Ninja Hattori voice actress Junko Hori dies aged 89

Modified Nov 26, 2024 02:01 GMT

Ninja Hattori voice actress has passed away (Image via Shin-Ei Animation)

Ninja Hattori voice actress Junko Hori passed away on November 18 at the age of 89, as per the Talent agency Production baobab. The company also revealed that she died of senility, and confirmed that she had a funeral service where only her close relatives were involved.

While it is true that Hori is mostly known for her role as the titular character in Ninja Hattori, she had a long and steady career that ran from 1960 to 2024.

She also has the distinction of having provided voice acting services for the Japanese dub of several Western series, with perhaps the most notorious being Bart Simpson from The Simpsons.

Junko Hori voiced several characters over the years

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Junko Hori passed away while preparing for her one-man play with the 292nd performance, which was scheduled for November 22 of that year in Sumida, Tokyo.

She was 89 years old and her family held a private funeral, with her agency withholding the news so they could grieve in peace.

Hori's career spans over six decades and 64 years, with her being involved in acting, voice acting, dubbing, and music. While she is mostly known for her contributions to the anime industry, she was also involved in video games, Western series, and a lot more throughout the years.

Ninja Hattori was pivotal in Hori's career (Image via Shin-Ei Animation)

There is no denying that Ninja Hattori is Junko Hori's most popular work, having run with more than 600 episodes and several adaptations. She voices the ninja Kanzo Hattori, who helps the coprotagonist of the series, 11-year-old Kenichi Mitsuba, as the latter goes through several problems in a story mostly aimed at young kids.

Hori was also involved in anime series such as Rain Boy, Chinpui, Cat Eyed Boy, The Adventures of Gamba, Speed Racer, Voltes V, Little Lulu, and many more. When it comes to video games, she voiced Sasuke in Ganbare Goemon and Sunakake Babaa in GeGeGe no Kitaro.

She is also one of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses when it comes to dubbing, having voiced Jerry in Tom and Jerry, Bart Simpson in The Simpson, Johnny Quest in his titular series in the 1965 version, Mrs. Hogenson in The Incredibles, and more.

She received the Achievement Award during the 11th Seiyu Awards in 2017 as recognition for her work in the industry.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande