On October 30, 2023, the 31-year-old actor-voice actor Junya Ikeda was reportedly arrested for being involved in a fraud scheme. His affiliated agency, BaRU confirmed this in an announcement posted on their official website. Putting the seriousness of such case into consideration, his agency terminated his contract on the 27th.
Special fraud, or tokushu sagi, is currently a rampant crime in Japan, which typically targets the elderly and vulnerable, tricking them into transferring money or other valuables by impersonating the victims’ relatives or loved ones. In accordance with the laws in Japan, fraud attempts are punishable by law.
Ikeda first rose to fame as an actor who played the role of Gai Ikari/Gokai Silver in the live-action movies of the Super Sentai franchise from 2011 until its latest movie adaptation Kaizoku Sentai: Ten Gokaiger which came out in 2021. His first credited role as a voice actor is Ataru Suruga from Majestic Prince. He is also the voice behind Mitsuru Tenma from the Ensemble Stars! franchise, Jo Kido from Digimon Adventure, and Knives Millions from the 2023 anime adaptation of the manga series Trigun, Trigun Stampede. Ikeda also worked as a screenwriter and stage director.
Ikeda also has one active voice-acting anime role this Fall 2023 as he provides the voice for Oz Gorgeous in The Kingdoms of Ruin. His casting in the anime is his last post on his X account, which was posted on October 23. However, The Kingdoms of Ruin anime production committee made an announcement on their website today that they will replace the voice actor of Oz Gorgeous.
Source: BaRu Official Website, The Kingdoms of Ruin Official Website
Featured Image: © BaRu / © TRIGUN STAMPEDE Project