After months of silence, Dragon Ball officially revealed the next chapter for Majin Buu. Following the tragic loss of Japanese voice actor Kozo Shioya, a new voice actor for Majin Buu has been chosen and has already made his debut.

In late January, legendary voice actor Kozo Shioya passed away at age 70 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Alongside Majin Buu, Shioya was famous for his roles in One Piece (Genzo, Pappag, Weevil), Naruto (Jigumo), World Trigger (Motokichi Kinuta) and more. At the time, it was unclear whether Majin Buu would be recast in Dragon Ball for future games, anime series or movies or if the character would be retired out of respect for Shioya.

However, thanks to the recent release of "Super Limit-Breaking NEO" for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, fans finally have the answer. According to the game credits, Majin Buu is now voiced by Mitsuaki Kanuka. (h/t @/MaridoAstolfo on X.)

Dragon Ball Names Majin Buu’s New Voice Actor Following Kozo Shioya’s Passing

As of July 30, 2026, Mitsuaki Kanuka is now the new Japanese voice actor for Majin Buu in the Dragon Ball franchise.

Kanuka is best known for his recent anime roles, such as Loccobarocco (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean), Masashi Kawata (The First Slam Dunk), Zongquan Bai (Shenmue the Animation), and the "Quack Doctor" Guen in The Apothecary Diaries. Most notably, Mitsuaki has contributed to games like Nioh 3, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Silent Hill 2 (2024), Digimon Story Time Stranger and more.

However, die-hard Transformers fans will instantly recognize Kawata as the Japanese voice actor for Scowl in the Japanese dub of Transformers: Robots In Disguise (2015). He also provided voice work for the Japanese dub of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014). He's also the Japanese voice actor for Patrick Star in SpongeBob SquarePants.

Mitsuaki Kanuka's new role as Majin Buu isn't just limited to his traditional puffball form. He's also credited for Evil Buu, Super Buu and Kid Buu in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's massive new paid expansion.

Presumably, Kanuka will be involved in the new Dragon Ball Super anime, which finally adapts the fan-favorite "Moro" story arc from the manga, based on the welcoming character development Majin Buu receives in the storyline. Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol is currently in production at Toei Animation with no confirmed release date. However, Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, a remake of Dragon Ball Super's first story arc, will air this fall and also be present at New York Comic Con this October.

The Dragon Ball anime franchise, such as Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Daima, is available to stream on Crunchyroll. Previous chapters of the Dragon Ball Super manga can be read digitally on the Viz Media and Manga Plus apps.

"Having defeated Buu, Goku is starting to get bored with his life on Earth," the official description reads, via Manga Plus. His wife, Chi-chi, wants him to get a job, but all he wants to do is train and fight stronger enemies."

"Elsewhere in the universe, the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant Whis are traveling from planet to planet in search of food and entertainment. After blowing up some hapless victims, Beerus is reminded of a man from his dreams with the moniker “Super Saiyan God,” or something like that... The God of Destruction sets his sights on Earth to track down this mysterious man! Maybe this will give Goku something to do?"