{"rewrite":{"id":"r_3fde8f9634a44684beffe1f4","clusterId":"c_d65a4883960e4058a51098e0","slug":"wakana-yamazaki-voice-of-ran-mori-in-detective-conan-dies-at-61","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Wakana Yamazaki, Voice of Ran Mori in Detective Conan, Dies at 61","summary":"Voice actress Wakana Yamazaki, best known as the voice of Ran Mori in the long-running anime series Detective Conan, died on April 18 at age 61 following an illness. Her talent agency Aoni Production announced in February that she would pause activities for medical treatment. Yamazaki voiced the character since the series premiered in 1996, a role she held for nearly three decades. The Detective Conan production staff confirmed that Akemi Okamura, who had filled in since March 14, will permanently succeed her as the voice of Ran Mori. Creator Gosho Aoyama released a statement saying, \"To think I'll never hear that gentle, comforting voice that was always there again... it's so sad.\" Yamazaki also voiced Meiko Akizuki in Marmalade Boy, Koan in Sailor Moon R, Nene in the Samurai Warriors game series, and Nojiko in One Piece. She received the Kei Tomiyama and Kazue Takahashi Award at the 19th Seiyuu Awards for her contributions to the profession. A funeral was held by close relatives. The cast and staff of Detective Conan, along with figures across the anime and game industries, posted public condolences on social media.","whyItMatters":"With Yamazaki's death, Detective Conan loses one of its three original core voice actors from the 1996 premiere, and the franchise must continue without the performer who defined its heroine for three decades.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eYamazaki's death drew public condolences from across the anime, game, and entertainment industries, with many colleagues sharing personal memories. Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice of Shinichi Kudo, wrote that when he heard the news, \"No way, right?\" was all he could say, and that he felt \"a huge hole had opened inside me.\" Detective Conan chief producer Michihiko Suwa recalled that in 30 years of working together, he and Yamazaki went drinking \"several hundred times.\" \"There's no need for any embellishments when talking about Waka-chan. She's simply Ran Mori through and through,\" Suwa said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKotono Mitsuishi, who voiced Sailor Moon, said Yamazaki became her favorite actress after her performance as Koan in \u003cem\u003eSailor Moon R\u003c/em\u003e. Kunihiko Ikuhara, director of \u003cem\u003eSailor Moon\u003c/em\u003e, remembered her as \"a very loyal and kind person.\" Mariko Kouda, who starred with Yamazaki in \u003cem\u003eMarmalade Boy\u003c/em\u003e, wrote a long eulogy addressing her by her character's name: \"Meiko, you're joking, right?\"\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGame studios also paid tribute. Team NINJA noted that Yamazaki voiced Ayane in the \u003cem\u003eDead or Alive\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eNinja Gaiden\u003c/em\u003e series for many years. The \u003cem\u003eSamurai Warriors\u003c/em\u003e team, where she voiced Nene and Okuni, said the staff was \"deeply saddened.\" The mobile game \u003cem\u003eGoddess of Victory: NIKKE\u003c/em\u003e confirmed she voiced the character Jien. TMS Entertainment, the studio behind \u003cem\u003eDetective Conan\u003c/em\u003e, noted her roles in \u003cem\u003eKinkyū Hasshin Saver Kids\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTetsujin 28-go FX\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTottori Prefecture Governor Shinji Hirai said Yamazaki visited the region several times for the annual Detective Conan Festival. \"Even though she has journeyed to the great beyond, her warm and friendly personality and the memories of 'Ran-chan' will be forever etched into Tottori, the sacred land of Detective Conan,\" he said. The electronics retailer Nojima, for which Yamazaki recorded in-store announcements for many years, also offered condolences.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Creator Gosho Aoyama: \"To think I'll never hear that gentle, comforting voice that was always there again... it's so sad.\"","twitterPost":"Akemi Okamura, who filled in for Yamazaki since March, will permanently take over as Ran Mori. Okamura and Yamazaki had a history: Yamazaki once voiced Nami in One Piece while Okamura was on maternity leave.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Wakana Yamazaki, the voice of Ran Mori in Detective Conan for nearly 30 years, has died at 61. Akemi Okamura will permanently succeed her in the role. The cast and creator Gosho Aoyama shared tributes.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-05-16/detective-conan-cast-staff-offer-condolences-after-ran-mori-voice-actress-wakana-yamazaki-death/.237424\",\"title\":\"Detective Conan Cast/Staff Offer Condolences After Ran Mōri Voice Actress Wakana Yamazaki's Death\"},{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-05-17/anime-manga-world-offers-condolences-for-voice-actor-wakana-yamazaki-death-part-iii/.237438\",\"title\":\"Anime/Manga World Offers Condolences for Voice Actor Wakana Yamazaki's Death, Part III\"},{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-05-17/anime-manga-world-offers-condolences-for-voice-actor-wakana-yamazaki-part-ii/.237432\",\"title\":\"Anime/Manga World Offers Condolences for Voice Actor Wakana Yamazaki, Part II\"},{\"source\":\"MyAnimeList\",\"url\":\"https://myanimelist.net/news/74243282\",\"title\":\"'Detective Conan' Voice Actress Wakana Yamazaki Dies at 61\"},{\"source\":\"Niche Gamer (Anime)\",\"url\":\"https://nichegamer.com/ran-mouri-actress-wakana-yamazaki-dies-at-61/\",\"title\":\"Ran Mouri actress Wakana Yamazaki dies at 61\"},{\"source\":\"The Indonesian Anime Times\",\"url\":\"https://www.kaorinusantara.or.id/newsline/244268/seiyu-ran-di-detektif-conan-wakana-yamazaki-tutup-usia\",\"title\":\"Seiyu Ran di Detektif Conan, Wakana Yamazaki Tutup Usia\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":42651,"outputTokens":1813,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826904,"createdAt":"2026-05-19T19:02:27.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-19T19:16:36.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-19T19:16:36.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_d65a4883960e4058a51098e0","canonicalTitle":"Seiyu Ran di Detektif Conan, Wakana Yamazaki Tutup Usia","representativeArticleId":"a_99b2206e6bc91a8a70e135ac","sourceCount":4,"writtenSourceCount":4,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Detective Conan\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Wakana Yamazaki\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-15T07:07:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-18T03:59:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-19T19:16:36.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2026-05-17/anime-manga-world-offers-condolences-for-voice-actor-wakana-yamazaki-death-part-iii/.237438","title":"Anime/Manga World Offers Condolences for Voice Actor Wakana Yamazaki's Death, Part III"},{"source":"MyAnimeList","url":"https://myanimelist.net/news/74243282","title":"'Detective Conan' Voice Actress Wakana Yamazaki Dies at 61"},{"source":"Niche Gamer (Anime)","url":"https://nichegamer.com/ran-mouri-actress-wakana-yamazaki-dies-at-61/","title":"Ran Mouri actress Wakana Yamazaki dies at 61"},{"source":"The Indonesian Anime Times","url":"https://www.kaorinusantara.or.id/newsline/244268/seiyu-ran-di-detektif-conan-wakana-yamazaki-tutup-usia","title":"Seiyu Ran di Detektif Conan, Wakana Yamazaki Tutup Usia"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Detective Conan"],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Wakana Yamazaki"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Voice actress Wakana Yamazaki, the voice of Ran Mori in Detective Conan since 1996, died on April 18 at age 61 after an illness.","Akemi Okamura, who filled in for Yamazaki since March 14, will permanently succeed her as the voice of Ran Mori.","Yamazaki voiced Meiko Akizuki in Marmalade Boy, Koan in Sailor Moon R, Nene in the Samurai Warriors series, and Nojiko in One Piece.","She received the Kei Tomiyama and Kazue Takahashi Award at the 19th Seiyuu Awards for her contributions to voice acting.","Detective Conan creator Gosho Aoyama said, 'To think I'll never hear that gentle, comforting voice that was always there again... it's so sad.'"]}