Master Roshi in Dragon Ball and Buggy in One Piece shared an English voice: Mike McFarland. The actor and dub director has died at 56, with Crunchyroll confirming his passing in a statement to CBR. Brina Palencia confirmed his death to TMZ. McFarland died on September 9, according to reports published the following day, leaving a career that stretched from familiar characters to the direction of entire English dubs. [1–4]
Mike McFarland’s Death and the Confirmations
Crunchyroll’s statement remembered both McFarland’s work and the friendships he built in the anime industry. The company called him “a good friend to so many of us” in comments supplied to CBR, whose September 10 report also gathered tributes from actors who had worked with him. Anime News Network’s Joanna Cayanan traced TMZ’s report to Palencia. The fellow performer co-organized the fundraising effort that supported his care. [1, 2]
His family had not yet issued a public statement when CBR published its report, and CBR said the exact date remained unclear at that point, while Anime News Network reported that he had died on Wednesday and Dexerto identified the date as September 9. The accounts agree that he was 56. Public updates about his surgery and continuing treatment had run for more than a year. His colleagues also organized help. [1–3]
The official cause remains publicly unconfirmed. CBR made that distinction explicit despite the previously disclosed glioblastoma diagnosis. [2]
Mike McFarland’s colleagues responded with memories of recording sessions, first opportunities and everyday encounters. Several had shared casts with him; others remembered the director who invited them into a studio. Their accounts reach beyond the character that made his voice familiar to so many English-speaking anime fans. [2] PerEXP Teamworks previously covered Yoshiki Takaya’s statement that he may never draw manga again. McFarland’s death brings a different focus: his English dub performances, directing work and colleagues’ accounts of supporting his care.
From Master Roshi to Buggy
Mike McFarland voiced Master Roshi in Funimation’s English version of Dragon Ball. He continued the role across series, films and video games. Buggy the Clown followed in One Piece. Those two credits put him in long-running franchises, but the list of characters in Dexerto’s account also crosses into very different casts and stories, including Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan and Kotaro Amon in Tokyo Ghoul. [3]
Jean Havoc was another recurring credit. Mike McFarland played him in both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. He also voiced Carnage Kabuto in One-Punch Man. For readers looking up his characters, these names help distinguish the actor’s own performances from the much wider list of productions on which he worked behind the scenes. His credits included directing, scriptwriting and producing as well as acting; an anime carrying his name did not necessarily feature him solely as a member of the cast. Dexerto’s career account identifies both kinds of work. It lists his familiar speaking roles and the English-language productions he helped direct. [3]
McFarland also directed English dubs. Dexerto names Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist and the Rebuild of Evangelion films among those projects. His credits extended to Summer Wars and Wolf Children, taking his work beyond television series. [3, 5]
A Director Who Opened Doors
Lee Steinfeld remembered an invitation in 2014. The YouTuber (better known as Leonhart) submitted a character reel. He said McFarland then gave him a chance to act in One Piece. McFarland contacted him the next day and asked him to come into Funimation for work. CBR reproduced Steinfeld’s tribute on X. Steinfeld thanked him for taking that chance. [2]
Megan Shipman remembered working with him as an actor. Shipman, whose roles include Anya Forger in Spy x Family and Ran Mori in the newer Detective Conan English dub, described McFarland’s intelligence, humor and care for his work. She acknowledged that others knew him better, while recalling their own professional encounters as special. CBR collected her tribute with messages from performers connected to several different anime franchises. [2]
Tiffany Vollmer had played Bulma in Dragon Ball (from 1999 to 2009). She shared her grief on Facebook and said a fuller tribute would follow. Veronica Taylor also paid tribute. The original English voice of Ash Ketchum in Pokémon remembered McFarland’s talent and kindness, pointing to the friends and acting and directing projects through which his memory would continue. [2]
Surgery Changed His Care Needs
Colleen Clinkenbeard said Mike McFarland first visited a doctor because he suspected an infection in his inner ear. Doctors discovered a brain tumor. He underwent surgery to remove it in January 2025, beginning a period in which his colleagues helped raise money for practical assistance after the operation. Dexerto reported that he later told fans he felt better and thanked them for their support. [1, 3]
Another operation followed in April 2025. Anime News Network reported that doctors performed the second brain surgery to look for an unidentified infection; after an attempt at assisted living, McFarland returned to hospital and then moved to a skilled nursing facility for continued treatment. In August 2025, his friends and family confirmed a diagnosis of glioblastoma (a form of brain cancer), according to CBR. [1, 2]
McFarland’s colleagues adjusted the fundraiser as his needs changed, moving from support for help at home toward the costs of treatment and nursing care. In McFarland’s case, the public updates came through the people helping arrange his care, with the August diagnosis bringing a further change to the fundraising goal. [1, 2]
The Fundraiser and Personal Farewells
J. Michael Tatum and Brandon McInnis launched the GoFundMe in January 2025 so Mike McFarland could hire a live-in medical assistant after surgery. Donors passed the initial $65,000 target. Organizers subsequently raised the goal, and Anime News Network’s September 10 account recorded $301,786 toward a $350,000 target. Donations had paused by then; those figures describe the campaign at the time of that report. [1]
Sarah Natochenny’s farewell included smaller details: McFarland’s car, his dislike of hotel elevators and his willingness to pose for selfies, and she also recalled his support for her work on Alya. Natochenny succeeded Taylor as Ash Ketchum’s English voice. Her message, reproduced by CBR, joined the accounts of colleagues who knew him as a friend as well as a performer. [2]
Vollmer said she would write more when she could. At the time of CBR’s report, neither McFarland’s family nor the official GoFundMe page had publicly announced his passing. Anime News Network’s campaign snapshot recorded donations as paused. Further family statements and any changes to the fundraiser remained outside those published accounts. [1, 2]
- ONLINE NEWS Cayanan, J. (2026, September 10). Voice actor Mike McFarland dies at 56 (updated). Anime News Network. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Reyna, L. (2026, September 10). Dragon Ball voice actor Mike McFarland has died at 56. CBR. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Filby, J. (2026, September 10). Dragon Ball and One Piece voice actor Mike McFarland dies aged 56. Dexerto. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS TMZ Staff. (2026, September 10). One Piece voice actor Mike McFarland dead at 56. TMZ. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Limjoco, D. (2026, September 10). Mike McFarland passes away at 56. Toonami Squad. [Article Link]
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