Joseph Luster
April 12, 2024 
On March 4, a voice acting legend left us, as TAKARO—who had been voicing the lead character in the Chibi Maruko-chan anime for 34 years—passed away at the age of 63. Since the Maruko-chan anime is still running, that left some big shoes to fill, and a new voice actor has officially been chosen.
The new voice of Maruko will be Kokoro Kikuchi, known for roles like Sarada in the BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS anime. The first episode featuring her work as Maruko will premiere on April 21.
March 24 marked the last Chibi Maruko-chan episode to feature TARAKO in the lead. She had been voicing the character since the show’s January 1990 debut.
Crunchyroll streams new episodes of the Chibi Maruko-chan anime, based on the manga by the late Momoko Sakura, and describes it:
Meet Maruko, a sweet schoolgirl with a hefty dose of curiosity (and occasional laziness!). She sails through life in a cozy town alongside her loving parents, grandparents, and sister. Maruko has a band of loyal friends, including her closest pal, Tama-chan, but her playful and doting grandpa is at the heart of it all. Life is never dull in this charming series.
