IDOLY PRIDE will not replace Sayaka Kanda as Mana Nagase’s voice actor after her passing

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2021-12-20 23:56 JST)

QualiArts has announced that they will not be recasting Mana Nagase in IDOLY PRIDE following the tragic death of Sayaka Kanda who voiced the character. IDOLY PRIDE is an idol raising game available in Japan on iOS and Android. In the game, players take on the role of a manager at an entertainment company supporting idols. The multimedia project also received an anime adaption that aired this year.

The protagonist of the game enters the idol industry because of Mana Nagase, a legendary figure in the game’s world. Mana Nagase is beloved by fans but sadly dies in an accident, and IDOLY PRIDE depicts the stories of girls that were influenced by her. Needless to say, Mana Nagase is an important character in the series.

But tragically, Sayaka Kanda, the voice actor behind Mana Nagase, also passed away on December 18. The IDOLY PRIDE official Twitter account posted their condolences the following day. On December 20, they also announced that they will not be casting another voice actor for Mana Nagase. The statement says, “Sayaka Kanda breathed life into Mana Nagase in a way nobody else possibly could.”

After Kanda’s passing, some fans voiced concerns about a successor for the role. There were also a number of people saying they don’t want the role to be filled. But without being able to record new lines, it will be difficult to provide new events for the character. Mana Nagase is very popular, and the game saw an increase in sales when she was implemented as a playable character. Not filling the role may also have an impact on future sales. But even so, it seems QualiArts has decided that Mana Nagase is a role for nobody other than Sayaka Kanda.

On the IDOLY PRIDE official Twitter account, many fans can be seen supporting the decision. In IDOLY PRIDE, we’ll likely see Sayaka Kanda’s work continue on through Mana Nagase.