"Dragon Ball Super" FUNimation Dub Official Discussion Thread

[dragonballgeek]

I'm honestly enjoying Super so much more in the dub. I love it

You're not the only one! These episodes are flying by for me as opposed to what I expected which was dragging.

Edit- Ep 5 promo https://youtu.be/MeMZvAPlFRc
Corrected art?

Glad I'm not alone haha. I enjoy the English dub much better!

[DBZ_Lee]

I much prefer the dub for Dragon Ball. Funimation are nailing it big time.
Am not a fan of the original Japanese, I of course respect the VAs, but they're not my cup of tea.
Mosako Nozawa is amazing to keep going how she has all these years, nothing but admiration.

I know a lot of people don't like Sean's King Kai, but I really do.
I get that it does sort of give off the wrong impression of the character, but I've always thought he does it very well, and in a way that keeps (at least for me anyway) the integrity of the character intact.

[mfwlegend3]

I know a lot of people don't like Sean's King Kai, but I really do.

Never had an issue with Sean's Kaio. The only voices I never liked in the FUNi!dub were Boo and Goten's, but aside from those two I'm fine with all of them. I'm especially liking Jason Douglas' and Ian Sinclair's portrayals as Beerus and Whis. Their voices make the character's interactions all the more hilarious, tbh.

[Scsigs]

Wasn't sure if it was mentioned but Sabat said higher ups wanted Morgan as narrator when someone asked him why not Kyle. With the revelation that Toei are working closely with FUNi I assume this was them as I am sure Sabat is high as you can get? Why for the life of them they didn't demand Morgan be King Kai aswell I'll never know!

Also could this be why a few performances like Goten are a little different?

Why is it that everyone here apparently hates that Kai's English voice? There's nothing wrong with it. The character's goofy already, so the voice accentuates it. Even when he's being serious, Yoda still sounded goofy, it's just that his inflections were somewhat different.
As for the higher-ups, I think they're getting a say in new castings & not in older character VAs unless they're recasted. I mean, over the years, FUNi have always kept consistency with older character voices as much as they can. Unless a VA gives up a role, you can bet your ass that they're going to keep voicing the characters they do until they die. It's the same with the Japanese version.
As for Morgan, look him up. All he's done is narration for Dragon Ball. That's. About. It. He's not a regular for anything else at FUNimation, so who even knows if he CAN do character voice acting. Not every narrator can play characters & not every character voice actor can narrate. Though there IS some crossover every now & then. If Sean were to suddenly give up playing King Kai, which he's not since he enjoys it, they'd just find someone who'd imitate him. Jeice still had an Australian accent in Kai despite not being voiced by Sabat & everyone of the other recasted secondary voices, minus a select few, sound almost identical to Sabat's voices for them. Whatever fantasy you people who hate it have about King Kai being voiced by someone different isn't going to come true, so don't hold your collective breaths.
Here's a question, if you hadn't heard the sub voices, would it still matter? Really thing about this for a second, if you just took the show at face value with the dub, would the voice REALLY bother you that much for a character that's a bumbling fool of a god that also likes to tell jokes? If it does, I guess I get it, but taken on its own merits, there really isn't anything wrong with the dub's voices, or voice actors. Some can be bizarre, but if they work in the context of the dub, who are we to really judge?

[Lunaar]

Some can be bizarre, but if they work in the context of the dub, who are we to really judge?

This storm has raged on for as long as I can remember within the Dragon Ball fandom.

For the sake of being the devil's advocate: the only reason there is any "context of the dub" to begin with is the divide that was created when the dub began to change things beyond cultural differences and censorship. Names, entire scripts, terminology and yes - character portrayals. If you're suggesting that Kaio's change from a delicate, wise old jokester to a blubbery, loud mouthed jokester reflects the difference in quality between the two languages... well, you would have been right in 1999.
[spoiler]The fact of the matter is that Schemmel's portrayal of Kaio is a relic of the past. A relic of a relic, to be more specific. Despite them going back to change so much for Kai, ranging from actors/actresses to (intentionally) accurate scripts, they kept many facets purely for the fans of the old show. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. You can find many examples throughout the forums/Youtube to find Kai making references to an older product that FUNimation sought out to make better on more than one occasion. Too many kids grew up with Kaio's voice, including me... but I also grew up with Yanami's performance before Z-Day hit in September of 1999. As you said, Schemmel enjoys it too, so it's unlikely to change... even if it was born from trying to mimic Don Brown.

The conversation that always comes from this is "okay then, what kind of show would we have had if Dragon Ball were dubbed from start to finish if it were done today, instead of twenty years ago?" FUNimation's current dub quality is excellent across the board, for any franchise - yet when it comes to Dragon Ball, they're in a "damned if you cater to fans, damned if you cater to dub fans" pickle. There's no right answer. We'll never know. Dragon Ball helped shaped the industry overseas and it's entirely thanks to the Americanized products of the 90's that anime succeeded here in the West, to this degree. (lets not forget to mention that the Spanish and French dubs were pumping out quality, accurate dubs on their own)

...ALL OF THAT BEING SAID - I really enjoy Super's dub and by that extension, Kai's. As much as I don't agree with the creative choice of keeping Schemmel's Kaio, it's improved so much since 1999. I don't wince like I do when I watch the Namek/Freeza arc. The man has so much talent to make that voice credible for me to watch as an adult. I might be in the minority, but I like everybody's performance in Super. Everybody's. I'm not kidding. Regardless of voice "preference," everybody is giving a great effort and it's clear they understand the context of the show. That's all I could ask for. I can watch the show and don't have the need to double check the original script for inconsistencies. I completely believe that FUNimation is doing the show to the best of their ability, on the path they've been given. Even if everybody still says "Guardian of the Earth" and "Tien." I'll sleep at night.[/spoiler]
TLDR; "Context of the dub" is a touchy subject for fans. There are many, many people that believe the dub should not have it's own "context" at all and just stick to respecting the source material.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I don't mind the idea of King Kai's voice but it's just that Sean is pretty incomprehensible as King Kai recently and the fact we have Morgan sitting right there makes me a bit upset.

[Scsigs]

I don't mind the idea of King Kai's voice but it's just that Sean is pretty incomprehensible as King Kai recently and the fact we have Morgan sitting right there makes me a bit upset.

What makes you think Morgan would do any better?

[DrBriefsCat]

If you're suggesting that Kaio's change from a delicate, wise old jokester to a blubbery, loud mouthed jokester reflects the difference in quality between the two languages... well, you would have been right in 1999.
[spoiler]The fact of the matter is that Schemmel's portrayal of Kaio is a relic of the past. A relic of a relic, to be more specific. Despite them going back to change so much for Kai, ranging from actors/actresses to (intentionally) accurate scripts, they kept many facets purely for the fans of the old show. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. You can find many examples throughout the forums/Youtube to find Kai making references to an older product that FUNimation sought out to make better on more than one occasion. Too many kids grew up with Kaio's voice, including me... but I also grew up with Yanami's performance before Z-Day hit in September of 1999. As you said, Schemmel enjoys it too, so it's unlikely to change... even if it was born from trying to mimic Don Brown.[/spoiler]

I think one of the main problems with Schemmel's Kai voice is that he's sometimes hard to understand, as if he's constantly taking with cotton in his mouth. By comparison, Don Brown's performance was better refined and the "blubbery", jokey aspect of the character was more minimal. Judging by this video comparison, it sounds like Schemmel pretty much exaggerated that aspect when he was hired to imitate the voice.

[Bansho64]

What makes you think Morgan would do any better?

Well, for one, I'd be able to understand what he's saying a lot easier. Two, I think he's got that older, wise, and powerful tone down. Add some goofiness and that's the whole package for me.

I'd prefer Brice doing it though. Have him do his Tim Marcoh voice and I'm ecstatic.

[Lunaar]

If you're suggesting that Kaio's change from a delicate, wise old jokester to a blubbery, loud mouthed jokester reflects the difference in quality between the two languages... well, you would have been right in 1999.
[spoiler]The fact of the matter is that Schemmel's portrayal of Kaio is a relic of the past. A relic of a relic, to be more specific. Despite them going back to change so much for Kai, ranging from actors/actresses to (intentionally) accurate scripts, they kept many facets purely for the fans of the old show. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. You can find many examples throughout the forums/Youtube to find Kai making references to an older product that FUNimation sought out to make better on more than one occasion. Too many kids grew up with Kaio's voice, including me... but I also grew up with Yanami's performance before Z-Day hit in September of 1999. As you said, Schemmel enjoys it too, so it's unlikely to change... even if it was born from trying to mimic Don Brown.[/spoiler]

I think one of the main problems with Schemmel's Kai voice is that he's sometimes hard to understand, as if he's constantly taking with cotton in his mouth. By comparison, Don Brown's performance was better refined and the "blubbery", jokey aspect of the character was more minimal. Judging by this video comparison, it sounds like Schemmel pretty much exaggerated that aspect when he was hired to imitate the voice.

I agree entirely about the issue with Schemmel's Kaio, but Brown's is only marginally better in that you can understand what he's saying more often. I can't say I prefer one over the other. If Schemmel has cotton in is mouth, Brown must have cavernous joules that reverb within themselves on every syllable that begins with "b" or "p."

Morgan taking a crack at Kaio would be heaven in my ear holes, but Scsigs brings up a fair point: What if playing the Narrator is the extent of his range? Kaio demands some intensity and downright goofiness. It's what made Yanami's performance an absolute delight, even outside of Dragon Ball. He's incredible and I hope he makes a restful recovery - whether he returns to the show or not. His mark on the industry is undeniable. Morgan may have the right voice, but there's a chance he just might not fit the character. One can dream, though.

[Noah]

Wasn't sure if it was mentioned but Sabat said higher ups wanted Morgan as narrator when someone asked him why not Kyle.

You mean Morgan Freeman? My goodness! That would be awesome!

[NintendoBlaze53]

I have never been able to take English Kaio seriously. When he's trying to sound heartfelt I don't hear it. I don't believe this guy was wise enough to create the Genki Dama. Japanese Kaio SEEMS like deep down her is a master.

Can we please not turn this forum into a sub VS dub debate however? Haven't we had enough of that? Some people have taken people saying they're enjoying Super more dubbed out of context and thinking the prefer the dub over sub. Funimation have been inserting more natural humour (A common occurrence in their dubs), as such the episodes feel like less of a chore and more enjoyable. I for one am excited to hear Ayres as Freeza again, which will no doubt make that arc bearable.

[Lunaar]

Can we please not turn this forum into a sub VS dub debate however? Haven't we had enough of that? Some people have taken people saying they're enjoying Super more dubbed out of context and thinking the prefer the dub over sub. Funimation have been inserting more natural humour (A common occurrence in their dubs), as such the episodes feel like less of a chore and more enjoyable. I for one am excited to hear Ayres as Freeza again, which will no doubt make that arc bearable.

Yeah, lets move on. We always seem to devolve back into those debates...

No doubt am I excited to witness Ayres' Freeza again, but I'm also really looking forward to hearing Haberkorn take on Jaco again.

[simtek34]

FUNimation's YouTube has subtitled versions of the Universe Survival Saga Trailers up now.

Jump Festa Trailer

15 Second Fuji TV Trailer

[TheAldella]

Let's hope Todd can even come around for Jaco. He's been doing California dubs a lot lately.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Let's hope Todd can even come around for Jaco. He's been doing California dubs a lot lately.

Sabat already confirmed he will. Someone asked him he should cast Todd as Cabba but Sabat replied that Todd is already playing Jaco.

With the dub being weekly, they can probably buy more time now anyway so I wouldn't have worried anyway.

[TheAldella]

Let's hope Todd can even come around for Jaco. He's been doing California dubs a lot lately.

Sabat already confirmed he will. Someone asked him he should cast Todd as Cabba but Sabat replied that Todd is already playing Jaco.

With the dub being weekly, they can probably buy more time now anyway so I wouldn't have worried anyway.

I was really worried about that. That's great to hear.

[Noah]

FUNimation's YouTube has subtitled versions of the Universe Survival Saga Trailers up now.

Well they'll release the dubbed versions of it?

[Scsigs]

FUNimation's YouTube has subtitled versions of the Universe Survival Saga Trailers up now.

Well they'll release the dubbed versions of it?

Maybe after they license the rest of the show up until, or after, that point.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

FUNimation's YouTube has subtitled versions of the Universe Survival Saga Trailers up now.

Well they'll release the dubbed versions of it?

Maybe after they license the rest of the show up until, or after, that point.

They have a multi year license of Super plus the fact they have subbed it in house safe to say that they do.

As for a simuldub if that was what Noah was alluding too then probably no. For the reasons they have to dub for Toonami, and the fact that a simuldub is more or less impossible for DB since the big VA's like Sean live away.