Who really is the definitive Son Goku?

[8000 Saiyan]

It's a matter of degree. Some actors I can make the disconnect, other actors are too much for me to take if my issues are far greater. I don't agree with most of Hollywood's politics, but I still see movies they are in. However, some actors are so awful, I don't care how good they are, I refuse to watch anything they are in, like Sean Penn.

Sean Schemmel may grate on your nerves personally, but he's not Penn. Hell, he's nowhere near Beiber.

Penn has no sense of subtlety as an actor. He even sucks in Mystic River.

Which is why I loved when they riffed on that in an episode of Psych. Anyway, I can see where not everyone would care for Schemmel's personality, but at worst he's a tad annoying and that wouldn't prevent me from watching anything he's in.

I can agree, I think it depends on how petty you are, and I think I must be quite petty. It's not the the point that I would actively not watch the dub because of him or play video games in English, but it certainly affects whether or not he is the definitive Son Goku in my eyes.

Fair enough.

They did that on Psych? That's pretty cool.

[ABED]

It's in the episode "Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up".

"Is that the last of the secret taco sauce in there?!"

Sean is my favorite English speaking Goku and it's clear that he's not phoning it in, but he's not the definitive. Even if we limited it to only the official English speaking Goku's, he's not the definitive one. Nozawa is and will always be the best, not simply because she was first. Sean has probably said the same thing.

[8000 Saiyan]

It's in the episode "Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up".

"Is that the last of the secret taco sauce in there?!"

Sean is my favorite English speaking Goku and it's clear that he's not phoning it in, but he's not the definitive. Even if we limited it to only the official English speaking Goku's, he's not the definitive one. Nozawa is and will always be the best, not simply because she was first. Sean has probably said the same thing.

I don't think he has phoned it in since Season 3. He clearly got better during the old dub. Now an example of someone clearly phoning it in is Kevin Conroy.

[ABED]

It's in the episode "Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up".

"Is that the last of the secret taco sauce in there?!"

Sean is my favorite English speaking Goku and it's clear that he's not phoning it in, but he's not the definitive. Even if we limited it to only the official English speaking Goku's, he's not the definitive one. Nozawa is and will always be the best, not simply because she was first. Sean has probably said the same thing.

I don't think he has phoned it in since Season 3. He clearly got better during the old dub. Now an example of someone clearly phoning it in is Kevin Conroy.

I don't think that's fair to say about Conroy. He's a professional and delivers a good performance each time.

[8000 Saiyan]

It's in the episode "Shawn and Gus Truck Things Up".

"Is that the last of the secret taco sauce in there?!"

Sean is my favorite English speaking Goku and it's clear that he's not phoning it in, but he's not the definitive. Even if we limited it to only the official English speaking Goku's, he's not the definitive one. Nozawa is and will always be the best, not simply because she was first. Sean has probably said the same thing.

I don't think he has phoned it in since Season 3. He clearly got better during the old dub. Now an example of someone clearly phoning it in is Kevin Conroy.

I don't think that's fair to say about Conroy. He's a professional and delivers a good performance each time.

Here's the thing. He's my favorite Batman voice and he was great in the DCAU, but he's phoning it in as of late IMO. In the animated Killing Joke, he and Mark Hamill weren't giving their best. I wouldn't recommend the movie if you haven't seen it. Tara Strong outperformed them both in that movie.

[Super_Divine_Genki]

I'm leaning towards Nozawa-san for reasons I'm unsure of. :p

Rather than give a lengthy explanation (this shouldn't need explanation as who definitive Son Goku is), I will point anyone to DBZ #96 "An Explosion of Anger!! Goku, Avenge Everyone's Deaths". Specifically in the delivery of the line: "I am furious with you, FREEZA!!".

It may not seem like much, but here, Goku has just experienced several spirit-breaking events within a short-time battling Freeza, and then undergoes a transformation that slightly affects his personality on top of that. Even though the animation/visuals showed great expression of anger, Nozawa's delivery is that of a Son Goku who is trying to express fury, but is too choked up and still hasn't recovered from recent shocks to his system. It's a great example of in-character continuity following the previous weeks landmark episode, and thus, she embodied everything that Goku was feeling at that moment.

... *misty eyes*

[Rory]

The definitive Gokuu will always be Nozawa, there's never gonna be any (legitimate) dispute there. She's been there since day 1 of the anime, and is pretty much a direct translation of the character in the manga.
Schemmel just doesn't capture the character, never has. He's come close and has started to get it in recent years, but it's taken him a decade and a half to just kinda get it.
Nozawa's more recent performances (bar Black) have been sub-par however, but it's for reasons outside of her control, can't really control age. This doesn't have any effect on the 'definitive' argument however, as prime Dragon Ball/Z Nozawa is just incredible to behold every time.

If we step outside of definitive however, and go towards 'favourite', I'd say Kelamis. Adore him in the first few movies and think he's the only official English VA to just sorta get Gokuu right off the bat. His delivery was always on-point and he even had that classic kung-fu cry when he was fight (helped by the fact that his pitch matched Nozawas, while still being obviously male). Adored him, shame his performance in the Ocean dub post-Namek was rushed and not up to scratch (again, not his fault, that was clearly a production thing).

[MR.Mark]

IMO I don't get the hype of Kelamis, other than the screams, he spoke with some unidentifiable speech inflection like some less awesome Christopher Walken.

[RandomGuy96]

Black ink.

[TheGreatness25]

IMO I don't get the hype of Kelamis, other than the screams, he spoke with some unidentifiable speech inflection like some less awesome Christopher Walken.

I felt like he sounded like a surfer, to be honest. I wasn't a fan of Peter Kelamis at all. My favorite English Goku is Ian James Corlett from line delivery to the natural-sounding voice; he could sound innocent, he can sound mad, he can sound heroic, he can scream, he can do whatever. I was a huge fan of his and his run on DBZ was way too short-lived in my opinion. I also like the actor who replaced Peter Kelamis in the Westwood dub later on. I don't know why people like Kelamis so much. Maybe because his "Kaio-ken" in "The World's Strongest" sounded like Nozawa's... I don't know lol

[8000 Saiyan]

IMO I don't get the hype of Kelamis, other than the screams, he spoke with some unidentifiable speech inflection like some less awesome Christopher Walken.

I felt like he sounded like a surfer, to be honest. I wasn't a fan of Peter Kelamis at all. My favorite English Goku is Ian James Corlett from line delivery to the natural-sounding voice; he could sound innocent, he can sound mad, he can sound heroic, he can scream, he can do whatever. I was a huge fan of his and his run on DBZ was way too short-lived in my opinion. I also like the actor who replaced Peter Kelamis in the Westwood dub later on. I don't know why people like Kelamis so much. Maybe because his "Kaio-ken" in "The World's Strongest" sounded like Nozawa's... I don't know lol

The guy who replaced Kelamis is Kirby Morrow.

[TheGreatness25]

Yes. Kirby Morrow. I find his work to be pretty good and I've heard him doing a good job as Goku... despite the horrendous direction that was given to the Ocean cast when doing the later dub of DBZ for the U.K. and Canada. I find that Morrow is a great successor to Ian James Corlett, while Peter Kelamis didn't really fit the mold in between. Kelamis is talented, but I just never liked him for Goku really. Even though I haven't really experienced a lot of DBZ with Kirby Morrow, I can tell by his delivery and other roles that I'd place him higher on the list than Sean Schemmel. I don't know, I just really don't like Sean Schemmel's Goku. I think he comes off as a great guy, I'm sure he's a great person, but just don't like him in that role of Goku. But oh well, I guess it could be worse. Though you want to talk "definitive," of course it would be Nozawa.

[8000 Saiyan]

Yes. Kirby Morrow. I find his work to be pretty good and I've heard him doing a good job as Goku... despite the horrendous direction that was given to the Ocean cast when doing the later dub of DBZ for the U.K. and Canada. I find that Morrow is a great successor to Ian James Corlett, while Peter Kelamis didn't really fit the mold in between. Kelamis is talented, but I just never liked him for Goku really. Even though I haven't really experienced a lot of DBZ with Kirby Morrow, I can tell by his delivery and other roles that I'd place him higher on the list than Sean Schemmel. I don't know, I just really don't like Sean Schemmel's Goku. I think he comes off as a great guy, I'm sure he's a great person, but just don't like him in that role of Goku. But oh well, I guess it could be worse. Though you want to talk "definitive," of course it would be Nozawa.

I think Morrow would have been a better Trunks than Goku. Corlett was good, but I think he could have done much better if he had used his Cheetor voice.

[TheGreatness25]

I was just ranking the English-speaking Goku roles. I think Ian James Corlett takes it followed by Kirby morrow followed by Sean Schemmel followed by Ian James Corlett. I feel that I have to separate the English-speaking Gokus because otherwise there's nothing to talk about because Nozawa rules this lol I mean it doesn't get more definitive than her voice being there from day one until the very last day. Nozawa was so definitive as Goku that she remained on the cast transitioning from kid to adult Goku. Lots of people who aren't familiar with the Japanese version might be weird about her voice, but I never thought that. I remember exactly what my reaction was to hearing her Goku voice for the first time when I was playing Dragon Ball Final Bout or Greatest Legends (I got them at the same time and I don't remember which I played first): "Oh wow, that's how Japanese Goku sounds? Cool." And I never paid it any mind since.

[8000 Saiyan]

IMO I don't get the hype of Kelamis, other than the screams, he spoke with some unidentifiable speech inflection like some less awesome Christopher Walken.

I felt like he sounded like a surfer, to be honest. I wasn't a fan of Peter Kelamis at all. My favorite English Goku is Ian James Corlett from line delivery to the natural-sounding voice; he could sound innocent, he can sound mad, he can sound heroic, he can scream, he can do whatever. I was a huge fan of his and his run on DBZ was way too short-lived in my opinion. I also like the actor who replaced Peter Kelamis in the Westwood dub later on. I don't know why people like Kelamis so much. Maybe because his "Kaio-ken" in "The World's Strongest" sounded like Nozawa's... I don't know lol

If you don't like Kelamis' Goku, that's fine by me. Personally I never understand why people like this performance: Ron Perlman as Slade/Deathstroke. It's such a monotonous performance and Slade is a painfully one-dimensional villain with no motivations whatsoever.

[ABED]

If you don't like Kelamis' Goku, that's fine by me. Personally I never understand why people like this performance: Ron Perlman as Slade/Deathstroke. It's such a monotonous performance and Slade is a painfully one-dimensional villain with no motivations whatsoever.

One dimensional characters can still be enjoyable if done well. Perlman conveys menace well.

Corlette is very talented and out of all the Canadian actors, I think he's not just the best Goku, he's the best overall actor. Morrow is bland, and Kelamis is too goofy. However, Corlette's characterization, is pretty generic.

[8000 Saiyan]

If you don't like Kelamis' Goku, that's fine by me. Personally I never understand why people like this performance: Ron Perlman as Slade/Deathstroke. It's such a monotonous performance and Slade is a painfully one-dimensional villain with no motivations whatsoever.

One dimensional characters can still be enjoyable if done well. Perlman conveys menace well.

Corlette is very talented and out of all the Canadian actors, I think he's not just the best Goku, he's the best overall actor. Morrow is bland, and Kelamis is too goofy. However, Corlette's characterization, is pretty generic.

I know that one-dimensional villains can be enjoyable, but Perlman's Slade was never enjoyable for me. I know that he's a good actor that can convey menace well, but the writers never did much with the character. Deathstroke is far more interesting in the comics. If Slade had more emotional range and had been more fleshed out, then Perlman could have done better.

It's not Corlett's fault that his Goku is generic, it's the script. Had he used his Cheetor voice with a better script, he would have been much better. Morrow and Kelamis are better actors in other stuff.

[ABED]

It's not Corlett's fault that his Goku is generic, it's the script. Had he used his Cheetor voice with a better script, he would have been much better. Morrow and Kelamis are better actors in other stuff.

Corlett was one of the writers.

I know that one-dimensional villains can be enjoyable, but Perlman's Slade was never enjoyable for me. I know that he's a good actor that can convey menace well, but the writers never did much with the character. Deathstroke is far more interesting in the comics. If Slade had more emotional range and had been more fleshed out, then Perlman could have done better.

I'm taking it on its own merits, not against any other version, be it the comics or Arrow. I'm basing it on the one episode I saw from a DTV release. I'm not a fan of the Teen Titans in the comics or cartoons. I enjoyed his take. Granted, it's a small sample.

[8000 Saiyan]

It's not Corlett's fault that his Goku is generic, it's the script. Had he used his Cheetor voice with a better script, he would have been much better. Morrow and Kelamis are better actors in other stuff.

Corlett was one of the writers.

I know that one-dimensional villains can be enjoyable, but Perlman's Slade was never enjoyable for me. I know that he's a good actor that can convey menace well, but the writers never did much with the character. Deathstroke is far more interesting in the comics. If Slade had more emotional range and had been more fleshed out, then Perlman could have done better.

I'm taking it on its own merits, not against any other version, be it the comics or Arrow. I'm basing it on the one episode I saw from a DTV release. I'm not a fan of the Teen Titans in the comics or cartoons. I enjoyed his take. Granted, it's a small sample.

I like the Teen Titans, but I'm not exactly the biggest fan of them.

[Cipher]

Who's the definitive James Bond? Sean Connery, or the guy who overdubbed his movies in Spain?