JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and Viz Media held a seminar with BLEACH's Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu Ishida). To promote the third season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3-The Conflict, the two were invited to participate in a Q&A session and live voiceover performance. In addition to Los Angeles, Morita and Sugiyama also attended a similar event in New York and a panel at New York Comic Con. The chemistry between the actors plays out exactly like the blue oni, red oni relationship between their characters.
Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu Ishida) at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, October 13, 2024
Before the main events, hundreds of lucky attendees were the first in the world to see the third episode of Season 3 before airing on October 19. Starting with the first episode, three episodes are shown sequentially without opening or ending scenes. The two voice actors watched the crowd's reactions as the episodes were shown, but the room lacked the usual enthusiasm given the convention panel, the plot tense. Consul General Kenko Sone attended on behalf of the Consulate General of Japan in LA, speaking about the Japanese government's intention to expand its culture worldwide. As “entertainment exports compete with the steel and shipping industries,” they are promoting movies, games and anime to “share more of Japanese culture with the world.”
When Morita and Sugiyama began the Q&A session, they talked about their 20 years of involvement with the BLEACH anime. Time flies, but even after two decades, the actors have proven how well the cast fits their characters. Morita passionately reflects on how lucky they are to be part of a long-standing franchise. He jokes about how young he is at thirty-three and says his youthful face is due to “CGI.” Ahead of his birthday on October 21, host Risa Light encouraged the room to sing “Happy Birthday” to him.
Masakazu Morita at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, October 13, 2024
Despite the natural passage of time, Ichigo and Uryu are still 17 years old during the Thousand Year Blood War. Morita explained how his approach to voice acting changed, as his original voice was created to suit him at the time. “I've had lower registrations lately than before.” He demonstrated the difference with two loud shouts before and after: “BANKAI!” Now, he focuses on vowels in pronunciation. As for Sugiyama, he candidly shared that his delivery of Uryu came more naturally than when the anime first started.
When asked what makes BLEACH a unique series, Morita enthusiastically polled the room to see how many people liked Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and Uryu. Of course, all three raised their hands, showing appreciation for the diversity of characters in the story. Sugiyama noted that the large cast allowed for new mixed battles in every fight scene.
Noriaki Sugiyama at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, October 13, 2024
Giving fans a look behind the curtain, Morita reminisced about his time with the cast. In all his fond memories, he recalls how Satsuki Yukino (Yoruichi) always teased him. “Even with the blank space in the anime, she still doodles in my script. In the episode we just watched, when Ichigo shouted,'Let's go', she drew a heart. I wasn't paying attention when it was my turn to record and I read his line 'Let's go ❤' with an upward tone.” Even though they have been co-stars for two decades, he jokes that Yukino is “still immature.”
Sugiyama commented on their long-standing friendship. For him, his favorite scene is when Ichigo and Uryu must defeat the Hollows together, despite their initial rivalry. In an interview with Anime News Network before the panel, the two voice actors described the professional atmosphere on set. Despite the inclusion of a “conflict” element in the title of Season 3, the cast still works together and supports each other. “We try to improve together while supporting each other, so that there is no meaningless competition between individuals. To create great work, personal emotions are not needed,” Morita said.
After a break from questions, the two BLEACH voice actors prepared for their live voiceover session. This marked their first time performing live in North America, and Morita cheekily commented on how many gifts he gave fans on his birthday. Together, Sugiyama and Morita reenacted three scenes from the anime as clips with subtitles playing on the screen. The five-minute session included Uryu and Ichigo's first meeting, their first collaboration, and their “eternal farewell” from the Thousand Year Blood War Part 2. Morita mentioned how they recorded similarly in Japan, except they would have four mics standing in the middle. thirty to forty people. “It's called mic work in Japanese. If you don't know that skill, you can't become a voice actor. You also have to be absolutely quiet because the mic will pick up the rustling of papers. Japanese voice actors move very quietly, so if I stop being an actor, I will become a thief.” Sugiyama stepped in to play the straight man in their boke and tsukkomi game so they could continue their discussion.
Masakazu Morita at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, October 13, 2024
In addition to voice acting, Sugiyama and Morita also delved into other artistic fields to strengthen their skills. Initially, Morita was not trained as a voice actor but as an actor in front of the camera. A long time ago, he worked as a stunt double for Emmy Award-winning actor Hiroyuki Sanada in a Japanese movie. Additionally, Morita also practiced martial arts such as karate and kendo and incorporated those skills into Ichigo. On the other hand, Sugiyama observes others because everyday life has an influence on the character. “Whether on the train or elsewhere, I keep those types of people in my head and bring them out when I can. Besides work and physical training, I also research other anime and series.” He went on to say that there were elements of speed, tempo, and rhythm that he kept in mind when portraying Uryu. “Uryu Ishida is a calm and cool character. Ichigo represents movement and Uryu represents stillness.”
At the end of the event, guests were asked what fans could expect. Of course. Morita and Sugiyama talk about the high quality of the animation. Additionally, Morita recently heard that Tite Kubo has seen everything, including the anime-only original story. “The film crew consulted Kubo-sensei about the story they wanted to portray. Kubo-sensei listed suggestions for the staff to work on the new story,” Morita said. “BLEACH has a lot of dialogue and fans should pay attention to the subtext in the exchanges,” Sugiyama added.
Speaking to Anime News Network about Tite Kubo's involvement in the Thousand Year Blood War, Morita mentioned that the manga creator will always be present at the studio. “I'm happy to be able to talk to him and consult him about his performances more often than ever before.” Sugiyama revealed that Kubo directed him about Uryu's feelings. “The direction I received, which left a significant impression on me, was to ensure that Uryu's inner feelings were not too obvious, so that those who had read the original manga and those who had just seen the Thousand Years arc bloody battles can be enjoyed. a similar experience.”