Fans Knew His Voice Long Before They Knew His Name, and Now He Is Gone at 56

You may not have known Mike McFarland’s name, but if you watched English-language anime over the past three decades, there is a good chance you heard his voice.

He was Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Dragon Ball, and Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan. For many viewers, those were simply characters they grew up watching. McFarland was the voice behind them.

McFarland died on September 9, 2026, at the age of 56 after battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He died at a care facility in Dallas, surrounded by friends and family, according to TMZ’s report on his death.

His career had started long before many of today’s anime fans discovered those characters.

McFarland joined Funimation in the late 1990s and became part of the group of actors, writers and directors who helped build the company’s English-language anime productions. His work eventually followed the industry from Funimation into Crunchyroll, where he continued acting and directing English dubs.

For fans of Dragon Ball, his voice was particularly familiar. He played Master Roshi and Yajirobe, characters that appeared across the franchise, while his role as Buggy in One Piece became another defining part of his career. His other credits included Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Makoto Hyuga in the Evangelion films, Hiroshi Odokawa in Odd Taxi and characters in Tokyo Ghoul, My Hero Academia and Trigun Stampede.

But McFarland’s contribution to anime went beyond the characters he voiced.

He worked as an ADR director, scriptwriter and line producer, helping shape the English versions of shows that reached audiences who would never hear the original Japanese performances. His directing credits included major productions such as Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist and The Rebuild of Evangelion films, making him an important part of the English-language anime industry. His career and influence were explored in a recent profile by Complex.

McFarland was also known for supporting other performers. Fellow voice actors have remembered him as someone who gave people opportunities early in their careers and helped shape performances behind the scenes.

Matthew Mercer was among those who paid tribute to him, while other actors described McFarland as a generous colleague and mentor. Gizmodo’s account of his death collected several of those tributes, including memories from performers who had worked closely with him.

His own approach to dubbing was part of what made his work stand out. McFarland understood that translating an anime character into English was not simply a matter of matching words to mouth movements. The performance still had to feel natural within the world of the original story.

That could be heard in the characters he played.

Buggy, for example, had already become a distinctive character in the Japanese version of One Piece. McFarland developed his English interpretation while taking the original performance, the character and the surrounding production into account.

Behind the scenes, his career continued as anime itself changed. The Funimation years gave way to the Crunchyroll era, but McFarland remained involved in English-language productions and continued working as both a performer and a director.

McFarland’s health problems became public in 2025 after doctors discovered a brain tumor. He underwent surgery and was later diagnosed with glioblastoma. Friends and fellow voice actors rallied around him during his treatment, including through a fundraising campaign that helped with his medical and caregiving expenses.

When news of his death spread, Crunchyroll remembered him as both a talented performer and a friend to many people in the anime community.

“Mike brought so much to all of us who knew him, and to all of the anime fans that knew his work,” the company said in a statement. “He was an incredible talent, a good friend to so many of us, and will be sorely, sorely missed.”

For viewers, though, his legacy may be much simpler.

It is the moment Master Roshi appeared on screen. The next scene with Buggy. Jean Kirstein arguing with the others in Attack on Titan. A voice that became familiar long before many fans ever thought about the person behind it.

Mike McFarland spent decades giving animated characters an English voice. His work will continue to be heard every time those characters appear on screen, connecting new viewers with performances that became part of the lives of an earlier generation.