Image via Aoni Production Kozo Shioya, a veteran voice actor known for roles ranging from Abura Sumashi in the Gegege no Kitaro: Jigoku Hen anime to Majin Buu in Dragon Ball Z , has passed away. According to talent agency Aoni Production , Shioya passed away on January 20, 2026 at age 71 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Other anime voice roles over the years included 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 . Shioya returned to the Gegege no Kitaro series as Konaki Jijii, who he voiced in the 1996 series and a trio of feature films. Shioya was born in Kagoshima prefecture on August 18, 1955, and began his voice acting career in 1982. He is also the older brother of voice actor Yoku Shioya (Ryota Miyagi in Slam Dunk , Cosmo Yuki in Space Runaway Ideon ). According to Aoi Production, Kozo Shioya’s close family held a private funeral. Our thoughts go out to Shiyo's colleagues and friends, and we wish to thank him for all of his contributions to the anime industry. Sources: Aoni Production ( 2 ), Anime News Network
