Voice actor Hiroshi Tsuchida died on October 11 of heart failure, his agency 81 Produce announced. He was 54. Anime fans know him best as Grisha Yeager in Attack on Titan and as Daikichi Kawachi, the reluctant single dad at the center of Usagi Drop. Per Anime News Network, the family held a private funeral with only close relatives present.
Quick answer
Hiroshi Tsuchida (1972–2026) was a Japanese voice and screen actor with 81 Produce. His major anime roles include Grisha Yeager in Attack on Titan (per MyAnimeList), Daikichi Kawachi in Usagi Drop, Kōichirō Iketani in the Initial D Legend films, J.J. Sexton in Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt and Susumu Yamazaki in Space Battleship Yamato 2199. He was voicing Damnatio Kira in Black Clover Season 2, which is airing now. In Japanese dubs he voiced Lightning McQueen in Cars and Cade Yeager in two Transformers films. He started out in live action as Ninja Blue / Saizō in the 1994 tokusatsu series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.
The roles people will remember
Grisha is a small part in Attack on Titan for most of its run, but the whole story hinges on him. The basement, the key, the memories Eren inherits all come back to the father who disappeared in the first episode. Tsuchida played him as a tired, kind man hiding something heavy, and that's the version viewers carry into the final seasons. Our Attack on Titan watch order guide explains where Grisha's flashbacks fit.
Usagi Drop gave him a lead. Daikichi is a 30-year-old office worker who takes in his late grandfather's six-year-old daughter, and the show works because he sounds completely ordinary: unsure of himself, patient, and often funny without trying to be. It holds an 8.18 on SenpaiRanks and sits at the top of our best josei anime ranking.
A long résumé
Beyond the headline roles, ANN lists Hyūi in the Fist of the North Star: Legend of Yuria OVA, Nadim Samaya in the Witch from Mercury prologue, Trainer Okita in Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Road to the Top, King Lionel in The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom, and the AI unit HANE2 in Ultraman Decker (2022). His most recent role was Shippo Marimo in Mebius Dust. Racing fans will know his Iketani from the Initial D Legend films, which our Initial D watch order covers.
What happens next
Black Clover Season 2 is airing weekly on Crunchyroll with Tsuchida as Damnatio Kira. The studio hasn't said whether the role will be recast. Our episodes 171-173 review covers how the season is going so far.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How did Hiroshi Tsuchida die?
A: He died of heart failure on October 11, 2026, at age 54, per his agency 81 Produce.
Q: Who did Hiroshi Tsuchida voice in Attack on Titan?
A: Grisha Yeager, Eren's father, per MyAnimeList.
Q: What other anime was Hiroshi Tsuchida in?
A: Usagi Drop (Daikichi Kawachi), the Initial D Legend films (Iketani), Gundam Thunderbolt (J.J. Sexton), Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (Susumu Yamazaki) and Black Clover Season 2 (Damnatio Kira).
Q: Was Hiroshi Tsuchida in Super Sentai?
A: Yes. He played Ninja Blue / Saizō in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (1994).