Mike McFarland news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
American voice actor Mike McFarland, the English voice of Dragon Ball's Master Roshi, died at 56.
His death marks the loss of a prolific dub actor and director who shaped.
Background
McFarland was an American voice actor, ADR director, script writer and line producer who worked on English dubs of Japanese anime from 1997 onward. He was the original English voice of Master Roshi and Yajirobe in Funimation's Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z dubs, and also voiced Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist and Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan. He directed dubs for titles including Dragon Ball, Fullmetal Alchemist, Case Closed, Attack on Titan, the Rebuild of Evangelion films and Summer Wars, and worked as a scriptwriter and director on newer series such as Chainsaw Man, Mob Psycho 100 and My Hero Academia. In January 2025 he was hospitalized for a brain tumor and underwent emergency surgery, and in August of that year it was announced he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma.
How it unfolded
- Jan 10, 2025A Central Florida Comic Con representative announced on Twitter that McFarland would not attend the event due to illness.
- Jan 12, 2025Voice actress Colleen Clinkenbeard tweeted that McFarland had been admitted to hospital with a brain tumor and underwent emergency surgery, and was recovering; she linked a GoFundMe page for him.
- Jan 16, 2025McFarland posted an update on Twitter saying he was feeling better and thanking fans for their support.
- Aug 18, 2025It was announced that McFarland had been diagnosed with glioblastoma.
- Sep 9, 2026News of McFarland's death broke in the late hours of September 9, 2026.
- Sep 10, 2026Outlets including IGN and Gizmodo reported his death at age 56.
Who’s saying what
- Friend
- Fellow voice actor Tatum wrote that McFarland was a dear friend and mentor of over twenty years, calling him an incredible actor and director.
- Industry
- Gizmodo noted that, like many voice actors of his era, he played a pivotal role in raising up the next generation of voice actors through his scriptwriting and directing work.