Mike McFarland, Prolific ‘Dragon Ball Z’ and ‘One Piece’ Voice Actor, Dies at 56

Mike McFarland was a central figure in the English-language anime industry, voicing and directing dubs that introduced 'Dragon Ball Z' and 'One Piece' to Western audiences. His death at 56 marks the loss of one of the defining creative voices of the Funimation-to-Crunchyroll era, a period when anime went from niche import to mainstream entertainment.

• Mike McFarland, a prolific voice actor on 'Dragon Ball Z' and 'One Piece,' died at 56 after a battle with brain cancer.
• Beyond acting, he worked as an English dub script writer and director, shaping how major anime series sounded for Western viewers.
• His career spanned the Funimation era through Crunchyroll, tracking anime's rise into mainstream streaming.