Favorite Goku Voice?

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Demon Prince Piccolo
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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:17 pm

ABED wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:13 pm I'd be willing to be proven wrong, but I just don't think he can convincingly pull off man child. I just don't think that plays to his strengths.
Fair enough. We'll probably never know for certain since I doubt he'll ever voice Goku again, unless he ever voices someone similar to manga Goku.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by goku the krump dancer » Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:37 pm

When people say "hick" I'm assuming they mean like "Hill Billy" but for the life of me I cant imagine Goku sounding like Hank Hill or one of the Ying Yang Twins and thinking i'm supposed to take him seriously.

Also I would love to be shown what a Japanese country bumpkin sounds like vs someone born and raised in Tokyo, with Japanese being far from my native language (obviously) it all sounds the same to me but with a black and white comparison I think I can get a better idea of what an English Goku is supposed to sound like.
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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:53 pm

goku the krump dancer wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:37 pm When people say "hick" I'm assuming they mean like "Hill Billy" but for the life of me I cant imagine Goku sounding like Hank Hill or one of the Ying Yang Twins and thinking i'm supposed to take him seriously.

Also I would love to be shown what a Japanese country bumpkin sounds like vs someone born and raised in Tokyo, with Japanese being far from my native language (obviously) it all sounds the same to me but with a black and white comparison I think I can get a better idea of what an English Goku is supposed to sound like.
Lol I have no clue either. But I'm referring to how the original JP scripts have him saying "Ain't," when he doesn't speak that way in any English interpretation I've heard. Maybe it's for that exact reason that we don't ever hear English Goku talking like that, that many of us wouldn't take him seriously. I wouldn't necessarily say he'd need to sound like Hank Hill, though, but I'm curious as to how Schemmel would sound if the dub kept "Ain't."
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by jjgp1112 » Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:49 pm

I believe Goku's not even necessarily supposed to speak like a hillbilly in the Japanese version - Nozawa exaggerated that in her performance, while in the manga his dialect is more unrefined than outright "hick" like Chi-Chi and Ox King. So like, for comparison's sake, a working class Northeastern or Midwest kid rather than a hillbilly from the deep south. Dropping the g in gerunds, combining any word he can (a lot of = alotta etc), and the occasional "ain't."
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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by MyVisionity » Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:18 pm

From what I understood it's more about how Goku consistently speaks using informal/casual language, no matter what the circumstance, presumably because he's supposed to be a hick who's not especially educated. I think the Simmons subtitles are more about emphasizing that aspect of Goku's characterization and less about translating any particular regional dialect or accent. As opposed to Chichi and Gyu's Tohoku-area dialect, as referenced above.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by goku the krump dancer » Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:36 pm

jjgp1112 wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:49 pm I believe Goku's not even necessarily supposed to speak like a hillbilly in the Japanese version - Nozawa exaggerated that in her performance, while in the manga his dialect is more unrefined than outright "hick" like Chi-Chi and Ox King. So like, for comparison's sake, a working class Northeastern or Midwest kid rather than a hillbilly from the deep south. Dropping the g in gerunds, combining any word he can (a lot of = alotta etc), and the occasional "ain't."
So pretty much how we casually speak amongst most of our contemporaries then, that makes sense. If that's the case though, I think "Hick" is definitely the wrong word to describe how he speaks, I think "unrefined" fits perfectly since people from both the country side and the city are capable of greeting someone of prestige pretty formally if they knew better, which Goku doesn't given how he says "Yo" to even the highest of Gods in the DB universe.
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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:43 pm

goku the krump dancer wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 11:36 pm
jjgp1112 wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:49 pm I believe Goku's not even necessarily supposed to speak like a hillbilly in the Japanese version - Nozawa exaggerated that in her performance, while in the manga his dialect is more unrefined than outright "hick" like Chi-Chi and Ox King. So like, for comparison's sake, a working class Northeastern or Midwest kid rather than a hillbilly from the deep south. Dropping the g in gerunds, combining any word he can (a lot of = alotta etc), and the occasional "ain't."
So pretty much how we casually speak amongst most of our contemporaries then, that makes sense. If that's the case though, I think "Hick" is definitely the wrong word to describe how he speaks, I think "unrefined" fits perfectly since people from both the country side and the city are capable of greeting someone of prestige pretty formally if they knew better, which Goku doesn't given how he says "Yo" to even the highest of Gods in the DB universe.
To be fair, I think that term is meant to describe someone's general characteristics as well, characteristics that are (sometimes stereotypically) associated with being from a rural area. It means "unsophisticated, boorish, and provincial," and Goku's lax form of speaking is just another product of that.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by ZeroIsOurHero » Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:08 pm

Yeah, Goku does have some stereotypical "rural" traits to his Japanese dialect (saying "Ora" instead of "Ore" when saying "I", changing all "ai" and "ae" syllables to "ee"), but he isn't supposed to sound like Forrest Gump by any means. An ideal English localization would make him sound more like someone from Kansas or Oklahoma than a full-blown hillbilly.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by dva_raza » Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:09 pm

MyVisionity wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 7:53 pm Maybe not quote an entire lengthy post and just "snip" or spoiler tag the contents instead.

Demon Prince Piccolo wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 3:47 pm
Dragon Ball Ireland wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:53 am Does everyone who says they don't like a female actress voicing an adult male feel the same about Linda Young playing Freeza?
Isn't Krillin's Japanese VA a woman also? For both kid and adult?
Yes, Mayumi Tanaka is female.

I suppose that a lot of people don't think of Freeza or Kuririn as being "manly enough" to require male voice actors.
Speaking for myself, no, I don’t think Krillin isn’t manly enough to have a male actor’s voice cause I don’t see what manlyness has to do with being a male.
Didn’t mention him because the thread was about the protagonist, but I actually find his japanese voice to be more offputting than Goku’s. His latest mexican VA is really great.

Regarding Linda Young I definitley find her more interesting as Frieza than Masko as Goku, for starters her voice is naturally deeper, also Frieza is an undefined species and the vocal fry gives her an undefined quility, so it does fit and I like her delivery but I personally would pick Chris Ayers between the 2, I just like his voice and mannerisms better, kinda seem more colorful.
But #1 for me would be the main VA for Frieza in mexico. The guy's voice is majestic

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:44 pm

Mayumi Tanaka also voices Yajirobe, I just realized. I think that's far more jarring/unfitting than either her as Krillin or Nozawa as Goku. I love the performance itself, but I don't think it fits the character at all
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Cure Dragon 255 » Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:48 pm

To me its the english dub who doesnt fit Yajirobe at all.
Marz wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:27 pm "Well, the chapter was good, the story was good and so were the fights. But a new transformation, in Dragon Ball? And one that's ugly? This is where we draw the line!!! Jump the Shark moment!!"

This forum is so over-dramatic that it's not even funny.
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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:05 am

Cure Dragon 255 wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:48 pm To me its the english dub who doesnt fit Yajirobe at all.
Maybe it's just my association bias, but it's easy for me to think of Yajirobe as a Jack Black-type, so that slacker voice they give him fits more in my mind with his look, at least. But I enjoy the Japanese VA for him a lot more.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Cure Dragon 255 » Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:36 am

I love you man, but saying that voice is Jack Black-like is an insult to Jack Black.
Marz wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:27 pm "Well, the chapter was good, the story was good and so were the fights. But a new transformation, in Dragon Ball? And one that's ugly? This is where we draw the line!!! Jump the Shark moment!!"

This forum is so over-dramatic that it's not even funny.
90sDBZ wrote: Mon Jul 01, 2019 2:44 pm19 years ago I was rushing home from school to watch DBZ on Cartoon Network, and today I've rushed home from work to watch DBS on Pop. I guess it's true the more things change the more they stay the same. :lol:

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Fri Nov 19, 2021 1:10 am

Cure Dragon 255 wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:36 am I love you man, but saying that voice is Jack Black-like is an insult to Jack Black.
Lol I moreso meant Yajirobe's appearance than the voice, although the voice still conveys a similar image to me. I feel like Funimation was really trying to push him being a slacker dude.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by MyVisionity » Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:22 am

Yajirobe's supposed to be a bit country like Goku, so I guess Sabat's dub voice isn't exactly ill-fitting. Tanaka gives a much better performance, however. She also plays Yajirobe as a coward, which he is.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:38 am

MyVisionity wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:22 am Yajirobe's supposed to be a bit country like Goku, so I guess Sabat's dub voice isn't exactly ill-fitting. Tanaka gives a much better performance, however. She also plays Yajirobe as a coward, which he is.
That's what I love about it. The voice does not fit his appearance at all, but it does fit his personality. It makes Yajirobe a lot more entertaining of a character in the anime for me.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by Kappa » Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:26 am

Mine is Sean Schemmel.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by BootyCheeksJohnson » Sat Nov 20, 2021 4:40 am

ZeroIsOurHero wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:06 pm
MyVisionity wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 7:53 pm I suppose that a lot of people don't think of Freeza or Kuririn as being "manly enough" to require male voice actors.
Yeah, that's kind of my thought process, although I don't think it's as misogynistic as you seem to be implying. If a male character has a skinnier, shorter, or generally more "androgynous" appearance, them being voiced by a woman feels a lot less jarring. I feel like that's the reason why people who complain about Nozawa's Goku are perfectly fine with the voices for Naruto and Luffy: If a male character has a physique that looks like it was chiseled out of marble, them being voiced by a woman becomes a lot harder to buy.
Didn't the anime staff (especially guys like Yamamoro) buff up Goku more than he was in the manga?
Goku isn't quite as ripped in the manga from what I can tell.
We need a Steve Simmons retranslation of the manga.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by BootyCheeksJohnson » Sat Nov 20, 2021 4:46 am

MyVisionity wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:22 am Yajirobe's supposed to be a bit country like Goku, so I guess Sabat's dub voice isn't exactly ill-fitting. Tanaka gives a much better performance, however. She also plays Yajirobe as a coward, which he is.
Yajirobe is played by Mike McFarland (Roshi) in the dub.
We need a Steve Simmons retranslation of the manga.

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Re: Favorite Goku Voice?

Post by MyVisionity » Sat Nov 20, 2021 5:23 am

BootyCheeksJohnson wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 4:46 am
MyVisionity wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 3:22 am Yajirobe's supposed to be a bit country like Goku, so I guess Sabat's dub voice isn't exactly ill-fitting. Tanaka gives a much better performance, however. She also plays Yajirobe as a coward, which he is.
Yajirobe is played by Mike McFarland (Roshi) in the dub.
Thanks! Not sure why I thought it was Sabat...

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