Actress Noriko Ohara, who voiced Nobita in 'Doraemon', dies at 88

Noriko Ohara’s voice became widely recognisable to many in Japan as she played Nobita from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Photos: 81 Produce, Doraemon/Instagram

Japanese voice actor Noriko Ohara, best known for voicing Nobita Nobi in the popular anime series Doraemon, passed away on July 12 at the age of 88.

Ohara, whose real name was Noriko Tobe, had been receiving treatment for an illness, according to a Jiji Press report citing her agency 81 Produce.

The Tokyo native started voicing the character Nobita in 1979. She did this for 26 years, until 2005.

The popular series centres around Nobita, a lazy but optimistic boy and his strange buddy, a robot cat from the future named Doraemon.

It brought her recognition across multiple generations.

Ohara also lent her voice to various characters in other anime projects, including energetic boys like Peter, the goat herder in Heidi: Girl Of The Alps, and Conan in Future Boy Conan, as well as sultry female characters such as Doronjo, the villain in Yatterman, and Oyuki in Urusei Yatsura.

Additionally, Ohara provided Japanese dubbing for American actress Shirley MacLaine and French actress Catherine Deneuve in various films. – Bernama