Japanese voice actress Yukie Maeda dies at 52

Japanese voice actress Yukie Maeda (前田ゆきえ) has died at the age of 52. Her family confirmed that she passed away on 9 March 2026, shortly after retiring from voice acting due to illness.

Maeda began working in voice acting in the early 2000s and built a career across video games, anime and dubbing work over more than two decades. Affiliated with Production Baobab, she became a familiar presence through a wide range of supporting and character roles.

She was best known for roles including Feli in the ‘Puyo Puyo’ series, Mari Aizawa in ‘Disaster Report’, and Cao Cao in ‘Koihime Enbu’. Her credits also included appearances in series such as ‘Love Hina’, ‘Inuyasha’, ‘Detective Conan’ and ‘Naruto’.

In February 2026, Maeda announced her retirement from voice acting after revealing she had been diagnosed with malignant sarcoma. Her condition worsened in the weeks that followed, and her death was later announced via her official social media account.

Though much of her work was in supporting roles, Maeda maintained a steady body of work and remained a familiar presence to fans. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.