Noriko Ohara, voice actress of Doraemon's Nobita, dies at 88

Noriko Ohara was a Japanese voice actress. Channel News Asia says that her best-known role was Nobita in the classic hit anime show 'Doraemon'. The show ran for decades, from 1979 to 2005.

Image: ANN, 81 Produce

Born Noriko Tobe, Noriko Ohara was born on October 2, 1935, in Tokyo, Japan.

Image: 81 Produce

Ironically, during her first steps into the entertainment world, when Noriko Ohara was invited to join in the children’s choir ‘Niji no Hashi’, her father strongly opposed the decision, reports the Seiyuu Grand Prix.

Image: f_shimpo / X

The report from the Seiyuu Grand Prix says that Noriko Ohara’s mother secretly allowed her to join ‘Niji no Hashi’ in the end, and the decision eventually led to her becoming a child actress for NHK, as ‘Niji no Hashi’ also had a theater wing. This was the fateful start to her career in acting.

Image: inner_source_records / Instagram

According to Cinema Today, Noriko Ohara is considered one of the early pioneers in Japan’s voice acting scene and was a part of the live-dubbing process where live shows were dubbed with Japanese voiceovers during live broadcasts.

Image: NHK

According to the same Cinema Today article, despite the gruelling process of live-dubbing at the time, Noriko Ohara decided to pursue voice acting seriously after getting married and giving birth to her son, as well as being inspired by the Western works she had dubbed for.

Image: voice_nohara / X

Noriko Ohara started her career in voice acting in the 1950s by providing her voice for western shows and films. Eventually, as she was passed on more anime projects to dub in the 1960s, the Seiyuu Grand Prix reports that it was during this time that she fully transitioned into becoming an anime voice actress.

Image: eiko751 / X

Even with such an extensive voice-acting portfolio, Noriko Ohara’s most recognizable and notable voice-acting work was providing the voice of Nobita for the hit children’s anime show ‘Doraemon’! ‘Doraemon’ was not just a massive hit in Japan but also worldwide, making Noriko Ohara’s work undoubtedly special for many.

Image: doraemonChannel / X

Noriko Ohara passed on July 12, but the news was kept private until her agency, 81 Produce, announced the tragic news on July 23, on X.

Image: voice_nohara / X

Josei Jishin reports that Noriko Ohara had been battling an unknown illness and had been hospitalized prior to her passing. However, many friends had thought that Noriko Ohara had been in better health since appearing at an event in March, and found the news shocking. She will be missed as one of Japanese entertainment’s biggest legends.

Image: eiko751 / X

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