Voice actress of Nobita from Doraemon dies at age 88

Noriko Ohara, a Japanese voice actress best known for voicing Nobita from the long-running animated franchise Doraemon, has died at 88. Her agency 81 Produce confirmed the news on Tuesday (Jul 23) via a statement on the company's website.

"Our company's actor, Noriko Ohara (real name Noriko Tobe), passed away on Jul 12, 2024, at the age of 88, after undergoing treatment for an illness that was ineffective. The funeral was held only with relatives, in accordance with the wishes of the family. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us during her lifetime and to inform you of her passing."

Ohara gave life to the lazy-yet-endearing Nobita in the Doraemon franchise from 1979 to 2005 – making her iteration the one worldwide fans are most familiar with.

Other roles she portrayed in a career spanning over five decades included Peter in the classic animated series Heidi, Girl Of The Alps and Claudia LaSalle in the Macross franchise.

In a 2017 interview with Cinema Today, Ohara spoke about the recording process of Doraemon – revealing its intensity.

"Everyone got along well. (Working on) Doraemon is like (being) an athlete...We recorded seven to eight episodes at a time, and Gian [the bully in Doraemon] was always chasing us. We had to build up our stamina."