Naoki Bando, the voice of Yo-kai Watch's Robonyan, has died
Production Ace said the veteran actor died on September 28 while receiving treatment. His four-decade career ran from 1990s Brave robots to Gato in Naruto and Lord Emon in Shadow of the Colossus.
Naoki Bando, a veteran voice actor whose roles ranged from the giant robots of the 1990s Brave series to Robonyan in Yo-kai Watch, died on September 28. His agency, Production Ace, made the announcement on Friday, October 2, saying he passed away while receiving medical treatment.
The wake and funeral are being held privately with family only. Production Ace asked the public to refrain from condolence visits and telegrams, and said it is turning down monetary gifts, offerings and flowers.
A career that began with villains
Bando was born on December 12, 1957, in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. He studied acting at the Seinenza Theater Company's training institute before turning to voice work, and his foothold came on City Hunter, where he was brought back repeatedly to play antagonists. His first regular role arrived in 1991 as Guard Star in The Brave of Sun Fighbird, and he later voiced Jet Silver in The Brave of Gold Goldran.
Over the years he was represented by Mausu Promotion and Kyu Production before settling at Production Ace. In 2011 he founded Shovel Tech, a school for training new voice actors.
Roles across anime and games
In Yo-kai Watch, Bando played two characters, Robonyan and Manjimutt; that TV series began in 2014 and lasted 214 episodes. His other anime work includes Bodoro in Hunter x Hunter, Gato in Naruto, Vargas Dyson in Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, Elder Centipede in One-Punch Man in 2019, and the insei instructor Shinoda in Hikaru no Go in 2001.
He was also active in video games, playing Lord Emon in Shadow of the Colossus and Larikush in Baten Kaitos.
