Thoughts on Brian Drummond's Vegeta?

[Bansho64]

What are your thoughts on Brian Drummond's Vegeta? Did you like? If you did, why? If you didn't, why didn't you?

Personally, I thought it was great, given the misguided direction he got. I think he definitely nailed the evil and conniving parts of Vegeta and never got a good chance to do any different. He definitely outclasses Sabat's performance in the Z redub IMO. I might even say I like it as much as Sabat's Kai Vegeta tbh. And I grew up on Kai! I ain't saying I think it's the best performance, but it's def one of the most enjoyable ones IMO.

[precita]

He was good for the Saiyan and Namek arcs, but as Vegeta's character changed he didn't really fit well with his later characterisation.

[Bansho64]

He was good for the Saiyan and Namek arcs, but as Vegeta's character changed he didn't really fit well with his later characterisation.

I never really agreed with this view tbh. I've heard it a lot. I think the voice could fit perfectly. It's the direction that wouldn't work IMO.

[MasenkoHA]

How queer I'm watching the Saban dub now and just getting to Vegeta and Nappa arriving on earth.


Eh I grew up more so with the later Funimation in-house episodes and Chris Sabat's Vegeta is kind of iconic for American DBZ.

His voice oddly fits but it sounds much more...Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain?

Not sure how well it would work when you have Vegeta starting to give two shits about Bulma and Trunks.

[8000 Saiyan]

I think we already had a thread for this. Anyway, I loved his performance, but I can see why people wouldn't like his voice. If he used this voice for Vegeta, I don't there would have been any complaints about him. Pity we won't see his Kai performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfz2IkLQMVc

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Superb casting. One of Vancouver's best voice actors, he excelled for the poor direction that was on offer and he nailed the charismatic aspects of Vegeta's character. I would say post-2010 Sabat is on par with him although I think Drummond does early Vegeta and Majin Vegeta better whereas Sabat is more fitting for the laid back Vegeta in the rest of the series.

I really thinks its a shame that Ocean dub of Kai has not yet been released and possibly never will at this stage. It would be absolutely amazing to see what Drummond is capable of with more experience and possibly years of learning the character (as McNeil has said he did in Kai, so who knows maybe Drummond did too).

[dario03]

His angry Vegeta is really great. His "over 9000" is where the meme is from, but I also always liked his "this whole planets going up in smoke", "you won't escape my wrath", and when he powered up against Recoome. But I think I agree with another poster that said he is a bit more Saturday morning cartoonish. Which I think is why some don't think he works as well in the later episodes even though it wouldn't really make sense for his voice to be changing much because of alignment. Heck I don't even think his personality really changed that much until almost the end, he just became a little less evil and had some people that he cared for. So its not so much that his voice should have changed, as it is his voice should have been a bit different from the start. Like that link a couple of post up would probably work. Though that's all of course opinion, in reality is there any true "fit" to a voice? Objectively speaking we should probably mostly just judge based on acting ability, consistency, etc, and I think he does a good job there.

[RisanF]

"Being a good fiend is like being a photographer! You have to search for the right moments!"

I loved Drummond's Saturday-Morning-Cartoon-Villain take on Vegeta. He's such a snickering, scenery-chewing jerk that I got great fun imitating his voice in Junior High. Objectively speaking, I think Drummond is better at Saiyan/Namek Vegeta, while Sabat is good at Cell/Buu Vegeta. Even the change in artstyle that happened after Frieza Saga ties into this idea; early Vegeta looks more like the cunning jackass Drummond is good at, while later Vegeta looks more like the prideful prince Sabat does.

(I also like Drummond as Zechs in Gundam Wing. I also used to imitate him, saying things: like "Noin! Where's my Baby Bottle Pop?!" XD

[KorgDTR2000]

He is to this day the definitive voice of Vegeta to me.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

I agree with most people that say he was the better Vegeta for his age in the Saiyan & Namek arcs. Its also when the quality of the ocean dub was better than it ended up being later in the seasons. Its subjective here but I preferred the tone of Brian over Chris simply because he sounded closer to the Japanese pitch of the character's voice more so than Chris does. His power up shouts and evil laughs, though were unmatched since in my opinion as well, his only flaw was that he kinda hissed a lot of his words a bit but his delivery and emotional range.

[Robo4900]

Chris Sabat only came close to Brian Drummond's portrayal in Kai. And even then, I still have to give the edge to Drummond. Not just for his Saban-era work, but for his Westwood stuff too.

I mean... Just... Damn...

I agree with SingleFringe&Sparks that Brian's tone sounded more similar to the Japanese VA than Chris's too, but I think there's another level to it, which is that although he was a very different interpretation of the voice in many ways(Naturally, being from a different actor), the spirit was much closer to the original Japanese voice than Chris's has ever been.

This is why Ocean Kai needs to just air already.

As a side-note, I thought his Vegetto was pretty cool too, particularly as they chose to just have Brian do a single-voice version, which made much more sense at the time, given what we knew about how the Potara earrings were supposed to work. And he did an excellent job with it, getting across both sides of him, without too heavily leaning in any one direction.

[Bryesque]

His earliest appearances (the "redhead" cameos) felt a bit amateurish, but overall he was a great villainous Vegeta. He had a very "classic villain" cartoon voice, kind of snakelike, that suited early Vegeta very well. And there's a certain quality to his Vegeta having a smaller frame and a higher voice that makes him more... unassuming, in a way, that gives his strength a certain impact.

All said, though, I think Sabat is the better Vegeta. I love Drummond as the villain, but I feel like Sabat grew into the role even moreso as the character developed, and managed to convey Vegeta's character growth in some smart, subtle ways in his performance. Sabat's performance in BoG and the first Super arc nailed that, to me -- able to be convincingly subservient to protect his loved ones, while internally maintaining his pride. He nailed that.

[NitroEX]

He was good for the Saiyan and Namek arcs, but as Vegeta's character changed he didn't really fit well with his later characterisation.

I never really agreed with this view tbh. I've heard it a lot. I think the voice could fit perfectly. It's the direction that wouldn't work IMO.

It's a widely held opinion that's all rooted in nostalgia tbh. One naturally held by those of the English-speaking fandom who only grew up with the Funimation versions (Ocean for first 53 and In-house cast for everything else). To them, nothing else "feels right" so they rationalize it by saying Drummond sounds too evil in the later arcs... when in reality, Vegeta was not a "good" character in the post Namek arcs. He was generally always portrayed as being quite immoral and sadistic as a fighter all the way throughout the series (as judged by his actions, not his voice) which makes Drummond's slightly more sinister voice perfectly suitable casting. After only hearing exclusively Sabat for years it's only natural that so many would share this opinion but there's really no logic to the argument that Vegeta's voice should change over time to reflect his moral alignment, and even if that were the case, Sabat completely fails at sounding any different as Majin Vegeta, or even Saiyan arc Vegeta, he plays Vegeta like a grumpy guy all throughout Z.

As for my opinion of Drummond, it's always been very high. He's consistently among the top 3 standout performers among Vancouver's Canadian cast and his charismatic and theatrical style of delivery imbues Vegeta with a larger than life fiery personality which is very fitting for a Saiyan prince, it also just makes him all the more interesting to listen to as an actor. He brings a lot of passion and ferocity to the role, especially as an enraged Vegeta, which still to this day hasn't really been topped by any of the other Vegeta actors in my opinion. He might not sound like a stereotypical prince in the same way that Sabat does (which often teeters on sounding like Dan Green's Yami with a sore throat) but what Drummond lacks in a princely side, he gets perfect in every other aspect, including being very prideful and passionate, which are the most important aspects of his character.

I think we already had a thread for this. Anyway, I loved his performance, but I can see why people wouldn't like his voice. If he used this voice for Vegeta, I don't there would have been any complaints about him. Pity we won't see his Kai performance.

Zechs is an entirely different character to Vegeta and requires a completely different approach. He's calm, level headed and very noble, Vegeta, on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite and a voice like that would only hinder his performance and make him sound more toned down in comparison.

[Cipher]

The acting behind his Vegeta is very good, as he was already a fairly seasoned veteran of voice-over work at the time, but I've never been a huge fan of the character voice he used. I wonder whose idea it was to take it that high and raspy.

[dario03]

He was good for the Saiyan and Namek arcs, but as Vegeta's character changed he didn't really fit well with his later characterisation.

I never really agreed with this view tbh. I've heard it a lot. I think the voice could fit perfectly. It's the direction that wouldn't work IMO.

It's a widely held opinion that's all rooted in nostalgia tbh. One naturally held by those of the English-speaking fandom who only grew up with the Funimation versions (Ocean for first 53 and In-house cast for everything else). To them, nothing else "feels right" so they rationalize it by saying Drummond sounds too evil in the later arcs... when in reality, Vegeta was not a "good" character in the post Namek arcs. He was generally always portrayed as being quite immoral and sadistic as a fighter all the way throughout the series (as judged by his actions, not his voice) which makes Drummond's slightly more sinister voice perfectly suitable casting. After only hearing exclusively Sabat for years it's only natural that so many would share this opinion but there's really no logic to the argument that Vegeta's voice should change over time to reflect his moral alignment, and even if that were the case, Sabat completely fails at sounding any different as Majin Vegeta, or even Saiyan arc Vegeta, he plays Vegeta like a grumpy guy all throughout Z.

As for my opinion of Drummond, it's always been very high. He's consistently among the top 3 standout performers among Vancouver's Canadian cast and his charismatic and theatrical style of delivery imbues Vegeta with a larger than life fiery personality which is very fitting for a Saiyan prince, it also just makes him all the more interesting to listen to as an actor. He brings a lot of passion and ferocity to the role, especially as an enraged Vegeta, which still to this day hasn't really been topped by any of the other Vegeta actors in my opinion. He might not sound like a stereotypical prince in the same way that Sabat does (which often teeters on sounding like Dan Green's Yami with a sore throat) but what Drummond lacks in a princely side, he gets perfect in every other aspect, including being very prideful and passionate, which are the most important aspects of his character.

I think we already had a thread for this. Anyway, I loved his performance, but I can see why people wouldn't like his voice. If he used this voice for Vegeta, I don't there would have been any complaints about him. Pity we won't see his Kai performance.

Zechs is an entirely different character to Vegeta and requires a completely different approach. He's calm, level headed and very noble, Vegeta, on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite and a voice like that would only hinder his performance and make him sound more toned down in comparison.

A widely held opinion that is unjustly applied to far to many people to try and dismiss their opinions. Something that happens far to much with the "they just like it because of nostalgia" "argument".

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

On the point about many people preferring Sabat for the Cell/Buu sagas because of nostalgia, I will say its true for some but not for all. I grew up with the Westwood dub and I still prefer Drummond for Saiyan/Namek and Sabat for everything after. I don't think post-Namek Drummond is bad by any means, I actually think his performance and Sabat's are very close in quality and I respect both immensely, I just think the later characterization of Vegeta (with the exception of Majin Vegeta) was ever so slightly more fitting for Sabat's approach. Granted from everything Drummond has said in interviews about Ocean Kai his work on that dub could be comparable to anything Sabat has done, but at this moment in time we may never know for sure.

I don't think a definitive comparison between the two can be made since both original dubs of Dragon Ball Z were rushed productions and we haven't heard anything Drummond has done since 2002 as the character other than lines at conventions (which isn't the same as being in the booth and having the time to rehearse), but who knows maybe one day Ocean Kai will be released (... sure stranger things have happened to this franchise right? ) and we'll have seen the best of both actors in the role.

[90sDBZ]

He was fantastic during the Saban dub which was when he made Vegeta sound like a genuine psychopath. His screams were electrifying, and you could really believe that his Vegeta was an asshole by the harsh tone he spoke in.

He was one of the few actors who managed to remain decent during the Westwood dub, the others being Scott McNeil as Piccolo and Saffron Henderson as Kid Gohan. The only trouble was that he was kind of forced to tone down Vegeta's crazy side to reflect the change in his character. The fact that he made Vegeta sound totally evil and deranged early on was what I loved most about his performance, and it just wouldn't have been appropriate for his character later on. His older Vegeta sounds more grounded and closer to being human, and even though that makes perfect sense I can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by it sometimes. It's not a critique of Drummond so much as it just being the in-story circumstances dictating that he could no longer play his signature crazy Vegeta.

[Captain-Sora]

The acting behind his Vegeta is very good, as he was already a fairly seasoned veteran of voice-over work at the time, but I've never been a huge fan of the character voice he used. I wonder whose idea it was to take it that high and raspy.

Apart from wanting a slimy, conniving and evil sounding voice for when he first appeared, his original appearance was probably a contributing factor to that decision. He looked way smaller when he was first introduced. Then the art direction gradually moved away from the late DB-early DBZ look and everyone started to look taller and beefier, with Vegeta looking especially less diminutive.

[NitroEX]

A widely held opinion that is unjustly applied to far to many people to try and dismiss their opinions. Something that happens far to much with the "they just like it because of nostalgia" "argument".

The fact that no one brings forth a strong argument for having such a strange preference is enough for me to dismiss it as nostalgia bias, I've had similar discussions about this before and that's what it usually comes down to. My theory on it also makes a lot more sense considering the history of the dubs in English speaking countries and how unavailable the Westwood dub was to most within in the English-speaking fandom. I'd say it's a bit more than simple coincidence that people who transitioned from Drummond to Sabat at an early age seem to prefer it this way and openly endorse it whenever the topic arises. Feel free to prove me wrong but for now, I'll go with what I've observed over the years.

The acting behind his Vegeta is very good, as he was already a fairly seasoned veteran of voice-over work at the time, but I've never been a huge fan of the character voice he used. I wonder whose idea it was to take it that high and raspy.

Apart from wanting a slimy, conniving and evil sounding voice for when he first appeared, his original appearance was probably a contributing factor to that decision. He looked way smaller when he was first introduced. Then the art direction gradually moved away from the late-DB-early DBZ look and everyone started to look taller and beefier, with Vegeta looking especially less diminutive.

In fairness, Toriyama introducing him alongside Nappa (one of the tallest in the series) is going to give the impression that he's more diminutive than he actually is (which was most likely Toriyama's intention) but I would also say that Vegeta has certainly never gotten any taller in Z, at least not in comparison to the other characters. Even Krillin and Goku started to get longer limbs past the Saiyan arc but their overall height remained pretty consistent with everyone else's. For this reason, I've always preferred the higher pitch for Vegeta as a deep voice always seemed like an odd casting choice, though even Drummond lowered the voice slightly by the Cell arc. Whether he did so for the art style shift or a change of director is anyone's guess. The change was gradual enough that I only noticed after watching the Saiyan and Buu stuff back to back.

[8000 Saiyan]

He was good for the Saiyan and Namek arcs, but as Vegeta's character changed he didn't really fit well with his later characterisation.

I never really agreed with this view tbh. I've heard it a lot. I think the voice could fit perfectly. It's the direction that wouldn't work IMO.

It's a widely held opinion that's all rooted in nostalgia tbh. One naturally held by those of the English-speaking fandom who only grew up with the Funimation versions (Ocean for first 53 and In-house cast for everything else). To them, nothing else "feels right" so they rationalize it by saying Drummond sounds too evil in the later arcs... when in reality, Vegeta was not a "good" character in the post Namek arcs. He was generally always portrayed as being quite immoral and sadistic as a fighter all the way throughout the series (as judged by his actions, not his voice) which makes Drummond's slightly more sinister voice perfectly suitable casting. After only hearing exclusively Sabat for years it's only natural that so many would share this opinion but there's really no logic to the argument that Vegeta's voice should change over time to reflect his moral alignment, and even if that were the case, Sabat completely fails at sounding any different as Majin Vegeta, or even Saiyan arc Vegeta, he plays Vegeta like a grumpy guy all throughout Z.

As for my opinion of Drummond, it's always been very high. He's consistently among the top 3 standout performers among Vancouver's Canadian cast and his charismatic and theatrical style of delivery imbues Vegeta with a larger than life fiery personality which is very fitting for a Saiyan prince, it also just makes him all the more interesting to listen to as an actor. He brings a lot of passion and ferocity to the role, especially as an enraged Vegeta, which still to this day hasn't really been topped by any of the other Vegeta actors in my opinion. He might not sound like a stereotypical prince in the same way that Sabat does (which often teeters on sounding like Dan Green's Yami with a sore throat) but what Drummond lacks in a princely side, he gets perfect in every other aspect, including being very prideful and passionate, which are the most important aspects of his character.

I think we already had a thread for this. Anyway, I loved his performance, but I can see why people wouldn't like his voice. If he used this voice for Vegeta, I don't there would have been any complaints about him. Pity we won't see his Kai performance.

Zechs is an entirely different character to Vegeta and requires a completely different approach. He's calm, level headed and very noble, Vegeta, on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite and a voice like that would only hinder his performance and make him sound more toned down in comparison.

I am very well aware that Vegeta and Zechs are different characters. What I was trying to say is that had he used his Zechs voice in the Westwood dub, I don't think there would have been complaints about him sounding out of place. His Zechs voice is kind of like Horikawa's Vegeta voice, a smooth voice.