Voice Actress Asami Yaguchi Dies Suddenly at 47
For an industry that generally measures a career by lead roles, Yaguchi's longest-running work was a mascot character: she voiced Kuchipatchi through four Tamagotchi anime entries over six years.
Key Facts
- Voice actress Asami Yaguchi died on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the age of 47.
- Kenyu Office announced Asami Yaguchi's death on Monday, September 28, 2026, and said a private funeral is being held with only close relatives.
- Asami Yaguchi was born on July 31, 1979 in Saitama Prefecture and made her professional debut in 2002.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, OtakuKart Anime.
Asami Yaguchi, the voice actress who played Kuchipatchi across the Tamagotchi anime franchise and the childhood version of Gintoki Sakata in Gintama, died on Saturday, September 26, 2026. She was 47. Her agency, Kenyu Office, announced the death on Monday, September 28. A private funeral service is being held with only close relatives in attendance, in line with the family's wishes. Oricon News reported that the agency said Yaguchi died suddenly from heart failure, though the agency's own obituary did not state a cause of death. Yaguchi was born on July 31, 1979 in Saitama Prefecture and made her professional debut in 2002. Her credits also include Katina Tarask in Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars and Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector, Tarlant in Fantastic Children, Eleonore Von Wittenburg in Dies irae, Pith in Arknights, and Young Eliwood in Fire Emblem Heroes.
Kenyu Office staff wrote in the announcement that Yaguchi had supported the company since its early days, describing her as cheerful, good at looking after other people, and a favorite of the late voice actor Kazuya Tatekabe. On the Tamagotchi side, she first played Kuchipatchi in the 2007 series Let's Go! Tamagotchi and the tie-in film, then returned for the 2009 Tamagotchi! television anime, its 2012 sequel Tamagotchi! Yume Kira Dream, and Tamagotchi! Miracle Friends in 2013. In games, she voiced Katina Tarask in Super Robot Wars Original Generations and Eleonore Von Wittenburg in Dies irae ~Interview with Kaziklu Bey~, in addition to her anime performances in those same franchises. The accounts diverge on one point: Oricon News attributed a cause of death, heart failure, to the agency, while the obituary announcement posted by Kenyu Office did not name a cause.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News Voice Actress Asami Yaguchi Dies at 47
- OtakuKart Anime Gintama Voice Actress Asami Yaguchi, Who Voiced Young Gintoki, Dies Suddenly at 47