Kozo Shioya, voice actor behind Dragon Ball's Majin Buu, passes away at 71

Fans of the Dragon Ball series are currently processing an immense loss as Kozo Shioya passed away. He was the voice behind Majin Buu, and in the anime community was respected by all because of his skills as a voice actor. The news was confirmed on January 20, 2026, and with respect to this artist, the funeral was held in a private and intimate event where only the close friends and family attended.

Fans of Dragon Ball associate Kozo Shioya's legacy with Majin Buu. It is one of the most complex characters in the series, and he was successfully cemented his name as an unforgettable villain. The reason why Majin Buu stood out was because of how his character kept on switching from being funny, scary, innocent, to cruel. For a character that kept on going through so many changes, the voice actor had to deliver a performance that would make these transitions feel natural.

Kozo Shioya has gone above and beyond in making shifts in his voice from having a childlike tone for Innocent Buu to shifting to a cold and menacing voice for Kid Buu. This voice actor has given a proper tone for each of the different personalities of this character. That emotional range helped turn the Buu Saga into one of Dragon Ball Z’s most debated, but undeniably unforgettable, arcs.

The voice actor has been working for over 40 years, and he contributed to hundreds of anime series, films, and video games. Beyond Dragon Ball, his extensive résumé included roles such as Genzo, Pappag, and Edward Weevil in ONE PIECE; Motokichi Kinuta in World Trigger; Hammond Pleide in As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World; and Dr. Sewashi in Mazinger Z: Infinity. This just goes to show how good a voice actor he had been during his time.

Tributes from people of the world towards the legendary Dragon Ball voice actor

Since this news has been made public, fans around the world have been mourning in their own way. Many of them are coming together to share their mutual feelings towards coping with this loss by talking about the impact Kozo Shioya had on them. Especially those who grew up watching Dragon Ball, respect this voice actor because his voice was responsible for bringing Buu to life. Some messages towards the passing of this iconic Dragon Ball voice actor have been:

"He made us love a villain we were supposed to fear. 🍫 The voice behind the most iconic 'Bye-bye!' in anime history. 70 years wasn't enough, but his legacy is eternal. Which version of Shioya’s Buu was your favorite? For me, it was always the pure chaos of Kid Buu." Said one fan.

"Rest in Peace ❤🕊 The Buu Saga led to so much of what we now love about modern Dragon Ball with fusions and forms so this is a sad day." Added another fan.

"My earliest memory is of Goku going ssj3 for the first time against buu, I’ll always remember his raspy voice RIP GOAT💔," stated a netizen.

The anime community has been united in understanding the meaning behind this monumental loss. For someone who had dedicated his life to voice acting and created a name for himself, he might not be part of this world anymore, but he, as Buu, has immortalized his voice forever.

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Final thoughts

In the end, Shioya helped shape the sound and soul of anime for decades. His voice gave life to characters that will continue to be watched, rewatched, and remembered for generations to come. All of the anime community has their thoughts to honor extraordinary career of an extraordinary voice actor.

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