Yaru de Pon

Video Game: Star Fox (2026)

Hidden in plain sight during the opening moments of Star Fox (2026), Yaru de Pon (ヤル・デ・ポン) is the tanuki instructor who guides players through the Arwing training simulation before the Lylat System's chaos truly begins. His name finally appears on screen in this remake, a long-overdue acknowledgment for a figure who has lurked in the franchise's background since Star Fox 64.

Yaru de Pon’s Role in Star Fox

Running the virtual combat simulator that kicks off the 2026 remake’s campaign, Yaru is the straight-laced professional who finds himself very quickly outmatched by Falco Lombardi’s recklessness. When Falco cranks the simulation difficulty far beyond any reasonable warranty, Yaru delivers a glitched-out farewell before the chaos takes over, one of the remake’s most quietly memorable beats. Beneath his unassuming grey Cornerian uniform, a cap not far removed from the one Slippy Toad wears, lies a figure with surprising depth: according to lore surfaced through the original Japanese Star Fox 64 website, he holds the presidency of Space Dynamics, the very company that manufactures the Arwing. Slippy Toad knows this because his father Beltino works closely with the man. Character designer Takaya Imamura based Yaru’s tanuki-shaped face on that of his soon-to-be wife, a personal touch that gives the franchise’s most overlooked character an unexpectedly warm origin.

Who Voices Yaru de Pon in Star Fox (2026)?

Mick Lauer brings Yaru de Pon to life in the English version of Star Fox (2026), sharing the session with Pigma Dengar and the Shogun Squadron Commander. Lauer is a prolific presence in English-language anime dubbing, widely recognized for voicing Yoriichi Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Leone Abbacchio in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.