Atlus changes Metaphor: ReFantazio cast due to scandal

Atlus announced on June 11 that voice actor Toru Furuya will no longer be providing voice work for the company’s upcoming RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio for “various reasons”. It’s highly likely that this decision relates to the adultery scandal involving a woman 37 years his junior, which was revealed by weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun. 

Furuya is known for voicing numerous anime characters such as Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam and Yamcha in Dragon Ball Z. He also provided Mario’s voice for Super Mario commercials and movies back in the 1980s. 

On May 22, Furuya released a statement on his X account that has since gone viral. Addressing the magazine report, Furuya admitted to having a 4-year affair with a fan that lasted until September last year. The statement goes on to say that the fan had an abortion and that Furuya once raised his hand to her during an argument. “As an adult and as a human, this is the lowest behavior” he states, and goes on to apologize both for the hurt caused to the woman in question as well as to all his fans. 

Furuya’s replacement for his role in Metaphor: ReFantazio is due to be announced in July. 

Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to be released for PC (Steam/Microsoft store), PS4/PS5 and XBox Series S|X on October 11. It is being directed by former Persona series director Katsura Hashino, who previously revealed some details about what we can expect from Atlus’s latest RPG.