JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Anime fans this week are mourning the death of voice actor Taiki Matsuno. He took on a long list of iconic characters. Perhaps his most notable for our American listeners...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS THEME SONG")
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Singing in Japanese).
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in Japanese).
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Or as we know him, SpongeBob SquarePants - Matsuno voiced the beloved fry cook in the Japanese dub of the show for nearly 20 years - from the first movie to Season 13 - and was known for how well his performance matched the American original.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS")
TAIKI MATSUNO: (As SpongeBob, speaking Japanese).
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Speaking Japanese).
SUMMERS: The Tokyo native started his voice-acting career at the age of 10 and had roles in shows like "One Piece," "Inuyasha," "Sailor Moon SuperS" and "Kindaichi Case Files."
DETROW: Taiki Matsuno was 56.
(SOUNDBITE OF KAPONO BEAMER'S "STACK OF LEIS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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