How Did Mike Mcfarland Die

So, you’re wondering how the voice behind everyone’s favorite anime villain, Mike McFarland, kicked the bucket? Relax—I’m not writing an obituary. He’s alive and well, still directing voice actors and probably laughing at this very question over a cup of coffee. The rumor started because someone confused him with the character he played—Master Roshi from Dragon Ball Z—who does, in fact, meet a temporary, dramatic end in the series.

Hold your horses—let me explain. Mike McFarland is the voice of Master Roshi, the creepy but lovable turtle hermit. In the show, Roshi famously dies during the King Piccolo saga, sacrificing himself to buy time for Goku. Fans of the English dub heard McFarland’s voice deliver that tear-jerking final line, and the internet did what it does best—jumped to a wildly incorrect conclusion.

The Great Misunderstanding

Nobody bothers to check the credits, right? Someone posted “RIP Mike McFarland” on social media, and poof—the rumor went viral faster than a Saiyan on a sugar rush. I bet a real obituary writer somewhere cried into their keyboard, wondering why they put in any effort at all. The joke is on everyone because McFarland is still voicing Roshi in Dragon Ball Super, often alive and pervy as ever.

Let’s be real: if you’re going to fake-die online, you can’t pick a character who dies permanently. Roshi comes back to life via the Dragon Balls—spoiler alert—so McFarland’s death rumor is like declaring a pizza shop closed when it’s just out of pepperoni. It’s dramatic, but factually wrong.

Mike McFarland Dead: One Piece, Dragon Ball Z Voice Actor Was 56

The Real Story (Boring But True)

Mike McFarland is alive, directing anime dubs at Funimation, and probably annoyed we’re even having this conversation. The rumor started around 2018, when a fan noticed Roshi’s on-screen death and didn’t bother googling the voice actor’s age or obituary. If McFarland had died, you’d hear about it on the news, not from a guy named “GokuFan69” on Twitter.

Ironically, McFarland himself once joked about the rumor on a podcast, saying he didn’t know whether to be flattered or to file a defamation lawsuit. He’s also alive enough to have voiced characters in Attack on Titan and One Piece since then. So, no—he didn’t die; he just acted dead.

Mike McFarland Dead: 'Dragon Ball Z,' 'One Piece' Voice Actor Was 56

What We Can Learn From This

First, always check the character’s death count, not the actor’s. Second, if someone says “Mike McFarland died,” ask: “Which one? The voice actor or the guy who wrote the song ‘The Streak’?” (Spoiler: that other Mike passed away in 2021, which added to the confusion.) And third, never trust internet rumors about anime voice actors—they’re the hardest people to kill off, apparently.

So pour one out for Master Roshi’s temporary death, not Mike McFarland. He’s still out there, probably directing a scene about a planet- exploding ki blast, and laughing at how his fake death became a meme. Let this be a lesson: if you want to be remembered, get a character who actually stays dead. Or better yet—just stay alive out of spite.