Does JP Goku really sound like a woman to a non watcher/follower of Dragon Ball? Or is it informed by cultural osmosis?

[TheGreatness25]

What I find amazing is that this is still a thing. But like... that's Goku. That's Toei's and Akira Toriyama's Goku. That is how the character is intentionally written and portrayed. So, when people say that they don't like that voice for him and prefer the changed version, you might as well be saying that you don't like his attitude so you prefer it changed through the dub, or you don't like his hair design so you'd want Funimation you go in there and edit out his hair, or that you don't like the orange gi so you'd prefer a version where they colored over it. I mean, that is Goku.

The fans can like it or not -- opinions will always be welcome -- but to say that that's not their "real Goku" is ridiculous. It really starts getting into shaky territory where the dub becomes more of a standard than a preference, and that just shouldn't be. It's like some random author taking the Dracula story and making him an alien and me saying, "Well, this is my definitive Dracula!" Maybe my preferred Dracula, but I certainly cannot use that as the standard for the Dracula story.

I'll use myself personally. As cliché as it is, I rather enjoy a Goku that fights for good and is heroic rather than being some careless dolt fighting "just 'cause," but that's not Goku. I cannot say that's Goku, I can only say that that's an interpretation of Goku. Much like his Japanese voice is Goku and any other voice is merely an interpretation.

People are taking Goku as he's entirely meant to be and going, "Ew, I don't like that..." Well like it or not, that's the character, no less definitive than Vegeta's armor, Kurilin's bald head, or Piccolo's green skin.

[emperior]

I always thought Goku was intentionally voiced like that by a man, and as a kid, when I heard the voice in videogames, I thought that maybe some japanese men sound like that, or that the whole language had high pitched sounds. Also, thanks to my Italian dub I always knew Goku was supposed to sound silly and child-like, so I was never turned off by Nozawa’s voice. I think I discovered Goku was voiced by a old woman because of Super.

[Marugoto]

The first time I heard Goku's original voice in a video game, it made me think of Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat. I thought it's probably the norm that the Asian main character always has a high pitch voice like Bruce Lee whenever he attacks. I definitely didn't associate his voice as female.

[Son Gara]

When I first switched to the Japanese version, because I couldn't stand the new in-house Funi cast that was introduced in "Season 3", it was a few months before I found out that Goku was portrayed by a woman. Before that I couldn't tell and afterwards it didn't bother me either. Perhaps it didn't sound that strange because I was watching in a foreign language so they all sounded a little strange lol. Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

[Timetraveller]

Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

[dario03]

Without being told, I'm not so sure they'd know he's voiced by a woman.

I did as an 11 year old in 1999. I didn't know he was voiced by a woman, but when I popped in Dragon Ball Z Greatest Legends and heard the voice, I thought he sounded "weird" and "like a woman." But honestly, I got over that in about 10 minutes.

This is basically how it went for me. I didn't know he was voiced by a woman but I thought he might. Didn't really care that much though since I had to read everything anyways and its not bad. However not a huge fan of the noises she make during battle.

Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

Neither is Bart, hes 10. Even though he has had multiple birthday parties, birthday mentions, and birthday dates.

[Timetraveller]

Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

Neither is Bart, hes 10. Even though he has had multiple birthday parties, birthday mentions, and birthday dates.

I think you're missing the point lol

[dario03]

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

Neither is Bart, hes 10. Even though he has had multiple birthday parties, birthday mentions, and birthday dates.

I think you're missing the point lol

Nope, just making sure we have our Simpsons trivia right. Its important stuff for DB forums


But back on topic... I don't think its mainly cultural osmosis, some maybe. I knew plenty of people who thought Goku sounded like a Woman or at least odd when they first heard the original and don't recall them saying they had heard about it online before. Plus it was a long time ago and don't think many of them even looked up that kind of stuff then. He is voiced by a woman so its not to much of a stretch to think that people hear it and came up with that opinion on their own.

[Pantalones]

I never thought the Japanese Goku sounded "like a woman"/"like an old lady"/etc. like the common dub-only-fan-reaction-to-Japanese-version stereotype says. I did (and still do, to an extent, though it depends on the scene; for some reason Japanese Goku's voice works better for me in fights vs. just talking) think he sounds bizarrely squeaky and high-pitched in a way that just seems a little "off" for an adult male character.

But honestly the worst part is him, adult Gohan, and Goten all being voiced by the same person, especially in scenes where all three are present like in the Buu saga or the Hirudegarn movie (GT with adult Goten showing up is probably even worse, but I haven't watched GT in Japanese so that's just a guess.) People talk about Sabat's Vegeta and Piccolo blurring together sometimes in the Funimation dub, but they've got nothing on the Goku/Gohan/Goten voice blending trio in the Japanese version.

[TheGreatness25]

I've always detected a slight difference in Nozawa's adult Goku, adult Gohan, and adult Goten. Goten's and Gohan's voice are softer, while Goku's is sharper and just more loud, obnoxious (I mean that in the nicest way possible), and excited. Gohan and Goten have a much more subdued voice as adults.I find it fu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O97nZcHJUTY
https://youtu.be/zw1RYldKtPQ?t=14s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vPkdH6Fvi0

I guess Goku's lines are delivered more choppy and energetic. Gohan has a softer portrayal. Goten also has a soft voice, but it's done with a different tone than Gohan's. Obviously, their fight sounds are pretty much the same.

Know what the real difference is between Japanese Goku, Gohan, and Goten and Funimation's Piccolo and Vegeta? Nozawa plays father and two sons while Sabat makes two completely different characters sound pretty similar sometimes.

https://youtu.be/X65mSU7cZ74?t=46s

I find it funny that Sabat thinks that Yamucha and Vegeta's voices are similar, when I think Vegeta and PIccolo are much, much closer than Yamucha's.

[Son Gara]

Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

She's also voiced him several times as a grown man in episodes that take place in the future, so what's your point?

[Timetraveller]

Also maybe being a big fan of the Simpsons for years helped as well as I never had a problem with the fact that Bart was voiced by a woman either.

Goku isn't a 9 year old kid in DBZ

She's also voiced him several times as a grown man in episodes that take place in the future, so what's your point?

If it's a one off special or those future episodes which happen once in a blue moon, people don't mind. It still doesn't fit him although to be fair Bart's voice is much deeper in those future specials. Nozawa doesn't have that range. All of her
DBZ characters sound the same, varying only in minor things like dialect or formality.

[El Diabeetus]

He sounds like a kid and over the years, despite strides made in the dub. I still prefer Nozawa's take. Schemmel's a great voice in terms of range, screams, etc. but he sounds too educated as Goku.

Son Goku ain't no guy who's gonna have book smarts.

All you'd have to do to get that across in English, is occasionally mispronounce a word here or there (outside of what generally is in the dub), drop g's, the occasionally Yo or 'Sup in places where Ossu was. To becoming ta, for becoming fer, etc.

[SuperCyan2]

Before I started watching the original Japanese Z, I read comments that he was voiced by a voice-actress but that really didn't bother me at all. It suits Son's character, he's a naive, immature and happy-go-lucky type of guy rather than a superhero which Funimation tried to create on their Z dub (they've since made Schemmel's Gokû a lot better and I like his interpretation).

Now, when Masako Nozawa passes away (she's 81 now so hopefully she'll reach 100 years or more) then the characters Gokû, Gohan and Goten will die with her as no one else can truly voice them in the native language. A replacement would just bring a huge backlash and in this case I hope Toei just gives Masako's characters a farewell. Yes, the characters themselves belong to Toriyama/Toei but who voiced them for years and years? Masako Nozawa.

As for how that'll affect Dragon Ball dubs, that's another question (irrelevant really, the Japanese don't care about foreign dubs naturally). Perhaps Toei will do a "Shin Dragon Ball" series without Masako's characters just to keep the Dragon Ball franchise on making that dough but Toriyama may continue using on his manga series.

[8bitdee]

Since I grew up watching DB in Latin America, I never found it weird that Goku sounded like a woman in the original JP dub, because Kid Goku/Kid Gohan/Goten was also dubbed by a woman in Latin America (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUeLEHo7edM). But I did find it odd at first that the same VA for Kid Goku and adult Goku was kept the same in JP because of my low knowledge of anime culture at the time and didn't realize the importance of VAs in anime culture.

Talking to some of my American friends who grew up watching the Funi dub, many have told me that they don't think Goku sounds weird in JP because he's voiced by a woman, but that he simply sounds annoying/too squeaky/too high pitched.

[Jord]

I actually think the English little Goku sounds like a woman who smoked a lot.

[MrTennek]

anyone with half a working brain can tell the difference between a man and woman voice

[BlueBasilisk]

The first time I heard Nozawa's Goku, it was really jarring hearing a high pitch voice coming out of a person with his build, especially since I got into the series with the Ocean/Funi dubs where he has a distinctly male voice. I figured it was probably a woman due to the pitch but I'm used to women voicing male characters so it wasn't a big deal once I got used to it. I think it's definitely possible to tell Nozawa is a woman if you don't know but I don't think it's something that everyone would pick up on. I went into One Piece blind and wouldn't have guessed Luffy's English and Japanese VAs were female if I hadn't heard that same voice used for GT Goku and Gohan in Xenoverse 2.

[SuperCyan2]

anyone with half a working brain can tell the difference between a man and woman voice

Things aren't that simple. Some men and women have different levels of vocal speeches so there's the chance some men sound more feminine and women more masculine.

I remember when I heard a deep, male voice and then when I looked at the TV it was from a woman.

[Desassina]

You either know that the voice actor is a woman or that the character is supposed to be male. Their clash is what makes for a strange depiction of Goku. He sounds like a woman, and that was before I knew about its meaning, so test people whose experience with Dragon Ball is none for the best results. I would recommend making it a show with kids like one that already exists. Make them listen to the clips of Goku's voice with nothing familiar.