Interest
Voice Actor Kouichi Yamadera, Voice Actress Rie Tanaka Announce Divorce
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Voice actors Kouichi Yamadera and Rie Tanaka announced in a joint statement on their respective Twitter accounts on Friday that they filed for divorce last month. They explained that they "chose to walk separate paths."
In their statement, they stressed that their thoughts are with each other and that the time they spent together is "irreplaceable." They concluded by stating their hope that their fans will continue to watch over both of them.
Kouichi Yamadera is best known for his roles in Cowboy Bebop (as Spike Spiegel), Dragon Ball Super (as Beerus), and the current voice of Koichi Zenigata (Lupin III). Rie Tanaka is known for her roles as Lacus Clyne in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, Chi in Chobits, and Suigintou in the anime adaptation of Rozen Maiden.
Yamadera had previously been married to another voice actress, Mika Kanai, in 1993, and divorced in 2006.
Yamadera and Tanaka married in June 2012 and were together for six years. During that time, they were known as the "big couple" in the world of popular voice actors. In 2016, they played the role of the grandparents of protagonist Kusuo Saiki in the anime The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, RocketNews24, Kouichi Yamadera's tweet, Rie Tanaka's tweet
Update: Voice roles corrected. Thanks, Zhou-BR and crosswithyou
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history