Who was Mike McFarland? 'Dragon Ball' actor dies at 56
What's the story
Mike McFarland, a prominent voice actor known for his roles in Dragon Ball and One Piece, has passed away at the age of 56. His death was confirmed by Crunchyroll, where he had been working as a director and line producer. The cause of death was brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma, an aggressive form of the disease that he had been diagnosed with in 2025.
Career highlights
His voice acting career
McFarland was a key player in the Texas-based anime production scene, starting with Funimation and later moving to Crunchyroll after their merger.
He was best known for voicing Master Roshi and Najirobe in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Buggy the Clown in One Piece, and Jean Kirstein in Attack on Titan.
His other notable roles include Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist and Teppei Sugo in Psycho-Pass.
Mentorship and direction
His work behind the scenes
In addition to his voice acting roles, McFarland also worked as a scriptwriter and director for newer anime series such as Chainsaw Man, Mob Psycho 100, and My Hero Academia.
His impact on the industry was remembered fondly by his peers.
Veronica Taylor called him "a great talent and a lovely person."
Voice acting philosophy
His thoughts on voice acting
In a 2021 interview with Kotaku, McFarland spoke about his approach to voice acting.
He revealed that he developed his voice for Buggy the Clown by drawing inspiration from Eiichiro Oda's artwork, the character's musical theme, and the performance of his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Chiba.
"Rather than just hitting all of the technical aspects... it all needs to sound like this is a real world where everything is happening."