Japanese theater troupe Yoru no Ki announced on Facebook on Friday that actor Shū Wada passed away on April 23 due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). He was 81.

Wada was born in Kagoshima prefecture. After graduating from Haiyuza Theatre Company, he formed the Yoru no Ki theater troupe in 1980. He appeared in the Katsu Kaishū and Musashi Musashi NHK Taiga dramas, the Nurse no Oshigoto and Aibō live-action television series, and Odoru Daisōsasen THE MOVIE. He also voiced characters in the Inazuman , Kikaider 01, and Himitsu Sentai Gorenger live-action special-effects series.

Wada's son Gen Urobuchi is a member of the creative group Nitroplus . He has written anime including Puella Magi Madoka Magica , Psycho-Pass , and Expelled from Paradise . He also wrote the Fate/Zero novel series and visual novels such as Phantom of Inferno, Kikokugai: The Cyber Slayer, and Saya no Uta . Urobuchi's recent work includes the Thunderbolt Fantasy puppet series and OBSOLETE 3D CG anime.