Who really is the definitive Son Goku?

[DBZAOTA482]

There's a debate on who is the best voice for Goku (usually between Masako Nozawa and Sean Schemmel) but objectively speaking, who really embodies Goku?

Masako Nozawa

First up... is a straight OG and has been in the game ever since Astro Boy. She may get hate from American/English fans (mostly those used to the FUNimation dub) but she's beloved all over Asia for her iconic Goku screams and her portrayal of Goku brings out that happy-go-lucky hillbilly manchild but still effective as a serious Goku. She's one of the prolific seiyuu across Japan and plus points for Toriyama choosing her as the voice of Goku.

Sean Schemmel

Now onto big daddy Shawn... no, I mean Sean. He's inarguably the most popular English voice of Goku but like most of the FUNimation cast, he comes from very humble beginnings which reflected on his original output as he sounds like an emotionless robot for most of Z even though FUNi dub fanboys swear he was good. He did become worthy of any real praise as his work improved immensely over time after he found his own identity but it seems his ego also grew as his fame grew. Can't even take criticism from nobodies.

Here's him beefing with a lowly user called penguintruth:

https://otakurevolution.com/content/sea ... d-off-goku

He also doesn't seem to like or even respect the wife of Goku... Chi-Chi, at all. You may remember the East-West Panel where he jokingly replied Chi-Chi is a bitch... innocent enough but he suggests that Goku himself doesn't really like Chi-Chi. Saying stuff along the lines of "hahaha never mind you can have her. My wife is a bitch anyway haha!”

Mario Castañeda

Now this is an interesting entry to this contest. His best known role is teen/adult Goku and he is considered one of the best voice actors from Mexico, where Dragon Ball is practically religion (along with other Latin American regions). He also made a statement surprising many that one of his favorite characters is Chi-Chi and he actually defended her against the haters.... even with the infamous "no kiss" joke from Episode 60 of Super.

Now who is the real Goku... the veteran who Toriyama himself hand-picked, the overrated VA who acts like a bitch nigga (how ironic), or the hero to many across a relatively underprivileged society?

[Bajosexto]

Masako Nozawa. She is Son Goku. Just like Dan Castellaneta is Homer Simpson. These voice actors gave life to these characters. Then dub actors across the world based their interpretations on what was already there. With FUNi being an exception. I'm not entirely sure but it seems like FUNi originally didn't really care for the original Japanese performances.

Now when it comes to who is the best Goku, well that's debatable. Both Mario Castañeda and Sean Schemmel are great at what they do. And so is Nosawa. Though it took Schemmel several years before he really got good. I personally think it's really hard to objectively say who is the best Goku. Not only would you need to be fluent in a lot of languages, (at least 3, Japanese, Spanish, and English in this case) but you would also need to watch the whole, or a big chunk, of a dub to fairly judge a voice performance.

[Fionordequester]

Sean Schemmel

...but it seems [Sean Schemmel's] ego also grew as his fame grew. Can't even take criticism from nobodies.

Here's him beefing with a lowly user called penguintruth:

https://otakurevolution.com/content/sea ... d-off-goku

He also doesn't seem to like or even respect the wife of Goku... Chi-Chi, at all. You may remember the East-West Panel where he jokingly replied Chi-Chi is a bitch... innocent enough but he suggests that Goku himself doesn't really like Chi-Chi. Saying stuff along the lines of "hahaha never mind you can have her. My wife is a bitch anyway haha!”

Ok, but, what does that have to do with his role as Goku? Ryūsei Nakao is known for being a very charming, wonderful man with a sweet and gentle singing voice; does that mean he shouldn't be the definitive voice for Freeza? Or that this man here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNGeHle42I

Isn't the definitive voice for Kratos?

Mario Castañeda

He...made a statement surprising many that one of his favorite characters is Chi-Chi and he actually defended her against the haters.... even with the infamous "no kiss" joke from Episode 60 of Super.

And that's amazing, and good for him...but a person's work and a person's character are two very different things, right? So what does that have to do with who's the definitive voice?

[DBZAOTA482]

Sean Schemmel

...but it seems [Sean Schemmel's] ego also grew as his fame grew. Can't even take criticism from nobodies.

Here's him beefing with a lowly user called penguintruth:

https://otakurevolution.com/content/sea ... d-off-goku

He also doesn't seem to like or even respect the wife of Goku... Chi-Chi, at all. You may remember the East-West Panel where he jokingly replied Chi-Chi is a bitch... innocent enough but he suggests that Goku himself doesn't really like Chi-Chi. Saying stuff along the lines of "hahaha never mind you can have her. My wife is a bitch anyway haha!”

Ok, but, what does that have to do with his role as Goku? Ryūsei Nakao is known for being a very charming, wonderful man with a sweet and gentle singing voice; does that mean he shouldn't be the definitive voice for Freeza? Or that this man here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNGeHle42I

Isn't the definitive voice for Kratos?

Mario Castañeda

He...made a statement surprising many that one of his favorite characters is Chi-Chi and he actually defended her against the haters.... even with the infamous "no kiss" joke from Episode 60 of Super.

And that's amazing, and good for him...but a person's work and a person's character are two very different things, right? So what does that have to do with who's the definitive voice?

If he's playing the role as Goku he should at least show some respect towards the wife even if he doesn't like her otherwise it just shows Goku actually thinks that way of Chi-Chi. This only encourages hate towards Chi-Chi/Goku x Chi-Chi (like that fandom doesn't already get enough shit) and that's unprofessional as hell.

He plays a big part on how Goku himself is perceived by fans and he claims to know him a lot. He should keep personal feelings outside the business... likewise, he should learn to take criticism even if harsh instead of reacting to it because it will damage his image in the long-run.

[sintzu]

I love Nozawa as Goku in the original but I have to go with Sean, He's who I hear while reading anything Goku related and I'v followed his Goku for years in the anime and games.

Mexico, where Dragon Ball is practically religion (along with other Latin American regions).

It's that popular there ? I never knew that. I knew DB is popular worldwide but I thought America was where it was most popular in the west.

[cheddarsword]

For me, Sean represents the Goku that wants to be a hero and is good natured to almost everyone.

Masako Nozawa truly brings out the real Goku. The fighter.

Goku doesn't care if he's the hero. He has the heart of a fighter plain and simple.

Well, that's how I look at it anyway.

[emperior]

To me the old Italian voice (Paolo Torrisi, who unfortunately died) is the best Son Goku voice.
The fact I grew up listening to his voice is definitely the reason why I say this but, for whoever never heard his Goku: go check it on YouTube. He was really awesome and very close to Nozawa. He could go from a very goofy voice to a serious one in a heartbeat. It's too bad we will never hear him doing Goku Black...

[8000 Saiyan]

There's no such thing as a definitive voice, but if I had to pick a favorite, I'll go with Nozawa. Schemmel is great and all, but Nozawa's voice has this unique charm to it. I personally rank Castaneda above Schemmel.

[MajinMan]

Masako Nozawa. Not even a question. This shouldn't be a question. It does not matter who you like more. It's like asking someone who the definitive voice for Spongebob is. Obviously it's the English voice, so why would it be different for Goku? It's obviously the voice actor in the ORIGINAL version. No question.

[Fionordequester]

If he's playing the role as Goku he should at least show some respect towards the wife even if he doesn't like her otherwise it just shows Goku actually thinks that way of Chi-Chi. This only encourages hate towards Chi-Chi/Goku x Chi-Chi (like that fandom doesn't already get enough shit) and that's unprofessional as hell.

He plays a big part on how Goku himself is perceived by fans and he claims to know him a lot. He should keep personal feelings outside the business... likewise, he should learn to take criticism even if harsh instead of reacting to it because it will damage his image in the long-run.

And that's all important; but that still isn't relevant to his actual WORK, is it? I mean, Arnold Scharzzenegar cheated on his wife, but that doesn't mean he isn't still the definitive Terminator.

Masako Nozawa. Not even a question. This shouldn't be a question. It does not matter who you like more. It's like asking someone who the definitive voice for Spongebob is. Obviously it's the English voice, so why would it be different for Goku? It's obviously the voice actor in the ORIGINAL version. No question.

Keep in mind that you grew up in Los Angeles; an ENGLISH speaking country where you, most likely, heard the English Spongebob before you heard any others. So if you were to go to, say, Mexico, and ask THEM who the definitive Spongebob is...well, I have a feeling they may not share your opinion .

[MajinMan]

Masako Nozawa. Not even a question. This shouldn't be a question. It does not matter who you like more. It's like asking someone who the definitive voice for Spongebob is. Obviously it's the English voice, so why would it be different for Goku? It's obviously the voice actor in the ORIGINAL version. No question.

Keep in mind that you grew up in Los Angeles; an ENGLISH speaking country where you, most likely, heard the English Spongebob before you heard any others. So if you were to go to, say, Mexico, and ask THEM who the definitive Spongebob is...well, I have a feeling they may not share your opinion .

You're missing the point. Spongebob is an American cartoon that was meant for American children. The definitive voice for Spongebob is thus English. If anyone says otherwise, they're wrong. Again, being the definitive voice does not mean they have to be the best or your favorite. Of course people are going to say their favorites are the definitive voices. That doesn't mean they're right.

[Gog]

He also doesn't seem to like or even respect the wife of Goku... Chi-Chi, at all. You may remember the East-West Panel where he jokingly replied Chi-Chi is a bitch... innocent enough but he suggests that Goku himself doesn't really like Chi-Chi. Saying stuff along the lines of "hahaha never mind you can have her. My wife is a bitch anyway haha!”

And, that's a fine opinion. And, dude those are obviously jokes. It's the equivalent of Chris Ayers saying he loves Goku in his Freeza voice, or Christopher Sabat saying he actually dislikes fighting in his Vegeta voice. They're not anything to take seriously, it doesn't suggest anything at all expect Schemmel's making a joke, and expressing his distaste of ChiChi.

Now who is the real Goku... the veteran who Toriyama himself hand-picked, the overrated VA who acts like a bitch nigga (how ironic), or the hero to many across a relatively underprivileged society?

I feel like these are biased.

Regardless, Masako Nozawa is my definitely my definitive Goku, and that'll never be the objectively be the case considering that some people will always prefer the Peter Kelamis, to the Masako Nozawa, or the Sean Schemmel to the Mario Castañeda.

[Bansho64]

It's that popular there ? I never knew that. I knew DB is popular worldwide but I thought America was where it was most popular in the west.

Not even by a long shot bro. The Latin American fanbase is enormously huge compared to ours. Commercials, news casts, constant reruns, even the YouTube channels, etc. It's pretty damn huge.

[Fionordequester]

You're missing the point. Spongebob is an American cartoon that was meant for American children. The definitive voice for Spongebob is thus English. If anyone says otherwise, they're wrong. Again, being the definitive voice does not mean they have to be the best or your favorite. Of course people are going to say their favorites are the definitive voices. That doesn't mean they're right.

But the very word "definitive" is subjective in nature. It's an adjective, not a noun. There's no set standard for what "definitive" is!

Does it mean the first person to ever voice someone? Is that what "definitive" means? Or does it mean the voice that best captures the character? If so, how do we define and measure that? Or perhaps it's the voice that different dubbers have to listen to before deciding how closely or how loosely they want to follow it? If that's the case, that presents a problem; because some foreign dubbing companies will use the 4Kids version of an anime as their base, instead of the original Japanese version. So if more countries were exposed to the 4Kids version than the actual original version...does that make the 4Kid's version of that property more "definitive"? Maybe; depends on what "definitive" means to you.

My point is that if you're going to lay down absolutes like "anyone who says otherwise is wrong" (which you basically just said)...you're going to have a tough time defending your point.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

The one with the red hair.

[Ki Breaker]

I can't believe I am saying this but
Masako Nozawa is the one..

How and when it happened I don't really know, just a while ago I was wondering when the dub will start so I can hear my real Goku and here I am now, not even following the dub anymore..

[ABED]

Masako Nozawa gets Goku's upbeat fighting spirit and naivete, and she's played Goku at every age, so I will go with her.

[Lord Beerus]

Masako Nozawa. She just captures the charm, naivety, purity and man-child like nature of Son Goku to a t. Sean Schemmel is a very close second.

[TheBigBoy]

Nozawa. Why is this even a discussion.

[Dbzfan94]

Maybe it's because my biggest exposure to Nozawa is Super, but I can't bring myself to consistently enjoy her. It's so grating in my ears half the time. I'm not denying her abilities though, as I cannot give enough praise to her Black.

So that being said I'm going with Sean Schemmel. Even at his worst I still enjoy his voice and hearing him improve over time as time goes on is fun. I know this a very unpopular opinion on here, but to me Sean Schemmel will always be Adult Goku.