Veteran voice actor Toru Furuya, known for iconic roles like Amuro Ray in "Mobile Suit Gundam," Seiya in "Saint Seiya," and Tooru Amuro in "Detective Conan," was embroiled in a scandal last May when tabloid Shukan Bunshun reported his affair with a 37-year-old fan, even alleging he asked her to get an abortion. Furuya later admitted his wrongdoing.
After a long period out of the public eye, Furuya recently popped up on the YouTube channel "Terry Tsuchiya's Car Talk [Official]" (テリー土屋のくるまの話【公式】). His appearance—sporting a full head of white hair and a white goatee—was a complete departure from his previous image, leaving netizens utterly shocked and barely able to recognize him.
While the show isn't related to voice acting, the fact that they managed to snag the long-absent Furuya still drew significant attention from netizens. However, seeing Furuya transform in less than a year into someone with white hair and a beard, a stark contrast to his former self, left many utterly astonished.
▼ Toru Furuya on the YouTube channel "Terry Tsuchiya's Car Talk [Official]"
Furuya's aged appearance upon his rare public outing surprised fans, with comments flooding the video: "It's been so long since I saw Mr. Furuya, why does he look like a hermit now?" "Is this really Toru Furuya? He looks so much thinner... I was worried because there was no news, but it's good to see he's still healthy." "OMG, he's so thin, is he okay...?" "Even though he's gone for the white hair + beard grandpa look, he feels even more masculine."
Netizens largely avoided dwelling on his past scandal, but his drastic change in appearance certainly caught them off guard. Despite looking much thinner, it's reassuring to see him appear healthy and energetic, especially at 71 years old.
However, given the current circumstances, a return to voice acting seems unlikely, as most of his iconic roles have already been recast. Opportunities to see Toru Furuya in public may become even rarer in the future.