Metaphor ReFantazio is from the creators of Persona (Atlus)
Atlus has confirmed voice actor Tōru Furuya will no longer be in Metaphor: ReFantazio after he had an abusive affair with a fan for four years.
After showing off fantasy role-player Metaphor: ReFantazio at Summer Game Fest, Atlus has recast one of the game’s voice actors.
Last month, 70-year-old voice actor Tōru Furuya admitted to having an abusive affair with a fan, who was 37 years younger than him, for four years until it came to an end in September last year.
After the affair was reported by Japanese outlet Shūkan Bunshun, Furuya confirmed it was accurate in a statement on May 22. In the post, he admitted he had struck her during their relationship, and made her have an abortion in 2021 after getting her pregnant.
‘I cannot apologise enough for betraying the trust of all my fans who have supported me over the years, disappointing them, hurting them and tarnishing my character,’ the statement read (via VGC).
Elsewhere in the statement (via Tokyo Weekender), Furuya apologised to the unnamed woman for having ‘deeply hurt’ her ‘both physically and mentally’.
On Tuesday (June 11), Atlus confirmed the actor has been removed from Metaphor: ReFantazio ‘due to various circumstances’, with a new actor set to be announced for his character in July. It was not officially announced which character Furuya was voicing in the title.
Following the report last month, Furuya has since been dropped from various TV shows and events, including MomoCon 2024 which took place in Atlanta.
Beyond video games, Furuya is best known for voicing Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, Yamcha in Dragon Ball, and Amuro Ray in Gundam. He’s voiced the latter in various Gundam games and also played the character of Godfrey in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is from the same team behind the Persona series, and is set to be released on October 11, 2024.
While it hasn’t been officially announced, Atlus is believed to be working on the sixth mainline entry in the Persona series. An initial logo was leaked last month, with rumours suggesting it’s been in development for over five years.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is out in October (Atlus)
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