahiro, despite being already married to an anonymous former voice actress for almost 20 years. This news came to light after the writer found out that Sakurai was already married, despite them making plans for marriage. In addition, another woman came forward in January 2023 to reveal that Sakurai was also dating her.
In light of these scandals, Sakurai has been removed from multiple roles, including that of Rohan Kishibe (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), the Kusuriuri (Mononoke), and Haruaki Karuma (Ayaka: A Story of Bonds and Wounds) amongst others. It is also up in the air as to whether he’ll keep any new roles or reprise any old ones, or if the studios will decide to replace him. As voice actors are very much public figures in Japan, breaches in morality are heavily considered. As such, he has also pulled out of public appearances at events such as Jump Festa 2023.
Sakurai has been the voice of many beloved and popular characters, most iconically that of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. Other roles he has held include Suguru Getou (Jujutsu Kaisen), Francis F (Bungo Stray Dogs), Giyuu Tomioka (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba), Merlin (Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Apocrypha), Satoshi Isshiki (Food Wars), Ayame Soma (Fruits Basket), Sae Itoshi (BLUELOCK), Griffith (Berserk), Claude Faustus (Black Butler II), Suzaku (Code Geass), Yu Kanda (D.Gray-man), Ja’far (Magi), Arataka Reigen (Mob Psycho), Sho Hinakawa (Psycho-Pass), and many, many more.