by Even though the main character change is announced, “the record may still be extended.”
In December 2022, it was announced that the main character of the popular anime ” Pokemon, “commonly known as “Anipoke,” will be replaced in April 2023. Satoshi, who had been the ‘main character’ for many years, finally graduated, and there were voices of sadness all over the world saying, ‘I’m lonely…’. The fact that Rika Matsumoto, the voice actress who plays the role of Satoshi, has continued to play the same position for 26 years has become a hot topic at the same time.
Anime “Pocket Monsters” started in 1997 and depicted the adventures of the main characters Satoshi and Pikachu. Until now, Satoshi has been played by Mr. Matsumoto for 26 years, including the final chapter, which has been broadcast since January 13, 2023. As a voice actor who has been playing the same character for a long time, Nobuyo Oyama has received Mr. Matsumoto’s record on the Internet., Akiko Yajima also became a hot topic. Nobuyo Oyama voiced Doraemon in the anime “Doraemon” for 26 years, and Akiko Yajima voiced Shinnosuke Nohara in the anime “Crayon Shin-chan” for 26 years and three months.
Mr. Matsumoto, who has continued to play the same role for a long time, was praised on the Internet, saying, “If you have been playing the same role for a quarter of a century, that is already a great achievement.” In addition, although Satoshi is no longer the main character, it has yet to be decided whether he will not appear or the voice actor will change.
Some voices expect that (Mr. Matsumoto’s) record will continue to grow. After hearing the news about the change of main character in Anipoke, some voiced concerns about the other voice actors, saying, “It’s been 23 years since Mayumi Tanaka played Luffy, but could it be Tanaka-san next?” It’s lonely for fans to change the voice of a familiar character, so I can understand why you’re worried.
On the other hand, the names of actors who continue to play active voice actors are also mentioned, such as “Midori Kato has been playing Sazae-san for over 50 years, but she is still active.” Satoshi’s partner Pikachu is also a character that Ikue Otani has played for a long time. It’s still being determined how Pikachu will appear in the future, but if the voice actor stays the same, the record will continue to rise.
The same is true for characters that have appeared since the beginning, such as Kasumi and Takeshi. For Anipoke fans, it may be one of the new pleasures to see how familiar characters will reappear in the future.
