So what do you like about the funi dubs?

[Kokonoe]

I'm aware this site is more focused on the original Japanese, but at the same time, this is still a part of franchise and being as I'm a fan of this particular part of it, surely there are others here who may find entertainment with it, or can at least find something they might want to share based on their preferences (This includes the Kai dub).

I suppose for me, I just really enjoy the voice actors chosen. I'll watch the Japanese version and get by, but I never feel like I'm truly as immersed with the anime unless Sabat or Schemmel are around. For all intents and purposes, Schemmel is Goku for me, Sabat is Piccolo, and they just do an exceptional job giving the characters a unique voice. When Schemmel gives off his speeches as Goku I really get that sense of goodness and innocence of the character.

Funnily enough, I actually tend to enjoy some of the editing of the palette. Yeah, it's definitely not perfect and I do not like smoothness being added, but sometimes the Dragon Box can be a bit too dark for me and the colors (due to age) changing, like the skies becoming greenish looks really off to me. Dragon Box is still the best quality you can get, but yeah.

[ABED]

I like much of the cast, especially in Kai once they got experience under their belt. This isn't a popular opinion, but I prefer Burgmeier to Tenshinhan's original Japanese voice actor.

[8000 Saiyan]

While I prefer the Japanese voice cast, the FUNi cast (aside from a few exceptions) is quite solid, from Kai to now on. My favorite actors from the FUNi cast are probably Schemmel's Goku, Rager's Mr. Satan, Clarke's Cell, Robertson's Dabura (I could listen to this voice all day) and Brannan's Babidi.

[ABED]

Robertson's Dabura (I could listen to this voice all day)

His voice is amazing. I could listen to him, Doc Morgan, and Brice Armstrong all day.

[8000 Saiyan]

Oh, and Ayres' Frieza is also a favorite of mine. Probably my favorite of the FUNi cast.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

As for the original Funimation dub/redubs, while I'm not nearly as big a fan as I am of the original, I'd be lying if I told you I never switched over to it, whether it be because there's some fantastic, absurd line that bears listening to, or whether it be tradition, such as switching over to the dub on Episode 68. Of course, there are times that I genuinely enjoy the English version's take... I can't think of one for the life of me, but I know there are.

However, even then, I vastly prefer the Ocean dub of Z. Voices, music and all, both before and after the split with Funimation. Though the scripts and censorships are the same, there's a certain professionalism to everything that Funimation naturally lacked. It's not that surprising, since the entirety of the Texas production staff were greener than TFC, but I feel it's worth mentioning in the conversation.

Funnily enough, I actually tend to enjoy some of the editing of the palette. Yeah, it's definitely not perfect and I do not like smoothness being added, but sometimes the Dragon Box can be a bit too dark for me and the colors (due to age) changing, like the skies becoming greenish looks really off to me. Dragon Box is still the best quality you can get, but yeah.

Though I'm not a fan of Funimation's changes, their masters by themselves are definitely more suited to my tastes. That's a huge reason I brag on the Level Sets after all this time. It looks so... solid? Vivid? Old, but fresh, it's something no other release has managed and I believe it's thanks to the darker, more solid colors on their film. If only they'd released an unbutchered version of the entire product while the window was open.

[Dbzfan94]

Robertson's Dabura (I could listen to this voice all day)

His voice is amazing. I could listen to him, Doc Morgan, and Brice Armstrong all day.

I want to add Brannan's Babidi. They were highlights of the Z dub for me.

[Kokonoe]

I like much of the cast, especially in Kai once they got experience under their belt. This isn't a popular opinion, but I prefer Burgmeier to Tenshinhan's original Japanese voice actor.

Yeah, I like Tien's voice a lot too.

Funnily enough, I actually tend to enjoy some of the editing of the palette. Yeah, it's definitely not perfect and I do not like smoothness being added, but sometimes the Dragon Box can be a bit too dark for me and the colors (due to age) changing, like the skies becoming greenish looks really off to me. Dragon Box is still the best quality you can get, but yeah.

Though I'm not a fan of Funimation's changes, their masters by themselves are definitely more suited to my tastes. That's a huge reason I brag on the Level Sets after all this time. It looks so... solid? Vivid? Old, but fresh, it's something no other release has managed and I believe it's thanks to the darker, more solid colors on their film. If only they'd released an unbutchered version of the entire product while the window was open.

I definitely think the Level Sets are the best picture we've ever gotten from this series and I am deeply saddened it didn't continue and probably never will. It's the best of both worlds to me. Another thing that's awesome about it is due to the HD, it's so crystal clear.

[ThatFanaticJackatoo]

Whenever I hear Goku's English voice, I think of Cheetor from Beast Wars. Whenever I hear Cheetor, I hear Goku. Its a wonderful thing.

[sintzu]

I just really enjoy the voice actors chosen. I'll watch the Japanese version and get by, but I never feel like I'm truly as immersed with the anime unless Sabat or Schemmel are around.

This is how I feel as well and I watched both Z and DB in Japanese first but the English cast will always be who I hear when reading the manga or thinking about the characters. I never cared that much about the BOG arc in Super while watching it in Japamese but the dub really changed my mind about it. The characters just seem more alive and the actors seem more alive than the original cast.

[ABED]

I hear the English cast when I read the manga, but that's only because I'm an English speaker and I can't hear Nozawa's voice as Goku speaking English even though she's Goku for me. I like Schemmel a lot, but Nozawa is the quintessential Son Goku.

I think Laurie Steele is terrific as Kuririn, even in Movie 2, I loved that voice.

[Metalwario64]

I think Laurie Steele is terrific as Kuririn, even in Movie 2, I loved that voice.

I disagree. I think she's raspy, grating and struggles with basic emotions, and even later in the series when Krillin stops being an asshole, she always has this sarcastic tone. All of her line deliveries sound the same, and she overall feels very flat. When Krillin thinks Roshi killed Goku and yells "you're a murderer", I don't get the feeling of someone who actually thinks they've just seen their best friend get murdered, and it feels like she's hindered by the character voice she does for Krillin.

That latter point also goes for Nadolny's Goku when Krillin actually dies.


As to the topic, my feelings towards the cast are mostly nostalgia based, but I really appreciate the enthusiasm and excitement that you can sense from their performances in Kai. Kai itself is very well acted, and it's nice to have a good dub with a nostalgic voice cast, so it's basically a 2-in-1 deal.

[ABED]

There's not an ounce of rasp. And why does everyone on here seem to hate rasp no matter what as if it's a sign of bad acting?

[TheBigBoy]

I like that the old Ginyu Assault VHS tapes haven't gained sentience and started murdering people.

Perhaps I might be holding Funimation to very low standards, but I do appreciate how their treatment of the voices and overall product has improved substantially over the years. I do consider the 1999 era dub to be pretty unwatchable, but I can say I enjoy the dub nowadays, though it's hardly perfect. We've went from a 1 or a 2 to a 7 or an 8. I don't think it should have taken this long to get to this point though.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I love the cast, both from the Canadian and American sides.

The Ocean Group actors all gave solid performances that at times allowed me to forgive the writing and directing, and in addition to giving us the perfect Piccolo in McNeil their very best work (which is on the same level of quality as modern DB dubs) with the Pioneer trilogy.

The in-house cast despite not being nearly as talented as the Japanese when they started off Schemmel, Sabat, Herbert etc have really honed their crafts and delivered stellar dubs of Kai, BOG, ROF and what we have of Super so far. Not to mention the new additions over time, Ayres, Douglas and Sinclair have all surpassed my expectations for the roles they play.

I also really respect the accuracy of the new dubs and the fact the original scores are being kept because both matter greatly when it comes to presenting the same content but in a different language.

[Thanos]

I have total respect for everything FUNi has done since Kai started. Plus, at this point all of the actors, through sheer volume of content and longevity, have really come into their own as their respective characters. Though Masako Nozawa will forever be Goku to me, I think Sean Schemmel deserves a lot of credit for his evolution of Goku--and I'd say at this point he's doing as admirable a job as you could hope, especially considering he was brought in to mimic the super hero Goku that the earlier dub had going. I still have mad hate for the Z dub, though I thought the dub of Dragon Ball was pretty solid, all things considered.

[DrakenballP]

Tried re-watching the original Dragon Ball Z in Dubbed form after becoming so accustomed to the Japanese Subtitled version, and I absolutely could not.

Once I tried re-watching Kai I realized how much Chris and the others have improved. Their talent is tremendous at this point and they've certainly a lot of practice under their belts now.

Kai's dub is the only tolerable one for me at this point, I haven't tried out Super's dub yet

[TheGreatness25]

I like that I can understand the dialog and that I have a sentimental attachment to the original dub. I'm not joking and I'm not trying to make a joke about how it being in English is the only good thing about the dub; I legitimately like to watch the dub because I can understand it without reading. I can just put DB on in the background and listen to it. That's why I hope that the script for Super's dub is accurate. That's all I really want.

[huzaifa_ahmed]

I like that I can understand the dialog and that I have a sentimental attachment to the original dub. I'm not joking and I'm not trying to make a joke about how it being in English is the only good thing about the dub; I legitimately like to watch the dub because I can understand it without reading. I can just put DB on in the background and listen to it. That's why I hope that the script for Super's dub is accurate. That's all I really want.

Honestly I can get this feeling. As crappy as Zeta Gundam's dub was, it was at least accurate & I personally had a better experience with it over the JP VO (kill me now).

[DrakenballP]

I like that I can understand the dialog and that I have a sentimental attachment to the original dub. I'm not joking and I'm not trying to make a joke about how it being in English is the only good thing about the dub; I legitimately like to watch the dub because I can understand it without reading. I can just put DB on in the background and listen to it. That's why I hope that the script for Super's dub is accurate. That's all I really want.

Honestly I can get this feeling. As crappy as Zeta Gundam's dub was, it was at least accurate & I personally had a better experience with it over the JP VO (kill me now).

Zeta Gundam's dub was hugely inaccurate!