News Reporting

Yuichiro Umehara Hospitalized for Rare Autoimmune Disease


Yuichiro Umehara HeadshotOof… this is never good. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Umehara-san.

Earlier today, talent agency Arts Vision reported that actor Yuichiro Umehara was hospitalized. Umehara was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare autoimmune disease. The actor has gone on indefinite hiatus, as he receives treatment. Arts Vision will announce when Umehara is ready to return to work.

The official Twitter account for Kōtarō to Yūichirō Hyorotto Danshi, a radio show starring Umehara and Kotaro Nishiyama, announced that Fumiyoshi Shioya and Yū Miyazaki will serve as substitutes for Umehara for the show’s May 13 and 20 episodes.

Rough Translation: Due to illness, Umehara-san is going to temporarily stop hosting the show. For the broadcasts on May 13 an 20, Yū Miyazaki and Fumiyoshi Shioya will appear as “pinch hitters.” Ume-chan: I’ll be resting up, and waiting to return with a clean bill of health! Thank you to everyone in advance for your support of these “Men of the Moment.”

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis which attacks the brain, spinal cord, and central nervous system. The brain and spinal cord become inflamed, while nerves and central nervous system see their myelin insulation damaged, and white matter destroyed. The symptoms resemble those of Multiple Sclerosis, though typically only sees a single flare-up as opposed to MS’s multiple relapses. The disease afflicts 8 per 1,000,000 people per year, with the majority of those afflicted being children and adolescents.

In severe cases, ADEM can be lead to a loss of consciousness, coma, and death.

Yuichiro Umehara has been active in the entertainment industry since 2013, when he made his début in Orenchi no Furo Jijō as Wakasa. The actor has gone on to play parts in sixty-four anime titles.

Umehara’s repertoire includes numerous prominent characters, including:

  • Black Jack (Young Black Jack)
  • Diabo (GATE)
  • En Yuifin (Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!)
  • Enshou (Gintama)
  • Eugene Seven Stark (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans)
  • Goro (DARLING in the FRANXX)
  • Mars (Black Clover)
  • Mitsuhide Roen (Snow White with the Red Hair)
  • Rene Simm (Seraph of the End: Battle in Nagoya)
  • Siegfried Kircheis (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These)

As of press time, Umehara is performing in six ongoing projects, and he was slated to play the titular Goblin Slayer in Goblin Slayer: The Animation

  • Goro (DARLING in the FRANXX
  • Hajime Suzamoto (Tada Never Falls in Love)
  • Izuru Minezawa (Caligula)
  • Jay Yoon (Jūshinki Pandora)
  • Seiya Ichijō (Sword Gai: The Animation)
  • Siegfried Kircheis (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These)

Sources: Ota-suke, Otakomu, Comic Natalie, Arts Vision, Anime! Anime!)

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

Anime Herald

Support Anime Herald

Anime Herald is brought to you through our Patrons and Ko-fi supporters. Consider backing us for as little as $1 a month to help us keep the site ad-free and pay a fair rate to our writers.

Patrons and backers can access several benefits, including Early Article Access, our members-only Discord, and the ability to suggest articles for our team to write on your behalf.



Latest Posts