Emi Shinohara, who voiced Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon and Kushina in Naruto, dies at age 61

Japanese voice actress Emi Shinohara, famous for her role as Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter in the original Sailor Moon anime series, has died at the age of 61. On Tuesday (Sep 10), her agency 81 Produce announced that Shinohara died while undergoing medical treatment for an unspecified illness.
The full statement read: “Actress Emi Shinohara (real name Emiko Watanabe), who is affiliated with our company, passed away on Sep 8, 2024, at the age of 61, while undergoing treatment for an illness for which no treatment was effective. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the kindness shown to us during her lifetime and inform you of this sad news.”
In addition to Sailor Jupiter, Emi Shinohara voiced multiple iconic characters in a career spanning over 30 years including Kushina Uzumaki in the Naruto franchise, Kaho Mizuki in Cardcaptor Sakura and Presea in Magic Knight Rayearth.
Shinohara’s death comes months after the death of her fellow 81 Produce labelmate Noriko Ohara who voiced Nobita in the hit children’s anime Doraemon.
Tributes for Shinohara have poured in from various members of the anime industry including frequent co-star Megumi Ogata who voiced Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon and Yukito Tsukishiro in Cardcaptor Sakura. Ogata wrote: “We laughed about how people mispronounce our names because the kanji is the same…Someday, we’ll meet again in the Cardcaptor Sakura sequel.”
Longtime friend Rika Fukami, who voiced Sailor Venus, said that Shinohara “was full of energy and hope until the very end”.
“I love you forever,” she added.