I will be honest: this post took me nearly three days to compile. The raw emotions experienced in this situation are just something we have rarely had to deal with as a community, let alone such remorse as something I have personally had to deal with. As someone intimately familiar with the series for nearly two decades, it breaks my heart to hear of the passing of Hiromi Tsuru. For as long as I have known Dragon Ball, I have known Hiromi Tsuru as the one-and-only voice of Bulma, a staple of the series’ main cast. Hiromi Tsuru has been a pillar to the series for thirty-one years, which for me encompasses nearly my entire life. There is not a moment that I don’t recall her being a part of my Dragon Ball experience, which is truly saying something.
In the past we have lost such legends as Daisuke Gōri (voicing nearly everyone, such as Umigame, Gyūmaō, or King Enma), Takeshi Aono (God), or Kōhei Miyauchi (Kame-Sen’nin), but for some reason this loss hits me harder than anything I can recall. Don’t misunderstand me, I thought the loss of Daisuke Gōri was the worst things could get, until this last Thursday. The loss of Hiromi Tsuru really hits home for me in ways I cannot quite explain. I thought I could deal with this just like any other loss we’ve experienced over the years, but this post is the best way I can deal with it. I’m putting myself out there, which is always a bit scary, but I’m not the only one. Everyone involved with Kanzenshuu feels this loss, as if it were our own family member.
As long as Dragon Ball exists, Hiromi Tsuru will never be forgotten. She will forever be our Hiromi Tsuru, our Bulma, our friend. She will forever live on in our hearts. She will forever walk amongst Dragon Ball fans far and wide, from Japan to North America, as the brilliant scientist of Capsule Corp.
Thank you Hiromi Tsuru, for the love, the joy, and the happiness that you have brought to generations of fans, both young and old. You will forever live on in our hearts and minds as the one-and-only Bulma. The one-and-only voice of Dragon Ball.
2 Comments
Thank you for this… I feel the same.
This was more than worth the time it took to write and poignantly summarises how I and I imagine the community at large feels Heath, thank you.
Although my introduction to Bulma was voiced by Lalainia Lindbjerg, I learnt after eventually experiencing (and preferring) the original Japanese version that the way Hiromi Tsuru sounded was, is and always will be that character.