Toru Furuya Affair Explained: What Did the One Piece Sabo Voice Actor Do?

Recent anime news reports that Toru Furuya, the voice actor for Sabo from One Piece, had an affair with a fan, and the actor posted an apology on X (formerly Twitter) following the controversy. Here is a guide on the Toru Furuya affair.

What did Toru Furuya do?

In an interview with the Weekly Bunshun magazine, Toru Furuya admitted to having an affair with a 33-year-old female fan for four and a half years, which started in 2019. A full translation of the article can be found here.

During the relationship, Furuya became violent towards the fan after an altercation at his villa. The fan ended up calling the police, but Furuya took her phone away. She escaped but he ran after her, apologizing. When the fan got her phone back, there were missed calls from the police. The police came in for questioning, and the fan answered while Furuya was hiding in a back room.

The fan also got pregnant and when she called Furuya to tell him, he told her to terminate the pregnancy. He also asked if he was really the father. She eventually had the pregnancy terminated.

What does the Toru Furuya apology say?

Furuya acknowledged the affair and posted an apology on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

https://twitter.com/torushome/status/1793117084354072797

According to Anime News Network (ANN), Furuya admitted to having an affair with the fan for four and a half years. He started the relationship and her support was what attracted him to her. He apologized for becoming violent towards her and getting her to terminate her pregnancy, and for causing her mental and physical pain.

The ANN article also states that he apologized to his fans for being a disappointment, ruining the fans’ trust, and disgracing the characters he voices. He’s prepared to spend the rest of his life making up for those actions and is ready to accept any punishment.

Furuya has been in the voice acting industry for over 50 years. Some of his notable roles include Amuro Ray from Mobile Suit Gundam, Sabo from One Piece, Yamcha from Dragon Ball, Toru Amuro/Rei Furuya from Detective Conan, and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon.

For more anime content, check out our guide on who killed Pedro in One Piece.

Movie News
Marvel and DC
X