Summary
Anime dubs can feature performances that rival the original Japanese version, showcasing great talent and adding their own unique flair. Some of the best anime voice performances capture the essence of characters and stories, standing out for their over-the-top characterization or grounded delivery. Dubbing English anime, despite their reputation, should not be easily dismissed, as they have proven successful in bringing anime to a wider audience and showcasing the talent of the actors. voice actor.
While discussions about anime tend to focus on shows in the original Japanese language, anime dubbing still has a lot of merit. Voice actors in other languages can deliver performances that are as realistic as the original Japanese performances, and in some cases, the voice performances are sometimes considered so great that people liked it more than the original Japanese version.
Anime dubs have featured a lot of incredible performances from their voice actors, and there are a few performances that stand out as some of the best. Some of the best anime voice acting performances are great for how well they emulate the original Japanese, but others stand out for the amount of originality they added to both the character and the respective anime their.
10 Mark Gatha as Domon Kasshu
G Mobile mobile fighter
Mark Gatha’s performance as Domon Kasshu in Mobile Fighter G Gundam is truly amazing. Mobile Fighter G Gundunda is an anime that thrives on the complexity of its story, and Gatha’s Domon does it perfectly by delivering a performance that’s always over the top yet endearing thanks to the seriousness of both him and the anime took everything away. The voice acting in Mobile Fighter G Gundam may not be technically excellent, but the nature of its story makes up for it, and Gatha’s performance perfectly shows why.
9 Justin Cook as Yusuke Urameshi
YuYu Hakusho
Another great anime voice performance is Justin Cook as Yusuke Urameshi in YuYu Hakusho. Cook’s performance always does a great job of capturing how much of a punk guy Yusuke is supposed to be, and the sarcastic nature of his delivery also fits perfectly with the trend of English dubs bringing lots of comedy and profanity in the script. YuYu Hakusho is a rare example of anime where the English dub is consistently considered the best way to watch it, and Cook’s performance as Yusuke plays a big role in that.
8 Crispin Freeman is the reason why
Haruhi Suzumiya’s sadness
On the opposite end of the spectrum, one anime voice performance that stands out for its radical nature is Crispin Freeman as Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyon’s role in Haruhi Suzumiya is to be the straight man to the crazy antics of Haruhi and the SOS Brigade, and Freeman does a great job of making that happen with his as dry performance as possible. easily sells Kyon’s responses and sarcasm in every scene. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya helped make both the English and Japanese cast famous in anime, and with Freeman’s stellar performance, it’s easy to see why.
7 Ian Sinclair as Dandy
Dandy Space
The anime by Shinichiro Watanabe, creator of Cowboy Bebop, is famous for its excellent English dub and great performance in it as Ian Sinclair as Dandy in Space Dandy. Dandy’s Schtick is a goofy guy who goes back and forth between being cool and just thinking he’s cool, and Sinclair’s performance does a great job of capturing that idea with the ease that it can. conveys both tenderness and foolishness. A big selling point of Space Dandy was how the English dub would air before the Japanese version, and Sinclair’s Dandy proved that was a great decision in promoting the series.
6 Steve Blum as Spike Spiegel
Cowboy bebop
When it comes to dubbing the anime Shinichiro Watanabe, it’s impossible not to mention Steve Blum’s outstanding performance as Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop. Spike is a character designed to be the coolest person in the room, whether it’s being brave or appearing cool, and Blum’s smooth delivery always succeeds in conveying that, inside and out. alongside Spike’s moments of humor and genuine sadness. Like YuYu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop is an anime whose English dub is often considered the definitive version, and that would never have happened without Blum’s incredible performance as Spike Spiegel.
5 Spike Spencer as Shinji Ikari
Evangelical Neon Genesis
Another anime that is often known for its English dub is Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the standout performance is Spike Spencer as Shinji Ikari. Spencer did an incredible job portraying Shinji as a moody boy facing hardships in life, and it is thanks to him that every emotional moment Shinji experiences can be portrayed. presented in a believable and incredibly engaging way. Spencer’s Shinji especially shines throughout the Rebuild of Evangelion quartet as Shinji finally gets his happy ending there, and without Spencer’s delivery, that would have been a lot harder to sell.
4 J. Michael Tatum As Rintaro Okabe
Steins door
Many of the English dub performances are very consistent with the original Japanese, and a great example of that is J. Michael Tatum as Rintaro Okabe in Steins;Gate. Mamoru Miyano perfectly portrayed Okabe as the most mad scientist in the original Japanese, and Tatum did a great job of recreating that with his hammy performance in the English dub, especially especially when the script uses original jokes to replace ones that have already happened. Only works in Japanese. Befitting his role as a protagonist, Okabe is the character that sells Steins;Gate as a series, and Tatum’s delivery goes a long way in making that work in the English dub.
3 Mike Pollock as Doctor Eggman
Sonic X
Even though 4Kids Entertainment is notorious for their terrible English dubs, they still get great performances from their actors from time to time, and one of their best actors is Mike Pollock in as Doctor Eggman in Sonic X. While the quality of Sonic X may be divisive, Pollock’s performance may be. Eggman has always seen him as a villain who, no matter how stupid, still knows how to be menacing when the time comes and his scenes are often the best in the entire series. It says a lot that Pollock has successfully held his role for 20 years, and given how perfectly he embodied Eggman, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
2 Eric Stuart As Seto Kaiba
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Another great English dub performance from 4Kids Entertainment is Eric Stuart as Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh! Stuart did an incredible job of portraying Kaiba as a manipulative, egotistical narcissist, and even though he should be someone the audience hates, it couldn’t have been done with the way he was. Stuart’s acting is always hammy. The English dub version of Kaiba is written very differently from the original Japanese version, the Japanese version is not nearly as funny and pretentious, but Stuart still sees him as an amazing character, and the Japanese version he essentially became the exact same version of Kaiba.
1 Christopher Ayres As Frieza
Dragon Ball Z Kai
Undeniably the best anime voice acting by a man is Christopher Ayres as Frieza in Dragon Ball Z Kai. Although there was initially some controversy over Kai replacing many of the established English voices, Ayres proved to be a worthy replacement for Linda Young because of her cold and despicable delivery. he, perfectly fits the scenario more precisely. Ayres’ continued work on the character helped redefine Frieza for British fans in the best of ways, and even if he passes away untimely in 2021, his role as Frieza will always be popular on is one of the best in the entire series.
English anime dubs are notorious for always being inferior to the original Japanese, but that’s hardly common. While there are certainly a lot of bad dubs, as this list shows, there are a lot of dubs that have great performances from the voice actors in terms of how much life they added to the anime, whether it’s through imitating the Japanese original or by trying and succeeding. adds original flair to the dub. These and other examples show that English anime dubbing there is a lot of merit to them, and it would be wrong for someone to easily dismiss any of it.