Following a battle against several serious illnesses, including pleural effusion, heart failure, kidney failure, and cystitis, game designer Masahiro Sakurai’s cat Fukurashi passed away at 7 am JST on February 6. Sakurai’s fans and peers, including Kirby voice actress Makiko Ohmoto, expressed their condolences.
“This morning at 7 o’clock, my beloved cat Fukurashi passed away. I believe she passed peacefully and gently after returning home. The bite mark on my hand from long ago remains, and the sensation of her constantly rubbing against my legs still lingers. Thank you for everything! “
While not credited in Sakurai’s games, Fukurashi played an integral role in providing comfort and laughs to her owner and his fans. In addition to appearing in some of Sakurai’s videos on his Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games YouTube channel, she was also featured on the cover of his biographical manga. Fukurashi was so popular that her video on Sakurai’s YouTube channel surpassed some of the other video game-related content in terms of views.
According to Sakurai’s posts, Fukurashi’s health started to deteriorate toward the end of January. After taking her to the vet, Sakurai announced that her blood test results didn’t look promising, prompting her to receive daily IV drips. Following the diagnoses for several illnesses and the stress Fukurashi faced during treatments, Sakurai and his family decided to care for her until she passed away. She was 17 years old.
