Hiromi Tsuru

Birth Date: 29/03/1960

A seiyuu whose career stretched nearly five decades, Hiromi Tsuru trained under Himawari Theatre Group before joining Aoni Production, where she remained until her passing in November 2017. Born March 29, 1960, in Chitose, Hokkaido, her voice acting debut came in 1978 with The Story of Perrine. Best known for Bulma in Dragon Ball, Meryl Stryfe in Trigun, and Naomi Hunter in Metal Gear Solid.

Hiromi Tsuru’s Voice and the Soul of Dragon Ball’s Bulma

For over three decades, one voice defined Bulma Brief in the Dragon Ball universe – sharp, expressive, and unmistakably alive. Hiromi Tsuru first took on the role in 1986 when the original Dragon Ball series premiered, and she never let it go. Through Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and countless films and specials, her performance grew alongside the character – from a headstrong teenage inventor to a wife, mother, and cornerstone of one of the most enduring franchises in anime history. When Tsuru passed in 2017, her final recorded Bulma lines appeared in Dragon Ball FighterZ, making that game an inadvertent farewell to her longest and most celebrated performance.

The Seiyuu Who Shaped an Era of Anime Heroines

Tsuru’s career was not built on a single franchise. Starting with her voice acting debut in 1978 on The Story of Perrine – a World Masterpiece Theater production she auditioned for during her junior year of high school – she steadily carved out a niche playing headstrong, quick-witted female characters. Madoka Ayukawa in Kimagure Orange Road brought her to a new generation of fans during the late 1980s, capturing the cool magnetism of one of anime’s most iconic love interests. Ukyo Kuonji in Ranma 1/2 followed, adding comic spark to a character balancing rivalry and affection. By the time Ghost Sweeper Mikami aired in the early 1990s, Tsuru’s profile as a lead seiyuu for female action roles was firmly established.

Trigun, Metal Gear, and a Career That Crossed Media

Tsuru did not stay locked inside anime. Her performance as Meryl Stryfe in the 1998 series Trigun demonstrated a capacity for grounded, emotionally layered work – Meryl functioned as both comedic foil and moral anchor to the chaotic Vash the Stampede, and Tsuru’s delivery navigated that balance with precision. Equally significant was her role as Dr. Naomi Hunter in the Metal Gear Solid series, bringing warmth and scientific intensity to a character woven deeply into the franchise’s mythology. Both roles confirmed that Tsuru’s abilities extended well beyond the bright, energetic register most associated with Bulma.

Dokin-chan and a Legacy Measured in Generations

Among all her roles, Dokin-chan in Soreike! Anpanman may have logged the most airtime. The series ran to over a thousand episodes, and Dokin-chan appeared in nearly all of them. For an entire generation of Japanese children, Tsuru’s voice was not just part of the weekend viewing routine – it was a constant. That kind of sustained presence across multiple decades of children’s media is rare in any entertainment industry. Tsuru carried both Bulma and Dokin-chan simultaneously for years, maintaining two completely distinct vocal identities for two wildly different audiences.

November 2017 and the Loss the Anime World Felt Immediately

On the evening of November 16, 2017, Tsuru was found unconscious behind the wheel of her parked car on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo – hazard lights on, seatbelt still fastened. She was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead. Her agency, Aoni Production, confirmed the cause as aortic dissection. She was 57. More than four hundred fans gathered for her funeral alongside colleagues including Masako Nozawa and Ryo Horikawa. The news broke through national broadcaster NHK and ran in major newspapers across Japan. The scale of public mourning reflected how deeply her voice had embedded itself into the culture. The role of Bulma was later taken over by Aya Hisakawa beginning in 2018.