Ocean Studios' "Dragon Ball Kai" Dub Turns 14; Still Unreleased

[8000 Saiyan]

Uhh, Michael Dobson didn't voice Dr. Gero. That was Brian Dobson.

[Robo4900]

Uhh, Michael Dobson didn't voice Dr. Gero. That was Brian Dobson.

Ah right, my mistake.

Still, that supports my point even more. XD

[NitroEX]

Except, even if he reprises every role from the prior Ocean equivalent to Kai's material, all of Michael Dobson's roles are fairly small; Nappa, Nail and King Cold. Tenshinhan's role is larger than all of these, but if Calgary is so much cheaper, surely it makes more sense to just grab all three of those roles from cheaper Calgary actors.

Michael Dobson does tend to play smaller roles in Dragon Ball dubs but because of his range, he can play a lot of them which in itself is probably a cost-saving measure for the studio. I imagine it probably ends up being cheaper to hire one more expensive, yet versatile actor to do lots of characters versus hiring multiple cheaper actors to play each and every one of them (David Kaye has even mentioned something similar), plus Dobson is very experienced and can probably give a better sounding performance in most of the smaller roles given to him, same goes for Scott McNeil.

Also, I think it's debatable whether Tenshinhan's role in Z/Kai is any larger or more significant (overall) than Nappa's. While Tenshinhan is there throughout, he's more of a supporting character in the background most of the time whereas Nappa is a villain who shares important scenes with the main cast (Vegeta's introduction, Piccolo's death & Goku's return come to mind), as a villain he gets a lot of spotlight despite not being there very long and much like the #17 & Piccolo situation, you want to showcase a good performance there to help carry those moments.

Anyway, you say that stuff about "An exceptional performance"... Again, my whole point here is that you don't limit your options with this kind of thing. If an actor from Calgary can do a better job as a given character, you'd be turning out an inferior product by picking a Vancouver actor if you're only doing so out of snobbery, or for the bigger name or something.

It's not about snobbery, the actors working in Vancouver do a lot more VO work in animation as that's one of the key places where the work is. Naturally, more of them are going to have more experience and be better prepared to nail a performance than most of the talent working in Calgary. If a Vancouver actor has less experience and is less talented then there's no reason to choose them over a Calgary actor. I'm sure they probably end up turning down more actors from the Vancouver area for not being good enough to do the work, particularly if there's a higher cost of hiring them.

And hey, Tenshinhan has a lot of big moments. He's a major player in the fight against Nappa, and his holding back Cell is a big, iconic moment. #17 really isn't that much more major than Tenshinhan. In Kai, #17 is introduced in episode 64, then absorbed by Cell just 11 episodes later in episode 75. He really isn't around that long.

I don't have anything against Tenshinhan, I'm just trying to understand it from their perspective. To a casting director who isn't a die-hard fan of the show, fewer lines of dialogue and not too many focal scenes probably indicates to them that he's less important to the story despite how long they stick around, it doesn't make too much sense for a business to spend lots of money casting that character unless the actor is doing more roles. The villain characters aren't around very long but we can see a noticeable trend of them placing Vancouver actors in those roles anyway, I personally think it has something to do with them sharing screen time and having key moments with the main heroes but it's just a theory. I'm interested to see if any Calgary actors were cast in the roles of Raditz, Dodoria, Zarbon, Gero, #19 or #18.

Richard Ian Cox isn't exactly a big name, and Ocean don't strike me as the type to screw over a potentially better actor just over the merits of the name for a case like Ocean Kai, especially when they've already got the heavy-hitters of Scott McNeil and Brian Drummond reprising fan-favourite voices.

The point isn't that he's a huge celebrity, Inuyasha was an anime that had success on television in North America, the producers and network executives would be more likely to trust someone with his track record versus a lesser known actor in the leading role, it would just make the show easier for the producers to pitch and sell. His experience and talent also plays a factor too, especially in the audition process, but I would wager that if it came down to two equally talented actors who were both suited for the role, the one with some name recognition and following amongst anime fans would likely be seen as the safer and more preferred choice. Stunt castings do happen in anime dubs so this isn't an outlandish idea, it doesn't happen all the time obviously, sometimes they want someone completely new just for the sake of it or because of cheaper cost, and if that show is reliant on DVD/BR sales it might not even matter to them, but for a TV dub of Kai I think they wanted to come out the gate swinging and Richard was a good choice to go with for various reasons.

[8000 Saiyan]

They'll probably get a Vancouver actress for 18, and I can imagine that they'll do the same for Zarbon, Dodoria and Gero. But I hope whoever they get for 18 doesn't deliver her lines like Enuka Okuma.

[Robo4900]

They'll probably get a Vancouver actress for 18, and I can imagine that they'll do the same for Zarbon, Dodoria and Gero. But I hope whoever they get for 18 doesn't deliver her lines like Enuka Okuma.

I hope Paul Dobson reprises his role as Zarbon. And actually, I'd quite like to hear Brian Dobson back as Gero too.
I think Okuma could be a fine #18 with better direction, to be honest; she was probably directed to be as flat as she was because she's a cyborg. Who knows.

[8000 Saiyan]

They'll probably get a Vancouver actress for 18, and I can imagine that they'll do the same for Zarbon, Dodoria and Gero. But I hope whoever they get for 18 doesn't deliver her lines like Enuka Okuma.

I hope Paul Dobson reprises his role as Zarbon. And actually, I'd quite like to hear Brian Dobson back as Gero too.
I think Okuma could be a fine #18 with better direction, to be honest; she was probably directed to be as flat as she was because she's a cyborg. Who knows.

Kirbopher revealed four years ago that he met the "new voice" for Zarbon, so Paul isn't playing Zarbon, but I hope he's playing Cell and Bardock in this dub.

I'd be fine with Brian reprising Gero if he delivered his lines this way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYd-iv9OCUc).

[Scsigs]

They'll probably get a Vancouver actress for 18, and I can imagine that they'll do the same for Zarbon, Dodoria and Gero. But I hope whoever they get for 18 doesn't deliver her lines like Enuka Okuma.

I hope Paul Dobson reprises his role as Zarbon. And actually, I'd quite like to hear Brian Dobson back as Gero too.
I think Okuma could be a fine #18 with better direction, to be honest; she was probably directed to be as flat as she was because she's a cyborg. Who knows.

To be fair, that's how Meredith McCoy was directed to sound as well, same with Chuck Huber, just because they thought the characters were robots rather than cyborgs/augmented humans, as they are. The only one of them that were true androids were 16 &, I think, 19, so they still sound robotic in the newer dubs, but not 17 & 18.

[SuperCyan2]

Is Peter Kelamis going to voice Son Gokû in Ocean Dub Kai?

I've been waiting for years, years, years, years and years and it seems like it's finally coming!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

No, he will be played by Richard Ian Cox.

I'm really hoping there will be nothing stopping Wow from airing this dub but only time will tell.

[Robo4900]

Is Peter Kelamis going to voice Son Gokû in Ocean Dub Kai?

I've been waiting for years, years, years, years and years and it seems like it's finally coming!

Goku is not a returning voice, no.

I've put a spoiler block below containing everything I can think of that I know about the Ocean Kai dub's cast so far.

Though, in case you're unaware, here's a few things to know before reading what's in the spoiler block below, otherwise you may not understand it fully:
The Ocean dubs of Dragon Ball Z and the first three Z movies, aswell as the BLT Ocean dub of Dragon Ball episodes 1-13 and movie 1 from 1995 were recorded in Vancouver, while the "Blue Water" dubs of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT were recorded in Calgary. The Blue Water name comes from the studio they were recorded at(The Blue Water studio in Calgary), similar to where the "Westwood" dub gains its name(The Westwood studio in Vancouver). Naturally, the Vancouver dubs used actors from Vancouver, the Calgary dubs used actors from Calgary. It's generally accepted that the Calgary actors tend to be cheaper, while the Vancouver actors tend to be of a higher standard.
Ocean Kai will be using voices from both cities. It appears that the longest-serving actor from each role in each cast was auditioned, and either the one deemed the best-suited to the role was chosen, or both were dropped and a new actor was cast.

With that in mind...

[spoiler]Returning voices: (All Vancouver voices, except where noted)
Saffron Henderson as Kid Gohan
Brian Drummond as Vegeta
Michael Dobson as Nappa
Scott McNeil as Piccolo, Jeice and Dr. Briefs
Brendan Hunter as Tenshinhan (Calgary)

New voices:
Richard Ian Cox as Goku (Vancouver)
Lee Tockar as Freeza (Vancouver)
Cole Howard as #17 (Vancouver)
A currently unknown actor as Zarbon
James Beach as a currently unknown character. (Calgary)
Trevor Devall may also have a role as an unknown character. (Vancouver)

Misc:
If Bulma is a returning Vancouver voice, it's unlikely to be Maggie Blue O'Hara due to her not living in Canada during recording, or Lalania Lindbjerg due to the fact she played Bulma the shortest out of the three voices, so it would probaby be France Peras.

If Kami is a returning Vancouver voice, it's most likely Dale Wilson will be the one doing it; Ward Perry was Kami in the movies, and the Saban dub starting from episode #17. Dale Wilson was Kami in the first 16 episodes of the Saban dub, and the entire Westwood run, so assuming they only re-auditioned the longest-serving voices for each character from each cast(Which seems to be the case), Dale Wilson would be the one they likely auditioned for it out of the two. So, if they got a returning voice for Kami from Vancouver, I'd put my money on Wilson.
Of course, they could have gone with his Blue Water voice instead.[/spoiler]

That should cover about everything. I'm sure others will correct me if I've got anything wrong.

To be fair, that's how Meredith McCoy was directed to sound as well, same with Chuck Huber, just because they thought the characters were robots rather than cyborgs/augmented humans, as they are. The only one of them that were true androids were 16 &, I think, 19, so they still sound robotic in the newer dubs, but not 17 & 18.

Yeah, definitely.
That's why I'd like Okuma to come back; I think she could do a much better job with the idea that she was a human, rather than just being pure robot.

On another note, I wonder if they'll recast #19... I actually quite liked #19's previous voice; it was odd, but I liked that about it.

Kirbopher revealed four years ago that he met the "new voice" for Zarbon, so Paul isn't playing Zarbon, but I hope he's playing Cell and Bardock in this dub.
I'd be fine with Brian reprising Gero if he delivered his lines this way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYd-iv9OCUc).

As for Zarbon, that's pretty cool. I look forward to hearing the new guy.
I dunno who I want as Bardock, but I'd actually really like Dale Wilson back as Cell. I've heard Wilson can't actually remember if he came back for that, so we're not actually sure there.
As for Gero, fair enough. Honestly, I quite liked his later voice for Gero, but his delivery later on wasn't so good. So, if he can get that type of delivery, with the later style of voice, that'd be great.

[8000 Saiyan]

I think Dale could have improved if he came back, but if he isn't playing Cell like Kirbopher said, then I'm kind of glad he isn't because I just can't see some people giving him a second chance.

[Robo4900]

I think Dale could have improved if he came back, but if he isn't playing Cell like Kirbopher said, then I'm kind of glad he isn't because I just can't see some people giving him a second chance.

Well, what Kirbopher said was that Dale Wilson couldn't remember. So we really don't know.

Yeah, I'm open to a new casting, and I look forward to seeing Ocean Kai Cell whichever way this goes, but I would have liked to have seen Dale Wilson get another shot at it.

Still, a new Cell voice would mean that if they do Boo Kai and Scott McNeil and Brian Dobson reprise Majin Boo, Super Boo, and Kid Boo, the big bads of each arc of Ocean Kai would end up being a 50/50 split between recasts and returning voices(Vegeta: Returning voice, Freeza: New voice, Cell: New voice, Boo: Returning voice).
That'd be pretty neat.

[8000 Saiyan]

I think Dale could have improved if he came back, but if he isn't playing Cell like Kirbopher said, then I'm kind of glad he isn't because I just can't see some people giving him a second chance.

Well, what Kirbopher said was that Dale Wilson couldn't remember. So we really don't know.

Yeah, I'm open to a new casting, and I look forward to seeing Ocean Kai Cell whichever way this goes, but I would have liked to have seen Dale Wilson get another shot at it.

Still, a new Cell voice would mean that if they do Boo Kai and Scott McNeil and Brian Dobson reprise Majin Boo, Super Boo, and Kid Boo, the big bads of each arc of Ocean Kai would end up being a 50/50 split between recasts and returning voices(Vegeta: Returning voice, Freeza: New voice, Cell: New voice, Boo: Returning voice).
That'd be pretty neat.

No, what he said was that he heard some rumors about Kai, but never did actual recording.

I wouldn't mind Scott doing all of Buu's forms if he channeled Kozo Shioya.

[Robo4900]

No, what he said was that he heard some rumors about Kai, but never did actual recording.

Weird; I'd heard he remembered doing Cell, but he couldn't remember if he'd done it more recently for Kai or not...
Any chance someone could dig up Kirbopher's posts?

I wouldn't mind Scott doing all of Buu's forms if he channeled Kozo Shioya.

Honestly, I'd really like Dobson back as Super Boo; I really loved his Super Boo.
I'd quite like McNeil to reprise his fat Boo, but if they decide to get someone else, or if McNeil takes a completely different approach this time around, I'd be down for that too, I guess... Still, I'd like them to do it like they did originally TBH...

[SuperCyan2]

At least Vegeta will have his original voice-actor and we got a taste of what he'll sound like thanks to the Super Funi Dub.

[8000 Saiyan]

At least Vegeta will have his original voice-actor and we got a taste of what he'll sound like thanks to the Super Funi Dub.

I recall that at conventions where he's told to do his Vegeta voice, he sounds deeper, and Drummond told a member from this forum that he was going for a lower pitch this time around, so he'll likely won't sound anything like his Copy Vegeta.

Weird; I'd heard he remembered doing Cell, but he couldn't remember if he'd done it more recently for Kai or not...
Any chance someone could dig up Kirbopher's posts?

"On that note, actually, I had some contact with Dale Wilson recently while doing some research for something unrelated. While I had him on hand, I asked him if he knew anything about Kai - he said he only knew some vague rumors about it...so that means, if the dub is "done" according to Scott, then either it means they JUST finished the Freeza arc (which is unlikely considering it's now literally been what like 4 years since we first heard about this?) or got all the way done with the Cell arc, in which case Dale wasn't asked to even re-audition for his role, which is unfortunate; he's a cool guy."

"Lastly, and I forgot if I mentioned this already, but Dale Wilson is not doing Cell in this dub as far as I was told. He said he heard rumors of it, but never did any recording. If they're "done" with recording this dub (which I assume is the original 98 episodes and NOT any of the "Final Chapters" stuff) then Cell is probably different too."

[Robo4900]

I recall that at conventions where he's told to do his Vegeta voice, he sounds deeper, and Drummond told a member from this forum that he was going for a lower pitch this time around, so he'll likely won't sound anything like his Copy Vegeta.

Copy Vegeta is his lower pitch. In fact, Copy Vegeta is actually deeper than most convention videos I've seen of him doing the Vegeta voice.

"On that note, actually, I had some contact with Dale Wilson recently while doing some research for something unrelated. While I had him on hand, I asked him if he knew anything about Kai - he said he only knew some vague rumors about it...so that means, if the dub is "done" according to Scott, then either it means they JUST finished the Freeza arc (which is unlikely considering it's now literally been what like 4 years since we first heard about this?) or got all the way done with the Cell arc, in which case Dale wasn't asked to even re-audition for his role, which is unfortunate; he's a cool guy."

"Lastly, and I forgot if I mentioned this already, but Dale Wilson is not doing Cell in this dub as far as I was told. He said he heard rumors of it, but never did any recording. If they're "done" with recording this dub (which I assume is the original 98 episodes and NOT any of the "Final Chapters" stuff) then Cell is probably different too."

I see. That's a shame.
Though, of course, it is possible he was under NDA, and thus couldn't talk about it.

[8000 Saiyan]

I recall that at conventions where he's told to do his Vegeta voice, he sounds deeper, and Drummond told a member from this forum that he was going for a lower pitch this time around, so he'll likely won't sound anything like his Copy Vegeta.
Copy Vegeta is his lower pitch. In fact, Copy Vegeta is actually deeper than most convention videos I've seen of him doing the Vegeta voice.

Yeah, but I heard a video where he sounded deeper than his Copy Vegeta.

I see. That's a shame.
Though, of course, it is possible he was under NDA, and thus couldn't talk about it.

Kirbopher told me that during the conversation he had with Dale, he seemed pretty candid so he doesn't feel he'd lie about not playing Cell.

[Robo4900]

Yeah, but I heard a video where he sounded deeper than his Copy Vegeta.

Hm. I dunno.
Perhaps in the clip you saw, he did it lower because he thought that line worked better lower. After all, he did sometimes go pretty low back in the day.

Still, perhaps he goes higher early on than we're expecting(Perhaps something more like how he was in the Boo arc), then deepens it later on to match up to Vegeta's character slightly softening, and the animators drawing him more gruff-looking, and Drummond's performance in Super was somewhere in the middle?

Care to share the con video you're talking about specifically?

Kirbopher told me that during the conversation he had with Dale, he seemed pretty candid so he doesn't feel he'd lie about not playing Cell.

Alright, then. I wonder who the new Cell is, then...
I suppose his Blue Water VA may be reprising his role.

[8000 Saiyan]

Hm. I dunno.
Perhaps in the clip you saw, he did it lower because he thought that line worked better lower. After all, he did sometimes go pretty low back in the day.

Still, perhaps he goes higher early on than we're expecting(Perhaps something more like how he was in the Boo arc), then deepens it later on to match up to Vegeta's character slightly softening, and the animators drawing him more gruff-looking, and Drummond's performance in Super was somewhere in the middle?

Care to share the con video you're talking about specifically?

I think the video was deleted or something, but I remember that when Brian said a line in his Vegeta voice, it sounded deep, deeper than Copy Vegeta.

Alright, then. I wonder who the new Cell is, then...
I suppose his Blue Water VA may be reprising his role.

Oh God...I hope not. I'm 100% sure that it's a Vancouver VA. Ocean would want someone with incredible talent to play Cell, not someone with lesser talent.